Metabase MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables LLMs to interact with your Metabase instance. This server provides 33 tools for querying cards, dashboards, databases, collections, and executing queries against your Metabase installation.

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js >= 18.0.0 (required by @modelcontextprotocol/sdk)

• npm (comes with Node.js)

Installation

1. Clone or navigate to the project directory:

   cd metabase-mcp-mab

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Verify Node.js version:

   node --version # Should be >= 18.0.0

Configuration

The server requires environment variables to be set. When using with Cursor/Claude Desktop, configure these in your ~/.cursor/mcp.json file:

Environment Variables

• METABASE_URL (optional): Your Metabase instance URL. Defaults to https://data-metabase.swile.co

• METABASE_API_KEY (required): Your Metabase API key. Must be provided - no default value for security.

Note: The API key is required and must be provided via environment variables. There is no hardcoded default for security reasons.

Getting Your Metabase API Key

1. Log into your Metabase instance

2. Go to Settings → Account Settings → API Keys

3. Create a new API key or use an existing one

4. Copy the key and add it to your mcp.json configuration

📖 Usage

With Cursor/Claude Desktop

Once configured in mcp.json, you can ask LLMs questions like:

Direct Server Usage

Run the server directly:

Or run in development mode with auto-reload:

Programmatic Usage

🛠️ Available Tools

This MCP server provides 27 tools organized into categories:

Card Tools (Questions/Queries)

• get_card - Get card details and SQL query

• list_cards - List cards with filtering

• execute_card_query - Execute saved queries

• execute_query_builder_card - Execute query builder cards with parameters

• get_generated_sql - Get generated SQL for query builder cards

• get_card_with_parameters - Extract card info from dashboard URLs

Dashboard Tools

• get_dashboard - Get dashboard details

• list_dashboards - List all dashboards

Database & Table Tools

• get_database - Get database information

• list_databases - List all databases

• get_database_metadata - Get comprehensive database schema

• list_database_tables - List tables in a database

• get_table_metadata - Get detailed table information

Collection Tools

• list_collections - List all collections (folders)

• get_collection_items - Get items in a collection

Query Execution

• execute_native_query - Execute custom SQL queries

Field & Column Tools

• get_field - Get field/column information

• get_field_values - Get distinct values for a field

Segments & Metrics

• list_segments - List saved filter segments

• list_metrics - List saved aggregations

Activity & Users

• get_activity - Get recent activity feed

• get_current_user - Get current authenticated user

• list_users - List all users (requires admin)

For detailed documentation on all tools, see TOOLS_REFERENCE.md.

📚 Documentation

• USAGE_GUIDE.md - Complete usage guide with examples

• TOOLS_REFERENCE.md - Detailed reference for all 27 tools

🏗️ Project Structure

🔧 Development

Scripts

• npm start - Run the server

• npm run dev - Run the server with auto-reload (watch mode)

Dependencies

• @modelcontextprotocol/sdk - MCP SDK framework

• axios - HTTP client library (though native fetch is used)

• dotenv - Environment variable management

Testing

Run test scripts:

⚠️ Important Notes

Risk Levels

• 🟢 SAFE tools: Read-only operations, no data modification

• 🟡 MODERATE RISK tools: Execute queries (read-only but may be slow/resource-intensive)

Performance Considerations

• list_cards can return 15k+ items - results are limited to first 50 in display

• get_database_metadata returns ALL tables and columns - can be very large

• execute_card_query and execute_native_query may take time for complex queries

• Use search operations instead of listing everything when possible

Version Compatibility

Some tools may not be available in all Metabase versions (e.g., list_metrics, get_activity). The server gracefully handles missing endpoints.

🐛 Troubleshooting

Server won't start

1. Check Node.js version:

   node --version # Must be >= 18.0.0

2. Verify dependencies are installed:

   npm install

3. Check environment variables:

   • Ensure METABASE_API_KEY is set in mcp.json

   • Verify METABASE_URL is correct (if custom)

API authentication errors

• Verify your API key is correct and active

• Check that the API key has the necessary permissions

• Ensure the Metabase URL is accessible from your network

Connection issues

• Verify your Metabase instance is running and accessible

• Check network connectivity

• Ensure firewall rules allow connections

📝 License

ISC

🤝 Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please ensure:

• Node.js >= 18.0.0

• All tests pass

• Code follows existing patterns