KNEL-AIMiddleware

MCP and LSP infrastructure for OpenWebUI and Crush to utilize

Overview

KNEL-AIMiddleware is a comprehensive Docker-based infrastructure for running Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers and Language Server Protocol (LSP) providers. It enables AI assistants like OpenWebUI and Crush to seamlessly integrate with external tools, services, and code intelligence.

Use Cases

• OpenWebUI Integration: Provide MCP servers for enhanced AI context and tooling
• Crush Integration: LSP servers for intelligent code completion and analysis
• Development: Individual server isolation for easy debugging and updates
• Production: Scalable, containerized service deployment

Features

• Modular architecture with each service in its own container
• Docker Compose orchestration and management
• Prebuilt images with minimal dependencies
• Crush-ready LSP server configuration
• Environment variables for secure configuration
• Built-in logging and container health checks

Server Status

For detailed build and configuration status of all MCP/LSP servers, see STATUS.md.

Available Servers

MCP Servers

Design & Engineering (4 servers)

Service	Container Name	Description
kicad-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-kicad-mcp	PCB design automation with 64 tools, JLCPCB integration (host-only)
blender-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-blender-mcp	3D modeling, materials, scenes, AI 3D model generation
freecad-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-freecad-mcp	CAD modeling, Python execution, parts library
gimp-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-gimp-mcp	Image editing with GIMP 3.0, OCR support

Hosting & Infrastructure (5 servers)

Service	Container Name	Description
kubernetes-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-kubernetes-mcp	K8s/OpenShift management (native Go implementation)
docker-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-docker-mcp	Container and compose stack management
proxmox-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-proxmox-mcp	Hypervisor VM/container management
terraform-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-terraform-mcp	IaC automation, HCP Terraform, workspace management
cloudron-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-cloudron-mcp	Self-hosted app management

Development Tools (1 server)

Service	Container Name	Description
context7-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-context7-mcp	MCP server framework and SDK for documentation

Content Management (4 servers)

Service	Container Name	Description
nextcloud-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-nextcloud-mcp	90+ tools across 8 apps (Notes, Calendar, Files, Deck, etc.)
ghost-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-ghost-mcp	CMS post, member, newsletter management
docspace-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-docspace-mcp	Room, file, collaboration management
wordpress-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-wordpress-mcp	WordPress integration via Abilities API

Communication & Collaboration (3 servers)

Service	Container Name	Description
discourse-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-discourse-mcp	Forum search, posts, topics, categories (read/write modes)
imap-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-imap-mcp	Email browsing, composition, Gmail OAuth2 support
postizz-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-postizz-mcp	Social media management platform

Analytics & Security (2 servers)

Service	Container Name	Description
matomo-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-matomo-mcp	Analytics integration
bitwarden-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-bitwarden-mcp	Official password vault management

Productivity & Automation (6 servers)

Service	Container Name	Description
audiobook-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-audiobook-mcp	Audiobook management with AI-powered features
snipeit-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-snipeit-mcp	Asset inventory, maintenance tracking
mcp-redmine	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-mcp-redmine	Project management, issue tracking, file operations
mcp-ansible	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-mcp-ansible	IT automation playbooks
elasticsearch-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-elasticsearch-mcp	Search and index management (Rust)
drawio-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-drawio-mcp	Draw.io diagram management

Additional Tools (2 servers)

Service	Container Name	Description
penpot-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-penpot-mcp	Design collaboration platform integration
webserial-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-webserial-mcp	ESP32 MicroPython development via WebSerial (requires bridge server)

Reverse Engineering (2 servers)

Service	Container Name	Description
ghidra-mcp	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-ghidra-mcp	Binary analysis and reverse engineering (HTTP REST, not MCP)
reverse-engineering-assistant	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-reverse-engineering-assistant	ReVa - AI-assisted reverse engineering via MCP

LSP Servers (4 servers)

Service	Container Name	Description
bash-language-server	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-bash-language-server	LSP for bash (diagnostics, completion, formatting)
docker-language-server	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-docker-language-server	LSP for Dockerfiles, Compose files, Bake files
marksman	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-marksman	LSP for Markdown (diagnostics, completion, navigation)
terraform-ls	kneldevstack-aimiddleware-terraform-ls	LSP for Terraform (diagnostics, completion, navigation)

