renode-mcp

MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for controlling Renode emulations.

Overview

This server lets Claude Code and other MCP clients start, control, and inspect a headless Renode instance: launch it, load .resc scripts, run/pause emulation, read and write system-bus memory, and capture UART output — all over Renode's telnet monitor interface.

It is firmware- and platform-agnostic: point it at your built Renode and (optionally) a directory of .resc scripts, and drive whatever machines those scripts define.

Setup

1. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

2. Build Renode (if you haven't already):

   cd /path/to/renode && ./build.sh --no-gui

3. Register in your MCP client (see mcp-config.json for an example) and set the environment variables below.

Configuration

Variable	Required	Description
RENODE_PATH	yes	Path to a built Renode source tree (contains output/bin/Release/Renode.dll).
RENODE_TELNET_PORT	no	Telnet port for the Renode monitor (default 1234).
RENODE_SCRIPTS_DIR	no	Directory of .resc scripts. Each is exposed by its filename stem; scripts can also be referenced by absolute path.

Available Tools

Tool	Description
renode_start	Launch Renode and optionally load a .resc script
renode_stop	Stop the Renode instance
renode_status	Check status, list machines and known scripts
renode_execute	Execute an arbitrary monitor command
renode_load_script	Load a .resc script with optional variable overrides
renode_run_macro	Run a macro defined in the loaded script
renode_start_emulation	Start (resume) emulation
renode_pause_emulation	Pause emulation
renode_run_for	Run for a specific virtual time duration
renode_read_memory	Read bytes from the system bus
renode_write_memory	Write bytes to the system bus
renode_enable_log	Enable log file capture for UART output
renode_get_uart_output	Read recent UART console output from the log

Architecture

MCP Client  <--stdio-->  renode_mcp.py  <--telnet-->  Renode (headless)

The server manages a single Renode process, launched with --port <N> --disable-xwt --plain. Commands are sent as text over a TCP telnet socket to the Renode monitor console.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.