ConnectWise Automate MCP

ConnectWise Automate + AI - for Claude, the ChatGPT desktop app, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, and any agent that speaks MCP

Unofficial. Community-built Claude Code Skill and MCP server for the ConnectWise API. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by ConnectWise, LLC.

[ConnectWise Automate demo - animated preview]

_{▶ Watch the 30-second demo - demo data is simulated; every command shown exists in the real CLI.}

Sync your entire ConnectWise Automate fleet into local SQLite and answer cross-client questions the per-server web UI can't: fleet-wide health roll-ups, stale-agent sweeps, patch-compliance-by-client, and overnight drift. Works with the AI you already use - ChatGPT (desktop app), Claude Desktop, Codex, Claude Code, Claude Cowork, and GitHub Copilot - plus Gemini CLI. Free, open source, runs on your laptop. Built for MSP owners. No code required.

Works with your agent

Security note. Local agents use the default stdio transport and need no network listener. HTTP mode (--transport http, for remote agents) refuses to start until CONNECTWISE_AUTOMATE_MCP_HTTP_TOKEN is set, rejects any request without that bearer token, serves http://127.0.0.1:7777/mcp by default, and needs --tls-cert and --tls-key for any other address. It refuses a request body over 4 MiB or one that takes longer than 30 seconds to arrive. Whoever holds the token can call every tool with your ConnectWise credentials. Tools that change your Automate server (run a command on a computer, deploy or re-attempt patches, mint or refresh an API token, import) return a preview and run only when called with confirm: true. Set CONNECTWISE_AUTOMATE_MCP_READ_ONLY=1 on any host that only needs to read. See mcp-install.md.

The six agents MSP owners actually use (self-serve, works today):

The ChatGPT desktop app runs connectwise-automate-mcp locally and shares MCP configuration with Codex (OpenAI). ChatGPT on the web needs a remote server, which msp-skills does not support yet. If your team works there, a hosted gateway is the better pick; check that your AI app is on the gateway's setup list. Setup steps: mcp-install.md.

Also for the Microsoft and Google stacks

Big install base, but an honest heads-up: Gemini CLI runs the local binary you just installed, while Microsoft 365 Copilot and the Gemini app need a remote server, which msp-skills does not support yet.

Skill-native agents (also covered): Hermes and OpenClaw read this skill's SKILL.md directly and speak MCP - see their install sections below. Also works with Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, Continue.dev, and Zed via MCP. Full per-tool wire-up: docs/which-agent.md.

Run more than one agent? Install across all 51+ supported agents in one command: npx skills add Servosity/msp-skills@latest (requires Node.js, then run the per-skill installer for the CLI/MCP binaries). See docs/which-agent.md.

Install in 60 seconds

Fastest for Claude Desktop - one-click .mcpb

Claude Desktop bundle: the .mcpb launches on macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), Windows x64 and Linux x64. Every tool shells out to the companion connectwise-automate-cli. Releases cut from 2026-09-18 on ship that CLI inside the bundle; older bundles contain only the MCP server, so if yours lacks the companion, run the Path A or Path B installer below first (or set CONNECTWISE_AUTOMATE_CLI_PATH to an existing binary). Details: #331.

Download ConnectWise MCP (.mcpb) - then open Claude Desktop > Settings > Extensions and select the file. One click, no JSON, no shell. (Browse every ConnectWise release on the releases page.)

Prefer the Claude Code plugin? Add the marketplace once, then install - works immediately, no directory listing required:

/plugin marketplace add Servosity/msp-skills/plugin install connectwise-automate@msp-skills

Path A - paste one prompt into your AI agent (recommended)

Copy this into Claude Code, Codex CLI, or Claude Cowork:

Install the ConnectWise Skill and MCP server from Servosity/msp-skills in this agent workspace. If this workspace uses a POSIX shell (macOS, Linux, WSL, or Bash), run bash <(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Servosity/msp-skills/main/skills/connectwise-automate/install.sh). If it uses Windows PowerShell, run iwr -useb https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Servosity/msp-skills/main/skills/connectwise-automate/install.ps1 | iex. Then authenticate per the README and run connectwise-automate-cli --help to explore.

The same prompt works in any agent that can run shell.

Path B - run the installer yourself

Windows (PowerShell):

iwr -useb https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Servosity/msp-skills/main/skills/connectwise-automate/install.ps1 | iex

macOS / Linux:

bash <(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Servosity/msp-skills/main/skills/connectwise-automate/install.sh)

The installer drops both connectwise-automate-cli (the CLI) and connectwise-automate-mcp (the MCP server) into your user bin path. Claude Code, Codex, and Cowork discover the Skill via SKILL.md in this directory.

Verify:

connectwise-automate-cli --version

Upgrade to the latest version

The installer always fetches the current release - re-run it to upgrade:

macOS / Linux:

bash <(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Servosity/msp-skills/main/skills/connectwise-automate/install.sh)

Windows (PowerShell):

iwr -useb https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Servosity/msp-skills/main/skills/connectwise-automate/install.ps1 | iex

Claude Desktop .mcpb users: download the latest .mcpb (top of this section) and re-select it in Settings > Extensions. Claude Code plugin users: /plugin update connectwise-automate@msp-skills.

Add to Claude Desktop, the ChatGPT desktop app, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, or another MCP client

After the installer runs, see mcp-install.md and docs/which-agent.md for the per-agent wire-up - one section per agent, including the GitHub Copilot servers key and the ChatGPT desktop app. Claude Desktop's Settings > Extensions panel is the simplest path; the MCP config block (for users who prefer editing JSON) is documented in mcp-install.md.