Server Technologies by Language

TypeScript/Node.js (13 servers)

Most use npx for installation:

• KiCAD MCP, Bitwarden MCP, Discourse MCP, Ghost MCP, Cloudron MCP
• Kubernetes MCP, Draw.io MCP, Matomo MCP, Postiz MCP, WordPress MCP
• Audiobook MCP, Context7 MCP, Bash Language Server

Python (11 servers)

Most use uvx for installation:

• Blender MCP, FreeCAD MCP, GIMP MCP, Docker MCP, Proxmox MCP
• Snipe-IT MCP, Redmine MCP, IMAP MCP, Ansible MCP
• Nextcloud MCP (hybrid), WebSerial MCP

Go (2 servers)

• Kubernetes MCP (also available via npx), Terraform MCP

Rust (1 server)

• Elasticsearch MCP

Prebuilt Binaries (4 servers)

• bash-language-server (npm prebuilt)
• docker-language-server (Go binary)
• marksman (prebuilt binary)
• terraform-ls (HashiCorp release binary)

Installation

Prerequisites

• Docker 20.10+
• Docker Compose 2.0+
• (Optional) Crush for LSP integration

Quick Start

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/KNEL/KNEL-AIMiddleware.git
   cd KNEL-AIMiddleware
   

2. Configure environment variables

   cp .env.example .env
   # Edit .env with your API keys and configurations
   

3. Build and start services

   # Start all built services
   docker compose up -d
   
   # Or start specific service
   docker compose up -d <service-name>
   

Setup Scripts

The repository includes helpful scripts in the scripts/ directory:

scripts/CloneVendorRepos.sh

Clone all upstream vendor MCP/LSP repositories:

./scripts/CloneVendorRepos.sh

scripts/BuildAll.sh

Build all MCP/LSP services:

./scripts/BuildAll.sh

scripts/CleanVendor.sh

Remove all cloned vendor repositories:

./scripts/CleanVendor.sh

scripts/StatusCheck.sh

Check build status of all services:

./scripts/StatusCheck.sh

Usage

Docker Compose Commands

Build and Start

# Build specific service
docker compose build <service-name>

# Build without cache
docker compose build --no-cache <service-name>

# Start service (detached mode)
docker compose up -d <service-name>

# Start all services
docker compose up -d

View Logs

# Follow logs for service
docker compose logs -f <service-name>

# View last 100 lines
docker compose logs --tail 100 <service-name>

Stop and Clean

# Stop service
docker compose stop <service-name>

# Remove service (also deletes container)
docker compose rm -f <service-name>

# Stop all services
docker compose down

# Remove all volumes
docker compose down -v

Service Profiles

Services are organized into profiles for selective startup:

# Development services (LSP + MCP)
docker compose --profile dev up

# Production services
docker compose --profile prod up

# Design tools (KiCAD, Blender, etc.)
docker compose --profile design up

Environment Variables

Required variables for MCP servers (see .env.example):

Service	Required Variables
bitwarden-mcp	BITWARDEN_CLIENT_ID, BITWARDEN_CLIENT_SECRET, BITWARDEN_PASSWORD, BITWARDEN_SERVER_URL
discourse-mcp	DISCOURSE_URL, DISCOURSE_API_KEY, DISCOURSE_API_USERNAME
ghost-mcp	GHOST_API_URL, GHOST_ADMIN_API_KEY
cloudron-mcp	CLOUDRON_URL, CLOUDRON_TOKEN
nextcloud-mcp	NEXTCLOUD_HOST, NEXTCLOUD_USERNAME, NEXTCLOUD_APP_PASSWORD
proxmox-mcp	PROXMOX_HOST, PROXMOX_USER, PROXMOX_TOKEN, PROXMOX_NODE
snipeit-mcp	SNIPEIT_URL, SNIPEIT_TOKEN
redmine-mcp	REDMINE_URL, REDMINE_API_KEY
wordpress-mcp	WORDPRESS_URL, WORDPRESS_USERNAME, WORDPRESS_APPLICATION_PASSWORD
docspace-mcp	DOCSPACE_HOST, DOCSPACE_TOKEN
imap-mcp	IMAP_SERVER, IMAP_PORT, IMAP_USERNAME, IMAP_PASSWORD
postizz-mcp	POSTIZ_API_KEY, POSTIZ_URL
matomo-mcp	MATOMO_URL, MATOMO_TOKEN
elasticsearch-mcp	ELASTICSEARCH_URL, ELASTICSEARCH_USERNAME, ELASTICSEARCH_PASSWORD
kicad-mcp	KICAD_HOST (default: host.docker.internal), KICAD_PORT (default: 5555)
context7-mcp	UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_URL, UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_TOKEN
penpot-mcp	PENPOT_URL (default: https://design.penpot.app), PENPOT_TOKEN

