unifi-network

name	unifi-network
description	How to manage UniFi network infrastructure — devices, clients, firewall, VPN, routing, WLANs, Traffic Flows, and statistics. Use this skill when the user mentions UniFi, Ubiquiti, network management, WiFi configuration, firewall rules, port forwarding, VPN, QoS, bandwidth, traffic flows, connected clients, network devices, or any UniFi networking task.

UniFi Network MCP Server

You have access to a UniFi Network MCP server that lets you query and manage a UniFi Network Controller. It provides 186 tools covering devices, clients, firewall, VPN, routing, WLANs, Traffic Flows, statistics, and more.

Tool Discovery

The server uses lazy loading by default — only meta-tools are registered initially. Use them to find and call any tool:

Meta-Tool	Purpose
unifi_tool_index	Discover tools by name/description; use category, search, or include_schemas to filter
unifi_execute	Call any tool by name (essential in lazy mode)
unifi_batch	Run multiple tools in parallel
unifi_batch_status	Check async batch job status

Workflow: Call unifi_tool_index to find the right tool, then unifi_execute to call it. For multiple independent queries, use unifi_batch — it's significantly faster than sequential calls.

Safety Model

The server is "secure by default" because it controls real network infrastructure.

Read operations — always available. All list_*, get_*, and query tools work without special permissions.

Mutations — permission-gated with mixed defaults:

• Enabled by default: firewall policies, port forwards, traffic routes, QoS rules, VPN clients, ACL rules, vouchers, user groups
• Disabled by default (high-risk): networks, WLANs, devices, clients, routes, VPN servers
• Delete operations — always disabled by default

If a mutation fails with a permission error, tell the user the env var to set: UNIFI_POLICY_NETWORK_<CATEGORY>_<ACTION>=true

Confirmation flow — every mutation uses preview-then-confirm:

1. Default call → returns preview of what would change
2. Call with confirm=true → executes the mutation

Always preview first and show the user before confirming.

Response Format

All tools return: {"success": true, "data": ...}, {"success": false, "error": "..."}, or {"success": true, "requires_confirmation": true, "preview": ...}. Always check success first.

Redacted secrets: Secret fields — WLAN passphrases (x_passphrase), VPN private/preshared keys, whole VPN config blobs (imported WireGuard/OpenVPN config files), and SNMP community strings — come back as ***REDACTED*** by default. Raw values are controlled by process policy (UNIFI_NETWORK_REDACT_SENSITIVE_FIELDS=false or global UNIFI_REDACT_SENSITIVE_FIELDS=false), not by tool arguments. On an update, send only the fields you are changing — to keep a secret unchanged, omit it; never echo ***REDACTED*** back, which is rejected so the placeholder can't overwrite the real secret.

Device Classification

unifi_list_devices returns a device_category field that accurately classifies devices:

• ap — real access points (excludes USP Smart Power strips that report as uap type)
• switch — switches
• gateway — UDM/USG gateways
• pdu — smart power strips, UPS devices
• wan — cable internet (UCI) devices

Use device_category (not type) when counting or filtering devices. The device_type filter parameter uses this classification.

Additional enriched fields: upgradable (bool), connection_network (VLAN name), uplink (topology), load_avg_1, mem_pct, model_eol.

Efficiency Tips

• Batch reads — unifi_batch for parallel queries (biggest efficiency win)
• unifi_lookup_by_ip — faster than listing all clients when you know the IP
• Use filters — most list tools accept time range, type, and ID parameters
• unifi_get_top_clients — fastest way to find bandwidth hogs
• unifi_get_traffic_flows — query historical Insights > Flows records when the user asks who talked to what, which ports/protocols were used, or where traffic went
• Check health first — unifi_get_network_health for quick "is everything OK?"
• Device counts — use device_category field, not type, for accurate AP/switch/PDU counts

Authentication

Username and password are required (local admin credentials, not Ubiquiti SSO). API key support exists but is experimental — limited to read-only operations and a subset of tools.

To configure, run /unifi-network:unifi-network-setup or set env vars manually:

UNIFI_NETWORK_HOST=192.168.1.1
UNIFI_NETWORK_USERNAME=admin
UNIFI_NETWORK_PASSWORD=your-password

Other UniFi Servers

If the user also has cameras or door access control, other UniFi MCP plugins are available:

• unifi-protect — security cameras, NVR, recordings, smart detections
• unifi-access — door locks, credentials, visitors, access policies

Cameras and access readers appear as network clients — use unifi_lookup_by_ip to cross-reference if troubleshooting connectivity for those devices.

Tool Reference

For the complete list of all 186 tools organized by category with descriptions, tips, and common scenarios, read references/network-tools.md.