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IBM Bob Integration

IBM Bob is IBM’s AI-powered development assistant and IDE designed for enterprise software development.
Platform Support: Windows, macOS, Linux Transport Modes: Stdio (local) and HTTP (remote) MCP Client: Built-in MCP client for connecting to MCP servers

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Prerequisites

Ensure you have IBM Bob installed and configured: 
# Verify Bob installation
bob --version
Getting Bob: IBM Bob is available to IBM employees and authorized partners. Visit the IBM Bob product page for access information.

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Configuration File Location

Bob stores its MCP server configuration in:
Location: ~/.bob/mcp.json or %USERPROFILE%\.bob\mcp.json (Windows)Benefits:
  • Available across all projects
  • Personal configuration
  • Not shared via version control

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Local (Stdio) Setup

Configure a local server that Bob will spawn and manage:

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Using Configuration File

Create or edit your MCP configuration file: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@ibm/ibmi-mcp-server@latest", "--tools", "/absolute/path/to/tools"],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "your-ibmi-host.com",
        "DB2i_USER": "your-username",
        "DB2i_PASS": "your-password",
        "DB2i_PORT": "8076",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio",
        "NODE_OPTIONS": "--no-deprecation"
      }
    }
  }
}
Important:
  • The --tools path must be an absolute path
  • Replace credentials with your actual IBM i system details
  • Ensure the user profile has appropriate database authorities

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Remote (HTTP) Setup

Connect to a remote IBM i MCP Server:

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Step 1: Start Remote Server

On your server machine, configure and start the MCP server with authentication: 
# Configure .env file
MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE=http
MCP_AUTH_MODE=ibmi
IBMI_HTTP_AUTH_ENABLED=true

# Start server
npm run start:http

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Step 2: Obtain Access Token

# Generate access token
node get-access-token.js --verbose

# Copy the token from output

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Step 3: Configure Bob

Edit your MCP configuration file: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "url": "http://localhost:3010/mcp",
      "transport": "http",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}
Production: Replace http://localhost:3010 with your production server URL and ensure HTTPS is enabled for secure communication.

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Environment Variable Expansion

Bob supports environment variable expansion for secure credential management: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@ibm/ibmi-mcp-server@latest", "--tools", "${IBMI_TOOLS_PATH}"],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "${DB2i_HOST}",
        "DB2i_USER": "${DB2i_USER}",
        "DB2i_PASS": "${DB2i_PASS}",
        "DB2i_PORT": "${DB2i_PORT:-8076}",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio"
      }
    }
  }
}
Supported syntax:
  • ${VAR} - Expands to the value of environment variable VAR
  • ${VAR:-default} - Expands to VAR if set, otherwise uses default

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Testing the Connection

After configuration, restart Bob and verify the MCP server connection:
  1. Restart Bob: Close and reopen the Bob IDE
  2. Check MCP status: Look for MCP indicators in the Bob interface
  3. List available tools: Ask Bob “What MCP tools are available?”
  4. Test a tool: Try “Show me the IBM i system status using MCP”

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Troubleshooting

Symptoms: MCP server doesn’t show up in BobSolutions:
  • Verify JSON syntax in your MCP configuration file
  • Check that npx -y @ibm/ibmi-mcp-server@latest works from terminal
  • Ensure absolute paths are used for --tools
  • Restart Bob completely
  • Check Bob logs for MCP-related errors
Symptoms: Connection refused or 401 Unauthorized for remote connectionsSolutions:
  • Verify server is running: curl http://localhost:3010/mcp
  • Check token is valid: verify token hasn’t expired (default: 1 hour)
  • Ensure MCP_AUTH_MODE=ibmi and IBMI_HTTP_AUTH_ENABLED=true on server
  • Get a fresh token: node get-access-token.js --verbose
  • Confirm Authorization header format: Bearer TOKEN
Symptoms: Server connects but no tools availableSolutions:
  • Verify tools path exists and is absolute
  • Check YAML files are valid in tools directory
  • Ensure IBM i credentials are correct
  • Verify Mapepire is running on IBM i (port 8076)
  • Test tools: npx -y @ibm/ibmi-mcp-server@latest --list-toolsets --tools /path
Symptoms: Server starts but can’t connect to IBM iSolutions:
  • Test IBM i connectivity: ping your-ibmi-host
  • Verify Mapepire is running: netstat -an | grep 8076
  • Check firewall allows port 8076
  • Ensure DB2i credentials have appropriate authorities
  • Verify hostname resolution

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Advanced Configuration

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Multiple IBM i Systems

Configure multiple server instances for different IBM i systems: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-dev": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@ibm/ibmi-mcp-server@latest", "--tools", "/path/to/dev-tools"],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "dev-ibmi.company.com",
        "DB2i_USER": "DEVUSER",
        "DB2i_PASS": "${DEV_PASSWORD}",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio"
      }
    },
    "ibmi-prod": {
      "url": "https://prod-mcp.company.com/mcp",
      "transport": "http",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${PROD_MCP_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

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Custom Toolsets

Load specific toolsets for different workflows: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibmi-performance": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@ibm/ibmi-mcp-server@latest",
        "--tools", "/path/to/tools",
        "--toolsets", "performance,monitoring"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "your-ibmi-host.com",
        "DB2i_USER": "${DB2i_USER}",
        "DB2i_PASS": "${DB2i_PASS}",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio"
      }
    },
    "ibmi-security": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@ibm/ibmi-mcp-server@latest",
        "--tools", "/path/to/tools",
        "--toolsets", "security,audit"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DB2i_HOST": "your-ibmi-host.com",
        "DB2i_USER": "${DB2i_USER}",
        "DB2i_PASS": "${DB2i_PASS}",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio"
      }
    }
  }
}

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Next Steps

SQL Tools

Create custom SQL tools for your IBM i workflows

Configuration

Explore all IBM i MCP Server configuration options

Authentication

Set up secure IBM i HTTP authentication

Other Clients

Explore other MCP-compatible clients

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Additional Resources

Internal Documentation: For IBM employees, detailed Bob MCP configuration is available at Bob MCP Documentation.