Shell Exec

Execute bash commands with background job support.

Quick Install

Automated & IDE Setup

Copy the AI prompt to install this server into Claude Code, Cursor, or another agent — or use 1-click editor setup below.

Add to Cursor Add to VS Code

Manual Client & Custom JSON ConfigExpand JSON ▾

Client Config & Setup

Remote HTTP

Choose your client or environment

Target File:~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "shell-exec": {
      "url": "https://adamjones.me/install-mcp/?config=eyJjb21tYW5kIjoibnB4IiwiYXJncyI6WyIteSIsInNoZWxsLWV4ZWMtbWNwIl0sIm5hbWUiOiJzaGVsbC1leGVjIn0="
    }
  }
}

💡 Paste the JSON block into your client's configuration file under mcpServers, then restart the application.

Documentation Overview

shell-exec-mcp

MCP server for executing bash commands with background job support.

Use Cases

Run build commands: Execute npm run build, make, or other build tools and get the output.

File operations: Use find, grep, mv, rm, mkdir -p, stat etc. for file management.

Long-running tasks: Start servers or watch processes in background mode, check on them later.

System info: Run df -h, ps aux, env etc. to inspect the system state.

Setup

Follow the instructions on install-mcp, which generates the right config for your MCP client (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline, VS Code, and more).

Tools

Tool	Description
`execute`	Run a bash command (with optional timeout and background mode)
`get_job_status`	Check status of a background job

Contributing

Pull requests are welcomed on GitHub! To get started:

Install Git and Node.js
Clone the repository
Install dependencies with npm install
Run npm run test to run tests
Build with npm run build

Releases

Versions follow the semantic versioning spec.

To release:

Use npm version <major | minor | patch> to bump the version
Run git push --follow-tags to push with tags
Wait for GitHub Actions to publish to the NPM registry.

Read the full README →View source on GitHub →

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Frequently Asked Questions about Shell Exec

Add the following block to your claude_desktop_config.json under mcpServers: "mcpServers": { "shell-exec": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "Shell Exec"] } }

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Technical Specs & Signals

CategoryDeveloper Tools

36Quality signal: Fair · 36/100How this signal is calculated ▾

Server availabilityNot measured

Not scored for repo-hosted servers — we can't reach the running server, only its GitHub page. Hosted MCP endpoints are health-checked live.

Verified ownership10/20

Documentation & tools14/30

Adoption & activity3/15

Community engagement0/10

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More in 💻 Developer Tools →Best MCP servers for Developers →Alternatives to Shell Exec →Install in Claude Desktop Install in Cursor Install in VS Code

{ "mcpServers": { "shell-exec": { "url": "https://adamjones.me/install-mcp/?config=eyJjb21tYW5kIjoibnB4IiwiYXJncyI6WyIteSIsInNoZWxsLWV4ZWMtbWNwIl0sIm5hbWUiOiJzaGVsbC1leGVjIn0=" } } }