All-in-one homelab management MCP server.
HomeButler
Manage your homelab from any AI — Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or terminal. One binary. Zero dependencies.
A single-binary CLI + MCP server that lets you monitor servers, control Docker, wake machines, and scan your network — from chat, AI tools, or the command line.
▶️ Click to watch demo — Alert → Diagnose → Fix, all from chat (34s)
Why homebutler?
Other tools give you dashboards. homebutler gives you a conversation.
3 AM. Your server disk is 91% full. Here's what happens next:
Alert fires → you check logs from bed → AI restarts the problem container → disk drops to 66%. All from your phone. No SSH, no laptop, no dashboard login.
This is what homebutler + OpenClaw looks like in practice.
📊 Comparison with alternatives
| homebutler | Glances/btop | Netdata | CasaOS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TUI dashboard | ✅ Built-in | ✅ | ❌ Web | ❌ Web |
| Web dashboard | ✅ Embedded | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Single binary | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Optional web server | ✅ On-demand | Always-on | Always-on | Always-on |
| Multi-server SSH | ✅ Parallel | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| MCP support | ✅ Built-in | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Chat integration | ✅ Native | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| AI-friendly JSON | ✅ | ❌ | ⚠️ API | ⚠️ API |
| Docker control | ✅ | ⚠️ Monitor | ❌ | ✅ |
| Wake-on-LAN | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Network scan | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Remote deploy | ✅ One command | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Air-gapped install | ✅ Copy binary | ⚠️ apt/brew | ❌ Docker | ❌ Docker |
| Resource usage | ~10MB, 0% idle | Medium | High | High |
Features
- App Install — Deploy self-hosted apps with one command (
uptime-kuma,vaultwarden,gitea, and more) - System Status — CPU, memory, disk, uptime at a glance
- Docker Management — List, restart, stop, logs for containers
- Multi-server — Manage remote servers over SSH (key & password auth)
- Alerts — Get notified when resources exceed thresholds
- Backup & Restore — One-command Docker volume backup with compose + env files
- MCP Server — Works with Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, Cursor, and any MCP client
- Web Dashboard — Beautiful dark-themed web UI with
homebutler serve - TUI Dashboard — Real-time terminal monitoring with
homebutler watch(btop-style) - Wake-on-LAN — Power on machines remotely
- Port Scanner — See what's listening and which process owns it
- Network Scan — Discover devices on your LAN
- JSON Output — Pipe-friendly, perfect for AI assistants to parse
📦 One-Command App Install
homebutler install uptime-kuma— Deploy self-hosted apps in seconds. Pre-checks Docker, ports, and duplicates. Generatesdocker-compose.ymlautomatically. See all available apps →
Demo
🌐 Web Dashboard
homebutler serve— A real-time web dashboard embedded in the single binary viago:embed. Monitor all your servers, Docker containers, open ports, alerts, and Wake-on-LAN devices from any browser. Dark theme, auto-refresh every 5 seconds, fully responsive.
✨ Web Dashboard Highlights
- Server Overview — See all servers at a glance with color-coded status (green = online, red = offline)
- System Metrics — CPU, memory, disk usage with progress bars and color thresholds
- Docker Containers — Running/stopped status with friendly labels ("Running · 4d", "Stopped · 6h ago")
- Top Processes — Top 10 processes sorted by CPU usage
- Resource Alerts — Threshold-based warnings with visual progress bars (OK / WARNING / CRITICAL)
- Network Ports — Open ports with process names and bind addresses
- Wake-on-LAN — One-click wake buttons for configured devices
- Server Switching — Dropdown to switch between local and remote servers
- Zero dependencies — No Node.js runtime needed. Frontend is compiled into the Go binary at build time
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Tools (5)
system_statusRetrieve CPU, memory, disk, and uptime metrics.docker_manageList, restart, stop, or view logs for Docker containers.wake_on_lanPower on machines remotely.network_scanDiscover devices on the local area network.app_installDeploy self-hosted applications with one command.Configuration
{"mcpServers": {"homebutler": {"command": "homebutler", "args": ["mcp"]}}}