pnp-powershell-mcp-server

# PnP PowerShell MCP Server

<!-- mcp-name: io.github.pnp/pnp-powershell-mcp-server -->

## 💡 Description

This MCP server allows the use of natural language to run [PnP PowerShell](https://pnp.github.io/powershell/) commands and to author complex PnP PowerShell scripts. It may handle complex prompts that are executed as a chain of PnP PowerShell cmdlets that try to fulfill the user's request, and it can search the community's [PnP Script Samples](https://pnp.github.io/script-samples/) library for ready-to-adapt scripts. This way you can manage many different areas of Microsoft 365 — SharePoint Online, Microsoft Teams, Entra ID, OneDrive, Planner, Power Platform, Microsoft 365 Groups, taxonomy, search, and tenant administration — straight from your MCP client, and use it as a jump-start for writing your own automation scripts.

## 📦 Prerequisites

- [.NET 10 SDK](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download) (only required to build/run from source — published tool releases are self-contained)
- [PowerShell 7.4 or above](https://aka.ms/powershell) (`pwsh`) installed and available on `PATH`
- The [`PnP.PowerShell`](https://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/PnP.PowerShell) module installed:

  ```powershell
  Install-Module -Name PnP.PowerShell -Scope CurrentUser -Force -AllowClobber
  ```

## 🚀 Installation & Usage

This MCP server shells out to the locally installed [PnP PowerShell](https://pnp.github.io/powershell/) module — it does not do any authentication for you. Authenticate first using `Connect-PnPOnline` (see [Best Practices](./best-practices.md) for the recommended auth methods), then the MCP server will reuse the same PnP PowerShell connection context.

- **TYPE**: `Local` (stdio)
- **INSTALL**: [![Install PnP PowerShell MCP in VS Code](https://img.shields.io/badge/VS_Code-0098FF?style=flat-square&logo=visualstudiocode&logoColor=white)](https://insiders.vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=pnp-powershell&config=%7B%22type%22%3A%22stdio%22%2C%22command%22%3A%22pnp-powershell-mcp-server%22%7D) [![Install PnP PowerShell MCP in VS Code Insiders](https://img.shields.io/badge/VS_Code_Insiders-24bfa5?style=flat-square&logo=visualstudiocode&logoColor=white)](https://insiders.vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=pnp-powershell&config=%7B%22type%22%3A%22stdio%22%2C%22command%22%3A%22pnp-powershell-mcp-server%22%7D&quality=insiders) [![Install PnP PowerShell MCP in Visual Studio](https://img.shields.io/badge/Visual_Studio-C16FDE?style=flat-square&logo=visualstudio&logoColor=white)](https://aka.ms/vs/mcp-install?%7B%22name%22%3A%22pnp-powershell%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22stdio%22%2C%22command%22%3A%22pnp-powershell-mcp-server%22%7D) [![Install PnP PowerShell MCP in Cursor](https://img.shields.io/badge/Cursor-000000?style=flat-square&logo=cursor&logoColor=white)](https://cursor.com/install-mcp?name=pnp-powershell&config=eyJ0eXBlIjoic3RkaW8iLCJjb21tYW5kIjoicG5wLXBvd2Vyc2hlbGwtbWNwLXNlcnZlciJ9) [![Install PnP PowerShell MCP in Claude Code](https://img.shields.io/badge/Claude_Code-Install-orange?style=flat-square&logo=claude&logoColor=white)](#add-to-claude-code)

> The one-click buttons above register the server under the name `pnp-powershell` and point it at the `pnp-powershell-mcp-server` command, so **install the tool first** (below) — otherwise the client will register a server it cannot start.

### Install as a .NET global tool

```bash
dotnet tool install --global PnP.PowerShell.MCPServer --prerelease
```

This installs a self-contained, native AOT executable named `pnp-powershell-mcp-server` on your `PATH`. Supported platforms: Windows (x64, arm64), macOS (arm64, x64) and Linux (x64, arm64, musl x64).

To update an existing install:

```bash
dotnet tool update --global PnP.PowerShell.MCPServer --prerelease
```

> **Hitting `Version <x> of package PnP.PowerShell.MCPServer.<rid> is not found in NuGet feeds`?**
> This tool ships as a small wrapper package plus one package per platform, and that error means the platform package for your machine was never published for that version. It affects `0.1.1-beta` and earlier — install `0.1.3-beta` or later, or [build and run from source](#-how-to-build-and-run-it-locally). Maintainers: see [RELEASING.md](./RELEASING.md).

