VMware Monitor

Author: Wei Zhou, VMware by Broadcom — wei-wz.zhou@broadcom.com This is a community-driven project by a VMware engineer, not an official VMware product. For official VMware developer tools see developer.broadcom.com.

English | 中文

Read-only VMware vCenter/ESXi monitoring — 11 tools, code-level safety. No destructive operations exist in this codebase.

Why a separate repository? VMware Monitor is fully independent from VMware-AIops. Safety is enforced at the code level: no power off, delete, create, reconfigure, snapshot-create/revert/delete, clone, or migrate functions exist in this codebase. Not just prompt constraints — zero destructive code paths.

Companion Skills

Quick Install (Recommended)

Works with Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, Trae, and 30+ AI agents:

# Via Skills.sh
npx skills add zw008/VMware-Monitor

# Via ClawHub
clawhub install vmware-monitor

PyPI Install (No GitHub Access Required)

# Install via uv (recommended)
uv tool install vmware-monitor

# Or via pip
pip install vmware-monitor

# China mainland mirror (faster)
pip install vmware-monitor -i https://pypi.tuna.tsinghua.edu.cn/simple

Claude Code Plugin Install

# Add marketplace
/plugin marketplace add zw008/VMware-Monitor

# Install plugin
/plugin install vmware-monitor

# Use the skill
/vmware-monitor:vmware-monitor

Capabilities (Read-Only)

Architecture

User (Natural Language)
  ↓
AI CLI Tool (Claude Code / Gemini / Codex / Aider / Continue / Trae / Kimi)
  ↓ Reads SKILL.md / AGENTS.md / rules
  ↓
vmware-monitor CLI (read-only)
  ↓ pyVmomi (vSphere SOAP API)
  ↓
vCenter Server ──→ ESXi Clusters ──→ VMs
    or
ESXi Standalone ──→ VMs

Version Compatibility

Official Broadcom References

• SDKs: https://developer.broadcom.com/sdks — VCF Python SDK (recommended for VCF 9+, bundles pyVmomi + vSAN SDK), vSphere Automation SDK for Python
• REST APIs: https://developer.broadcom.com/xapis — vSphere Automation API, VCF API
• CLI Tools: https://developer.broadcom.com/tools — PowerCLI 9.1, ESXCLI, OVF Tool

1. Inventory

2. Health & Monitoring

Monitored Event Types:

3. VM Info & Snapshot List (Read-Only)

4. Scheduled Scanning & Notifications

5. Safety Features

What's NOT Included (By Design)

These operations do not exist in this repository:

• ❌ Power on/off, reset, suspend VMs
• ❌ Create, delete, reconfigure VMs
• ❌ Create, revert, delete snapshots
• ❌ Clone or migrate VMs
• ❌ _double_confirm, _show_state_preview, _validate_vm_params

For these operations, use the full VMware-AIops repository.

Common Workflows

Daily Health Check

1. Check alarms: vmware-monitor health alarms --target prod-vcenter
2. Review recent events: vmware-monitor health events --hours 24 --severity warning
3. List hosts: vmware-monitor inventory hosts — check connection state and memory usage

Investigate a Specific VM

1. Find the VM: vmware-monitor inventory vms --power-state poweredOff
2. Get details: vmware-monitor vm info problem-vm
3. Check related events: vmware-monitor health events --hours 48

Set Up Continuous Monitoring

1. Configure webhook in ~/.vmware-monitor/config.yaml
2. Start daemon: vmware-monitor daemon start
3. Daemon scans every 15 min, sends alerts to Slack/Discord

Troubleshooting

Alarms returns empty but vCenter shows alarms

The get_alarms tool queries triggered alarms at the root folder level. Some alarms are entity-specific — try checking events instead: vmware-monitor health events --hours 1 --severity info.

"Connection refused" error

1. Run vmware-monitor doctor to diagnose
2. Verify target hostname/IP and port (443) in config.yaml
3. For self-signed certs: set disableSslCertValidation: true

Events returns too many results

Use severity filter: --severity warning (default) filters out info-level events. Use --hours 4 to narrow the time range.

