mcp-server-ascom 0.4.0

MCP server for ASCOM astronomy equipment control

MCP Server for ASCOM

Control telescopes with AI. Works with any ASCOM device.

Documentation

• Quick Start Guide
• API Reference
• Development Guide
• Testing Strategy
• Examples

v0.3.0 Updates

• FastMCP 2.0 - Half the code
• JSON logging - OpenTelemetry ready
• Better errors - Protocol compliance built-in

Features

• Works with any ASCOM telescope, camera, or focuser
• Natural language control: "Point at the Orion Nebula"
• Auto-discovers devices on your network
• Async architecture - never blocks
• Full test coverage and type safety

Installation

# Quick start
pip install mcp-server-ascom

# Or use uvx (no install)
uvx mcp-server-ascom

🚀 v0.4.0: Instant Connections!

No more waiting! Connect directly without discovery:

# Direct connection - no setup required!
telescope_connect device_id="seestar@192.168.1.100:5555"

Claude Desktop Setup

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ascom": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["mcp-server-ascom"],
      "env": {
        "ASCOM_DIRECT_DEVICES": "telescope_1:localhost:5555:Seestar S50"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop to activate.

Usage

Quick Connect (No Configuration)

You: Connect to seestar@192.168.1.100:5555
AI: Connected to Seestar S50!

You: Point at the Orion Nebula  
AI: Slewing to M42... Done.

With Pre-Configured Devices

You: Connect to telescope_1
AI: Connected to Seestar S50!

Supported Equipment

Any ASCOM Alpaca device: telescopes, cameras, focusers, filter wheels, domes.

Available Tools

• discover_ascom_devices - Find devices on network
• telescope_connect / camera_connect - Connect to device
• telescope_goto / telescope_goto_object - Point telescope
• telescope_park - Park at home position
• camera_capture - Take images

Event Streaming 🆕

Real-time event streaming from ASCOM devices (especially Seestar S50):

• Event History: get_event_history - Retrieve past events with filtering
• Event Types: get_event_types - List available event types
• Event Stream: ascom://events/{device_id}/stream - Live event feed
• Clear History: clear_event_history - Clear event buffer

Supported event types:

• PiStatus - System status (battery, temperature)
• GotoComplete - Movement completed
• BalanceSensor - Device orientation
• ViewChanged - View state changes
• And more...

Development

git clone https://github.com/stellarpunk/mcp-server-ascom.git
cd mcp-server-ascom
uv venv && source .venv/bin/activate
uv pip install -e ".[dev]"
pytest

See CONTRIBUTING.md for details.

Security

Local connections only by default. For remote access, enable OAuth in .env.

Troubleshooting

No devices found?

• Check device is powered on and on same network
• Allow UDP port 32227 through firewall
• Test with: curl http://device-ip:11111/api/v1/description

Import errors? The alpyca package imports as alpaca.

See troubleshooting.md for more.

Documentation

• Getting Started - Quick setup guide
• API Reference - Tool documentation
• Architecture - System design
• Seestar Integration - Seestar S50 guide

License

MIT