SwitchBot MCP Server

Overview

The SwitchBot MCP Server bridges the gap between conversational AI assistants and physical smart‑home devices by exposing a set of high‑level tools that interact with the SwitchBot ecosystem. Developers can embed these tools into Claude or other MCP‑compatible assistants, allowing natural language commands to discover devices, read sensor data, and trigger actions—all without writing custom API wrappers or handling authentication flows. This capability turns an AI assistant into a powerful home‑automation interface that can be used in chat, voice, or other multimodal contexts.

At its core, the server implements three primary tools: get_switch_bot_devices, get_switch_bot_device_status, and execute_command. The first returns a list of all SwitchBot devices associated with the authenticated account, including type, name, and location. The second fetches real‑time status information—such as battery level or sensor readings—for a specified device. The third sends an arbitrary command to a target device, enabling actions like turning on a plug, opening a window, or starting a vacuum. By combining these tools in a single conversation, an assistant can perform complex workflows—e.g., “If the bedroom temperature drops below 18 °C, turn on the heater and close the window”—without exposing raw API details to the user.

For developers, this MCP server simplifies integration into existing AI workflows. Because the tools are defined in plain JSON and follow the standard MCP schema, any client that understands MCP can consume them immediately. The server also handles authentication with SwitchBotAPI transparently, leveraging environment variables for tokens and secrets; this eliminates the need to embed sensitive credentials in client code. The Docker‑ready distribution further streamlines deployment, making it trivial to spin up a dedicated instance on a home server or cloud VM.

Use cases span both hobbyist and enterprise scenarios. Home users can let a conversational assistant control lights, thermostats, or security cameras via natural language; developers building smart‑home apps can prototype voice commands by calling the MCP tools directly. In industrial settings, the server enables automated monitoring and response—such as triggering a maintenance routine when sensor thresholds are crossed. The ability to operate multiple devices simultaneously and chain data from one device to another opens up sophisticated automation chains that would otherwise require custom scripting.

Unique advantages of the SwitchBot MCP Server include its tight coupling with a popular, well‑documented API (SwitchBotAPI) and its minimal operational footprint. Because the server is written in Go, it compiles to a single static binary that runs efficiently on limited hardware. The clear separation of concerns—device discovery, status retrieval, and command execution—provides developers with a predictable interface that can be extended or wrapped in higher‑level logic as needed. Overall, the server empowers AI assistants to act as real‑world agents that can sense and manipulate physical devices through a unified, developer‑friendly protocol.