VM info shows "guest_os: unknown"

VMware Tools not installed or not running in the guest. Install/start VMware Tools for guest OS detection, IP address, and guest family info.

Doctor passes but commands fail with timeout

vCenter may be under heavy load. Try targeting a specific ESXi host directly instead of vCenter, or increase connection timeout in config.yaml.

Supported AI Platforms

Platform Comparison

MCP Server Integrations

The vmware-monitor MCP server works with any MCP-compatible agent or tool. Ready-to-use configuration templates are in examples/mcp-configs/. All 11 tools are read-only — code-level enforced safety.

Fully local operation (no cloud API required):

# Aider + Ollama + vmware-monitor (via AGENTS.md)
aider --conventions codex-skill/AGENTS.md --model ollama/qwen2.5-coder:32b

# Any MCP agent + local model + vmware-monitor MCP server
# See examples/mcp-configs/ for your agent's config format

Installation

Step 0: Prerequisites

# Python 3.10+ required
python3 --version

# Node.js 18+ required for Gemini CLI and Codex CLI
node --version

Step 1: Clone & Install Python Backend

git clone https://github.com/zw008/VMware-Monitor.git
cd VMware-Monitor
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e .

Step 2: Configure

mkdir -p ~/.vmware-monitor
cp config.example.yaml ~/.vmware-monitor/config.yaml
# Edit config.yaml with your vCenter/ESXi targets

Set passwords via .env file (recommended):

cp .env.example ~/.vmware-monitor/.env
chmod 600 ~/.vmware-monitor/.env
# Edit and fill in your passwords

Security note: Prefer .env file over command-line export to avoid passwords appearing in shell history. config.yaml stores only hostnames, ports, and a reference to the .env file — it does not contain passwords or tokens. All secrets are stored exclusively in .env (chmod 600). Webhook notifications are disabled by default; when enabled, payloads contain no credentials, IPs, or PII — only aggregated alert metadata sent to user-configured URLs only. We recommend using a least-privilege read-only vCenter service account.

Password environment variable naming convention:

VMWARE_{TARGET_NAME_UPPER}_PASSWORD
# Replace hyphens with underscores, UPPERCASE
# Example: target "home-esxi" → VMWARE_HOME_ESXI_PASSWORD
# Example: target "prod-vcenter" → VMWARE_PROD_VCENTER_PASSWORD

Step 3: Connect Your AI Tool

Choose one (or more) of the following:

Option A: Claude Code (Marketplace)

Method 1: Marketplace (recommended)

In Claude Code, run:

/plugin marketplace add zw008/VMware-Monitor
/plugin install vmware-monitor

Then use:

/vmware-monitor:vmware-monitor
> Show me all VMs on esxi-lab.example.com

Method 2: Local install

# Clone and symlink
git clone https://github.com/zw008/VMware-Monitor.git
ln -sf $(pwd)/VMware-Monitor ~/.claude/plugins/marketplaces/vmware-monitor

# Register marketplace
python3 -c "
import json, pathlib
f = pathlib.Path.home() / '.claude/plugins/known_marketplaces.json'
d = json.loads(f.read_text()) if f.exists() else {}
d['vmware-monitor'] = {
    'source': {'source': 'github', 'repo': 'zw008/VMware-Monitor'},
    'installLocation': str(pathlib.Path.home() / '.claude/plugins/marketplaces/vmware-monitor')
}
f.write_text(json.dumps(d, indent=2))
"

# Enable plugin
python3 -c "
import json, pathlib
f = pathlib.Path.home() / '.claude/settings.json'
d = json.loads(f.read_text()) if f.exists() else {}
d.setdefault('enabledPlugins', {})['vmware-monitor@vmware-monitor'] = True
f.write_text(json.dumps(d, indent=2))
"

Restart Claude Code, then:

