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Agent-assisted package development

Dappmanager v0.2.125, published on June 29, 2026, added a DAppNode MCP server. It lets external MCP-capable coding agents use live Dappnode context for package development: installed packages, logs, diagnostics, docs search, package validation, registry previews, and development-package installation.

External agent clients connect to Dappmanager through the MCP endpoint at /mcp.

info

This page is for developers and power users who want to connect an external MCP client to Dappmanager. For the built-in Dappmanager chat, see Nexus Chat.

Requirements​

  • Dappmanager v0.2.125 or newer.
  • Admin access to the Dappmanager UI.
  • A private connection to your Dappnode, such as WireGuard VPN or Tailscale.
  • A DAppNode MCP API key generated in the Dappmanager UI.
note

The DAppNode MCP API key is different from the Nexus API key used by Nexus Chat. The MCP API key lets external MCP clients authenticate to your Dappnode's /mcp endpoint.

Connect an external MCP client​

External MCP clients such as coding agents connect to the Dappmanager MCP server with a bearer token.

  1. In Dappmanager, go to System > Advanced > MCP API key.
  2. Click Generate MCP API key and copy the key. The raw key is shown only when it is generated.
  3. In your MCP client, configure an HTTP or Streamable HTTP MCP server:
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dappnode": {
      "url": "http://my.dappnode/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_MCP_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Use the same origin you use to access Dappmanager.

Read-only MCP tools are available by default. To let external clients run package-changing tools, enable Allow mutating MCP tools in the same System > Advanced > MCP API key section. Disable it again when you are done with the development workflow.

What agents can do​

Read-only tools can list installed packages, inspect package details, read logs, get system information, run diagnostics, list notifications, check updates, inspect disk usage and ports, read user action logs, check node status, search docs, fetch docs, inspect staker config, browse the package registry, and preview package installs.

Mutating tools are available to external MCP clients only after you enable them. They can start, stop, restart, update, remove, configure, install, and upload packages. For package development, the most useful tools are:

  • dappnode_validate_package: validates dappnode_package.json, docker-compose.yml, and optional setup wizard files against Dappnode rules without building an IPFS hash.
  • dappnode_begin_dev_image_upload, dappnode_append_dev_image_upload_chunk, and dappnode_finish_dev_image_upload: upload a local docker save image tarball through MCP.
  • dappnode_install_dev_package: installs a custom development package into the My custom packages area for end-to-end testing.

Use the package-development skill​

Dappnode also provides an agent skill for package builders in dappnode/dappnode-agent-skills. The create-dappnode-package skill teaches coding agents the Dappnode package structure, the fast local Docker loop, and the MCP validation, upload, install, and debug flow.

Install it for Codex with:

npx skills add dappnode/dappnode-agent-skills --skill create-dappnode-package -a codex

Or install it globally:

npx skills add dappnode/dappnode-agent-skills --skill create-dappnode-package -a codex -g

After installing the skill, ask your coding agent to use create-dappnode-package when creating a new package, wrapping an existing Docker image, or debugging a package that will not install or run.

  1. Create or edit the package locally with dappnode_package.json, docker-compose.yml, and, if needed, a Dockerfile and setup-wizard.yml.
  2. Run and debug it locally with Docker.
  3. Ask the agent to validate the manifest and compose files with dappnode_validate_package.
  4. Build the image locally and save it as a tarball.
  5. Let the agent upload the tarball through the MCP chunked upload tools.
  6. Install it on your Dappnode with dappnode_install_dev_package.
  7. Read package logs and iterate until the package runs correctly.

This loop avoids IPFS while developing. Build and publish an IPFS release only when the package is ready.

Safety notes​

  • Keep the MCP API key secret. Rotate it from System > Advanced > MCP API key if it is exposed.
  • The MCP API key is scoped to /mcp; it is not a full Dappmanager admin session.
  • Leave mutating MCP tools disabled unless an external agent needs to change package state.
  • Review every package-changing action before approving it, especially removals, volume changes, installs, updates, and custom package uploads.