MCP Server

Add CCIE-level network engineering expertise to Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible AI tool.

Give your AI assistant CCIE-level network engineering expertise. Damira AI runs as an MCP server inside your existing tools — troubleshoot network issues, search vendor docs, look up CVEs, plan upgrades, and audit configs without leaving your workflow.

Works with Claude Desktop · Claude Code · Cursor · Windsurf · any MCP client.

Quick Start

The fastest path — add Damira to Claude Code in one command:

claude mcp add --transport stdio damira -- uvx damira-mcp

No API key required to try it. The MCP server uses a shared demo key automatically — 50 free queries/day, no signup.

Try it immediately:

Why is my BGP neighbor stuck in Active state on IOS-XE 17.6?

When you're ready to go unlimited, set your own key:

export DAMIRA_API_KEY="oncall_sk_your_key_here"

Get your free API key → — no credit card required.

Installation

Add Damira AI via the CLI:

claude mcp add --transport stdio damira -- uvx damira-mcp

Set your API key in your shell profile (~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc):

export DAMIRA_API_KEY="oncall_sk_your_key_here"

Verify: start a new Claude Code session and ask a network question. You should see Damira tools being called.

Prerequisite: You need uv installed to run uvx. Install it with: curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh (macOS/Linux) or powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex" (Windows).

API Key Setup

Sign up at damiraai.com (free, no credit card)
Go to Dashboard > API Keys
Click Create Key, give it a name
Copy the key — it starts with oncall_sk_

Set it as an environment variable so all MCP clients can use it:

# Add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc
export DAMIRA_API_KEY="oncall_sk_your_key_here"

Never commit API keys to source control. Use environment variables or your client's secret management.

Available Tools

Local Network Tools

These run on your machine — no API call, no cost, no data leaves your network.

Tool	Description
`ping_host`	ICMP ping with latency stats (min/avg/max) and packet loss
`check_port`	TCP port reachability check
`traceroute`	Hop-by-hop path discovery with per-hop latency
`dns_lookup`	DNS record lookup (A, AAAA, MX, TXT, NS, CNAME, SOA)
`analyze_config`	Security audit — catches plaintext passwords, type 7 hashes, SNMP communities, HTTP management, missing NTP
`diagnose_connectivity`	Combined diagnostic: ping + DNS + port checks + traceroute in one call

Domain Expertise Tools

These call the Damira API for CCIE-level knowledge your AI model doesn't have from training.

Tool	Description
`damira_search_vendor_docs`	Search official Cisco, Juniper, Arista, Palo Alto, Fortinet documentation. Returns authoritative vendor procedures with source URLs.
`damira_search_cve`	Look up CVEs from NVD with severity, affected versions, and remediation. Use before any upgrade.
`damira_search_release_notes`	Check known bugs, caveats, and upgrade paths for a specific platform version.
`damira_troubleshoot`	Structured GIDRP diagnosis (Gather, Isolate, Diagnose, Resolve, Prevent) with 3+ differential diagnoses and exact vendor-specific CLI commands.
`damira_upgrade_plan`	Structured upgrade assessment: upgrade path (direct or stepping stones), prerequisites, known risks, maintenance window estimate, and rollback procedure.
`damira_document_template`	CCIE/ITIL-aligned checklist for MOPs, change controls, runbooks, and incident reports. Returns the required sections — your AI writes the actual document.
`damira_agent`	Full agent pipeline for complex multi-step queries that don't fit the specialized tools above. Slower (30-60s).

Lab Tools

Tool	Description
`ssh_command`	SSH to remote hosts — lab and POC environments only, not for production
`network_device_command`	Netmiko device commands — lab and POC environments only

Example Prompts

These are real scenarios you can try after installing. Your AI assistant will call the right Damira tools automatically.

Troubleshooting:

My BGP neighbor 10.1.1.2 is stuck in Active state on a Cisco ISR4451 running IOS-XE 17.6.
Here's the output: [paste show ip bgp summary]

Vendor Documentation:

What does the Cisco documentation say about OSPF BFD timers on IOS-XE 17.x?

CVE Lookup:

Is CVE-2023-20198 affecting our IOS-XE 17.6 devices? What versions are patched?

Upgrade Planning:

Plan an upgrade for our CUCM from 12.5 SU7 to 15.0.
We have 2 publishers and 4 subscribers with 3000 phones.

Config Audit:

Audit this config for security issues:
[paste your device config]

Multi-Step Workflow:

Plan the IOS-XE upgrade from 17.6 to 17.9, check for CVEs in 17.9,
and write the MOP.

Cowork Mode (Claude Desktop)

For the best experience, use Claude Desktop's Cowork mode. This lets Claude autonomously chain multiple Damira tool calls and write files to a project folder — turning a single prompt into a complete deliverable.

Setup

Open Claude Desktop and create a project (or open an existing folder)
Make sure Damira is installed (see Installation above)
Ask Claude to do multi-step work in a single prompt

Example: Upgrade MOP in One Shot

Plan the IOS-XE 17.6 to 17.9 upgrade for our 4 branch routers
and write the full MOP.

Claude will autonomously:

Call damira_upgrade_plan — gets upgrade path, prerequisites, risks
Call damira_search_cve — checks security advisories for 17.9
Call damira_search_release_notes — gets known bugs and caveats
Call damira_document_template — gets the CCIE/ITIL MOP structure
Write the complete MOP as a file in your project folder

Result: A production-quality MOP with CCIE-level technical content, written in seconds.

