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unifi-access-setup

Configure the UniFi Access MCP server for Claude Code, Codex, or OpenClaw — set controller host, credentials, API key, and permissions

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383
Source
sirkirby/unifi-mcp
Updated
2026-05-29
Slug
sirkirby--unifi-mcp--unifi-access-setup
View on GitHubRaw SKILL.md

// install — copy + paste into any project

mkdir -p .claude/skills && curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sirkirby/unifi-mcp/HEAD/plugins/unifi-access/skills/unifi-access-setup/SKILL.md -o .claude/skills/unifi-access-setup.md

Drops the SKILL.md into .claude/skills/unifi-access-setup.md. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any agent that loads SKILL.md files from .claude/skills/.

Set Up UniFi Access MCP Server

Walk the user through configuring their UniFi Access controller connection. Ask one question at a time and wait for the answer before continuing.

Interaction Rules

Use the client target that matches the current agent runtime:

  • Claude Code: claude
  • Codex: codex
  • OpenClaw: openclaw

If the runtime is unclear, ask which client to configure. For questions, use the platform's blocking question tool when available (AskUserQuestion in Claude Code, request_user_input in Codex). If no blocking question tool is available, ask in chat with numbered options and wait for the user's reply.

On macOS and Linux, resolve setup scripts relative to this skill file:

  • ../../scripts/check-prereqs.sh
  • ../../scripts/set-env.sh

When the host exposes a plugin-root variable such as CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT, using $CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT/scripts/... is also valid. Do not assume the current shell directory is the plugin root.

On Windows with Claude Code, use ../../scripts/set-env.ps1 for the final Claude settings write. On Windows with Codex, call codex mcp add directly with the same env variables if Bash is unavailable. On Windows with OpenClaw, call openclaw mcp set directly with a JSON object containing command, args, and env if Bash is unavailable.

Step 0: Check Prerequisites

Before asking for credentials, run:

bash <path-to-plugin>/scripts/check-prereqs.sh --target <claude|codex|openclaw> "unifi-access"

If the script exits non-zero, stop and report the error. Do not proceed to credentials.

Step 1: Controller Host

Ask: "What is your UniFi controller's IP address or hostname?" Example: 192.168.1.1.

If another UniFi MCP server is already configured, ask whether Access is on the same controller. For Claude, existing values may be in .claude/settings.local.json. For Codex, existing values may be visible through codex mcp list and codex mcp get <server>. For OpenClaw, existing values may be visible through openclaw mcp list and openclaw mcp show <server>.

Step 2: Authentication

Access supports two auth paths:

  • API key for read-oriented Access API calls
  • Local proxy session with username and password for mutations and broader tool coverage

Ask whether the user wants API key only, username/password only, or both. Recommend both when they want full Access management.

For username/password, ask for:

  1. Username, using a local admin account, not a Ubiquiti SSO account
  2. Password

For API key, ask for the key and include UNIFI_ACCESS_API_KEY.

At least one auth path is required.

Step 3: Optional Settings

Ask whether to use defaults or customize:

  • Defaults: controller port 443, Access API port 12445, SSL verification false, lazy tool loading
  • Customize: ask for controller port, API port, SSL verification, and tool registration mode

Step 4: Permission Configuration

Ask whether to enable write permissions. By default, Access mutations are disabled for credentials, visitors, policies, and door controls.

Options:

  • Read-only for now
  • Enable visitor and credential management
  • Enable door operations
  • Enable all Access write permissions except delete operations
  • Custom categories

Collect any selected policy variables. Use the existing UNIFI_POLICY_ACCESS_<CATEGORY>_<ACTION>=true format.

Step 5: Write Configuration

On macOS/Linux, run the target-aware setup script with only values the user provided or selected:

bash <path-to-plugin>/scripts/set-env.sh --target <claude|codex|openclaw> \
  UNIFI_ACCESS_HOST=<host> \
  UNIFI_ACCESS_API_KEY=<api-key> \
  UNIFI_ACCESS_USERNAME=<username> \
  UNIFI_ACCESS_PASSWORD=<password>

Add optional values and policy variables to the same command, for example:

bash <path-to-plugin>/scripts/set-env.sh --target <claude|codex|openclaw> \
  UNIFI_ACCESS_HOST=<host> \
  UNIFI_ACCESS_API_KEY=<api-key> \
  UNIFI_ACCESS_USERNAME=<username> \
  UNIFI_ACCESS_PASSWORD=<password> \
  UNIFI_ACCESS_API_PORT=12445 \
  UNIFI_POLICY_ACCESS_VISITORS_CREATE=true

The script handles the client-specific write:

  • Claude target: merges env vars into .claude/settings.local.json
  • Codex target: replaces the unifi-access MCP server via codex mcp add --env ... -- uvx ...
  • OpenClaw target: replaces the unifi-access MCP server via openclaw mcp set ...

Step 6: Final Message

For Claude Code, tell the user:

"Configuration saved to .claude/settings.local.json. Restart Claude Code or run /reload-plugins, then confirm the plugin is enabled with /plugin."

For Codex, tell the user:

"Codex MCP server unifi-access configured. Restart Codex so the updated MCP server is loaded."

For OpenClaw, tell the user:

"OpenClaw MCP server unifi-access configured. Restart the OpenClaw Gateway so the updated MCP server is loaded."