Howto: Connect Google Gemini CLI to your cPanel using Meridian and cPanel MCP

How to connect Google Gemini CLI to your cPanel account (cPanel MCP)

Connect Google's Gemini CLI to your Hoopla Hosting cPanel account using cPanel Meridian and WebPros MCP. Once connected, Gemini can check your hosting account, look up DNS and email settings, and deploy supported Node.js apps to AI App Hosting from your terminal.

Before you start

• An active Hoopla Hosting web hosting account using the cPanel Meridian theme. (In cPanel, click Try new Meridian Theme at the top of the page.)
• A free WebPros account (you can create one during Step 1).
• Gemini CLI installed and signed in (run gemini once to check).
• A web browser on the same computer to approve the connection.

Step 1: Get your connection details from cPanel Meridian

1. Log in to cPanel from our client area.
2. Click your profile icon in the top-right corner and open Profile → Connections.
3. In the MCP Connection section, click Link WebPros Account, then sign in to WebPros and approve the link.
4. Copy the Client ID that Meridian displays.

The MCP server address is https://mcp.webpros.com/api/mcp

Keep your Client ID private. Don't paste it into support tickets, forums, screenshots or public Git repositories.

Step 2: Add the server to Gemini CLI

Gemini CLI reads MCP servers from its settings.json file:

• All projects: ~/.gemini/settings.json
• One project only: .gemini/settings.json inside the project folder

Open (or create) the file and add the following, replacing YOUR_CLIENT_ID with your Client ID:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "webpros-mcp": {
      "httpUrl": "https://mcp.webpros.com/api/mcp",
      "oauth": {
        "enabled": true,
        "clientId": "YOUR_CLIENT_ID"
      }
    }
  }
}

If the file already contains other settings, add the "mcpServers" section alongside them (or add the "webpros-mcp" block inside your existing mcpServers). Save the file.

Step 3: Sign in and approve

1. Start Gemini CLI by running gemini.
2. Type /mcp auth webpros-mcp and press Enter.
3. Your browser opens. Sign in to WebPros and approve access.
4. Type /mcp to confirm webpros-mcp shows as connected with its tools listed.

Gemini CLI saves the sign-in in ~/.gemini/mcp-oauth-tokens.json, so you won't need to repeat this every time.

Step 4: Test the connection

Start with a read-only request:

Using the webpros-mcp server, check my cPanel account and list the available websites and deployment targets. Do not make any changes.

Other useful questions:

• "List the email accounts on my cPanel."
• "Show me the DNS records for mydomain.co.nz."
• "How much disk space am I using?"

Gemini CLI asks you to confirm each tool call. Read each request before you approve it, especially anything that changes or deletes data. Avoid "always allow" for tools that change your account.

Step 5: Deploy a Node.js app (optional)

From inside your project folder, ask:

Using webpros-mcp, deploy the Node.js application in this folder to my cPanel Meridian AI App Hosting account on app.mydomain.co.nz. Confirm the target domain before making changes, then give me the live HTTPS address.

Note: MCP deployment currently supports Node.js apps using AI App Hosting, not WordPress or traditional PHP sites.

Disconnecting

• In Gemini CLI: remove the webpros-mcp block from settings.json (or run gemini mcp remove webpros-mcp).
• In cPanel: go to Profile → Connections and unlink or revoke the WebPros / MCP connection. This stops access straight away.

Need help?

See our AI tools troubleshooting FAQ in the AI Enabled Web Hosting section, or open a support ticket and our team will help.