🏥 System Health MCP Server

A production-ready Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for comprehensive Windows system health monitoring

Monitor laptop health across performance, battery, thermal, network, and security dimensions with intelligent caching and actionable insights. Built following optimal MCP design patterns for maximum efficiency.

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📑 Table of Contents

• Highlights
• Quick Start
• Architecture
• Tools Reference
• Usage Examples
• Performance
• Installation
• Troubleshooting
• Contributing

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✨ Highlights

Optimal MCP Pattern Implementation

This server demonstrates best practices for MCP tool design:

Feature	Implementation	Benefit
🎯 Primary Tool First	get_health_alerts provides fast triage	40-50% fewer tool calls
🔍 Smart Deep Tools	6 specialized tools with actionable outputs	Targeted investigations only
⚡ Intelligent Caching	3-30s TTL based on data volatility	96% faster repeated calls
🧠 Decision Guidance	Every tool includes nextStepsToCheck	Clear investigation paths
📊 Actionable Outputs	Severity + recommendations + summaries	No interpretation needed

Key Capabilities

• ✅ Read-only monitoring - Zero system modifications, pure telemetry
• ✅ Graceful degradation - Works with limited permissions, escalates when needed
• ✅ Multi-fallback queries - 3-tier fallback chains for reliability
• ✅ Windows-optimized - PowerShell + WMI integration for deep insights
• ✅ Production-ready - Error handling, caching, and performance optimizations

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🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ and npm
• Windows 10/11 (PowerShell 5.1+)
• Optional: Administrator privileges for full telemetry

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone <your-repo-url>
cd health_check

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start the MCP server
npm start

Configure with Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop config (claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "system-health": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["c:/Users/shri/PycharmProjects/MCP/health_check/src/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

First Query

You: "Check my system health"

Claude: (calls get_health_alerts)
"Your system is healthy (score: 95/100). CPU at 25%, memory at 45%,
 all security features active."

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🏗️ Architecture

Design Pattern: Primary + Deep Tools

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  User Request: "My laptop is slow"                          │
└─────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
                      │
                      ▼
          ┌───────────────────────┐
          │ 🎯 PRIMARY TOOL       │
          │ get_health_alerts     │  ← Fast (3s cache)
          │ Returns: Alerts +     │  ← CPU, Memory, Disk, Security
          │   nextStepsToCheck    │  ← No expensive calls
          └───────────┬───────────┘
                      │
        ┌─────────────┴─────────────┐
        │ Result: CPU 92% (critical)│
        │ Next: get_performance_stats│
        └─────────────┬─────────────┘
                      │
                      ▼
          ┌───────────────────────┐
          │ 🔍 DEEP TOOL          │
          │ get_performance_stats │  ← Called only when needed
          │ Returns: Top processes│  ← Actionable data
          └───────────┬───────────┘
                      │
        ┌─────────────┴──────────────┐
        │ Chrome using 8GB (50% RAM) │
        │ Recommendation: Close tabs │
        └────────────────────────────┘

Tool Hierarchy

📦 health_check/
├── 🎯 PRIMARY (Call First)
│   └── get_health_alerts        ← Lightweight triage + guidance
│
├── 🔍 DEEP TOOLS (Call on Demand)
│   ├── get_performance_stats    ← CPU/memory investigation
│   ├── get_battery_status       ← Power & health analysis
│   ├── get_thermal_status       ← Temperature monitoring
│   ├── get_network_status       ← Connectivity diagnostics
│   └── get_system_health        ← Security & stability
│
└── 📊 LEGACY
    └── get_full_health_report   ← Quick snapshot (optional)

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🛠️ Tools Reference

1. get_health_alerts 🎯 PRIMARY

When to use: First call for any health-related request

What it does: Fast system scan returning categorized alerts and investigation guidance

Output:

