robopack-mcp

An unofficial MCP server that exposes the Robopack v1 API (Intune app packaging) as tools. It uses only the native Robopack API.

This is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or supported by Robopack.

Quick start with uvx (no clone)

uvx is part of uv. It downloads the server from PyPI and runs it on demand, in its own environment, the same way npx runs Node packages. You do not clone the repository or create a virtual environment.

1. Install uv. On Windows: winget install -e --id astral-sh.uv. On macOS: brew install uv. On any system with Python: pipx install uv. Open a new terminal afterwards, and restart Claude Desktop later so it sees uvx on the PATH. Check it with uvx --version.

2. Create the folders the server may use and add the server to your MCP client. On Windows the config file is %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json. Use absolute folder paths and double the backslashes in JSON:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "robopack": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["robopack-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "ROBOPACK_API_KEY": "your-key",
        "ROBOPACK_ENV": "prod",
        "ROBOPACK_UPLOAD_DIR": "C:\\Robopack\\uploads",
        "ROBOPACK_DOWNLOAD_DIR": "C:\\Robopack\\downloads"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop and ask it to list your Robopack tenants.

Notes:

• The first start downloads the package, so it takes longer than later starts.
• @latest makes uvx check for the newest release each time it starts. To stay on one version, pin it, for example robopack-mcp==0.1.0.
• To run unreleased code straight from GitHub, use "args": ["--from", "git+https://github.com/kaspersmjohansen/Robopack-MCP", "robopack-mcp"]. Git must be able to read the repository for that form.

Install on Windows

You need Python 3.10 or newer and Git. The steps use PowerShell and do not need administrator rights.

1. Install Python. Either use winget:

winget install -e --id Python.Python.3.12

or download the installer from python.org/downloads and tick Add python.exe to PATH on the first screen. Then open a new PowerShell window and check it:

py -3 --version

This should print Python 3.10 or newer. If python opens the Microsoft Store instead, use py -3 as in the steps below, or turn off the python.exe entries under Settings → Apps → Advanced app settings → App execution aliases.

2. Install Git if you do not have it: winget install -e --id Git.Git. Open a new PowerShell window afterwards.

3. Get the code. If the repository is private, Git asks you to sign in to GitHub the first time.

cd $HOME
git clone https://github.com/kaspersmjohansen/Robopack-MCP.git
cd Robopack-MCP

4. Create the environment and install. You do not need to activate the environment, which also avoids PowerShell's script execution policy.

py -3 -m venv .venv
.\.venv\Scripts\python.exe -m pip install --upgrade pip
.\.venv\Scripts\python.exe -m pip install -e .

This creates .venv\Scripts\robopack-mcp.exe, which is the program your MCP client starts.

5. Create the folders the server may use. It only reads package files from the upload folder and only writes downloads to the download folder. Use absolute paths, because relative paths resolve against whatever folder the MCP client starts the server in.

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force C:\Robopack\uploads, C:\Robopack\downloads

6. Add the server to Claude Desktop. Open %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (or Settings → Developer → Edit Config) and add the server. Replace YOUR-USER and the key. Backslashes must be doubled in JSON.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "robopack": {
      "command": "C:\\Users\\YOUR-USER\\Robopack-MCP\\.venv\\Scripts\\robopack-mcp.exe",
      "env": {
        "ROBOPACK_API_KEY": "your-key",
        "ROBOPACK_ENV": "prod",
        "ROBOPACK_UPLOAD_DIR": "C:\\Robopack\\uploads",
        "ROBOPACK_DOWNLOAD_DIR": "C:\\Robopack\\downloads"
      }
    }
  }
}

The key sits in this file in plain text, so do not share or sync the file. Create the key in Robopack under Settings → API Integration. It is shown once.

7. Restart Claude Desktop by quitting it from the system tray, not just closing the window, and start it again. Then ask Claude to list your Robopack tenants. If the call returns your tenant, the server works.

Update later:

cd $HOME\Robopack-MCP
git pull
.\.venv\Scripts\python.exe -m pip install -e .

Troubleshooting on Windows

Symptom	Likely cause
The server does not appear in Claude Desktop	A typo in the JSON, or single backslashes in a path. Check the file is valid JSON and restart from the tray.
The server shows as failed	The command path is wrong. Check that robopack-mcp.exe exists at that path. The logs are in %APPDATA%\Claude\logs.
HTTP 401 from every call	Wrong key, or ROBOPACK_ENV does not match the key. A key made in production does not work with test.
No such file or Path must be inside	The file is not inside ROBOPACK_UPLOAD_DIR, or the folder variable is a relative path.
pip or py is not found	Python is not on your PATH. Reinstall it with Add python.exe to PATH ticked and open a new PowerShell window.

