IBM Maximo MCP for AI — Multi-IDE Connector & Tools

Connect IBM Maximo Application Suite or Maximo 7.6.x to any AI assistant in seconds. This extension provides a universal bridge between your Maximo environment and the leading AI-powered IDEs using the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

Works with: GitHub Copilot · Cursor AI · IBM Bob IDE · Windsurf · Google Antigravity · Claude Desktop · Continue · Any MCP-compatible client

🌟 What This Extension Does

🚀 Quick Start (All IDEs)

1. Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace
2. Set credentials: Command Palette → Maximo: Configure Connection Credentials
   • Enter your Maximo REST API URL: https://your-host/maximo/api
   • Enter your API Key (from your Maximo user profile)
3. Install MCP Server: Command Palette → Maximo: Install & Register MCP Server with IDE
4. Reload the window when prompted
5. Open your AI chat and start asking questions about your Maximo data

🔧 IDE-Specific Setup Guides

💻 VS Code & GitHub Copilot

Config file written: .vscode/mcp.json (workspace) + ~/.vscode/mcp.json (global fallback)

Setup steps

1. Set credentials → Maximo: Configure Connection Credentials
2. Run → Maximo: Install & Register MCP Server with IDE
3. Reload the window
4. Open Copilot Chat (Cmd+Alt+I / Ctrl+Alt+I) → switch to Agent mode → type @mcp

Config file format

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "maximo-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "maximo-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "MAXIMO_URL": "https://your-host/maximo/api",
        "MAXIMO_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Manual setup

mkdir -p .vscode
# Paste the JSON above into .vscode/mcp.json

Requirements

• VS Code 1.101.0+ (MCP provider API added in this release)
• Node.js 18+ and npx in system PATH
• A workspace folder must be open (File → Open Folder)
• GitHub Copilot Chat in Agent mode

Troubleshooting

🤖 IBM Bob IDE

Config files written: ~/.bob/settings/mcp.json (global) + .bob/mcp.json (workspace)

⚠️ Bob reads from ~/.bob/settings/mcp.json — not ~/.bob/mcp.json. The extension writes both.

Setup steps

1. Set credentials → Maximo: Configure Connection Credentials
2. Run → Maximo: Configure MCP for IBM Bob IDE
3. Bob hot-reloads the config automatically — no restart needed

Config file format

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "maximo-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "maximo-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "MAXIMO_URL": "https://your-host/maximo/api",
        "MAXIMO_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Manual setup

mkdir -p ~/.bob/settings
# Paste the JSON above into ~/.bob/settings/mcp.json

Requirements

• Node.js 18+ and npx in system PATH — run node --version to verify
• A workspace folder must be open in Bob
• MAXIMO_URL must end with /maximo/api — no trailing slash

Verifying in Bob

Open the MCP panel in the sidebar. maximo-mcp-server should show a green connected indicator. If red, check Node.js is installed and credentials are correct.

⚡ Cursor AI

Config file written: ~/.cursor/mcp.json

Setup steps

1. Set credentials → Maximo: Configure Connection Credentials
2. Run → Maximo: Configure MCP for Cursor AI
3. Restart Cursor (Cursor reads mcp.json at startup)
4. Open Cursor Chat → switch to Agent mode → tools appear automatically

Config file format

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "maximo-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "maximo-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "MAXIMO_URL": "https://your-host/maximo/api",
        "MAXIMO_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Manual setup

mkdir -p ~/.cursor
# Paste the JSON above into ~/.cursor/mcp.json

Requirements

• Node.js 18+ and npx in PATH
• Cursor must be restarted after writing ~/.cursor/mcp.json
• Use Agent mode in Cursor Chat for MCP tools to be accessible

Troubleshooting

🌊 Windsurf

Config file written: ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

Setup steps

1. Set credentials → Maximo: Configure Connection Credentials
2. Run → Maximo: Configure MCP for Windsurf
3. Reload Windsurf window (Cmd+Shift+P → Reload Window)
4. Open Windsurf Chat → MCP tools are available in Flow mode