{
  "critical": ["⚠️ CPU critically high: 92%"],
  "warning": ["Low disk space: 18% free"],
  "systemHealthScore": { "score": 75, "status": "Fair" },
  "nextStepsToCheck": ["get_performance_stats", "get_system_health"],
  "actionableSummary": "🔴 CRITICAL: CPU high. Run: get_performance_stats"
}

Performance: ~60ms (cached 3s)

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2. get_performance_stats 🔍 DEEP

When to use: After alerts show high CPU/memory, or for process analysis

What it does: Detailed resource usage + top 5 processes by CPU/memory

Output:

{
  "severity": "warning",
  "cpu": { "usagePercent": 85.5, "coreCount": 8 },
  "memory": { "totalGB": 16, "usedGB": 14.5, "usagePercent": 90.6 },
  "topProcesses": [
    { "Name": "chrome", "CPU": 45.2, "MemoryMB": 8192 }
  ],
  "recommendations": ["Close unused Chrome tabs"],
  "nextStepsToCheck": ["get_thermal_status"]
}

Optional params:

// Skip process enumeration (40% faster)
getPerformanceStats({ includeProcesses: false })

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3. get_battery_status 🔍 DEEP

When to use: Battery alerts, power concerns, or charging issues

What it does: Battery charge, health %, power plan, chemistry type

Output:

{
  "severity": "info",
  "chargePercent": 85,
  "status": "AC Power",
  "healthPercent": "Unavailable (requires admin or battery report)",
  "powerPlan": "Balanced",
  "recommendations": ["Battery status normal"]
}

Note: Desktop systems return "Desktop System" status automatically

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4. get_thermal_status 🔍 DEEP

When to use: Thermal alerts, performance issues, or overheating concerns

What it does: CPU/GPU temps, throttling detection, fan status

Output:

{
  "severity": "warning",
  "cpu": { "temperatureCelsius": 88.5, "unit": "°C" },
  "thermalThrottling": false,
  "recommendations": ["CPU temp elevated - monitor closely"],
  "cacheInfo": { "staleAfter": 10000 }
}

Performance: ~150ms (cached 10s) - expensive WMI queries

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5. get_network_status 🔍 DEEP

When to use: Connectivity issues or device enumeration

What it does: Network interfaces, internet check (ping 8.8.8.8), USB/Bluetooth counts

Output:

{
  "severity": "info",
  "internetConnectivity": { "connected": true },
  "connectedDevices": { "usbDevices": 3, "bluetoothDevices": 2 },
  "actionableSummary": "✅ Internet connected (2 active interfaces). 5 devices"
}

Performance: ~800ms (cached 30s) - includes network ping

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6. get_system_health 🔍 DEEP

When to use: Security alerts, stability issues, or disk space warnings

What it does: Defender/Firewall status, updates, event log errors, disk health

Output:

{
  "severity": "critical",
  "antivirus": { "active": false, "realTimeMonitoring": false },
  "firewall": { "active": true, "enabledProfiles": 3 },
  "disk": { "percentFree": 8.5, "critical": true },
  "recommendations": ["⚠️ CRITICAL: Enable Windows Defender immediately"],
  "nextStepsToCheck": []
}

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📚 Usage Examples

Example 1: Vague User Request

Scenario: User says "My laptop feels slow"

Step 1: Claude calls get_health_alerts
  → Response: CPU 92% (critical), Memory 88% (warning)
  → Next steps: ["get_performance_stats"]

Step 2: Claude calls get_performance_stats
  → Response: Chrome using 8GB RAM (50%), Node.js using 28% CPU
  → Recommendations: "Close 3-4 Chrome tabs"

Result: 2 tool calls (vs 4-5 without guidance)

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Example 2: Specific Investigation

Scenario: User asks "Why is my CPU usage high?"

