MCP Datadog Server
# MCP Datadog Server
A [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) (MCP) server that exposes Datadog APIs to AI assistants and code editors via tools.
## Overview
The server provides MCP tools for:
- **Metrics** – Query metrics, metadata, list metrics
- **Logs** – Search logs, get log details, aggregate logs
- **Events** – Search events, get event details
- **Monitors** – List monitors, get status, search monitors
- **APM/Traces** – Query traces, service health, service dependencies
- **Services** – Service dependencies (single and multi-environment)
## Quick Start
### Prerequisites
- Node.js 22+
- npm
### Run with npx (recommended)
No clone or install needed. Add the server to your MCP client (e.g. Cursor, Claude) using **stdio** and run it from GitHub:
```json
{
"datadog": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "github:micaelmalta/mcp-server-datadog"],
"env": {
"DATADOG_API_KEY": "your_api_key",
"DATADOG_APP_KEY": "your_app_key"
}
}
}
```
Set `DATADOG_API_KEY` and `DATADOG_APP_KEY` (and optionally `DATADOG_SITE`, default `datadoghq.com`). Restart the client so the tools appear.
To try from the terminal:
```bash
DATADOG_API_KEY=your_key DATADOG_APP_KEY=your_app_key npx -y github:micaelmalta/mcp-server-datadog
```
### Run from source
For development or a fixed install:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/micaelmalta/mcp-server-datadog.git
cd mcp-server-datadog
npm install
cp .env.example .env
```
Edit `.env` and set `DATADOG_API_KEY` and `DATADOG_APP_KEY`. Then:
```bash
npm start
# or with NODE_ENV=local: npm run dev
```
In your MCP config, use **stdio** with `node` and the path to the entry point:
```json
{
"datadog": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/mcp-server-datadog/src/index.js"],
"env": {
"DATADOG_API_KEY": "your_api_key",
"DATADOG_APP_KEY": "your_app_key"
}
}
}
```
## Tools
| Tool | Purpose |
| ------------------------------------ | -------------------------------- |
| `query_metrics` | Query metrics data |
| `get_metric_metadata` | Get metric metadata |
| `list_metrics` | List metrics |
| `search_logs` | Search logs with filter |
| `get_log_details` | Get a single log by ID |
| `aggregate_logs` | Aggregate logs |
| `search_events` | Search events |
| `get_event_details` | Get event by ID |
| `list_monitors` | List monitors |
| `get_monitor_status` | Get monitor status |
| `search_monitors` | Search monitors |
| `query_traces` | Query APM traces |
| `get_service_health` | Service health metrics |
| `get_service_dependencies` | Service dependencies |
| `get_service_dependencies_multi_env` | Dependencies across environments |
**Example prompts:** _"Show error logs from service X in the last hour"_ → `search_logs`. _"What's CPU usage on production?"_ → `query_metrics`. _"How is the API service doing?"_ → `get_service_health`.
**Time ranges:** Use ISO 8601 or Unix timestamps (seconds for metrics/events, milliseconds for logs/APM). **Filters:** Datadog syntax, e.g. `service:api`, `status:error`, `env:production`.
## Project structure
```
mcp_datadog/
├── src/
│ ├── clients/ # Datadog API clients (SDK-based)
│ ├── tools/ # MCP tool definitions and handlers
│ ├── utils/ # Environment, errors, logger, toolErrors
│ └── index.js # Server entry point
├── test/ # Vitest tests and fixtures
│ ├── benchmark/ # Tool handler benchmarks (mocked)
│ ├── mocks/ # Datadog SDK mocks
│ └── ...
├── docs/ # Additional documentation
└── package.json
```
**Tech stack:** Node.js 22+, JavaScript (ESM), JSDoc, Vitest, ESLint, Prettier, [@modelcontextprotocol/sdk](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/sdk), [@datadog/datadog-api-client](https://github.com/DataDog/datadog-api-client-typescript).
