--- title: Meraki and Catalyst Center MCP servers | daily.dev description: Cisco has released MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers for both Meraki and Catalyst Center, enabling developers and IT teams to connect network data to... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/meraki-and-catalyst-center-mcp-servers-ciadmw8i5 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Meraki and Catalyst Center MCP servers | daily.dev og:description: Cisco has released MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers for both Meraki and Catalyst Center, enabling developers and IT teams to connect network data to... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/meraki-and-catalyst-center-mcp-servers-ciadmw8i5 og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/CIAdMw8i5.png og:image:alt: Meraki and Catalyst Center MCP servers og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Meraki and Catalyst Center MCP servers **[Cisco](https://daily.dev/sources/cisco)** · 8 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Cisco has released MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers for both Meraki and Catalyst Center, enabling developers and IT teams to connect network data to AI-powered assistants, helpdesk workflows, and custom applications. Two deployment options are available: a Cisco-hosted Meraki MCP server for low-friction setup, and open-source versions of both Meraki and Catalyst Center MCP servers for organizations requiring local deployment, auditability, or compliance with strict data governance policies. Use cases include AI-assisted ticket triage, self-service network diagnostics for end users, and cross-vendor operations copilots. The post distinguishes MCP from Cisco's built-in AI Assistant — MCP is suited for embedding network intelligence into external workflows, while AI Assistant is for in-product use. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What is the difference between Cisco's hosted Meraki MCP server and the open-source Meraki MCP server? The hosted Meraki MCP server is Cisco-managed, requiring no server setup, operation, or updates, making it the lowest-friction option for connecting an AI client to Meraki data. The open-source Meraki MCP server runs in your own environment, letting you inspect, customize, and adapt the code, which suits organizations with compliance or governance requirements the hosted service can't meet. _daily.dev surfaces deployment tradeoffs like this for teams deciding how to integrate Meraki data into AI workflows._ ### Can the Catalyst Center MCP server run in an air-gapped network? Yes, the open-source Catalyst Center MCP server can be deployed locally alongside Catalyst Center so the AI system and network controller remain inside a controlled or air-gapped boundary. This differs from Meraki, where self-hosting the MCP server does not make the Meraki Dashboard itself air-gapped, since live Meraki data still requires an approved cloud connection. _Track deployment nuances like air-gapped MCP support on daily.dev before committing to a network AI architecture._ ### When should I use Cisco AI Assistant instead of an MCP server for Meraki or Catalyst Center? Use Cisco AI Assistant when the work starts inside the Cisco product itself, such as a network team troubleshooting directly in the Meraki experience. Use MCP when the work starts in a broader workflow being built around the product, like a helpdesk assistant, employee self-service portal, or cross-vendor operations copilot that combines network data with other systems. _daily.dev helps developers weigh integration choices like this when designing network-aware support tooling._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Launch of DevNet Content Search MCP Server](https://daily.dev/posts/launch-of-devnet-content-search-mcp-server-qyt5k9hnf) · Cisco · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [10 MCP Servers to Optimize Developer Workflows](https://daily.dev/posts/10-mcp-servers-to-optimize-developer-workflows-lhcgudgfj) · Nordic APIs · 33 upvotes · 0 comments - [MCP Servers: Your Next User Is An AI Agent](https://daily.dev/posts/mcp-servers-your-next-user-is-an-ai-agent-apyzw7sof) · marmelab · 2 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#ai-agents](https://daily.dev/tags/ai-agents), [#networking](https://daily.dev/tags/networking), [#mcp](https://daily.dev/tags/mcp) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/meraki-and-catalyst-center-mcp-servers-ciadmw8i5) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Meraki and Catalyst Center MCP servers","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/meraki-and-catalyst-center-mcp-servers-ciadmw8i5","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/meraki-and-catalyst-center-mcp-servers-ciadmw8i5"},"datePublished":"2026-08-10T18:20:06.299Z","dateModified":"2026-09-14T06:53:43.903Z","description":"Cisco has released MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers for both Meraki and Catalyst Center, enabling developers and IT teams to connect network data to...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/cac57ba7a37dead0cf065141c4f135ae?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/cac57ba7a37dead0cf065141c4f135ae?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Cisco","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Cisco","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/t_logo,f_auto/v1/logos/68b8a8be17184235a5067d7c84162f77","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/cisco"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/meraki-and-catalyst-center-mcp-servers-ciadmw8i5","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"ai-agents,networking,mcp","timeRequired":"PT8M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Cisco","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/cisco"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Meraki and Catalyst Center MCP servers"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/meraki-and-catalyst-center-mcp-servers-ciadmw8i5#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is the difference between Cisco's hosted Meraki MCP server and the open-source Meraki MCP server?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The hosted Meraki MCP server is Cisco-managed, requiring no server setup, operation, or updates, making it the lowest-friction option for connecting an AI client to Meraki data. 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