Best for
- HPC systems that rely on Lmod for managing custom software stacks.
- AI agent workflows seeking to streamline environment setup.
- Researchers familiar with module commands and dynamic module loading.
C
55FMRS · C
Summary: This server is designed specifically for HPC environment management, tightly integrated with Lmod and offering rich operations on environment modules. It is suitable for HPC users who need automation on top of Lmod. It is not useful for systems without module support. Note that operations may require appropriate permissions and risk inducing environment changes.
The CLIO Lmod server allows AI agents to manage HPC software environments via Lmod (Linux Environment Modules). It provides a suite of tools to list, search, load, unload, swap, and save environment modules, as well as repository status and a guided workflow for setting up environments. The server is part of CLIO Kit, a toolset for scientific computing from the IoWarp platform.
Tools
module_list
List all currently loaded environment modules.
module_avail
Search for available modules, optionally filtered by name pattern.
module_show
Display detailed information about a specific module.
module_load
Load one or more environment modules into the current session.
module_unload
Unload one or more currently loaded modules from the environment.
module_swap
Swap one module for another atomically.
module_spider
Search the entire module tree comprehensively for matching modules.
module_save
Save currently loaded modules as a named collection.
module_restore
Restore a previously saved module collection.
module_savelist
List all saved module collections.
Setup
Ensure uv is installed. Persistently install CLIO Kit and update shell: uv tool install 'clio-kit==2.4.3'; uv tool update-shell. After installation, add to your MCP client (e.g., Claude Desktop) config: {"mcpServers":{"lmod-mcp":{"command":"clio-kit","args":["mcp-server","lmod"]}}}.
claude_desktop_config.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"lmod-mcp": {
"command": "clio-kit",
"args": [
"mcp-server",
"lmod"
]
}
}
}
Fit and risk
Not for
- Non-HPC systems or bare-metal without environment modules.
- Users who need permanent env persistence without module systems.
- HPC environments based on Conda/Spack but not Lmod.
Required permissions
- Initiates operations to load, unload, swap modules, modifying the shell environment of the session.
- Writes to user directories to save/restore module collections.
- Accesses system module configuration locations to list/search available modules.
Risks and side effects
- Module commands may fail due to misconfigured Lmod or permissions.
- Accidental module loads can cause environment variable conflicts or program behavior issues.
- Incorrect module paths may lead to wrong executables or library versions.
Troubleshooting
- Check if Lmod is loaded: module list
- Verify module paths are available: module avail
- If module load fails, consult system docs to validate module names.
- Check clio-kit is installed correctly: which clio-kit
- Use a test environment to avoid affecting production.
Use cases
Dynamically load or swap modules of different software versions on HPC systems.
Automating environment setup for jobs, such as preparing dependencies.
Saving and restoring module collections to manage complex environments.
Supported clients
Claude DesktopFull support