/vmware-monitor:vmware-monitor

Option B: Gemini CLI

# Install Gemini CLI
npm install -g @google/gemini-cli

# Install the extension from the cloned repo
gemini extensions install ./gemini-extension

# Or install directly from GitHub
# gemini extensions install https://github.com/zw008/VMware-Monitor

Then start Gemini CLI:

gemini
> Show me all VMs on my ESXi host

Option C: OpenAI Codex CLI

# Install Codex CLI
npm i -g @openai/codex
# Or on macOS:
# brew install --cask codex

# Copy skill to Codex skills directory
mkdir -p ~/.codex/skills/vmware-monitor
cp codex-skill/SKILL.md ~/.codex/skills/vmware-monitor/SKILL.md

# Copy AGENTS.md to project root
cp codex-skill/AGENTS.md ./AGENTS.md

Then start Codex CLI:

codex --enable skills
> List all VMs on my ESXi

Option D: Aider (supports local models)

# Install Aider
pip install aider-chat

# Install Ollama for local models (optional)
# macOS:
brew install ollama
ollama pull qwen2.5-coder:32b

# Run with cloud API
aider --conventions codex-skill/AGENTS.md

# Or with local model via Ollama
aider --conventions codex-skill/AGENTS.md \
  --model ollama/qwen2.5-coder:32b

Option E: Continue CLI (supports local models)

# Install Continue CLI
npm i -g @continuedev/cli

# Copy rules file
mkdir -p .continue/rules
cp codex-skill/AGENTS.md .continue/rules/vmware-monitor.md

Configure ~/.continue/config.yaml for local model:

models:
  - name: local-coder
    provider: ollama
    model: qwen2.5-coder:32b

Then:

cn
> Check ESXi health and alarms

Option F: Trae IDE

Copy the rules file to your project's .trae/rules/ directory:

mkdir -p .trae/rules
cp trae-rules/project_rules.md .trae/rules/project_rules.md

Trae IDE's Builder Mode reads .trae/rules/ Markdown files at startup.

Note: You can also install Claude Code extension in Trae IDE and use .claude/skills/ format directly.

Option G: Kimi Code CLI

# Copy skill file to Kimi skills directory
mkdir -p ~/.kimi/skills/vmware-monitor
cp kimi-skill/SKILL.md ~/.kimi/skills/vmware-monitor/SKILL.md

Option H: MCP Server (Smithery / Glama / Claude Desktop)

The MCP server exposes VMware read-only monitoring as tools via the Model Context Protocol. Works with any MCP-compatible client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.).

After uv tool install vmware-monitor, start the MCP server with one command (v1.5.15+):

# Recommended — single command, no network re-resolve
vmware-monitor mcp

# With a custom config path
VMWARE_MONITOR_CONFIG=/path/to/config.yaml vmware-monitor mcp

Claude Desktop config (claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vmware-monitor": {
      "command": "vmware-monitor",
      "args": ["mcp"],
      "env": {
        "VMWARE_MONITOR_CONFIG": "/path/to/config.yaml"
      }
    }
  }
}

# Run without installing (requires PyPI access each launch)
uvx --from vmware-monitor vmware-monitor mcp

# Legacy entry point (still works, kept for backward compatibility)
vmware-monitor-mcp

Install via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @zw008/VMware-Monitor --client claude

Option I: Standalone CLI (no AI)

# Already installed in Step 1
source .venv/bin/activate

vmware-monitor inventory vms --target home-esxi
vmware-monitor health alarms --target home-esxi
vmware-monitor vm info my-vm --target home-esxi

Update / Upgrade

Already installed? Re-run the install command for your channel to get the latest version:

Check your current version: vmware-monitor --version

Chinese Cloud Models

For users in China who prefer domestic cloud APIs or have limited access to overseas services.

