Command line
forti-mcp's options, exit statuses, environment and the files it reads.
Command line
An MCP client starts forti-mcp, normally with no arguments, and talks JSON-RPC over stdio. The
options only adjust policy for that process. Pass them in the client entry's arguments, e.g.
claude mcp add forti -- forti-mcp --read-only (Connecting AI clients).
Options
1forti-mcp [--profile NAME] [--read-only] [--max-bytes N]2forti-mcp --version3forti-mcp --help| Option | Meaning |
|---|---|
--profile NAME | The device profile used when a request names none. Without it, the configuration's default profile (see forti devices). NAME is 1 to 64 letters, digits, - and _ |
--read-only | Offer only forti_discover and forti_read. forti_plan and forti_apply are not listed, and calling them is a protocol error |
--max-bytes N | The JSON budget per tool result, in bytes: default 49152 (48 KiB), from 4096 to 16777216 (Large results and paging) |
--version | Print the version and what it was built from, then exit |
--help, -h | Print the usage, then exit |
Values can follow the option or be attached with = (--max-bytes=65536). Each option may be given
once. --profile does not apply to forti_apply: a stored plan already names its profile.
--read-only does not change any profile's mode; it limits this registration. A client entry with
--read-only cannot plan or apply even on an autonomous profile. Its effect is visible to the model:
the server's instructions say that plan and apply are not available.
1$ forti-mcp --version2forti-mcp 0.2.0 (engine forti-cli 6a19035, forti-api 1.0.1)Exit status
| Status | When |
|---|---|
| 0 | stdin closed (the client finished), or --version / --help |
| 1 | stdin could not be read, stdout could not be written, or startup failed |
| 2 | Invalid options: an unknown option, a missing or invalid value, an option given twice. The message goes to stderr |
Errors during a session never end the process: they are JSON-RPC errors or tool errors (Protocol).
Environment and files
forti-mcp needs no environment variables and no client env entry. It reads the same forti home as
the forti CLI: $FORTI_HOME, else ~/.forti (forti home prints every location).
| What | Where | Override |
|---|---|---|
Profiles (config.json) and file-stored secrets (credentials/) | ~/.forti | FORTI_CONFIG_DIR |
Plans, approvals, audit log (audit.jsonl), pre-change backups | ~/.forti/state | FORTI_STATE_DIR |
| Cache (reserved; live schemas are not cached yet) | ~/.forti/cache | FORTI_CACHE_DIR |
Client certificates from forti cert create | ~/.forti/certs/<profile> |
FORTI_HOME moves the whole home; the FORTI_*_DIR variables move one location inside it. On
macOS, API keys stored with forti configure live in the login Keychain (service forti), and
FORTI_SECRET_STORE=file chooses the file store instead. The locations never depend on the working
directory, so the client may start forti-mcp anywhere.
A setup from before 0.2 (~/.config/forti, ~/.local/state/forti, ~/.cache/forti, or the
XDG_* variables) stays in use while ~/.forti/config.json does not exist and neither FORTI_HOME
nor FORTI_CONFIG_DIR is set. forti home migrate moves it into the home
(Upgrading from 0.1).
FORTI_HOME and the FORTI_*_DIR overrides must be absolute paths. forti refuses a config.json
owned by another user or writable by group or others.