Safe Local Python Executor

Safe Local Python Executor

By maxim-saplin GitHub

Stdio MCP Server wrapping custom Python runtime (LocalPythonExecutor) from Hugging Faces' `smolagents` framework. The runtime combines the ease of setup (compared to docker, VM, cloud runtimes) while providing safeguards and limiting operations/imports that are allowed inside the runtime.

Overview

What is Safe Local Python Executor?

Safe Local Python Executor is an MCP server that wraps Hugging Face's LocalPythonExecutor, providing a secure and easy-to-setup environment for executing Python code generated by LLMs locally without the need for Docker or VMs.

How to use Safe Local Python Executor?

To use the Safe Local Python Executor, install the required dependencies, clone the repository, and start the server using the command line. Configure it with compatible LLM applications like Claude Desktop to access the Python executor tool.

Key features of Safe Local Python Executor?

  • Exposes a run_python tool for executing Python code.
  • Provides safer execution compared to direct use of Python's eval().
  • Runs in a Python virtual environment with restricted operations and imports.

Use cases of Safe Local Python Executor?

  1. Running Python code generated by LLMs securely.
  2. Integrating with applications like Claude Desktop for enhanced functionality.
  3. Providing a lightweight alternative to Docker or VM for Python execution.

FAQ from Safe Local Python Executor?

  • Is it safe to run code generated by LLMs?

Yes, the Safe Local Python Executor provides a secure environment with restrictions on operations and imports.

  • Do I need Docker or a VM to use this tool?

No, this tool allows you to run Python code locally without the overhead of Docker or VMs.

  • How do I configure it with Claude Desktop?

Follow the installation instructions to set up the server and edit the Claude Desktop configuration file to include the MCP server details.

Content

Safe Local Python Executor

An MCP server (stdio transport) that wraps Hugging Face's LocalPythonExecutor (from the smolagents framework). It is a custom Python runtime that provides basic isolation/security when running Python code generated by LLMs locally. It does not require Docker or VM. This package allows to expose the Python executor via MCP (Model Context Protocol) as a tool for LLM apps like Claude Desktop, Cursor or any other MCP compatible client. In case of Claude Desktop this tool is an easy way to add a missing Code Interpreter (available as a plugin in ChatGPT for quite a while already).

image

Features

  • Exposes run_python tool
  • Safer execution of Python code compared to direct use of Python eva()l
  • Ran via uv in Python venv
  • No file I/O ops are allowed
  • Restricted list of imports
    • collections
    • datetime
    • itertools
    • math
    • queue
    • random
    • re
    • stat
    • statistics
    • time
    • unicodedata

Security

Be careful with execution of code produced by LLM on your machine, stay away from MCP servers that run Python via command line or using eval(). The safest option is using a VM or a docker container, though it requires some effort to set-up, consumes resources/slower. There're 3rd party servcices providing Python runtime, though they require registration, API keys etc.

LocalPythonExecutor provides a good balance between direct use of local Python environment (which is easier to set-up) AND remote execution in Dokcer container or a VM/3rd party service (which is safe). Hugginng Face team has invested time into creating a quick and safe option to run LLM generated code used by their code agents. This MCP server builds upon it:

To add a first layer of security, code execution in smolagents is not performed by the vanilla Python interpreter. We have re-built a more secure LocalPythonExecutor from the ground up.

Read more here.

Installation and Execution

  1. Install uv (e.h. brew install uv on macOS or use official docs)
  2. Clone the repo, change the directory cd mcp_safe_local_python_executor
  3. The server can be started via command line uv run mcp_server.py, venv will be created automatically, depedencies (smollagents, mcp) will be installed

Configuring Claude Desktop

  1. Make sure you have Claude for Desktop installed (download from claude.ai)

  2. Edit your Claude for Desktop configuration file:

    • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
    • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
    • Or open Claude Desktop -> Settings -> Developer -> click "Edit Config" button
  3. Add the following configuration:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "safe-local-python-executor": {
            "command": "uv",
            "args": [
                "--directory", 
                "/path/to/mcp_local_python_executor/",
                "run",
                "mcp_server.py"
            ]
        }
    }
}
  1. Restart Claude for Desktop
  2. The Python executor tool will now be available in Claude (you'll see hammer icon in the message input field)

Example Prompts

Once configured, you can use prompts like:

  • "Calculate the factorial of 5 using Python"
  • "Create a list of prime numbers up to 100"
  • "Solve this equation (use Python): x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0"

Development

Clone the repo. Use uv to create venv, install dev dependencies, run tests:

uv venv .venv
uv sync --group dev
python -m pytest tests/

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