Config file format

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "maximo-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "maximo-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "MAXIMO_URL": "https://your-host/maximo/api",
        "MAXIMO_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Manual setup

mkdir -p ~/.codeium/windsurf
# Paste the JSON above into ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

Requirements

• Node.js 18+ and npx in PATH
• Windsurf window reload required after config change
• MCP tools are available in Windsurf Flow (agentic) mode

🪐 Google Antigravity IDE

Config file written: ~/.gemini/antigravity-ide/mcp_config.json

ℹ️ Antigravity uses a single mcp_config.json file at the path above — not per-server subfolders. The extension writes the mcpServers object format that Antigravity requires.

Setup steps

1. Set credentials → Maximo: Configure Connection Credentials
2. Run → Maximo: Configure MCP for Antigravity
3. Antigravity picks up the new config automatically — no restart required
4. Open Antigravity Chat → MCP tools appear in the tool selector

Config file format

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "maximo-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "maximo-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "MAXIMO_URL": "https://your-host/maximo/api",
        "MAXIMO_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Manual setup

mkdir -p ~/.gemini/antigravity-ide
# Paste the JSON above into ~/.gemini/antigravity-ide/mcp_config.json

Requirements

• Node.js 18+ and npx in PATH
• The config file must use the mcpServers shape shown above
• Do not use the old per-server folder format (mcp/maximo-mcp/mcp.json) — Antigravity does not read from that location

Troubleshooting

🤖 Claude Desktop

Config file written:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

⚠️ Claude Desktop must be fully quit and restarted after writing the config — it does not hot-reload.

Setup steps

1. Set credentials → Maximo: Configure Connection Credentials
2. Run → Maximo: Configure MCP for Claude Desktop
3. Fully quit Claude Desktop (Cmd+Q / Alt+F4) and relaunch
4. In a new chat, click the hammer icon (🔨) — Maximo tools should appear

Config file format

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "maximo-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "maximo-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "MAXIMO_URL": "https://your-host/maximo/api",
        "MAXIMO_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Manual setup (macOS)

mkdir -p ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude
# Paste the JSON above into claude_desktop_config.json in that folder

Requirements

• Node.js 18+ and npx in system PATH
• Claude Desktop app (not claude.ai browser)
• A full application restart is required after every config change

Troubleshooting

🛠 MCP Tools Reference

Once configured, your AI assistant has access to 9 native Maximo tools:

💬 AI Prompt Examples

Copy any prompt and paste into your AI assistant chat. The AI will automatically call the appropriate Maximo MCP tools.

Data Queries

Show me the 10 most recent open work orders for the BEDFORD site, 
sorted by report date. Include WO number, description, status, priority 
and asset number.

What fields are available on the MXASSET object structure? 
Look specifically for fields related to location, site, and status.

List all Maximo Object Structures that contain the word "PERSON" or "LABOR".

CRUD Operations

Create a new corrective maintenance work order in site BEDFORD with 
description "Emergency pump inspection at Station 4", work type CM, 
priority 1, and status WAPPR.

Update work order 1025: set priority to 1 and assign lead to MJONES.

Approve work order 1025 using the changeStatus action with 
status APPR and memo "Approved via AI assistant".

Carbon Design App Generation

Using the Maximo MCP tools:
1. Call get_schema_details for MXWO (focus on wonum, description, status, 
   siteid, wopriority, reportdate, assetnum, location, worktype)
2. Query the 20 most recent priority-1 work orders
3. Generate a self-contained Carbon Design System HTML dashboard with:
   - IBM-blue header bar and "Work Order Dashboard" title
   - Status filter pills (WAPPR, APPR, INPRG, WMATL, COMP)
   - Sortable data table with colour-coded status pills
   - Row click to expand full record detail
4. Save as workorders-dashboard.html in the workspace

Query the last 15 Service Requests from MXSR. Build a Carbon HTML page 
with status filter pills, a search bar, and a card grid where each card 
shows the SR number, description, status pill, reported-by, and date. 
Clicking a card opens a slide-out detail panel. Save as sr-tracker.html.

