Homebutler

Homelab server operations via homebutler CLI/MCP. Check system status, generate butler reports, scan inventory/topology, manage Docker containers, install self-hosted apps, verify backup drills, Wake-on-LAN, port scanning, alerts, backup/restore, and multi-server SSH.

Manage homelab servers using the homebutler CLI. Single binary, no daemon/database required, JSON output, MCP-friendly.

Prerequisites

homebutler must be installed and available in PATH.

# Check if installed
which homebutler

# Option 1: Install via Homebrew (macOS/Linux)
brew install Higangssh/homebutler/homebutler

# Option 2: Install via Go
go install github.com/Higangssh/homebutler@latest

# Option 3: Build from source
git clone https://github.com/Higangssh/homebutler.git
cd homebutler && make build && sudo mv homebutler /usr/local/bin/

Commands

Setup Wizard

homebutler init                      # Interactive config setup

Creates a config file at ~/.config/homebutler/config.yaml with guided prompts.

System Status

homebutler status                    # Local server
homebutler status --server rpi       # Specific remote server
homebutler status --all              # All servers in parallel

Returns: hostname, OS, arch, uptime, CPU (usage%, cores), memory (total/used/%), disks (mount/total/used/%)

Butler Report

homebutler report                    # Health, warnings, changes, suggested actions
homebutler report --no-save          # Preview without writing a snapshot
homebutler report --keep 7           # Retain latest 7 snapshots
homebutler report --json             # Structured output for automation/MCP

Use this first when the user asks “how is my homelab/server doing?” and wants a concise operational summary. It snapshots current system/container/port state and compares it with the previous run.

Inventory & Topology

homebutler inventory scan                     # Tree view of system, containers, ports
homebutler inventory scan --json              # Structured inventory
homebutler inventory export --format mermaid  # Mermaid topology diagram

Use this when the user asks what is running, which container owns a port, or wants topology/context for docs or AI analysis.

Docker Management

homebutler docker list               # List all containers
homebutler docker list --server rpi  # List on remote server
homebutler docker list --all         # List on all servers
homebutler docker restart <name>     # Restart a container
homebutler docker stop <name>        # Stop a container
homebutler docker logs <name>        # Last 50 lines of logs
homebutler docker logs <name> 200    # Last 200 lines

Wake-on-LAN

homebutler wake <mac-address>           # Wake by MAC
homebutler wake <name>                   # Wake by config name
homebutler wake <mac> 192.168.1.255     # Custom broadcast

Config names are defined in config under wake targets.

Open Ports

homebutler ports                     # Local
homebutler ports --server rpi        # Remote
homebutler ports --all               # All servers

Returns: protocol, address, port, PID, process name

Network Scan

homebutler network scan

Discovers devices on the local LAN via ping sweep + ARP table. Returns: IP, MAC, hostname, status. Note: May take up to 30 seconds. Some devices may not appear if they don't respond to ping.

TUI Dashboard

homebutler watch                     # Live terminal dashboard for all servers

Real-time monitoring of all configured servers with auto-refresh. Shows CPU, memory, disk, docker containers in a terminal UI.

Web Dashboard

homebutler serve                     # Start web dashboard on port 8080
homebutler serve --port 3000         # Custom port
homebutler serve --demo              # Demo mode with fake data (no real system calls)

Browser-based dashboard at http://localhost:8080. Read-only view of all servers, docker containers, alerts.

SSH Host Key Trust

homebutler trust <server>            # Trust remote server's SSH host key
homebutler trust <server> --reset    # Remove old key and re-trust

TOFU (Trust On First Use) model. Required before first SSH connection to a new server.

Upgrade

homebutler upgrade                   # Upgrade local + all remote servers
homebutler upgrade --local           # Upgrade only local binary

Downloads latest release from GitHub and installs it. For remote servers, uses SSH to upgrade.

Resource Alerts

homebutler alerts                    # Local
homebutler alerts --server rpi       # Remote
homebutler alerts --all              # All servers

Checks CPU/memory/disk against thresholds in config. Returns status (ok/warning/critical) per resource.

Deploy (Remote Installation)

homebutler deploy --server rpi                          # Download from GitHub Releases
homebutler deploy --server rpi --local ./homebutler     # Air-gapped: copy local binary
homebutler deploy --all                                 # Deploy to all remote servers

Installs homebutler on remote servers via SSH. Auto-detects remote OS/architecture. Install path priority: /usr/local/bin → sudo /usr/local/bin → ~/.local/bin (with PATH auto-registration in .profile/.bashrc/.zshrc).

App Install

homebutler install list              # List available apps
homebutler install <app>             # Install an app (docker compose)
homebutler install <app> --port 9090 # Custom port
homebutler install status <app>      # Check app status
homebutler install uninstall <app>   # Stop app, keep data
homebutler install purge <app>       # Stop + delete all data

Deploys self-hosted apps via docker compose. Each app gets its own directory at ~/.homebutler/apps/<app>/ with auto-generated docker-compose.yml and persistent data. Pre-checks docker availability, port conflicts, and duplicates. Available apps include uptime-kuma, plex, vaultwarden, filebrowser, it-tools, gitea, jellyfin, homepage, stirling-pdf, speedtest-tracker, mealie, pi-hole, adguard-home, portainer, and nginx-proxy-manager.

