Unifi Protect Setup

Set Up UniFi Protect MCP Server

Walk the user through configuring their UniFi Protect NVR connection. Ask one question at a time and wait for the answer before continuing.

Interaction Rules

Use the client target that matches the current agent runtime:

• Claude Code: claude
• Codex: codex
• OpenClaw: openclaw

If the runtime is unclear, ask which client to configure. For questions, use the platform's blocking question tool when available (AskUserQuestion in Claude Code, request_user_input in Codex). If no blocking question tool is available, ask in chat with numbered options and wait for the user's reply.

On macOS and Linux, resolve setup scripts relative to this skill file:

• ../../scripts/check-prereqs.sh
• ../../scripts/set-env.sh

When the host exposes a plugin-root variable such as CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT, using $CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT/scripts/... is also valid. Do not assume the current shell directory is the plugin root.

On Windows with Claude Code, use ../../scripts/set-env.ps1 for the final Claude settings write. On Windows with Codex, prefer the native PowerShell prereq script and call codex mcp add directly with the same env variables if Bash is unavailable. On Windows with OpenClaw, call openclaw mcp set directly with a JSON object containing command, args, and env if Bash is unavailable. Do not run the Bash prereq script on Windows unless the user explicitly asks to use a Bash environment.

Step 0: Check Prerequisites

Before asking for credentials, run the prereq checker for the current OS.

On macOS/Linux:

bash <path-to-plugin>/scripts/check-prereqs.sh --target <claude|codex|openclaw> "unifi-protect"

On Windows PowerShell:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File <path-to-plugin>/scripts/check-prereqs.ps1 -Target <claude|codex|openclaw> -PluginName "unifi-protect"

If the script exits non-zero, stop and report the error. Do not proceed to credentials.

Step 1: Controller Host

Ask: "What is your UniFi controller's IP address or hostname?" Example: 192.168.1.1.

If another UniFi MCP server is already configured, ask whether Protect is on the same controller. For Claude, existing values may be in .claude/settings.local.json. For Codex, existing values may be visible through codex mcp list and codex mcp get <server>. For OpenClaw, existing values may be visible through openclaw mcp list and openclaw mcp show <server>.

Step 2: Credentials

If the user already configured shared UNIFI_* credentials for another UniFi server, mention they can reuse those credentials. Only set UNIFI_PROTECT_* values when Protect credentials differ.

Ask for:

1. Username, using a local admin account, not a Ubiquiti SSO account
2. Password

Username and password are required.

If the user would rather not store the password in the client's settings (where every process the client spawns inherits it), offer the indirect form instead: UNIFI_PROTECT_PASSWORD_FILE=<path> for a file holding the password, or UNIFI_PROTECT_PASSWORD_COMMAND=<absolute argv> for a helper whose stdout is the password (for example a Keychain, pass or 1Password lookup; give the helper's absolute path, it is not run through a shell, and it must not prompt). Set exactly one of the three password variables; the server refuses to start if two are set. On the Claude target set-env.sh only adds keys, so if a plain UNIFI_PROTECT_PASSWORD was saved earlier, remove it from .claude/settings.local.json before switching; the Codex and OpenClaw targets replace the whole server entry.

AI-powered alarms need SuperAdmin. The alarm-rule tools (protect_alarm_list_rules / protect_alarm_get_rule) surface AI-powered alarms from the UniFi-OS Alarm Manager only when the account is SuperAdmin; otherwise they return the classic automations view (with a _meta notice that AI alarms need SuperAdmin). A standard local admin runs every Protect tool fine. Mention SuperAdmin only if the user asks about AI alarms; don't require it for normal setup. On a combined UDM console, SuperAdmin also grants Network/UniFi-OS control — call that out so the user can decide.

Optional API Key

After collecting username and password, explain that a UniFi Protect API key enables selected capabilities implemented through the Protect Integration API, including sensor settings, per-camera chime ring settings, and viewer liveview assignment. Ask whether to configure an API key too.

If yes, ask for the API key and include UNIFI_PROTECT_API_KEY. If no, skip it.

Step 3: Permission Configuration

Ask whether to enable write permissions. By default, Protect mutations are disabled for camera settings, recording control, PTZ, and reboots.

Options:

• Read-only for now
• Enable camera management
• Enable all device management
• Custom categories

Collect any selected policy variables. Use the existing UNIFI_POLICY_PROTECT_<CATEGORY>_<ACTION>=true format.

Step 4: Write Configuration

On macOS/Linux, run the target-aware setup script with only values the user provided or selected:

bash <path-to-plugin>/scripts/set-env.sh --target <claude|codex|openclaw> \
  UNIFI_PROTECT_HOST=<host> \
  UNIFI_PROTECT_USERNAME=<username> \
  UNIFI_PROTECT_PASSWORD=<password>

Add optional values and policy variables to the same command, for example:

bash <path-to-plugin>/scripts/set-env.sh --target <claude|codex|openclaw> \
  UNIFI_PROTECT_HOST=<host> \
  UNIFI_PROTECT_USERNAME=<username> \
  UNIFI_PROTECT_PASSWORD=<password> \
  UNIFI_PROTECT_API_KEY=<api-key> \
  UNIFI_POLICY_PROTECT_CAMERAS_UPDATE=true

The script handles the client-specific write:

• Claude target: merges env vars into .claude/settings.local.json
• Codex target: replaces the unifi-protect MCP server via codex mcp add --env ... -- uvx ...
• OpenClaw target: replaces the unifi-protect MCP server via openclaw mcp set ...

Step 5: Final Message

For Claude Code, tell the user:

"Configuration saved to .claude/settings.local.json. Restart Claude Code or run /reload-plugins, then confirm the plugin is enabled with /plugin."

For Codex, tell the user:

"Codex MCP server unifi-protect configured. Restart Codex so the updated MCP server is loaded."

For OpenClaw, tell the user:

"OpenClaw MCP server unifi-protect configured. Restart the OpenClaw Gateway so the updated MCP server is loaded."