# SebastianGilPinzon/colab-mcp [Health: Active]

**Category:** 👨‍💻 Code Execution  
**Repository:** https://github.com/SebastianGilPinzon/colab-mcp  
**GitHub Stars:** 17  
**Views:** 6  
**Installs:** 0  
**Upvotes:** 0  
**Directory Page:** https://allmcps.com/mcp/sebastiangilpinzon-colab-mcp

## Description
Control Google Colab notebooks and assign GPUs (T4/L4/A100) from any AI agent. Enhanced fork of Google's colab-mcp with all tools visible at startup, OAuth GPU control, and Windows support.

## Tools
Capabilities this server exposes over MCP:

- **change_runtime** — Assign GPU: T4, L4, A100, or NONE
- **open_colab_browser_connection** — Connect to a Colab notebook in your browser
- **add_code_cell** — Add a code cell to the notebook
- **add_text_cell** — Add a markdown cell
- **get_cells** — Read current notebook state (cells, IDs, contents, outputs)
- **run_code_cell** — Execute a code cell by `cellId
- **update_cell** — Edit an existing cell by `cellId
- **delete_cell** — Delete a cell by `cellId
- **move_cell** — Move a cell to a new position by `cellId

## Claude Desktop Quick Installation
Install path detected from listing signals. Uses `uvx` (confidence: high):

```json
"mcpServers": {
  "colab-mcp": {
    "command": "uvx",
    "args": ["git"]
  }
}
```

## Documentation

## What SebastianGilPinzon/colab-mcp MCP server does

SebastianGilPinzon/colab-mcp MCP server exposes Google Colab notebook operations to MCP-compatible AI clients. The notebook workflow starts by opening a browser connection to a Colab notebook. Once connected, an agent can inspect the notebook, create or modify cells, execute code, and manage cell order.

The server also includes a runtime control operation. With Google OAuth enabled, an agent can request the T4, L4, A100, or NONE accelerator. Notebook editing and execution use the browser connection, while runtime selection requires OAuth credentials.

## How it works

The server runs locally and communicates with an MCP client over standard input and output. Its proxy component connects the local process to browser-based Colab notebook tools. The fork pre-registers its tools so clients can see the notebook operations at startup rather than waiting for a tool-list change notification.

A typical session calls `open_colab_browser_connection`, then uses the returned notebook context with operations such as `add_code_cell`, `run_code_cell`, and `get_cells`. Cell operations identify their targets with `cellId`; the older `cellIndex` fallback is not supported. The server records running instances in a small registry, prunes stale entries when starting, and provides commands for listing or terminating stale processes.

## Setup and configuration

Install `uv` using the project’s documented installer instructions, then run the project with `uv` or the repository’s `uvx` Git reference. An MCP client configuration points `command` to `uv` and passes `run`, `--directory`, the local repository path, and `colab-mcp` as arguments. The repository example uses a 30-second client timeout.

Notebook control can be configured without OAuth. To enable `change_runtime`, create a Google Cloud project, configure an OAuth consent screen, add a test user, create a Desktop OAuth client, and pass the downloaded client-secrets JSON with `--client-oauth-config`. On first launch, the browser-based consent flow authorizes access. The resulting token is cached at `~/.colab-mcp-auth-token.json` and refreshed automatically.

On Windows, the server uses port 8085 for compatibility. Its registry is stored under `%LOCALAPPDATA%\\colab-mcp\\registry.json` on Windows and `~/.colab-mcp/registry.json` on macOS or Linux.

## Tools and capabilities

SebastianGilPinzon/colab-mcp MCP server provides these operations:

- `open_colab_browser_connection`: connect to a Colab notebook in the browser.
- `get_cells`: read cell IDs, contents, notebook state, and outputs.
- `add_code_cell`: insert executable code.
- `add_text_cell`: insert a Markdown cell.
- `run_code_cell`: execute a cell by `cellId`.
- `update_cell`: edit an existing cell by `cellId`.
- `delete_cell`: remove a cell by `cellId`.
- `move_cell`: reposition a cell by `cellId`.
- `change_runtime`: select T4, L4, A100, or NONE when OAuth is configured.

## Limitations and notes

Browser-dependent notebook operations require an active Colab browser connection. Runtime selection is unavailable unless the server starts with a valid OAuth client configuration. The OAuth client ID must be created through the Google Cloud Console; the README does not provide a CLI or API alternative.

Define the MCP server in only one client configuration file. Duplicate global and project definitions can start competing instances and cause one to fail. If Colab reports that it is disconnected from the local server, `--list-running` can show active instances and `--kill-stale` can terminate them before a new session starts. The latter should be run from a regular shell, not inside Claude Code.

The project is licensed under Apache-2.0 and requires Python 3.11 or newer.

_Full upstream README: https://allmcps.com/mcp/sebastiangilpinzon-colab-mcp/readme_