Backup, Restore & Backup Drill

homebutler backup                          # Back up Docker compose volumes/files
homebutler backup --service uptime-kuma    # Back up one service
homebutler backup list                     # List backup archives
homebutler backup drill uptime-kuma        # Boot backup in isolation and verify HTTP health
homebutler backup drill --all              # Drill every supported app in backup
homebutler backup drill --archive ./file   # Drill a specific archive
homebutler restore ./backup.tar.gz         # Restore volumes from archive

Prefer backup drill when the user asks whether backups are trustworthy: it validates the archive, boots the app in an isolated Docker environment, health-checks it, and cleans up.

MCP Server

homebutler mcp                       # Start MCP server (JSON-RPC over stdio)

Starts a built-in MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for use with Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, Cursor, and other MCP clients. No network ports opened — uses stdio only.

Current MCP tools:

• system_status
• report
• inventory_scan, inventory_export
• docker_list, docker_restart, docker_stop, docker_logs, docker_stats
• wake, open_ports, network_scan, alerts
• backup_create, backup_list, backup_drill, backup_restore
• install_list, install_app, install_status, install_uninstall, install_purge

Version

homebutler version

Output Format

All commands output human-readable text by default. Use --json flag for machine-parseable JSON output (recommended for AI/script integration).

Config File

Config file is auto-discovered in order:

1. --config <path> — Explicit flag
2. $HOMEBUTLER_CONFIG — Environment variable
3. ~/.config/homebutler/config.yaml — XDG standard (recommended)
4. ./homebutler.yaml — Current directory

If no config found, sensible defaults are used.

Config Options

• servers — Server list with SSH connection details
• wake — Named WOL targets with MAC + broadcast
• alerts.cpu/memory/disk — Threshold percentages
• output — Default output format

Multi-Server Config Example

servers:
  - name: main-server
    host: 192.168.1.10
    local: true

  - name: rpi
    host: 192.168.1.20
    user: pi
    auth: key                # "key" (default, recommended) or "password"
    key: ~/.ssh/id_ed25519   # optional, auto-detects

  - name: vps
    host: example.com
    user: deploy
    port: 2222
    auth: key
    key: ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Usage Guidelines

1. Always run commands, don't guess — execute homebutler status to get real data
2. Interpret results for the user — don't dump raw JSON, summarize in natural language
3. Warn on alerts — if any resource shows "warning" or "critical", highlight it
4. Use --all for overview — when user asks about "all servers" or "everything", use --all
5. Use --server for specific — when user mentions a server by name, use --server <name>
6. Docker errors — if docker is not installed or daemon not running, explain clearly
7. Network scan — warn user it may take ~30 seconds
8. Security — never expose raw JSON with hostnames/IPs in group chats, summarize instead
9. Deploy — suggest --local for air-gapped environments

Security Notes

• SSH authentication: Always prefer key-based auth over passwords. Never store plaintext passwords in config.
• Network scans: Only run on your own local network. Warn user before scanning.
• Deploy: Only deploy to servers you own. Confirm with user before remote installations.
• Config file permissions: Keep config files readable only by owner (chmod 600).
• No telemetry: homebutler sends zero data externally. All operations are local or to user-configured hosts only.

Error Handling

• SSH connection failed → Check host/port/user in config, verify SSH key is registered on remote
• homebutler not found on remote → Run homebutler deploy --server <name> first
• docker not installed → Tell user docker is not available on that server
• docker daemon not running → Suggest sudo systemctl start docker
• network scan timeout → Normal on large subnets, suggest retrying
• permission denied → May need sudo for ports/docker commands on some systems

Example Interactions

User: "How's the server doing?" → Prefer homebutler report, summarize health, warnings, notable changes, and suggested actions. Use homebutler status only for a raw point-in-time status.

User: "What changed / what owns this port / map my homelab" → Run homebutler inventory scan or homebutler inventory export --format mermaid.

User: "Check all servers" → Run homebutler status --all, summarize each server's status

User: "How's the Raspberry Pi?" → Run homebutler status --server rpi, summarize

User: "What docker containers are running?" → Run homebutler docker list, list container names and states

User: "Wake up the NAS" → Run homebutler wake nas (if configured) or ask for MAC address

User: "Any alerts across all servers?" → Run homebutler alerts --all, report any warnings/critical

User: "Deploy homebutler to the new server" → Run homebutler deploy --server <name>, report result

User: "Install uptime-kuma" → Run homebutler install uptime-kuma, report URL and status

User: "What apps are available?" → Run homebutler install list, show available apps

User: "Remove vaultwarden completely" → Run homebutler install purge vaultwarden, confirm deletion

User: "Can I trust my backup?" → Run homebutler backup drill <app> or homebutler backup drill --all, report pass/fail and health status