Install on macOS or Linux

You need Python 3.10 or newer and Git.

git clone https://github.com/kaspersmjohansen/Robopack-MCP.git
cd Robopack-MCP
python3 -m venv .venv
.venv/bin/python -m pip install -e .
mkdir -p ~/robopack/uploads ~/robopack/downloads

Then add the server to your MCP client the same way as in step 6 above, with command set to the absolute path of .venv/bin/robopack-mcp and the folders set to absolute paths. On macOS the Claude Desktop config is ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json.

The server needs mcp 1.x (mcp>=1.2.0,<2), because version 2 renamed FastMCP. The install picks the right version for you.

Configuration

The server reads these environment variables. It does not read a .env file, so set them in the env block of your MCP client config, as in the examples above, or in the shell that starts it. .env.example lists the names.

Variable	Default	Purpose
ROBOPACK_API_KEY	(required)	Key from Settings → API Integration. Shown once.
ROBOPACK_ENV	test	test → api-test.robopack.com, prod → api.robopack.com
ROBOPACK_UPLOAD_DIR	./robopack-uploads	Only directory the server reads package content from
ROBOPACK_DOWNLOAD_DIR	./robopack-downloads	Only directory downloads are written to

All live testing so far was done against prod. The test host rejected the key that was used (401), so check that your key works against test before relying on it.

Run tests

Install the test dependencies and run pytest:

.\.venv\Scripts\python.exe -m pip install -e ".[dev]"
.\.venv\Scripts\python.exe -m pytest

On macOS or Linux use .venv/bin/python instead. The tests use a mock HTTP transport, so they do not need a key or network access.

Tools

Tools marked yes return a preview unless called with confirm=true.

Tool	Changes data	Purpose
robopack_search_apps	no	Search importable repository apps (search, verified)
robopack_list_verified_apps / robopack_list_showcased_apps	no	Verified and most-used apps
robopack_get_app	no	App details and versions
robopack_import_app	yes	Import an app (scope, optional version), returns the package ID
robopack_list_packages / robopack_get_package	no	Package list, state, issues
robopack_download_package	no (local write)	Save a package to the download dir. Format defaults to PSADT; request others explicitly.
robopack_create_package	yes	Create a blank package
robopack_upload_package_file	yes	Upload a file into a package, whole or in chunks (chunk_bytes)
robopack_finalize_package	yes	Finalize uploaded content
robopack_detect_installer	no	Detect an EXE's installer type and suggest silent switches
robopack_create_custom_package	yes	Create an MSI or EXE package from files in the upload dir in one step. See below.
robopack_list_flows / robopack_get_flow / robopack_get_deployment / robopack_get_wave / robopack_get_wave_live	no	Flows, deployments, waves and their status
robopack_create_flow	yes	Create a flow (patch flow with flags=1) from a package or Instant app, optionally into a patch group
robopack_add_deployment	yes	Add a package version to a flow, optionally start it
robopack_start_deployment / robopack_stop_deployment / robopack_update_deployment_content	yes	Control a deployment
robopack_list_tenants / robopack_get_tenant	no	Tenants and admin-consent status
robopack_upload_to_tenant	yes	Push a package to Intune (wait, upload_msix_as_win32)
robopack_get_tenant_upload_status	no	Poll a tenant upload
robopack_list_templates / robopack_get_template	no	Configuration templates

Custom packages

robopack_create_custom_package runs create, upload, finalize and then waits until the package is Completed or Error.

• Files. file_name is the main installer (.msi or .exe, matching source_type). additional_files are uploaded after it, in the order given, and finalize lists every file in that order.

• EXE install command. Robopack's analyzer runs only in the web UI, not for API-created packages, so the tool works out the silent switches itself. Without install_command it detects the installer type and uses its usual switches. If the type is unknown, or the switches depend on how the installer was built, it stops before creating anything and asks for install_command. A given install_command always wins. Uninstall is optional.

  Installer type	Silent switches
  Inno Setup	/VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NORESTART /SP-
  NSIS	/S
  WiX Burn bundle	/quiet /norestart
  Advanced Installer	/exenoui /qn /norestart
  InstallShield, with an MSI in the package	/S /v/qn

• EXE metadata. Publisher and version are read from the file's version resource (CompanyName, ProductVersion) unless given explicitly. MSI files need no help, because Robopack reads them itself.

• Not supported. MSIX packages (see Follow-ups).

Verified behaviour

All of this was checked against the live production API.

