synology-nas

Synology NAS

This skill teaches you how to use the mcp-server-synology MCP effectively. The MCP exposes ~80 tools across seven domains; the trick is picking the right tool, targeting the right NAS, and not exploding a single user request into a dozen redundant calls.

Mental model

Three things shape almost every interaction:

1. Targeting — most setups have one NAS and you can omit the target argument. Multi-NAS setups require a nas_name (or base_url) on every tool call. Don't guess; discover first.
2. State — auth is session-based and usually auto-managed. You almost never need to call synology_login yourself. Check status first; only log in if status says you must.
3. Aggregation — several individual tools have a *_summary equivalent. When the user wants a "checkup" or "overview," reach for the aggregate. When they want a specific number, use the targeted tool.

Once those three are settled, the rest is picking the right domain.

Always start here

Before any operation, run discovery — it's two cheap calls and answers "which NAS?" and "am I logged in?":

1. synology_list_nas — lists configured NAS units with names, URLs, connection status.
2. synology_status — shows which sessions are active.

If the user mentions a NAS by name (e.g. "the backup NAS", "nas2"), match it to a nas_name from synology_list_nas. If only one NAS is configured, you can omit nas_name on subsequent calls. If multiple are configured and the user is ambiguous, ask which one — don't pick.

Tool call shape

Every operational tool accepts an optional target argument:

• nas_name (preferred) — the identifier from settings.json, e.g. "nas1".
• base_url — fallback when the NAS isn't in settings.json.

Pass at most one. Omit both only when there's a single NAS configured.

Path arguments must start with /. User-facing data lives under /volume1/ (or /volume2/, etc., for additional volumes). The root / lists shares; /homes, /photo, /video etc. are share-level mount points underneath. Don't invent paths — list the parent first if unsure.