Security Note: Never commit .env file to version control.

Crush Integration

All LSP and MCP instances must be configured in crush.json for Crush to use them.

crush.json Format

{
  "$schema": "https://charm.land/crush.json",
  "lsp": {
    "bash": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "kneldevstack-aimiddleware-bash-language-server", "start"]
    },
    "docker": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "kneldevstack-aimiddleware-docker-language-server", "start", "--stdio"]
    },
    "markdown": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "kneldevstack-aimiddleware-marksman", "server"]
    }
  }
}

Configuration Priority

Crush looks for configuration files in this order:

1. .crush.json (project-local)
2. crush.json (project-local)
3. $HOME/.config/crush/crush.json (global)

Docker-based LSP Configuration

For Docker-based LSP instances, use this pattern:

{
  "command": "docker",
  "args": [
    "run",
    "-i",           // Interactive mode (required for stdio)
    "--rm",         // Auto-cleanup after use
    "kneldevstack-aimiddleware-<service-name>",
    "<server-args>" // e.g., "start", "--stdio"
  ]
}

Project Structure

KNEL-AIMiddleware/
├── docker-compose.yml          # Service orchestration
├── .env                        # Environment variables (not committed)
├── .env.example                # Environment template
├── dockerfiles/                # Custom Dockerfiles (tracked in git)
│   ├── bash-language-server/
│   ├── docker-language-server/
│   └── marksman/
├── vendor/                     # Cloned repositories (gitignored)
├── docs/                       # Documentation
│   └── SDLC.md                 # Software Development Lifecycle
├── AGENTS.md                   # AI agent guidelines and rules
├── STATUS.md                   # Server status and progress tracking
├── JOURNAL.md                  # Development journal (ADRs, insights)
└── README.md                   # This file

Dockerfile Management

Custom Dockerfiles are created in dockerfiles/ and referenced in docker-compose.yml:

service-name:
  build:
    context: ./vendor/service-name
    dockerfile: ../../dockerfiles/service-name/Dockerfile
  container_name: kneldevstack-aimiddleware-service-name
  restart: unless-stopped

This approach:

• Keeps custom Dockerfiles under version control
• Uses vendor repository as build context
• Maintains clean separation of concerns

Troubleshooting

Container Not Starting

# Check container logs
docker compose logs <service-name>

# Inspect container state
docker inspect <container-name>

MCP Server Not Connecting

1. Verify service is running: docker ps
2. Check logs for errors: docker compose logs <service>
3. Verify environment variables in .env
4. Test connectivity: docker compose exec <service> curl localhost:8080

LSP Server Not Responding (Crush)

1. Verify Docker image exists: docker images | grep knel
2. Test container manually:

   echo '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"initialize","params":{}}' | \
   docker run -i --rm kneldevstack-aimiddleware-<lsp-name>
   

3. Check crush.json configuration
4. Verify container runs with -i flag for stdio

Port Conflicts

If ports are already in use, modify docker-compose.yml:

ports:
  - "8081:8080"  # Change host port

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see AGENTS.md for development guidelines and docs/SDLC.md for the development workflow.

References

• Model Context Protocol
• Language Server Protocol
• MCP SDK
• Docker
• Charmbracelet Crush

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

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Maintained by: KNEL Development Team