xrm-mcp
by jukkan
README.md
# xrm-mcp
A minimal MCP server that gives AI coding agents (Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Codex CLI, Cursor, Gemini CLI) clean read + careful write access to Microsoft Dataverse / XRM environments via the Dataverse Web API v9.2.

> **Why this exists**: Microsoft ships its own Dataverse MCP server, but it requires Power Platform admin setup, Managed Environments, and Copilot Credits per call. `xrm-mcp` is a drop-in alternative that works with any Dataverse environment using your existing Azure CLI or Microsoft account. [Read more →](WHY.md)
## Features
- **No Microsoft MCP billing** — calls the Dataverse Web API directly, no Copilot Credits consumed
- **No admin toggles** — works with any Dataverse environment you can log into
- **No Managed Environment required** — standard environments work fine
- **No per-environment setup** — org_url is a parameter on every tool call
- **Multi-tenant by design** — connect to multiple orgs in the same session, with per-environment identity caching so switching between tenants doesn't require re-authenticating each time
- **Azure CLI + MSAL auth** — tries `az` first, falls back to interactive device flow
- **8 MCP tools** — ping, find/list tables, describe schema, query, create, update, upsert
## Installation
Install via pipx (recommended):
```bash
pipx install git+https://github.com/jukkan/xrm-mcp.git
```
Or via pip:
```bash
pip install git+https://github.com/jukkan/xrm-mcp.git
```
## Usage
### Configuring your AI agent
Add `xrm-mcp` to your agent's MCP configuration.
**Claude Desktop / Claude Code** (`~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json` or `.mcp.json`):
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"xrm-mcp": {
"command": "xrm-mcp"
}
}
}
```
**GitHub Copilot (VS Code)** — add to `.vscode/mcp.json` in your workspace:
```json
{
"servers": {
"xrm-mcp": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "xrm-mcp"
}
}
}
```
Once configured, pass your environment URL with every request and the agent takes it from there:
> *"Show me all project records from https://myorg.crm4.dynamics.com created in the last 30 days"*
### Running the server manually
```bash
xrm-mcp
```
The server uses FastMCP and communicates over stdin/stdout (stdio transport).
### Authentication
XRM MCP attempts authentication in the following order:
1. **Azure CLI** — if `az` is available and logged in
2. **MSAL device flow** — interactive browser-based login
Tokens are cached at `~/.xrm-mcp/cache.json`.
If you work across multiple tenants (e.g. your own production environment, demo
environments, and customer tenants), XRM MCP remembers which identity last
worked for each `org_url` in `~/.xrm-mcp/identity_cache.json` and prefers it on
the next call — so switching tenants doesn't depend on which `az` account
happens to be active. If a call gets a `401`/`403`, that org's cached identity
is cleared automatically and the error message tells you to just retry, which
re-discovers a working identity.
To re-authenticate, delete `~/.xrm-mcp/cache.json` or use `az login`. To reset
which identity is used for a specific org, delete its entry from
`~/.xrm-mcp/identity_cache.json`.
### Testing authentication manually
```bash
python -m xrm_mcp.auth https://yourorg.crm4.dynamics.com
```
## MCP Tools
### Read Tools
**ping(org_url)**
- Verify connectivity and authentication to a Dataverse environment
- Returns: status, org_url, user_id, business_unit_id, org_id, auth_method, tenant_id
- Call this first when connecting to a new environment; `auth_method`/`tenant_id` let you confirm which identity answered the call
**find_table(org_url, name)**
- Search for a table by display name or partial logical name
- Use when the user says "hour entries" and you need the exact logical name
- Returns all matching tables sorted by exact display name match first
**list_tables(org_url, search="", custom_only=True, prefix="", exclude_ms_prefixes=True)**
- List Dataverse tables, defaulting to custom entities only
- `custom_only=True` — only return custom entities (default)
- `prefix="na_"` — filter to a specific publisher prefix
- `exclude_ms_prefixes=False` — include Microsoft solution tables (msdyn\_, adx\_, etc.)
- Returns: logical_name, display_name, entity_set_name, is_custom, description
**describe_table(org_url, table)**
- Get columns, types and descriptions for a Dataverse table
- Call this before querying when you need exact column names for $select or $filter
- Returns: table_name, columns with metadata
**query_records(org_url, table, select="", filter="", top=100, orderby="")**
- Query records from a table using OData filter syntax
- Returns: {count, records}
- Top is capped at 5000
- `select` is validated against real column names before querying; an invalid column raises a clear error naming it, instead of silently returning every column
### Write Tools
**create_record(org_url, table, data)**
- Create a single record
- Returns: {id}
**update_record(org_url, table, record_id, data)**
- Update specific fields on an existing record
- Returns: {success, id}
**upsert_record(org_url, table, alternate_key, alternate_value, data)**
- Create or update a record using an alternate key (for sync/import scenarios)
- Returns: {success, alternate_key, alternate_value}
## Example Usage
See [CLAUDE.md](CLAUDE.md) for detailed agent usage examples and [WHY.md](WHY.md) for how this compares to Microsoft's own Dataverse MCP server.
## Requirements
- Python 3.10+
- Azure CLI (optional, for `az` authentication)
- Access to a Dataverse / Dynamics 365 environment
## Dependencies
- fastmcp >= 0.1.0, < 3
- msal >= 1.28.0
- httpx >= 0.27.0
## Development
Clone the repository:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/jukkan/xrm-mcp.git
cd xrm-mcp
```
Install in development mode:
```bash
pip install -e .
```
## License
MIT
## Contributing
Contributions welcome! Please open an issue or pull request.
TDQS
A3.7/5.0
Scored across 8 tools
Disambiguation5/5
Each tool targets a distinct operation (CRUD, metadata queries, connectivity test) with no functional overlap, making it easy for an agent to select the correct one.
Naming Consistency4/5
Most tools follow a clear verb_noun pattern (create_record, query_records, etc.), but ping uses a single verb, which is a minor inconsistency.
Tool Count5/5
The tool count of 8 is well-scoped for a Dataverse MCP server, covering essential operations without unnecessary bloat.
Completeness3/5
The tool set covers creation, update, query, and metadata, but lacks a delete_record tool and a direct get-by-ID tool, which may cause agent failures in typical workflows.
Maintenance
ActivityStale
ResponsivenessNo issues