## Development
### Commands
| Command | Description |
| ----------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| `npm start` | Run server |
| `npm run dev` | Run with NODE_ENV=local |
| `npm test` | Run tests |
| `npm run test:watch` | Tests in watch mode |
| `npm run test:coverage` | Tests with coverage |
| `npm run test:e2e` | E2E tests (real Datadog API; see below) |
| `npm run benchmark` | Run tool-handler benchmark (mocked) |
| `npm run lint` | Lint |
| `npm run lint:fix` | Fix lint issues |
| `npm run format` | Format with Prettier |
| `npm run format:check` | Check formatting (used in CI) |
| `npm run validate` | Lint + test |
### API client pattern
Clients return `{ data, error }`:
```javascript
const { data, error } = await client.queryMetrics(query, from, to);
if (error) {
console.error(error.message, error.statusCode);
} else {
console.log(data);
}
```
### CI
GitHub Actions (`.github/workflows/ci.yml`) runs on push and pull requests to `main`/`master`: format check (`prettier --check`), lint (ESLint), and tests. Same commands locally: `npm run format:check && npm run lint && npm test`.
### Testing
Tests use Vitest with mocked Datadog SDK (`test/mocks/datadogApi.js`) and fixtures in `test/fixtures/`. Run `npm test` before committing.
**E2E tests** (`test/e2e/`) run against the real Datadog API. They are skipped unless `RUN_E2E=1` and real `DATADOG_API_KEY`/`DATADOG_APP_KEY` are set in `.env`. Example: `RUN_E2E=1 npm run test:e2e`. Use this to verify that document-center production error logs are visible (e.g. `logsDocumentCenter.e2e.test.js`).
## Operational notes
- **Logging:** Tool calls are logged to **stderr** as JSON lines (`tool`, `durationMs`, `slow`). Optional: set `MCP_SLOW_TOOL_MS` (default 2000) to mark slow calls. Some clients also write to `mcp_datadog.log` (see `src/utils/logger.js`).
- **Rate limiting:** The server does not rate limit; high tool usage can hit Datadog API limits.
- **Troubleshooting:** Tools missing → check MCP config and env vars, restart client. 403/404 → permissions or plan. See [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting) for "no data" cases.
## Troubleshooting
### Search returns 0 logs but I expect data
If `search_logs` (or `aggregate_logs`) returns no results for a service you know has traffic:
1. **Same Datadog org** – The MCP server uses `DATADOG_API_KEY`, `DATADOG_APP_KEY`, and optionally `DATADOG_SITE`. Ensure these point to the **same** Datadog org and site where your app (e.g. document-center) sends logs.
2. **Compare in Datadog** – In [Datadog Logs Explorer](https://docs.datadoghq.com/logs/explorer/), run the **same filter and time range** (e.g. `service:document-center env:production status:error`, last 7 days). If you see logs there but not via MCP, the env/site or keys are likely different.
3. **Exact filter syntax** – Confirm the attribute names and values your app sends (e.g. `service`, `env`, `status`). Try without `env:production` or with `env:prod`, or search only `service:document-center` to see if any logs appear.
4. **Retention and indexes** – Logs must be in an index that your API key can read; check [log indexes](https://docs.datadoghq.com/logs/indexes/) and retention.
## Documentation
- **README** (this file) – Setup, usage, structure.
- **CLAUDE.md** – Project conventions and patterns for contributors.
- **docs/** – Additional guides (e.g. performance, security) when present.
## Contributing
1. Follow existing style (`npm run lint`, `npm run format`).
2. Add tests for new behavior.
3. Run `npm run validate` before committing.
4. Use conventional commits: `feat`, `fix`, `docs`, `chore`, `refactor`, `test`.
## Links
- [Datadog API](https://docs.datadoghq.com/api/)
- [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/)
TDQS
Scored across 16 tools
Most tools are distinct, but the three service dependency tools (get_apm_service_dependencies, get_service_dependencies, get_service_dependencies_multi_env) have highly overlapping purposes and could be easily misselected by an agent. Other tools like list_metrics vs query_metrics are clearly separated, but the dependency trio introduces ambiguity.
Tool names consistently use snake_case with a verb_noun pattern (get_, list_, search_, query_, aggregate_). The verbs are predictable and align with their actions. Minor deviation: get_ prefixes are used for both single items (get_metric_metadata) and collections (get_service_dependencies), but this is not overly confusing.
16 tools is on the higher end of the recommended range, but it covers multiple Datadog features (metrics, logs, events, monitors, APM, dependencies) reasonably. Each tool serves a distinct function within these domains, so the count is justified, though it feels slightly heavy for a single server.
The set provides broad read-only coverage for Datadog's main observability areas, but it lacks any write operations (create, update, delete monitors, events, etc.). There are also gaps like dashboards and trace detail. The service dependency trio is overrepresented while monitor management is incomplete, leaving agents unable to perform lifecycle actions.