MCP Crontab Server

🚀 MCP Batch Task Viewer

A terminal-based user interface tool for exploring and monitoring crontab tasks, implemented using the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This tool offers an intuitive interface to check scheduled tasks, view status, and recent logs without leaving the terminal environment. It is designed with a client-server architecture, separating system access from presentation logic for clean code organization and maintainability.

✨ Features

• Rich Terminal UI: Beautiful tables and formatted output.
• Log Viewing: View recent cron task execution logs.
• Search Function: Find crontab processes containing specific terms.

🔧 Technical Details

The MCP Batch Task Viewer consists of two parts:

1. Server (mcp_crontab_server.py): A custom HTTP server implementing the Model Context Protocol. It registers tools via the FastMCP library and exposes them through HTTP endpoints.

2. Client (mcp_crontab_client_http.py): A rich terminal UI that communicates with the server via HTTP requests and uses the Rich library for formatted display.

This architecture demonstrates:

• Server-side MCP implementation and tool registration.
• HTTP-based communication between components.
• A clean separation of system access (server) and presentation logic (client).

📦 Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.7+
• pip (Python package manager)

Install Dependencies

pip install rich requests fastmcp

Run the server:

python mcp_crontab_server.py

Run the client:

python mcp_crontab_client_http.py

After the client starts, it will display the following menu options:

1. List Crontab Processes: Show all cron tasks.
2. View Recent Logs: View the latest cron task execution logs.
3. Search Crontab Processes: Find processes containing specific terms.
4. Exit: Close the viewer.

Example Output

        ╭────────────────────────────────────╮
        │ MCP Batch Task Viewer (HTTP Client) │
        ╰────────────────────────────────────╯
        A tool for monitoring batch tasks using the Model Control Protocol (MCP).

        Connecting to MCP server http://127.0.0.1:8000
        Checking if the server is running...
        Connected successfully!

        Available tools:
        ╭──────┬─────────────────╮
        │ Command │ Description │
        ├──────┼─────────────────┤
        │ list │ List all cron processes │
        │ log │ View recent logs │
        │ search │ Search for specific terms │
        ╰──────┴─────────────────╯

        Enter a command or exit (q):

📚 Documentation

MCP Compliance

• Implements tool registration using the FastMCP library.
• Supports the /tools endpoint to return a list of available tools.
• Invokes tools via HTTP POST requests in the format /tools/{tool_name}.
• Returns results in a consistent JSON format.

The client uses standard HTTP requests instead of an MCP-specific library, making it compatible with any HTTP client while maintaining the core MCP model implementation on the server side.

Requirements

• fastmcp
• rich
• requests