DeepSeek

export DEEPSEEK_API_KEY="your-key"
aider --conventions codex-skill/AGENTS.md \
  --model deepseek/deepseek-coder

Qwen (Alibaba Cloud)

export DASHSCOPE_API_KEY="your-key"
aider --conventions codex-skill/AGENTS.md \
  --model qwen/qwen-coder-plus

Local Models (Aider + Ollama)

For fully offline operation — no cloud API, no internet, full privacy.

brew install ollama
ollama pull qwen2.5-coder:32b
ollama serve

aider --conventions codex-skill/AGENTS.md \
  --model ollama/qwen2.5-coder:32b

CLI Reference

# Diagnostics
vmware-monitor doctor                   # Check environment, config, connectivity
vmware-monitor doctor --skip-auth       # Skip vSphere auth check (faster)

# MCP Config Generator
vmware-monitor mcp-config generate --agent goose        # Generate config for Goose
vmware-monitor mcp-config generate --agent claude-code  # Generate config for Claude Code
vmware-monitor mcp-config list                          # List all supported agents

# Inventory
vmware-monitor inventory vms [--target <name>]
vmware-monitor inventory vms --limit 10 --sort-by memory_mb   # Top 10 VMs by memory
vmware-monitor inventory vms --power-state poweredOn           # Only powered-on VMs
vmware-monitor inventory vms --sort-by folder_path             # Group VMs by inventory folder
# All `inventory vms` results include a `folder_path` field (e.g. `/Datacenters/Production/Web Tier`).
# MCP tool `list_virtual_machines` additionally supports `folder_filter="Production"` for case-insensitive folder-tree search.
vmware-monitor inventory hosts [--target <name>]
vmware-monitor inventory datastores [--target <name>]
vmware-monitor inventory clusters [--target <name>]

# Health
vmware-monitor health alarms [--target <name>]
vmware-monitor health events [--hours 24] [--severity warning]

# VM Info (read-only)
vmware-monitor vm info <vm-name>
vmware-monitor vm snapshot-list <vm-name>

# Scanning & Daemon
vmware-monitor scan now [--target <name>]
vmware-monitor daemon start
vmware-monitor daemon stop
vmware-monitor daemon status

Configuration

See config.example.yaml for all options.

Project Structure

VMware-Monitor/
├── .claude-plugin/                # Claude Code marketplace manifest
│   └── marketplace.json
├── plugins/                       # Claude Code plugin
│   └── vmware-monitor/
│       ├── .claude-plugin/
│       │   └── plugin.json
│       └── skills/
│           └── vmware-monitor/
│               └── SKILL.md       # Read-only monitoring skill
├── skills/                        # Skills index (npx skills add)
│   └── vmware-monitor/
│       └── SKILL.md
├── vmware_monitor/                # Python backend (read-only only)
│   ├── config.py                  # YAML + .env config
│   ├── connection.py              # Multi-target pyVmomi
│   ├── cli.py                     # Typer CLI (read-only commands only)
│   ├── ops/
│   │   ├── inventory.py           # VMs, hosts, datastores, clusters
│   │   ├── health.py              # Alarms, events, sensors
│   │   └── vm_info.py             # VM info, snapshot list (read-only)
│   ├── scanner/                   # Log scanning daemon
│   └── notify/                    # Notifications (JSONL + webhook)
├── gemini-extension/              # Gemini CLI extension
│   ├── gemini-extension.json
│   └── GEMINI.md
├── codex-skill/                   # Codex + Aider + Continue
│   ├── SKILL.md
│   └── AGENTS.md
├── trae-rules/                    # Trae IDE rules
│   └── project_rules.md
├── kimi-skill/                    # Kimi Code CLI skill
│   └── SKILL.md
├── mcp_server/                    # MCP server (read-only tools only)
│   └── server.py
├── .agents/skills/                # Agent orchestration
│   └── vmware-monitor/
│       └── AGENTS.md
├── smithery.yaml                  # Smithery marketplace config
├── RELEASE_NOTES.md
├── config.example.yaml
└── pyproject.toml

Related Projects

Troubleshooting & Contributing

If you encounter any errors or issues, please send the error message, logs, or screenshots to zhouwei008@gmail.com. Contributions are welcome!

License

MIT