Install for Hermes

From the Hermes CLI:

hermes skills install servosity/msp-skills/skills/connectwise-automate --force

Inside a Hermes chat session:

/skills install servosity/msp-skills/skills/connectwise-automate --force

Hermes speaks MCP natively, so it can also use the connectwise-automate-mcp server directly - same install path, same env vars.

Install for OpenClaw

Tell your OpenClaw agent (copy this):

Install the connectwise-automate skill from https://github.com/servosity/msp-skills/tree/main/skills/connectwise-automate. The skill defines how its required CLI (connectwise-automate-cli) can be installed via the openclaw: frontmatter block.

OpenClaw isn't generally available yet; the frontmatter wiring is pre-shipped and will activate the moment OpenClaw launches.

Authenticate

Set the credentials the CLI needs (from your ConnectWise portal):

CONNECTWISE_AUTOMATE_SERVER=<value> CONNECTWISE_AUTOMATE_CLIENT_ID=<value> CONNECTWISE_AUTOMATE_TOKEN=<value> connectwise-automate-cli doctor

doctor confirms the credentials work before you run anything that touches data. It exits 0 even when the credential is rejected, so scripts should add --fail-on error.

What this skill does

Full command reference: guide.md. For the AI-agent operating contract (--agent, --dry-run, when to confirm before mutating), see AGENTS.md.

What makes this different

Most ConnectWise Automate integrations and MCP servers proxy each question into a live API call. That's fine for one computer. It dies at scale, when you're asking "how many agents are offline across all 40 clients" or "who's behind on patches before this morning's QBR".

This skill syncs ConnectWise Automate into a local SQLite mirror with full-text search. Aggregate questions become one local SQL join: instant, offline, and the AI sees the answer, not the raw data. Compound commands like fleet-health, patch-compliance, and alert-triage join across computers, clients, locations, alerts, and patch history - work a stateless API wrapper can't do.

The pain this closes

Automate (formerly LabTech) is built around a per-server console that excels at drilling into one endpoint and falls apart at "show me this across every client." On MSPGeek - the long-running ConnectWise Automate community forum - and on r/msp, the recurring complaints are the same: no fast cross-client roll-up, offline and stale agents quietly inflating license counts, and patch-compliance for a QBR that means assembling a report per client by hand. The data is all in Automate; getting a fleet-wide answer out of it is the work - and it lands at the worst times, before a license true-up or the morning of a review.

This skill answers those questions directly:

• stale-agents --days 30 - offline agents grouped by client, ready for a true-up
• patch-compliance - per-client patch posture, worst first, ready for the QBR
• alert-triage --min-priority 3 - what needs a human across every client this morning
• fleet-health - online/offline, last-contact age, and open alerts in one roll-up
• os-inventory --eol-only - end-of-life OSes flagged for the refresh conversation
• agent-versions --behind-only - agents left behind after a server upgrade, counted per client

See pain-point.md for the longer narrative.

Frequently asked questions

Does this work with ChatGPT?

Yes, in the ChatGPT desktop app. It runs MCP servers locally (STDIO), the way connectwise-automate-mcp runs, and shares MCP configuration with Codex (OpenAI): add connectwise-automate-mcp under Settings > MCP servers as a STDIO server, or add it once to Codex's ~/.codex/config.toml. ChatGPT on the web is not supported by msp-skills yet: it needs a remote server. If your team works there, a hosted gateway is the better pick; check that your AI app is on the gateway's setup list. Setup steps: mcp-install.md.

Does this work with Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, Copilot, or Gemini?

Yes - all of them speak MCP. Cross-tool install commands are in the matrix above and the deep-dive in docs/which-agent.md.

Do I need to know how to code?

No. The recommended install is to paste one sentence into Claude Code or Codex - your agent reads SKILL.md and does the install. The fallback is a one-line installer per OS (bash or PowerShell). Neither path requires writing code. You'll enter your ConnectWise credentials once.

Is my ConnectWise data safe?

Your data stays on your machine. The CLI and MCP server are local binaries. The SQLite mirror sits in a directory under your user account. The AI agent only sees what the CLI returns - typically a query result, not raw bulk data. Credentials are read from your environment or your agent's config; never bundled into this repo or transmitted anywhere by MSP Skills.

Is this for ConnectWise Automate or ConnectWise Manage (PSA)?

ConnectWise Automate - the RMM, formerly LabTech. ConnectWise Manage (the PSA) is a separate skill. This one talks to your Automate server's API for computers, clients, alerts, patching, scripts, and monitors.

Will this hit my Automate API rate limits?

The local mirror is the point. You sync once, then every roll-up, triage, and search runs against local SQLite, so day-to-day questions never touch the API. Only sync and the live list/get commands call Automate.

Do I need to be a ConnectWise partner?

You need an Automate server you administer plus an API token, and a registered integration clientId GUID (required for v2020.11+). The skill authenticates as you and adds nothing to your ConnectWise account.

Will this replace the Automate console?

No. It's for cross-client reporting and triage from the terminal or your AI agent. The console stays where you configure monitors, scripts, and policies.

What does it cost?

Free. Apache-2.0 licensed. You pay only for whichever AI agent you use (Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, etc.), and that's billed by your AI provider, not by us.

Safety model

The strongest control is the scope you grant the ConnectWise Automate credentials - the CLI can only do what the token is permitted to do. Full details, including how to lock it down, are in governance.md.

Status

Beta. Validated against the ConnectWise API surface and being validated with MSPs running it live against their own production tenant in our weekly Build Sessions. RSVP at compoundingteams.com/build-sessions.

Standards. Conforms to the open Agent Skills spec (Anthropic, Dec 2025; 40+ agents). MCP-compatible - works with any MCP-capable agent including Hermes. OpenClaw-ready (frontmatter pre-wired, awaiting OpenClaw launch).

Maintained by Servosity. Apache-2.0 licensed. Built with CLI Printing Press. Last updated: 2026-06-12.