MCP Server
Let AI agents start, stop and monitor your AnyFileBackup tasks over the Model Context Protocol.
MCP Server Properties
The MCP Server lets an AI agent operate AnyFileBackup for you. Agents built on large language models — Claude, Codex and others — use the Model Context Protocol, or MCP, to connect to other software, and any agent supporting it can connect to AnyFileBackup the same way. Once connected, it can start and stop tasks, activate or deactivate their schedules, list what you have, and read the log, all without the AnyFileBackup window being open. You can simply ask it in ordinary language which backups ran overnight, or tell it to start one now.
The server is switched off until you enable it. Both settings below take effect the moment you change them — neither AnyFileBackup nor the Task Processor restarts. Every command the server receives is written to the AnyFileBackup log, at the verbosity set in Logging and Statistics.
- Enabled
- The master switch for the MCP Server. When cleared, the server does not listen and no client can connect, from this computer or any other.
- Allow remote AI agents
-
When enabled, clients on other computers may connect. When disabled, only clients running on this computer may connect.
Enabling this option alone is not sufficient - a firewall rule is also required before a remote client can reach the server.
This is a different setting from Enable access from remote console in Server, which governs remote control of the Task Processor on port 18440. The two are independent.
- Firewall
- Press Configure to open the firewall rule dialog for the MCP Server port. The addresses and ports to allow are listed in the Antivirus and Firewall Setup article.
Commands
Ten commands are available to a connected client. Each command that addresses a task or a group accepts either its ID or its name.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| Start task | Start a task immediately. |
| Stop task | Stop a running task. |
| Stop on completion | Stop a task after its current run completes. |
| Activate task | Activate a task's schedule. |
| Deactivate task | Deactivate a task's schedule. |
| List active tasks | List the tasks that are currently active or running. |
| List all tasks | List every configured task, active or not. |
| List group tasks | List the tasks belonging to a group. |
| Get task log | Return the last N log lines for a task. Omit the task to return unfiltered log lines across all tasks. |
| Get status | Return AnyFileBackup uptime and the active task count. |
Returned Columns
| Command | Columns |
|---|---|
| List active tasks List all tasks List group tasks |
groupName, taskName, activationTime, lastStartTime, nextRunTime. taskId, groupId and taskState are also available. |
| Get task log | timestamp, task, message |
| Get status | uptimeMs, activeTaskCount |
Client Connection
- Endpoint
- https://<host>:18450/mcp
- Port
- TCP port 18450, which is closed by default.
- Transport
- MCP over Streamable HTTP. No client library is required.
- Authentication
-
The client presents a bearer token in the Authorization header. The token is the MCP API key held by an AnyFileBackup user account, generated in User Account.
A connection carries the permissions of the account whose key it uses. An account without Activate / Deactivate tasks, for example, cannot activate a task over MCP.
- Certificate
-
The server presents a self-signed certificate from its own keystore. A client must either trust that certificate or be configured to skip verification.
Skipping verification is appropriate only for localhost or for hosts under your control.
- Response format
-
A command result can be returned in any of five formats. The calling client selects one:
- Markdown
- HTML
- CSV
- JSON
- Plain text
Agent Skill Files
AnyFileBackup includes two ready-made instruction files describing how to reach the MCP Server. Setup places both in the AnyFileBackup installation folder, and both contain the same worked sequence: opening a session, listing the available commands, and calling one. To use either file, copy it from the installation folder into the folder from which the agent reads its instructions, then restart the agent.
- SKILL.md
- Instruction file for Claude. Can be adapted for another MCP-capable client.
- AGENTS.md
- Instruction file for Codex. Can be adapted for another MCP-capable client.