### Add to VS Code

1. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS) and type `MCP: Add Server`.
2. Select `Command (stdio)` as the server type.
3. Enter the command to run the MCP server:

   ```text
   pnp-powershell-mcp-server
   ```

4. Name the server (e.g., `PnP PowerShell MCP Server`).

As a result, you should have the following configuration in your `.vscode/mcp.json` file:

```json
{
    "servers": {
        "PnP PowerShell MCP Server": {
            "type": "stdio",
            "command": "pnp-powershell-mcp-server"
        }
    }
}
```

Now when you open the GitHub Copilot chat in VS Code, you should be able to select the `PnP PowerShell MCP Server` from the list of available MCP servers and start using it to manage Microsoft 365 using natural language. In the prompt specify that "Using PnP PowerShell, I want you to..." and GitHub Copilot Agent will use the MCP server to execute your request.

### Add to GitHub Copilot CLI

If you are using [GitHub Copilot CLI](https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/concepts/agents/about-copilot-cli), you may add the PnP PowerShell MCP server to Copilot by doing the following:

1. Start the [Copilot CLI](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@github/copilot):

   ```bash
   copilot
   ```

2. Use the copilot mcp command to add the MCP server:

   ```text
   /mcp add
   ```

3. Fill in the MCP form:
   - Server name: whatever you like, without spaces, e.g. `pnp-powershell-mcp-server`
   - Server type: `Local`
   - Command: `pnp-powershell-mcp-server`
   - Arguments: leave empty

After that click `Ctrl+S` to save and `q` to exit the MCP form. You can now use the PnP PowerShell MCP server in GitHub Copilot CLI, e.g. "Using PnP PowerShell, I want you to...".

### Add to Claude Code

```bash
claude mcp add pnp-powershell --scope user -- pnp-powershell-mcp-server
```

`--scope user` makes the server available in every project; drop it to register it for the current project only. Check it was picked up with `claude mcp list`.

### Add to Claude Desktop

1. In Claude Desktop, open Settings by clicking on the hamburger icon in the top left corner.
2. Select File > Settings (or press `Ctrl + ,`).
3. In the Developer tab, click Edit Config.
   Note: If you don't see the Developer tab, enable it first from Help > Enable Developer Mode.
4. This opens explorer; edit `claude_desktop_config.json` in your favorite text editor and add:

   ```json
   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "PnP-PowerShell": {
         "command": "pnp-powershell-mcp-server"
       }
     }
   }
   ```

5. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect.

> Note: On Windows, Claude doesn't exit when you close the window — it keeps running in the background. Find it in the system tray, right-click and select Quit to exit completely.

### Add to Cursor

1. From the chat option pick the `Agent settings` option.
2. Go to `Tools & MCP` tab and click on `New MCP server`.
3. Modify the `mcp.json` configuration as follows:

   ```json
   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "PnP PowerShell MCP Server": {
         "type": "stdio",
         "command": "pnp-powershell-mcp-server"
       }
     }
   }
   ```

4. Save and enable the `PnP PowerShell MCP Server` in the `Tools & MCP` tab and wait for the tools to load.

## 📷 Use Cases

The below use cases are only a few examples of how you may use this MCP server. It is capable of handling many different tasks, so feel free to experiment and manage Microsoft 365 using natural language.

### Manage SharePoint Online

prompt:
```text
Add a new list to this site with title 'awesome ducks'. Then add new columns to that list including them in the default view. The first should be a text description column and the second one should be a user column. Then add 3 items to this list with some funny jokes about ducks added in the description column and my user in the user column.
```

### Manage Microsoft Teams

prompt:
```text
Create a new Team on Teams with name 'Awesome Ducks' and in the General channel add a welcome post.
```

### Bootstrap a script from a community sample

prompt:
```text
I need a PnP PowerShell script that exports all SharePoint list items to a CSV file — find a community sample and adapt it for the 'Documents' list on my site.
```

### Reuse your own scripts

prompt:
```text
Do I have a script in my samples that reports inactive sites? If so, run it for the last 90 days.
```

Then, once a new script works:

```text
Save that script to my samples as inactive-sites-report.
```

See [Your own script samples](#your-own-script-samples) for the one-time setup.

### Report on tenant state

prompt:
```text
Can you check if I have a Power Automate flow called 'HoursReportingReminder' and if so disable it?
```

## 🛠️ Tools

| Tool | Description |
| --- | --- |
| pnp_search_commands | Finds which cmdlet does a job. Scores a compiled-in index of every cmdlet — name, verb, noun, synopsis, description, parameters and examples — with field-weighted BM25, so a plain-language question like "add a column to a list" finds `Add-PnPField`. Answers entirely in process: no `pwsh`, no session and no network, so it works on a machine that is not set up yet. Returns structured content alongside the text, and states the module version it was indexed from. |
| pnp_get_command_docs | Gets the reference documentation for one named cmdlet — syntax, parameters, parameter sets and examples — preceded by links to both the raw markdown source of its documentation page and the rendered HTML page. The markdown is the same content for a fraction of the tokens. |
| pnp_run_command | Runs PnP PowerShell against the connected tenant and returns the result. Runs in a persistent session, so a `Connect-PnPOnline` connection is reused across calls. De