BIG-IP

You use this MCP server to manage F5 BIG-IP devices from a single control point. It authenticates to BIG-IP load balancers, caches tokens for fast repeated access, lists virtual servers, and can manage AS3 as well as SSL behaviors. It is designed to be non-blocking and scalable, so you can monitor and operate multiple BIG-IP devices efficiently.

How to use

Start by configuring your BIG-IP devices in a local configuration file. You will then run the MCP server and use an MCP client to query devices, list virtual servers, or manage AS3 on your BIG-IP devices.

How to install

Prerequisites: you need Python and a package manager to install dependencies.

Step 1: Create a virtual environment using one of the recommended options.

#!/bin/bash
# Step 1: Create virtual environment (venv)
python -m venv venv

# Activate on macOS/Linux
source venv/bin/activate

# Activate on Windows
venv\Scripts\activate

# Alternative: using uv (recommended for modern Python projects)
# Create and activate a shared environment with uv
uv venv
source .venv/bin/activate  # macOS/Linux
.venv\Scripts\activate     # Windows

Step 2: Install dependencies in the active environment.

uv pip install -r requirements.txt
# or, equivalently
pip install -r requirements.txt

Step 3: Verify the installation and FastMCP tooling.

fastmcp version

Step 4: Start the MCP server directly or via the FastMCP CLI.

Configuration and running the server

Configure your BIG-IP devices in a local JSON file. You can copy an example configuration and edit it to include your devices.

{
  "devices": {
    "prod-lb-01": {
      "ip_address": "10.1.1.10",
      "username": "admin",
      "password": "your-password",
      "verify_ssl": false,
      "description": "Production load balancer"
    },
    "lab-bigip": {
      "ip_address": "192.168.1.100",
      "username": "admin",
      "password": "admin",
      "verify_ssl": false,
      "description": "Lab environment"
    }
  }
}

Then choose one of the following ways to start the server.

# Direct execution (stdio transport)
# Ensure your virtual environment is activated
python server.py

# FastMCP CLI (stdio transport, default)
fastmcp run server.py:mcp

# FastMCP CLI (HTTP transport)
fastmcp run server.py:mcp --transport http --port 8000

Security and credentials

Credentials are read from your local configuration file and are not exposed in chat interactions. Tokens are cached and reused for about 19 minutes before re-authentication.

For production deployments, enable SSL verification and use dedicated read-only accounts where possible.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter permission or environment issues, prefer the wrapper approach for Claude Desktop interactions to ensure proper isolation and permissions.

Common issues include network access to BIG-IP, correct API permissions, and SSL verification settings. Check firewall rules and BIG-IP iControl REST accessibility.

Tools and capabilities

This server provides several MCP tools to interact with BIG-IP devices. You can list devices, list virtual servers on a device, and manage AS3 installations or upgrades.

Available tools

list_bigip_devices

Lists all configured BIG-IP devices from the configuration file with names, IPs, and descriptions.

list_virtual_servers

Lists all virtual servers on a specific BIG-IP device, including status and configuration details.

manage_as3

Check, install, or upgrade the F5 AS3 extension on BIG-IP devices, with optional automatic installation and version checks.