# Homebox MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that connects to your Homebox home inventory system, allowing AI assistants to query and explore your home inventory data in real-time.

## What is This?

This MCP server acts as a bridge between AI assistants (like Claude) and your Homebox home inventory database. It allows your AI assistant to:

- Search for items in your inventory
- Get detailed information about specific items
- List all locations where you store things
- List all labels/categories you use
- Find all items in a specific location
- Find all items with a specific label

## Deployment Options

Choose the deployment method that works best for you:

- **[Docker / QNAP Container Station](DOCKER.md)** - Run in a container (recommended for QNAP users)
- **[Local Installation](#step-by-step-setup-instructions)** - Run directly on your computer (see below)

## Prerequisites (Local Installation)

**Note:** If you're using Docker/QNAP, see [DOCKER.md](DOCKER.md) instead.

Before you begin, you'll need:

1. **Node.js** - Version 18 or higher ([Download here](https://nodejs.org/))
2. **A running Homebox instance** - You should have Homebox already installed and accessible
3. **Homebox login credentials** - Your email and password for Homebox

## Step-by-Step Setup Instructions (Local Installation)

### Step 1: Install Node.js

1. Go to [nodejs.org](https://nodejs.org/)
2. Download the LTS (Long Term Support) version
3. Run the installer and follow the prompts
4. Open a terminal/command prompt and verify installation:
   ```bash
   node --version
   npm --version
   ```
   Both commands should show version numbers.

### Step 2: Download This MCP Server

If you haven't already:
```bash
git clone <your-repository-url>
cd Homebox-mcp
```

### Step 3: Install Dependencies

In the `Homebox-mcp` folder, run:
```bash
npm install
```

This will download all the required libraries.

### Step 4: Configure Your Homebox Connection

1. Copy the example configuration file:
   ```bash
   cp config.json.example config.json
   ```

2. Open `config.json` in a text editor and fill in your details:
   ```json
   {
     "homeboxUrl": "http://localhost:7745",
     "email": "your-email@example.com",
     "password": "your-password"
   }
   ```

   Replace:
   - `homeboxUrl`: The URL where your Homebox is running (default is `http://localhost:7745`)
   - `email`: Your Homebox login email
   - `password`: Your Homebox login password

3. Save the file

### Step 5: Build the Server

Compile the TypeScript code:
```bash
npm run build
```

### Step 6: Test the Connection

Before running the full server, test that it can connect to Homebox:
```bash
npm test
```

This will verify your configuration and show you if everything is working. If successful, you'll see green checkmarks and a summary of your inventory.

Alternatively, you can test the full server:
```bash
npm start
```

If successful, you should see:
```
Starting Homebox MCP Server...
Successfully authenticated with Homebox
Homebox MCP Server running on stdio
```

Press `Ctrl+C` to stop the server. You're ready to configure your AI assistant!

## Configuring with Claude Desktop

To use this MCP server with Claude Desktop:

1. Open your Claude Desktop configuration file:
   - **macOS**: `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
   - **Windows**: `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`
   - **Linux**: `~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`

2. Add the Homebox MCP server to the configuration:
   ```json
   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "homebox": {
         "command": "node",
         "args": ["/absolute/path/to/Homebox-mcp/dist/index.js"]
       }
     }
   }
   ```

   Replace `/absolute/path/to/Homebox-mcp` with the actual full path to your Homebox-mcp folder.

   **Example for macOS/Linux:**
   ```json
   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "homebox": {
         "command": "node",
         "args": ["/home/username/Homebox-mcp/dist/index.js"]
       }
     }
   }
   ```

   **Example for Windows:**
   ```json
   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "homebox": {
         "command": "node",
         "args": ["C:\\Users\\YourName\\Homebox-mcp\\dist\\index.js"]
       }
     }
   }
   ```

3. Save the file and restart Claude Desktop

## Using the MCP Server

Once configured, you can ask Claude to interact with your Homebox inventory. Here are some example queries:

### Search for Items
"Can you search my Homebox inventory for 'screwdriver'?"

### List All Locations
"Show me all the locations in my Homebox inventory"

### Find Items in a Location
"What items do I have in the garage?" (first get the location ID using list_locations, then use get_items_by_location)

### List All Labels
"What labels/categories do I use in Homebox?"

### Get Item Details
"Can you get the full details for item ID 123?"

### Find Items by Label
"Show me all items labeled as 'Electronics'"

For more detailed examples and use cases, see [EXAMPLES.md](EXAMPLES.md).

## Available Tools

The MCP server provides these tools:

1. **search_items** - Search for items by name or description
2. **get_item** - Get complete details about a specific item
3. **list_locations** - List all storage locations
4. **get_location** - Get details about a specific location
5. **list_labels** - List all labels/categories
6. **get_label** - Get details about a specific label
7. **get_items_by_location** - Get all items in a location
8. **get_items_by_label** - Get all items with a label

## Troubleshooting

### "Authentication failed"
- Check that your `config.json` has the correct email and password
- Verify that your Homebox instance is running
- Make sure the `homeboxUrl` is correct

### "Cannot find module"
- Run `npm install` again
- Make sure you ran `npm run build`

### "ECONNREFUSED" or "Network Error"
- Check that Homebox is running
- Verify the URL in `config.json` is correct
- If using Docker, make sure the Homebox container is running

### Claude Desktop doesn't show the tools
- Check that the path in `claude_desktop_config.json` is absolute (full path)
- Restart Claude Desktop after changing the configuration
- Check Claude Desktop logs for errors

## Security Notes

- Your `config.json` file contains your Homebox password - keep it secure
- The `.gitignore` file is configured to prevent `config.json` from being committed to git
- Never share your `config.json` file publicly

## How It Works

This MCP server:
1. Connects to your Homebox instance via its REST API
2. Authenticates using your credentials
3. Provides tools that Claude can use to query your inventory
4. Returns data in a format that Claude can understand and present to you

The server doesn't directly access the SQLite database. Instead, it uses Homebox's official API, which is safer and more reliable for real-time access.

## Development

If you want to modify the server:

1. Edit files in the `src/` directory
2. Rebuild with `npm run build`
3. Restart the server

## License

MIT

## Support

If you encounter issues:
1. Check the Troubleshooting section above
2. Verify your Homebox instance is working properly
3. Check the Homebox documentation at [homebox.software](https://homebox.software/)