• Parameter placement. scope and versionId (import), packageId, wait and uploadMsixAsWin32 (tenant upload), noScriptWrap and templateId (IntuneWin download), and search are read from the query string. The same values in the JSON body are silently ignored. Package create and finalize take a JSON body.
• Paging. Paging is 1-based, even though the article says 0-indexed. Page=0 returns HTTP 500, so the server clamps it to 1. Paging info comes back in the X-Pagination header, and the tools return only the body.
• Search. The search text must be sent as search. The keys name and query are ignored.
• Uploads. Whole-file upload works (296 MB MSIX, 159 MB EXE). Chunked upload works too: 296 MB in 16 MB pieces. The spec defines index (file index), size (piece size), offset (byte position) and chunk (piece number).
• Package states. Deleted packages stay readable by ID but drop out of the package list. A tenant upload of a package in Error state is rejected with HTTP 400 before anything reaches Intune.
• wait=True failure path. A failed Intune upload returns HTTP 400, and the body is the upload object with state: Error.
• uploadMsixAsWin32. For a repository MSIX package (Claude 1.5354.0), False creates an MSIX app in Intune and True creates a Win32 app. The earlier False results were wrong because the flag was sent in the body.
• Download formats. PSADT, IntuneWin and SourceFiles work for repository and custom packages. MSIX, CIM, VHD and VHDX work for an MSIX-origin repository package. For other packages they return 400 Download failed, which matches the web UI. AppV has not worked on any package tried.
• Tenant upload has no wrapping option. noScriptWrap and templateId are not accepted on the upload endpoint. Whether a package is wrapped is decided on the Robopack side.
• Rate limits. 1,000 concurrent read-only GET requests to tenant all returned 200 in about 15 seconds, with no 429 and no Retry-After header. The client retries 429 and GET 5xx with backoff and never retries POST on 5xx. The 429 path is covered only by a mock test.
• Custom packages. MSI, single-file EXE and an 11-file InstallShield setup (51 MB) all completed, and the multi-file source download held every file with matching sizes. The detected install commands and the metadata were checked in the web UI.
• Path safety. The client refuses any API path segment that is not letters, digits and hyphens, so a malformed or hostile ID such as ../tenant cannot redirect a call to another endpoint. File access is limited to the upload and download folders, and symlinks that point outside them are refused.
• No delete. The API has no delete endpoint. Packages and Intune apps have to be removed by hand.

Not tested live

• Flows, deployments and waves. robopack_create_flow, robopack_add_deployment, the start, stop and update-content tools, and the wave tools are covered by unit tests only. Flow creation needs a patch group ID from the web UI.
• Installer detection for Inno Setup, NSIS, Advanced Installer. Covered by unit tests only. WiX Burn and InstallShield were checked on real installers.

Follow-ups for Robopack support

• Custom MSIX uploads to Intune fail with IntuneUploadFailed, with both uploadMsixAsWin32 values. Packages tested: Hygrosoft 1.0.5.26100 and Claude 4.23118.0.0, both created through the API (source type zip, since sourceType accepts only msi, zip and exe). They have a PSADT install command and no detection rules. The web app's "Import to Intune" works for the same MSIX files. Ask whether the API should set the MSIX detection rule, and how MSIX packages are meant to be created through the API.
• Brave 153 and 155 version imports fail with InstallFailed and exit code -2147024891 (access denied). The imported packages had no detection rules.
• Group assignment is not writable through the v1 API. The docs describe assignments in the web UI only: "Create Deployment Assignments" at import (Entra ID groups for Required, Available and Uninstall) and deployment waves with group targets for patch flows. POST /v1/app/import/{appId} takes only scope, script template and version, and no endpoint creates or edits waves, wave targets or patch groups. Waves are readable (GET /v1/flow/wave/{id} and /live return targets with groupObjectId and assignmentType). A flow created with a patchGroupId inherits that group's waves and settings, so the workable path is to build the patch group in the web UI and create flows through the API. Ask for write endpoints for waves, targets and patch groups.
• The POST /v1/flow/create example in the web docs conflicts with its schema. The example sends appId and packageId together and uses scope: 0. The schema says they are mutually exclusive and scope must be 1, 2 or 4 (Machine, User, Any). The tool follows the schema. Combined flags bitmasks are rejected, because the schema lists only 0 and single bits up to 32768. Ask whether combinations are allowed.
• Analyzer for API-created packages. An API-created package has no Analyze and Test option in the web UI. Ask whether there is an endpoint for it.
• AppV download. Not tested because no App-V package is available. Test it once one exists.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.