Claude calls get_performance_stats (directly - no need for alerts)
  → Response: Shows top 5 processes by CPU
  → Top offender: "DiscordCanary.exe" (65% CPU)
  → Recommendation: "Restart Discord or check for updates"

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Example 3: Thermal Investigation Chain

Scenario: User reports "Laptop is getting hot"

Step 1: get_health_alerts
  → No critical alerts, but suggests checking thermal

Step 2: get_thermal_status
  → CPU: 58°C (normal), no throttling
  → Recommendation: "Thermal status normal"

Step 3: Claude explains
  → "Heat is expected under load but system is not overheating"

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⚡ Performance

Latency Comparison

Operation	Before Optimization	After Optimization	Improvement
Primary tool (get_health_alerts)	~1500ms	~60ms	96% faster
Thermal check (cached)	150ms	0ms	Instant
Network check (cached)	800ms	0ms	Instant
Performance stats (no processes)	500ms	300ms	40% faster

Caching Strategy

Tool	Cache TTL	Reason
get_health_alerts	3 seconds	Frequently called entrypoint
get_thermal_status	10 seconds	Expensive WMI queries, temps change slowly
get_network_status	30 seconds	Expensive ping, connectivity rarely changes

Token Efficiency

Before: 3-4 speculative tool calls per vague request After: 1-2 targeted calls guided by nextStepsToCheck Savings: 40-50% reduction in token usage

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📥 Installation

Method 1: NPM

npm install
npm start

Method 2: From Source

git clone <repo-url>
cd health_check
npm install
node src/index.js

Configuration

The server runs on stdio transport by default. Add to your MCP client config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "system-health": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["path/to/health_check/src/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

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🔧 Troubleshooting

Issue: Battery Information Shows "N/A"

Symptom: All battery fields return N/A or "Desktop System"

Causes:

• Desktop computer (no battery) - this is normal
• Insufficient permissions to access ACPI battery interface
• Battery subsystem not exposed to process

Solutions:

1. For desktops: This is expected - status shows "Desktop System"
2. For laptops: Run PowerShell as Administrator

   # Right-click PowerShell → Run as Administrator
   cd path/to/health_check
   npm start

3. Alternative: Generate battery report manually

   powercfg /batteryreport

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Issue: Temperature Data Unavailable

Symptom: CPU temp shows "N/A"

Causes:

• WMI thermal sensors not exposed by hardware
• Requires elevated privileges
• Some systems don't expose thermal data via standard APIs

Solutions:

1. Run as Administrator (grants WMI access)
2. Check if hardware supports ACPI thermal zones:

   Get-WmiObject MSAcpi_ThermalZoneTemperature -Namespace root/wmi

3. Use third-party tools (HWMonitor, CoreTemp) for verification

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Issue: USB/Bluetooth Device Count Shows "N/A"

Symptom: connectedDevices fields return "N/A"

Causes:

• Insufficient permissions to enumerate Plug-and-Play devices
• Device class filtering blocked

Solutions:

1. Run PowerShell as Administrator
2. Manually verify:

   Get-PnpDevice -PresentOnly | Where-Object {$_.Class -eq "USB"}

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Issue: Network Ping Timeout

Symptom: Internet connectivity check fails on corporate networks

Cause: Firewall blocks ICMP (ping) to 8.8.8.8

Solution: This is expected on restricted networks. The tool will cache the timeout and avoid repeated failed pings for 30s.

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! This project follows the optimal MCP pattern - please maintain:

1. Primary tool returns guidance (nextStepsToCheck)
2. Deep tools return actionable outputs (severity, recommendations)
3. Caching for expensive operations
4. Graceful degradation with permission fallbacks

Development

# Clone and install
git clone <repo-url>
cd health_check
npm install

# Run locally
npm start

# Test with Claude Desktop
# Add to claude_desktop_config.json and restart Claude

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📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

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🙏 Acknowledgments

• Built with Model Context Protocol SDK
• Follows MCP best practices for optimal tool design
• Inspired by production MCP server patterns

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Built with ❤️ for the MCP ecosystem

_{Demonstrating optimal MCP patterns: Primary + Deep Tools architecture}