MongoDB MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol server for interacting with MongoDB Databases and MongoDB Atlas.

📚 Table of Contents

• 🚀 Getting Started
  • Prerequisites
  • Setup
    • Quick Start
• 🛠️ Supported Tools
  • MongoDB Atlas Tools
  • MongoDB Database Tools
• ⚙️ Configuration
  • Configuration Options
  • Atlas API Access
  • Configuration Methods
    • Environment Variables
    • Command-Line Arguments
    • MCP Client Configuration
• 🤝 Contributing

<a name="getting-started"></a>

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v20.10.0 or later)

node -v

• A MongoDB connection string or Atlas API credentials, the Server will not start unless configured.
  • Service Accounts Atlas API credentials are required to use the Atlas tools. You can create a service account in MongoDB Atlas and use its credentials for authentication. See Atlas API Access for more details.
  • If you have a MongoDB connection string, you can use it directly to connect to your MongoDB instance.

Setup

Quick Start

Note: When using Atlas API credentials, be sure to assign only the minimum required permissions to your service account. See Atlas API Permissions for details.

Most MCP clients require a configuration file to be created or modified to add the MCP server.

Note: The configuration file syntax can be different across clients. Please refer to the following links for the latest expected syntax:

• Windsurf: https://docs.windsurf.com/windsurf/mcp
• VSCode: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/chat/mcp-servers
• Claude Desktop: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/quickstart/user
• Cursor: https://docs.cursor.com/context/model-context-protocol

Option 1: Connection String args

You can pass your connection string via args, make sure to use a valid username and password.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "MongoDB": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mongodb-mcp-server",
        "--connectionString",
        "mongodb://localhost:27017/myDatabase"
      ]
    }
  }
}

NOTE: The connection string can be configured to connect to any MongoDB cluster, whether it's a local instance or an Atlas cluster.

Option 2: Atlas API credentials args

Use your Atlas API Service Accounts credentials. Must follow all the steps in Atlas API Access section.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "MongoDB": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mongodb-mcp-server",
        "--apiClientId",
        "your-atlas-service-accounts-client-id",
        "--apiClientSecret",
        "your-atlas-service-accounts-client-secret"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Option 3: Standalone Service using command arguments

Start Server using npx command:

 npx -y mongodb-mcp-server --apiClientId="your-atlas-service-accounts-client-id" --apiClientSecret="your-atlas-service-accounts-client-secret"

• For a complete list of arguments see Configuration Options
• To configure your Atlas Service Accounts credentials please refer to Atlas API Access

Option 4: Standalone Service using environment variables

 npx -y mongodb-mcp-server

You can use environment variables in the config file or set them and run the server via npx.

• Connection String via environment variables in the MCP file example
• Atlas API credentials via environment variables in the MCP file example

Option 5: Using Docker

You can run the MongoDB MCP Server in a Docker container, which provides isolation and doesn't require a local Node.js installation.

Run with Environment Variables

You may provide either a MongoDB connection string OR Atlas API credentials:

Option A: No configuration

docker run --rm -i \
  mongodb/mongodb-mcp-server:latest

Option B: With MongoDB connection string

docker run --rm -i \
  -e MDB_MCP_CONNECTION_STRING="mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster.mongodb.net/myDatabase" \
  mongodb/mongodb-mcp-server:latest

Option C: With Atlas API credentials

docker run --rm -i \
  -e MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_ID="your-atlas-service-accounts-client-id" \
  -e MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_SECRET="your-atlas-service-accounts-client-secret" \
  mongodb/mongodb-mcp-server:latest

Docker in MCP Configuration File

Without options:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "MongoDB": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "--rm", "-i", "mongodb/mongodb-mcp-server:latest"]
    }
  }
}

With connection string:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "MongoDB": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "-e",
        "MDB_MCP_CONNECTION_STRING=mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster.mongodb.net/myDatabase",
        "mongodb/mongodb-mcp-server:latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

With Atlas API credentials:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "MongoDB": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "-e",
        "MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_ID=your-atlas-service-accounts-client-id",
        "-e",
        "MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_SECRET=your-atlas-service-accounts-client-secret",
        "mongodb/mongodb-mcp-server:latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

🛠️ Supported Tools

Tool List

MongoDB Atlas Tools

• atlas-list-orgs - Lists MongoDB Atlas organizations
• atlas-list-projects - Lists MongoDB Atlas projects
• atlas-create-project - Creates a new MongoDB Atlas project
• atlas-list-clusters - Lists MongoDB Atlas clusters
• atlas-inspect-cluster - Inspect a specific MongoDB Atlas cluster
• atlas-create-free-cluster - Create a free MongoDB Atlas cluster
• atlas-connect-cluster - Connects to MongoDB Atlas cluster
• atlas-inspect-access-list - Inspect IP/CIDR ranges with access to MongoDB Atlas clusters
• atlas-create-access-list - Configure IP/CIDR access list for MongoDB Atlas clusters
• atlas-list-db-users - List MongoDB Atlas database users
• atlas-create-db-user - Creates a MongoDB Atlas database user
• atlas-list-alerts - List MongoDB Atlas Alerts for a Project

NOTE: atlas tools are only available when you set credentials on configuration section.

