vast-admin-mcp

name

vast-admin-mcp

description

Use VAST Admin MCP tools to inspect, monitor, and manage VAST Data clusters, tenants, views, volumes, quotas, snapshots, alerts, protection, users, performance, dataflow, support bundles, and optional read-write create operations. Use when the user asks about VAST clusters, VMS, storage administration, capacity, performance, views, quotas, snapshots, data protection, support bundles, or configuring/running vast-admin-mcp.

VAST Admin MCP

Purpose

VAST Admin MCP is an MCP server for VAST Data administration. It exposes cluster inventory, monitoring, performance, dataflow, identity, storage, data protection, and optional create operations to agents.

Default mode is read-only. Create/update operations require the MCP server to be started with --read-write and are still restricted by the API whitelist.

First Steps

1. Confirm the MCP server is configured and reachable before promising results.
2. If the user asks for "all clusters" or does not name a cluster, call list_clusters_vast first and use the returned cluster names in later calls.
3. Before using an unfamiliar VAST tool, inspect its schema or call describe_tool_vast for accepted arguments, defaults, examples, and field names.
4. For list tools, call list_fields_vast when you need valid filter, sort, or output field names.
5. Prefer precise filters such as cluster, tenant, path, name, prefix, or timeframe arguments to avoid large responses.

Safety Rules

• Treat every create/update action as potentially destructive. Confirm intent, target cluster, tenant, path/name, and retention or quota values before calling create tools unless the user already gave exact values.
• Do not call create tools unless the MCP server is in read-write mode and the user explicitly requested the change.
• If a tool returns an API whitelist or read-write error, explain the missing permission or mode instead of retrying with broader actions.
• Never invent cluster, tenant, policy, view, quota, snapshot, user, or VIP pool names. Discover them with list tools when uncertain.
• For support bundles, confirm timeframe, component scope, bundle name, upload preference, and private-data handling.

Core Tools

Use these static tools when available:

• list_clusters_vast: Discover configured clusters and cluster names.
• list_performance_vast: Retrieve performance metrics for cluster, cnode, host, user, vippool, view, and tenant objects.
• list_monitors_vast: List predefined monitors for graph generation.
• list_performance_graph_vast: Generate a graph image. Display or reference the returned image resource, not just the URI text.
• list_dataflow_vast: Return tabular host, VIP, cnode, and view traffic flows.
• list_dataflow_diagram_vast: Return a Mermaid dataflow topology diagram.
• list_view_instances_vast: Discover views with tenant, path, protocols, and bucket details.
• list_fields_vast: Show fields and filter/sort metadata for dynamic commands.
• describe_tool_vast: Show schema, examples, defaults, and accepted formats for a tool.
• query_users_vast: Query VAST user names by prefix.

Dynamic list tools are generated from the YAML template and use the pattern list_<command>_vast. Common tools include:

• list_views_vast
• list_viewpolicies_vast
• list_volumes_vast
• list_tenants_vast
• list_vippools_vast
• list_quotas_vast
• list_cnodes_vast
• list_dnodes_vast
• list_events_vast
• list_alarms_vast
• list_data_protection_vast
• list_protection_policies_vast
• list_snapshots_vast
• list_active_directory_vast
• list_local_providers_vast
• list_identity_policies_vast
• list_s3_keys_vast
• list_support_bundles_vast

Read-write tools, available only when enabled:

• create_view_vast: Create a VAST view.
• create_view_from_template_vast: Create views from a predefined template.
• create_snapshot_vast: Create a view snapshot.
• create_clone_vast: Create a clone from a snapshot.
• create_quota_vast: Create or update a quota for a path and tenant.
• create_support_bundle_vast: Create a diagnostic support bundle.

Common Workflows

Inventory

1. Call list_clusters_vast.
2. Use specific cluster names in later tools.
3. Use list_tenants_vast, list_views_vast, list_volumes_vast, list_vippools_vast, or list_viewpolicies_vast based on the object requested.

Capacity And Quotas

1. Use list_views_vast for logical and physical capacity by view.
2. Use list_quotas_vast for quota limits and usage.
3. Filter by cluster, tenant, path, or name when possible.

Performance

1. Use list_performance_vast for metric summaries.
2. Use list_monitors_vast before graph requests if the monitor name is unknown.
3. Use list_performance_graph_vast for time-series graph output.
4. Use explicit time ranges such as the last hour, last 24 hours, or last 7 days when the user provides them.

Dataflow

Use list_dataflow_vast for tabular traffic details. Use list_dataflow_diagram_vast when the user asks for a topology, diagram, flow map, or visualization.

Alerts And Events

Use list_alarms_vast for active or historical alerts. Use list_events_vast for event history. Filter by severity, acknowledgement state, cluster, and time range when available.

Protection And Snapshots

Use list_data_protection_vast, list_protection_policies_vast, and list_snapshots_vast to inspect replication, protection policies, protected paths, and snapshots. For create requests, verify cluster, tenant, path, snapshot name, and retention before calling create_snapshot_vast.

Identity And S3

Use list_active_directory_vast, list_local_providers_vast, list_identity_policies_vast, query_users_vast, and list_s3_keys_vast for identity and user-related questions.

Setup And Configuration

Install and configure locally:

pip install vast-admin-mcp
vast-admin-mcp setup
vast-admin-mcp mcpsetup cursor

Start the stdio MCP server:

vast-admin-mcp mcp

Enable read-write tools only when needed:

vast-admin-mcp mcp --read-write

Run HTTP transport:

vast-admin-mcp mcp --transport http --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

Important files:

• ~/.vast-admin-mcp/config.json: Cluster configuration.
• ~/.vast-admin-mcp/mcp_list_template_modifications.yaml: User template overrides.
• ~/.vast-admin-mcp/view_templates.json: View creation templates.
• ~/.vast-admin-mcp/vast_admin_mcp.log: Logs.

Template environment overrides:

• VAST_ADMIN_MCP_DEFAULT_TEMPLATE_FILE
• VAST_ADMIN_MCP_TEMPLATE_MODIFICATIONS_FILE
• VAST_ADMIN_MCP_VIEW_TEMPLATE_FILE

HTTP authentication uses VAST_ADMIN_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN for bearer token mode.

Response Style

• Summarize the result in plain language first.
• Include the cluster, tenant, path, and time range used for the query.
• Prefer compact tables for object lists when they improve readability.
• For large result sets, show the most relevant rows and explain the filters used.
• When data is missing, say which tool was called and what was not found.