Get 25 active assets from MXASSET (status=OPERATING). Build a Carbon 
tile grid with site filter dropdown, text search, and a modal that shows 
the full asset record on tile click. Include a CSV export button. 
Save as asset-explorer.html.

Iterative Refinement

Step 1: "Get me work orders for BEDFORD site."
Step 2: "Sort by newest first and show only WAPPR and APPR."
Step 3: "Add the assigned-to field and a priority column."
Step 4: "Render this as a Carbon table with colour-coded status pills 
         and save as wo-report.html."

⚡ Live Seed & Scaffold App Generator

The Seed & Scaffold panel generates a complete Carbon Design HTML application seeded with live data from your Maximo instance.

Open it: Command Palette → Maximo: Open Live Seed & Scaffold UI Panel

How it works

Field preset quick-picks

Where Clause examples

status="WAPPR"
status="APPR" and siteid="BEDFORD"
wopriority=1
status="INPRG" and siteid="DETROIT"

The generated app opens directly in any browser — no server, no build step. It includes:

• Carbon Design System data table with search, status filtering, and sortable columns
• Responsive layout with IBM Dark or Light theme
• All seeded data embedded as JSON in the HTML file

🔬 Diagnostics & Health Check

Open it: Command Palette → Maximo: Open Diagnostics Dashboard Panel

The diagnostics panel runs 8 checks and shows the full result of each:

The sidebar Setup tab also shows a compact version of all checks after you click ▶ Run Diagnostics.

📋 All Commands

📦 Requirements

Verifying Node.js

node --version   # must be v18.0.0 or higher
npx --version    # must print a version number

If npx is not found when VS Code / your IDE launches the MCP server, open your IDE from a terminal (code . / cursor .) so it inherits the shell PATH.

🔄 Changelog

v0.19.0 — 2025

• Version bump packaging all fixes from v0.14–v0.18

v0.18.0

• Fix (Antigravity): Install & Register MCP Server and Configure MCP for Antigravity now both write to ~/.gemini/antigravity-ide/mcp_config.json — the file Antigravity actually reads. Previous versions wrote to a per-server subfolder that Antigravity ignores.
• Fix (Antigravity): Sidebar MCP status dot now correctly detects the maximo-mcp-server entry in mcp_config.json — previously always showed "Not registered" in Antigravity.

v0.17.0

• Improved: Seed & Scaffold panel — added "How it works" step cards, field preset pills, extra OS tiles (MXITEM, MXPO), output info box, and GitHub docs link
• Removed: "Send to Chat" button from the Examples panel — unreliable in Bob IDE; replaced with single "Copy Prompt" action

v0.16.0

• New: Windsurf support — writes ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
• Fix (Antigravity): Config generator now uses correct mcp_config.json path and mcpServers format
• Improved: Side panel tree — replaced empty "Discovered MCP Tools" with static 9-tool list, added Quick Actions section with CRUD panel and diagnostics links, added AI Prompt Examples as clickable tree items

v0.15.0

• Fix: MCP status dot in sidebar now reads the correct IDE config file on load — shows "Registered ✔" immediately if already installed
• Improved: Diagnostics sidebar — all checks now render dynamically with full message text and latency badges
• New diagnostic checks: Node.js/npx availability and MCP config file presence

v0.14.0

• Fix: Install & Register MCP Server now correctly writes .vscode/mcp.json for VS Code/Copilot (previously routed to Antigravity path)
• Fix: npx availability check now throws a clear error instead of silently continuing

v0.13.0 and earlier

• Initial release with multi-IDE MCP provider, CRUD panel, Live Seed & Scaffold, and AI prompt examples

📄 License

Licensed under the Apache License 2.0.

Created by Markus van Kempen · GitHub Repository · Report an Issue