# MCP Packet Tracer

> Two open-source tools for automating Cisco Packet Tracer with AI. An MCP
> server that gives any AI client 61 tools over the simulator, and
> PacketSmith, a terminal agent that draws the network topology while it builds.
> Both MIT, both free, neither affiliated with Cisco.

The two are layered, not alternatives: PacketSmith runs on top of the MCP server.
Use the server alone from any MCP client, or use PacketSmith to get a live
topology panel beside the conversation.

## MCP-Packet-Tracer — the engine

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that exposes Cisco Packet Tracer to any
MCP client: Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code / Copilot, or anything else that speaks
the protocol. It places devices, runs cables, assigns IP addresses, configures
DHCP and routing, deploys to a running Packet Tracer instance, and verifies the
result against the devices rather than against the plan.

- Language: Python, MIT licensed
- 61 MCP tools
- 75 real Cisco device models with verified port names
- 127 expansion modules, 10 cable types
- 9 topology templates, plus fully custom builds
- Routing: OSPF, EIGRP, RIP, static
- Repository: https://github.com/Mats2208/MCP-Packet-Tracer
- Reference docs: https://mats2208.github.io/MCP-Packet-Tracer

Install: clone the repository and `pip install -e .` (it is not on PyPI), then
register it with your MCP client. Needs Python 3.11+.

## PacketSmith — the cockpit

A terminal agent built specifically for network labs. The conversation is on the
left; on the right, a panel showing the topology as a fabric tree plus a canvas
plan drawn from Packet Tracer's own coordinates. The panel is derived from the
raw results of the MCP tool calls, never from anything the model says — so a
device the agent claims to have created but did not, does not appear.

- Language: TypeScript, MIT licensed, version 0.3.3
- Runs its own agent loop, so it is not tied to one vendor
- ~150 model providers (7 verified end to end; the rest discovered from models.dev)
- 3 wire protocols: OpenAI chat completions, Anthropic messages, OpenAI Responses
- Per-plan usage meters, 13 themes with contrast enforced by tests
- 367 tests
- Repository: https://github.com/Mats2208/packetsmith
- npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/packetsmith

Install with any one of:

    npm i -g packetsmith
    bun add -g packetsmith
    curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Mats2208/packetsmith/main/scripts/install.sh | sh
    irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Mats2208/packetsmith/main/scripts/install.ps1 | iex

The binary carries its runtime inside, so nothing else is needed — no Bun, no
Node, no npm on the target machine. Then run `packetsmith setup` once to install
the MCP server and fetch the Packet Tracer extension.

## Pages

- [Home](https://www.mcpnetwork.top/): both tools, how they relate, and how to install either
- [PacketSmith](https://www.mcpnetwork.top/packetsmith): the terminal agent
- [Install PacketSmith](https://www.mcpnetwork.top/docs/packetsmith): requirements, install, providers, commands, troubleshooting
- [MCP server docs](https://www.mcpnetwork.top/docs): prerequisites, install, connecting a client, first topology
- [Features](https://www.mcpnetwork.top/features): what the MCP server can do, by workflow stage
- [How it works](https://www.mcpnetwork.top/how-it-works): the architecture and the HTTP bridge
- [Demo](https://www.mcpnetwork.top/demo): screenshots and video of real output

## Known constraints

- Cisco Packet Tracer must be running with the MCP extension loaded, once per
  session, from Extensions > MCP BUILDER. No installer can click that for you.
- The MCP server binds 127.0.0.1:54321 and only one process can hold it. If
  another MCP client is already running with the server configured, it owns the
  port and every tool call fails. Close it first.
- Of PacketSmith's ~150 providers, 7 are verified end to end. The rest come
  from the models.dev catalog and have not been run.
- Neither project is affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Cisco Systems.
  "Packet Tracer" and "Cisco" are trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc.