local-shell-mcp

A ChatGPT-ready MCP control plane for shell, files, browser automation, file links, and remote machines.

Documentation · Quickstart · Runtime choices · ChatGPT connector · DSH plugin · Tools · Releases

---

local-shell-mcp gives ChatGPT Developer Mode and other MCP clients controlled access to a real execution environment. It exposes a dedicated workspace with shell, persistent shell, filesystem, search, patch, Playwright, audit, durable logical sessions with optional Goal plans, public file links, and outbound remote-worker access. Git is handled through ordinary shell commands instead of a parallel wrapper API.

Runtime: Docker / VS Code extension / binary / Python / stdio
  -> exposure: localhost, HTTPS proxy/tunnel, or stdio pipe
  -> client: ChatGPT or another MCP client
  -> controlled workspace at /workspace or configured root
  -> optional remote workers connected over outbound HTTP(S)

The intended safety boundary is the container or VM, not the host.

Why use it

Capability	What it enables
Real terminal access	Run tests, build projects, inspect logs, and debug with persistent shell sessions.
Workspace-aware file tools	Read, write, patch, search, and review files under a controlled root.
Git workflow support	Run the standard Git CLI through shell tools without a second, incomplete Git abstraction.
Browser automation	Extract page text, capture PNG/PDF evidence, or run a full Playwright script.
Native desktop GUI	Observe accessibility trees plus screenshots and control Linux, Windows, or macOS applications with guarded semantic/coordinate actions.
Remote workers	Control NAT, firewall, HPC, NPU, or lab machines that can only connect outward.
Agent Skills	Discover, load, and read reusable SKILL.md workflows through three fixed tools without changing the MCP tool list.
ChatGPT connector support	OAuth 2.1, /mcp, discovery controls, and ChatGPT-compatible tool schemas.
DeepSeek Harness plugin	Install this repository as a DSH bundle and expose the complete LSM tool surface, including remote workers.
ChatGPT Live Workspace	Render a native MCP App for real-time activity, terminal, files, diffs, jobs, remotes, audit, and direct human/agent collaboration inside ChatGPT.
Safer operations	Workspace scoping, shell timeouts, output limits, environment filtering, audit logs, and secret scanning.

Quick start

Install the official launcher or Python package when you want a host runtime:

npx local-shell-mcp --help
pipx install local-shell-mcp
lsm --help

The npm and Python distributions both expose local-shell-mcp; installed packages also expose lsm as the short command. The npm distribution is only a verified launcher for the matching standalone release binary, not a second server implementation.

Clone the repository and prepare configuration:

…