{
 "categories": [
  "terminal-application",
  "line-of-business",
  "legacy"
 ],
 "deployment": "on-prem",
 "evidence": [
  {
   "date": "2026-08-15",
   "fact": "modalities.rpa.vendor_support (UiPath Terminal activities, IBM 5250 + EHLLAPI emulators)",
   "source": "https://docs.uipath.com/activities/other/latest/ui-automation/about-the-terminal-activities-pack",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-08-15",
   "fact": "modalities.rpa.vendor_support (Blue Prism mainframe integration via emulator COM APIs and HLLAPI)",
   "source": "https://documentation.blueprism.com/bp-6-8/en-us/helpMainframe.html",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-08-15",
   "fact": "modalities.rpa.vendor_support (Automation Anywhere Terminal Emulator package, 3270/5250)",
   "source": "https://docs.automationanywhere.com/bundle/enterprise-v2019/page/enterprise-cloud/topics/aae-client/bot-creator/commands/cloud-terminal-emulator-command.html",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-08-15",
   "fact": "modalities.rpa.vendor_support (IBM RPA connecting to emulators via HLLAPI)",
   "source": "https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/rpa/23.0.x?topic=emulator-connecting-by-using-hllapi",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-08-15",
   "fact": "modalities.integrations.power_automate (terminal emulation actions, IBM 5250 host type, HLLAPI providers)",
   "source": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/desktop-flows/actions-reference/terminalemulation",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-08-15",
   "fact": "modalities.sdk (EHLLAPI reference, Personal Communications Emulator Programming)",
   "source": "https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/SSEQ5Y_13.0.0/com.ibm.pcomm.doc/books/pdf/emulator_programmingV130.pdf",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-08-15",
   "fact": "modalities.extensibility.scripting (ACS 5250 macro scripting is HOD-based, differs from PCOMM)",
   "source": "https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ibm-i-access-client-solutions-5250-macro-scripting",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-08-15",
   "fact": "modalities.rpa.notes (EHLLAPI with the ACS emulator requires extra setup)",
   "source": "https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ehllapi-access-client-solutions-emulator",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-08-15",
   "fact": "modalities.rpa.notes (ACS 5250 provides no HACL autECL automation objects)",
   "source": "https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ibm-i-acs-5250-personal-communications-hacl-automation-object-programming-support",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-08-15",
   "fact": "modalities.api (Db2 for i access through ODBC/JDBC client interfaces)",
   "source": "https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/i/7.2.0?topic=administration-accessing-data-through-client-interfaces",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-08-15",
   "fact": "modalities.api + modalities.data_access (ACS Windows Application Package: ODBC, OLEDB, ADO.NET providers)",
   "source": "https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/odbc-driver-ibm-i-access-client-solutions",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-08-15",
   "fact": "modalities.sdk.languages (IBM Toolbox for Java / JTOpen, active)",
   "source": "https://github.com/IBM/JTOpen",
   "tier": "scraped"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-08-15",
   "fact": "modalities.mcp.first_party",
   "source": "https://github.com/IBM/ibmi-mcp-server",
   "tier": "scraped"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-08-15",
   "fact": "modalities.mcp.first_party (IBM's own AI-for-IBM-i guidance)",
   "source": "https://ibm.github.io/AI-IBMi-guide/solutions/ibm/mcp_server/",
   "tier": "declared"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-08-15",
   "fact": "modalities.mcp.third_party",
   "source": "https://github.com/Strom-Capital/mcp-server-db2i",
   "tier": "scraped"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-08-15",
   "fact": "modalities.cli (community scriptable tn5250 client, p5250)",
   "source": "https://github.com/simonfaltum/p5250",
   "tier": "community"
  }
 ],
 "freshness": {
  "last_verified": "2026-08-15",
  "volatility": "low",
  "watch": [
   {
    "type": "repo",
    "url": "https://github.com/IBM/ibmi-mcp-server"
   },
   {
    "type": "support-page",
    "url": "https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ibm-i-access-client-solutions"
   }
  ]
 },
 "homepage": "https://www.ibm.com/products/ibm-i",
 "id": "ibm-i-5250-applications",
 "license": "commercial",
 "modalities": {
  "agent_docs": {
   "llms_txt": false
  },
  "api": {
   "auth": [
    "ibm-i-user-profile"
   ],
   "coverage": "partial",
   "docs": "https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/i/7.2.0?topic=administration-accessing-data-through-client-interfaces",
   "exists": "partial",
   "kinds": [
    "odbc",
    "jdbc"
   ]
  },
  "cli": {
   "exists": false
  },
  "computer_use": {
   "issues": [],
   "viability": "unknown"
  },
  "data_access": {
   "export": [
    "csv",
    "xlsx"
   ],
   "import": [
    "csv",
    "xlsx"
   ]
  },
  "extensibility": {
   "scripting": [
    "ehllapi",
    "acs-hod-macros"
   ],
   "webhooks": false
  },
  "integrations": {
   "make": false,
   "n8n": false,
   "power_automate": true,
   "zapier": false
  },
  "mcp": {
   "first_party": true,
   "third_party": [
    {
     "maintained": true,
     "registries": [
      "github"
     ],
     "repo": "https://github.com/Strom-Capital/mcp-server-db2i"
    }
   ],
   "verdict": "official"
  },
  "rpa": {
   "drivability": "good",
   "notes": "The most mature RPA target class there is: fixed 24x80/27x132 field-formatted text screens, deterministic keyboard states, and a 40-year-old automation API (EHLLAPI) implemented by every major emulator. All major RPA vendors ship dedicated terminal activities with IBM 5250 support. Caveat: IBM's own ACS 5250 emulator needs extra setup for EHLLAPI and does not provide the old HACL autECL COM objects; HOD macro scripting is its native path.\n",
   "ui_stack": [
    "terminal-5250"
   ],
   "vendor_support": [
    "uipath",
    "blue-prism",
    "automation-anywhere",
    "ibm-rpa",
    "power-automate-desktop"
   ]
  },
  "sdk": {
   "exists": true,
   "languages": [
    "c",
    "java"
   ],
   "official": true
  }
 },
 "name": "IBM i 5250 Applications",
 "platforms": [
  "ibm-i"
 ],
 "related": {
  "alternatives": [
   "ibm-3270-applications"
  ],
  "our_products": []
 },
 "schema_version": 0,
 "score_version": 0,
 "status": "legacy",
 "vendor": "IBM",
 "verdict": {
  "best_path": "rpa",
  "scores": {
   "api": 5,
   "computer_use": null,
   "mcp": 6,
   "overall": 8,
   "rpa": 8
  },
  "summary": "Highly automatable today via two complementary paths: terminal automation of the 5250 screens (EHLLAPI-based activities in every major RPA suite) for transactions, and direct Db2 for i SQL access via ODBC/JDBC \u2014 now wrapped by IBM's official ibmi-mcp-server \u2014 for data. What is missing is any per-application API: business logic locked inside display files is reachable only through the screens or a modernization effort.\n"
 }
}