More Cowork Workflows

Research + comparison document:

Research PAN-OS 11.1 vs FortiOS 7.4 for branch deployment
and write a comparison doc with recommendations.

Troubleshoot + incident report:

Troubleshoot this BGP issue, then write the incident report:
[paste show command output]

Config audit + findings spreadsheet:

Audit all the configs in this folder and create a findings
summary with severity ratings.

Upgrade planning + change control:

Plan the CUCM upgrade from 12.5 SU7 to 15.0 for our 4-node cluster.
Write both the MOP and the change control RFC.

Cowork works best for multi-step tasks. For quick questions ("what's the BGP neighbor command?"), standard chat is fine. Cowork shines when you need Claude to chain 3-5 tool calls and produce a document.

How It Works

Damira provides the domain expertise data. Your AI assistant writes the documents, configs, and scripts.

Damira provides	Your AI assistant does
Vendor doc search results with sources	Writes the config using vendor syntax
CVE data with severity and remediation	Advises on patching urgency
GIDRP troubleshooting diagnosis	Presents findings with recommended commands
Upgrade path, prerequisites, and risks	Writes the MOP and change control
Document template checklists	Fills in every section with technical details

This separation means better results at lower cost. Damira runs on efficient models ($0.10/M tokens) for domain lookups. Your AI subscription handles the writing.

Execution Modes

Mode	SSH Access	Default?	Description
Advisor	OFF	Yes	Recommends commands for you to run. Your data never leaves your network.
Guided	With approval	Opt-in	SSH to devices with human-in-the-loop approval per command.
Lab	Auto-execute	Explicit	Fully automated execution in isolated test environments only.

Advisor mode is the default and recommended for all production use. The assistant recommends exactly what commands to run and interprets the output — but never touches your devices directly.

Security

Advisor mode by default — Damira recommends commands, never executes on your network
Local tools run locally — ping, traceroute, DNS, port checks, config audit never send data to Damira servers
No credentials stored — API keys authenticate your account, never your device credentials
No data retention — queries are not stored beyond the active session
Config scrubbing — when configs are sent for analysis, public IPs, passwords, and SNMP communities are scrubbed before processing

Cursor: Network Automation IDE

Cursor + Damira is a complete network automation IDE.

Cursor ($20/mo) provides the AI model, IDE, terminal, file system, and git. Damira Starter ($29/mo) provides the network domain expertise. Together:

Generate config files → saved to configs/ with version control
Write Ansible playbooks → saved to playbooks/ with inventory
Create Python scripts → Netmiko, Nornir, NAPALM in scripts/
Build lab topologies → ContainerLab YAML in labs/
Audit configs via @-mention → @configs/router.cfg audit this
SSH via terminal → Damira recommends commands, you run them in Cursor's built-in terminal using your own SSH keys
BYOK models → bring your own API key for even lower cost on custom deployments

Troubleshooting

"uvx: command not found" Install uv first: curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

"No API key configured" Set DAMIRA_API_KEY in your environment or MCP config. The key should start with oncall_sk_.

"Tools not appearing" Restart your client (Claude Desktop, Windsurf) or close/reopen Composer (Cursor). Claude Code picks up changes on next session.

"Tool call timed out" Complex queries (troubleshooting, upgrade plans) can take 30-60 seconds. This is expected — the agent is doing multi-step research. Simple lookups (vendor docs, CVE) complete in 1-2 seconds.

"Cannot connect to Damira API" Check your internet connection. The API endpoint is https://damiraai.com. If you're behind a corporate proxy, configure your proxy settings.

Pricing

Tier	Price	Included
Free	$0/mo	Troubleshooting + quick answers, local tools unlimited
Starter	$29/mo	Config gen, MOPs, change controls, web search, 3 deep research credits
Pro	$59/mo	Deep research (15 credits/mo), upgrade planning, multi-session projects
Team	$49/user/mo	Everything in Pro + shared knowledge base, 5 seat minimum

View full pricing details →

MCP vs VS Code Extension

Both deliver CCIE-level network expertise. Choose based on your workflow.

	MCP Server	VS Code Extension
Works in	Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf	VS Code + Cursor
Setup	5-line config, no signup required (demo key)	Install extension + API key
Response style	Synchronous — wait for full response	Streaming — tokens appear as they arrive
Multi-tab chat	Not supported	Up to 5 concurrent sessions
Spreadsheet output	Not supported	XLSX export for upgrade inventories
File output	Via Claude Desktop Cowork mode	Direct file save from chat panel
Project workspaces	Not supported	Cross-session context, briefs, history
Multi-step pipelines	`damira_agent` only (30-60s)	Full pipeline with progress indicators
Config generation	Via `damira_agent`	Dedicated config gen with template picker
Lab tools	ssh_command, network_device_command	Built-in terminal integration
Best for	Researching + drafting docs in Claude	Active NOC work, config writing, automation

When to use MCP: You want Damira's knowledge inside Claude Desktop or Cursor without a separate extension. Great for drafting upgrade MOPs, looking up CVEs, and troubleshooting with Claude as the writer.

When to use VS Code Extension: You're doing hands-on network work — writing configs, iterating on Ansible playbooks, running multi-step workflows, or managing multiple incidents at once.

Both use the same Damira backend. You can install both — they share your API key.

Install the VS Code Extension →

What's Next

VS Code Extension — full IDE experience with chat panel, templates, and streaming
Troubleshooting Guide — how the 11-domain diagnosis works
Upgrade Planning — structured upgrade assessments and MOPs
API Reference — programmatic access for automation

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