Ryan Malloy
e6aa075793
Refactor: the four existing inline prompts in server.py move into
individual modules under src/mcp_cucm_axl/prompts/. Server.py keeps
thin @mcp.prompt-decorated shims that delegate to the corresponding
render() function — FastMCP needs the shims because it introspects
their signatures to expose parameters to the LLM, but the prompt
*content* now lives one-prompt-per-file.
Why: server.py's prompt section had grown to ~200 lines of inline
markdown. As more query patterns get documented (see
docs/query-patterns/) this would only worsen. Per-module bodies are
easier to diff, review, and unit-test in isolation.
Layout:
src/mcp_cucm_axl/prompts/
__init__.py
_common.py — shared helpers, keyword sets, render_schema_block
route_plan_overview.py
investigate_pattern.py
audit_routing.py
cucm_sql_help.py
sip_trunk_report.py — NEW
Each prompt module exports a `render(docs, *args) -> str` function
that takes the DocsIndex as a parameter (no module globals). The
shim in server.py grabs the runtime `_docs` and passes it in. Pure
functions = trivially unit-testable.
NEW prompt: sip_trunk_report.
Implementation reference: docs/query-patterns/sip-trunk-report.md
(written separately as a query-pattern doc, validated against the
live cluster). The prompt embeds:
- Step 1: trunk inventory SQL (device + sipdevice + 5 LEFT JOINs)
- Step 2: per-destination SQL (siptrunkdestination)
- Step 3: pointer to existing route_lists_and_groups() tool
- Step 4: findings template (SPOF, profile sprawl, CSS asymmetry,
codec heterogeneity, DNS-vs-IP, security posture)
Optional `name_filter` parameter narrows the inventory via LIKE; the
filter value is escaped for SQL safety (single quotes doubled per
Informix convention).
Tests: 14 new in tests/test_prompts_package.py covering each
prompt's render() with and without docs, plus a registration smoke
test that confirms the FastMCP shim set matches the prompts package
exports (catches the case where a new module is added without its
shim).
Total: 100 → 114 tests; 5 prompts registered; live verification
against cucm-pub.binghammemorial.org confirms the embedded SQL
produces real inventory data. The four original prompts are
behaviorally identical to before — same content, just relocated.
mcp-cucm-axl
Read-only MCP server for Cisco Unified CM 15 AXL — built for LLM-driven cluster auditing, with a particular focus on the Route Plan Report: partitions, calling search spaces, route patterns, translation patterns, called/calling party transformations, and digit-discard instructions.
Why this exists
CUCM's admin UI is great for one-config-at-a-time work but painful for audit/discovery questions like:
- "Which translation patterns rewrite the calling party number, and why?"
- "Which CSSs include the
Internal_PTpartition, in what order?" - "Show me every route pattern targeting the SIP trunk to the carrier."
- "Are there partitions defined but unreachable from any CSS?"
This server gives an LLM SQL access to CUCM's Informix data dictionary,
plus focused tools that bake in the right joins for routing-audit work.
Pair it with the sibling mcp-cisco-docs server and the LLM
gets vendor documentation alongside live cluster state — answering
"is our config consistent with Cisco's recommended baseline?" in a single
conversation.
Read-only by structural guarantee
The server never registers AXL write methods. There is no
executeSQLUpdate, no add*/update*/remove*/apply*/reset*/
restart* tool. Read-only is enforced by absence of write operations,
not by runtime sanitization. Defense-in-depth: SQL queries are also
client-side validated to begin with SELECT or WITH.
Setup
1. Configure environment
Edit .env (already gitignored):
AXL_URL=https://cucm-pub:8443/axl
AXL_USER=AxlUser
AXL_PASS=...
AXL_VERIFY_TLS=false # CUCM ships self-signed certs; default off
AXL_CACHE_TTL=3600 # 1 hour; 0 disables caching
AXL_WSDL_PATH= # optional explicit WSDL location
CISCO_DOCS_INDEX_PATH= # optional override for prompt enrichment
2. Bootstrap the AXL WSDL
Download the Cisco AXL Toolkit from your CUCM admin UI:
Application → Plugins → Find → "Cisco AXL Toolkit" → Download
Drop the resulting axlsqltoolkit.zip into the project directory. On first
launch, the server auto-extracts schema/15.0/ into ~/.cache/mcp-cucm-axl/wsdl/15.0/.
The zip is gitignored (Cisco-licensed; not redistributable).
Alternatives (in resolution order):
# A: explicit zip elsewhere
export AXL_WSDL_ZIP=/path/to/axlsqltoolkit.zip
# B: explicit WSDL file
export AXL_WSDL_PATH=/path/to/schema/15.0/AXLAPI.wsdl
# C: pre-populated cache directory
mkdir -p ~/.cache/mcp-cucm-axl/wsdl/15.0/
cp /path/to/schema/15.0/* ~/.cache/mcp-cucm-axl/wsdl/15.0/
3. Install + run
uv sync
uv run mcp-cucm-axl
Or via the bundled .mcp.json, automatically registered when Claude Code
opens this directory.
Tool surface
Foundational
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
axl_version() |
Cluster version sanity check |
axl_sql(query) |
Execute a SELECT against Informix data dictionary |
axl_list_tables(pattern=None) |
Discover Informix tables |
axl_describe_table(name) |
Column metadata for one table |
cache_stats(), cache_clear(pattern=None) |
Cache plumbing |
Route plan
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
route_partitions() |
All partitions with pattern + CSS-member counts |
route_calling_search_spaces(name=None) |
CSS list with ordered partitions |
route_patterns(kind=None, partition=None, filter=None) |
Route Plan Report — patterns + transformations |
route_inspect_pattern(pattern, partition=None) |
Deep dive: transforms, route filter, reachable-from CSS, full destination chain (route list → groups → gateways) |
route_lists_and_groups(name=None) |
Route list → route group → gateway chain (annotates Local Route Group placeholders) |
route_translation_chain(number, css_name=None) |
Wildcard-aware pattern matcher: evaluates X / ! / [0-9] / @ / \+ against the number and returns matches sorted by specificity |
route_digit_discard_instructions() |
DDI catalog |
route_device_pool_route_groups(device_pool_name=None) |
How each device pool resolves Local Route Group placeholders to actual gateway-bearing groups |
route_devices_using_css(css_name) |
Impact analysis: every reference to a CSS across line CFA/CFB/CFNA/CFUR/translation/MWI/shared, device-level CSSs, voicemail pilots, route lists |
route_filters(name=None) |
Route filter clauses + member rules (composed with @-pattern routes) |
Prompts
Schema-grounded conversation seeds. They pull relevant chunks from the
sibling cisco-docs index and embed them inline:
route_plan_overview— fresh audit conversation seedinvestigate_pattern(pattern, partition=None)— deep-dive a specific patternaudit_routing(focus="full")— comprehensive audit walkthroughcucm_sql_help(question)— catch-all for arbitrary SQL questions
Cache
Responses are cached in SQLite at ~/.cache/mcp-cucm-axl/responses/axl_responses.sqlite.
Cache survives restarts. Clear with cache_clear() after a known config change.
Notes
route_translation_chaindoes literal/prefix matching only. CUCM's actual matcher evaluates wildcards (X,!,[0-9], etc.) and selects the longest match. Treat results as "patterns to investigate" rather than "definitive route."- Pattern type codes (
tkpatternusage) used byroute_patterns(kind=...)are stable across CUCM versions but enumerated against thetypepatternusagetable at query time, so any cluster-specific custom types still work.