Maximo Enterprise MCP

Production-focused IBM Maximo Asset Management integration for AI systems.

This project now exposes:

• A stable MCP server for Claude Desktop, Cursor, and other MCP clients.
• A hosted HTTP/SSE mode for remote MCP access.
• A FastAPI tool layer for OpenAI, Gemini, Grok, and custom orchestrators.

The current stable surface is 31 public tools across assets, work orders, inventory, purchasing, labor, locations, reporting, schema discovery, and administration.

Responsible Use

This server speaks to a live IBM Maximo instance and exposes its data — and, when explicitly enabled, its mutating operations — to a language model. Before deploying:

• Run hosted HTTP/SSE behind an authenticated gateway. Per-request identity comes from MCP_AUTH_MODE=jwt (OIDC) or static + gateway-injected X-MCP-* headers. Never expose the FastAPI tool API to untrusted callers without an identity solution in front.
• TLS at the edge (or in-process via MCP_SSL_*) is mandatory for any non-stdio deployment. The app does not terminate TLS itself.
• Keep all write tools # DISABLED in server.py until you have reviewed the RBAC policy and audit posture for your environment.
• Stamp MAXIMO_ENV=dev|staging|prod per deployment so audit records and /healthz make it obvious which Maximo a container is talking to.
• Read SECURITY.md and PRODUCT_GAPS_BEFORE_DEPLOY.md before pushing to a public registry; the latter documents the exact controls required for https://github.com/mcp-style listings.

Architecture

Local MCP clients        -> stdio MCP server -> Maximo OSLC
Remote MCP clients       -> HTTP gateway -> hosted MCP SSE -> Maximo OSLC
OpenAI / Gemini / Grok   -> FastAPI tool API -> shared executor -> Maximo OSLC

Installation

Local MCP for Claude Desktop / Cursor

1. Create a virtual environment and install the package.

python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
pip install .

2. Copy .env.example to .env and fill in your Maximo settings.

3. Use a local MCP config like .mcp.json.example or .cursor/mcp.json.example.

Example:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "maximo": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["server.py"],
      "env": {
        "MAXIMO_URL": "https://your-maximo-host.example.com/maximo/oslc",
        "MAXIMO_HOST": "https://your-maximo-host.example.com",
        "AUTH_MODE": "basic",
        "MAXIMO_USERNAME": "your-maximo-username",
        "MAXIMO_PASSWORD": "your-maximo-password",
        "CURRENT_USER_ROLE": "readonly",
        "TRANSPORT_MODE": "stdio"
      }
    }
  }
}

Hosted MCP over HTTP/SSE

Hosted mode is intended for trusted network or gateway-protected deployments. It now fails closed unless MCP_ACCESS_TOKEN is set.

python server.py --http --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8080

Remote MCP clients should connect to:

• MCP SSE endpoint: http://host:8080/sse
• Health endpoint: http://host:8080/healthz

Example remote MCP config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "maximo": {
      "type": "sse",
      "url": "http://localhost:8080/sse",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <your MCP_ACCESS_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

FastAPI Tool API

Hosted HTTP mode also exposes a tool API for non-MCP platforms:

• GET /healthz
• GET /v1/tools
• POST /v1/tools/{tool_name}
• GET /v1/providers/openai-tools
• GET /v1/providers/gemini-tools
• GET /v1/providers/grok-tools

Example invocation:

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/v1/tools/list_assets \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $MCP_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d "{\"site_id\":\"BEDFORD\",\"page_size\":10}"

AI Platform Usage

OpenAI

Use GET /v1/providers/openai-tools to retrieve OpenAI-compatible tool definitions, then execute the selected tool via POST /v1/tools/{tool_name}.

Gemini

Use GET /v1/providers/gemini-tools to retrieve Gemini function declarations from the same shared tool registry.

Grok

Use GET /v1/providers/grok-tools. The payload is OpenAI-compatible so the same orchestration pattern works.

Optional Dependencies

Core installation uses requirements.txt.

Optional extras are defined in pyproject.toml:

• pip install ".[ai]" for OpenAI, ChromaDB, and sentence-transformers.
• pip install ".[exports]" for Excel and PDF export dependencies.
• pip install ".[dev]" for local test and lint tooling.

Environment Variables

See .env.example for the complete set. The most important variables are:

Docker

Build

docker build -t maximo-enterprise-mcp .

Run

docker run -d ^
  -p 8080:8080 ^
  -e TRANSPORT_MODE=http ^
  -e MCP_ACCESS_TOKEN=change-me ^
  -e MAXIMO_URL=https://your-maximo-host.example.com/maximo/oslc ^
  -e MAXIMO_HOST=https://your-maximo-host.example.com ^
  -e AUTH_MODE=basic ^
  -e MAXIMO_USERNAME=your-maximo-username ^
  -e MAXIMO_PASSWORD=your-maximo-password ^
  maximo-enterprise-mcp

Use docker-compose.yml if you want Redis included.

Deployment Guidance

The server does NOT terminate TLS itself. Every non-stdio deployment MUST terminate TLS either at the edge or in-process via MCP_SSL_CERTFILE / MCP_SSL_KEYFILE. See SECURITY.md.

AWS

• Recommended first target: ECS Fargate or App Runner.
• Store secrets in AWS Secrets Manager.
• Required: put ALB or API Gateway in front for TLS and access control.
• Keep Maximo connectivity private when possible.

Azure

• Recommended first target: Azure Container Apps or App Service.
• Store secrets in Key Vault.
• Required: put Application Gateway or Front Door in front for TLS and access control.

Environment Separation

Run one container image, three deployments, three secret stores. Stamp MAXIMO_ENV=dev|staging|prod per deployment — the value lands in every audit record and on /healthz, so an operator can confirm at a glance which Maximo a given container is pointed at.

Recommended pattern:

Never reuse a token across environments — a leaked dev token must not unlock prod, and a misrouted dev container must not write to prod data.

Public Internet

Exposing the raw hosted MCP to the public internet requires ALL of the following — no exceptions:

• bearer or OIDC inbound authentication (MCP_AUTH_MODE)
• TLS at the edge or in-process (the app serves plaintext by default)
• explicit CORS allowlist (MCP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS) — do NOT use *
• rate limiting (RATE_LIMIT_PER_MINUTE) and a separate edge limiter
• audit logging with durable forwarding
• private Maximo connectivity or strict network controls

Development

Run unit tests

pytest -m "not integration"

Run integration tests

Integration tests hit a real Maximo instance configured in .env.

pytest tests/integration_test_tools.py -m integration -v

List registered MCP tools

python server.py --test

Security Notes

• Do not commit real .env, .mcp.json, or .cursor/mcp.json values.
• Use example configs from the *.example files and keep secrets in local-only files or a secret manager.
• Hosted mode requires MCP_ACCESS_TOKEN.
• The env-based role model is suitable for local or trusted deployments, not multi-tenant public hosting.