MongoDB Database Tools

• connect - Connect to a MongoDB instance
• find - Run a find query against a MongoDB collection
• aggregate - Run an aggregation against a MongoDB collection
• count - Get the number of documents in a MongoDB collection
• insert-one - Insert a single document into a MongoDB collection
• insert-many - Insert multiple documents into a MongoDB collection
• create-index - Create an index for a MongoDB collection
• update-one - Update a single document in a MongoDB collection
• update-many - Update multiple documents in a MongoDB collection
• rename-collection - Rename a MongoDB collection
• delete-one - Delete a single document from a MongoDB collection
• delete-many - Delete multiple documents from a MongoDB collection
• drop-collection - Remove a collection from a MongoDB database
• drop-database - Remove a MongoDB database
• list-databases - List all databases for a MongoDB connection
• list-collections - List all collections for a given database
• collection-indexes - Describe the indexes for a collection
• collection-schema - Describe the schema for a collection
• collection-storage-size - Get the size of a collection in MB
• db-stats - Return statistics about a MongoDB database

Configuration

The MongoDB MCP Server can be configured using multiple methods, with the following precedence (highest to lowest):

1. Command-line arguments
2. Environment variables

Configuration Options

Option	Description
apiClientId	Atlas API client ID for authentication. Required for running Atlas tools.
apiClientSecret	Atlas API client secret for authentication. Required for running Atlas tools.
connectionString	MongoDB connection string for direct database connections. Optional, if not set, you'll need to call the connect tool before interacting with MongoDB data.
logPath	Folder to store logs.
disabledTools	An array of tool names, operation types, and/or categories of tools that will be disabled.
readOnly	When set to true, only allows read and metadata operation types, disabling create/update/delete operations.
indexCheck	When set to true, enforces that query operations must use an index, rejecting queries that perform a collection scan.
telemetry	When set to disabled, disables telemetry collection.

Log Path

Default log location is as follows:

• Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\mongodb\mongodb-mcp\.app-logs
• macOS/Linux: ~/.mongodb/mongodb-mcp/.app-logs

Disabled Tools

You can disable specific tools or categories of tools by using the disabledTools option. This option accepts an array of strings, where each string can be a tool name, operation type, or category.

The way the array is constructed depends on the type of configuration method you use:

• For environment variable configuration, use a comma-separated string: export MDB_MCP_DISABLED_TOOLS="create,update,delete,atlas,collectionSchema".
• For command-line argument configuration, use a space-separated string: --disabledTools create update delete atlas collectionSchema.

Categories of tools:

• atlas - MongoDB Atlas tools, such as list clusters, create cluster, etc.
• mongodb - MongoDB database tools, such as find, aggregate, etc.

Operation types:

• create - Tools that create resources, such as create cluster, insert document, etc.
• update - Tools that update resources, such as update document, rename collection, etc.
• delete - Tools that delete resources, such as delete document, drop collection, etc.
• read - Tools that read resources, such as find, aggregate, list clusters, etc.
• metadata - Tools that read metadata, such as list databases, list collections, collection schema, etc.

Read-Only Mode

The readOnly configuration option allows you to restrict the MCP server to only use tools with "read" and "metadata" operation types. When enabled, all tools that have "create", "update" or "delete" operation types will not be registered with the server.

This is useful for scenarios where you want to provide access to MongoDB data for analysis without allowing any modifications to the data or infrastructure.

You can enable read-only mode using:

• Environment variable: export MDB_MCP_READ_ONLY=true
• Command-line argument: --readOnly

When read-only mode is active, you'll see a message in the server logs indicating which tools were prevented from registering due to this restriction.

Index Check Mode

The indexCheck configuration option allows you to enforce that query operations must use an index. When enabled, queries that perform a collection scan will be rejected to ensure better performance.

This is useful for scenarios where you want to ensure that database queries are optimized.

You can enable index check mode using:

• Environment variable: export MDB_MCP_INDEX_CHECK=true
• Command-line argument: --indexCheck

When index check mode is active, you'll see an error message if a query is rejected due to not using an index.

Telemetry

The telemetry configuration option allows you to disable telemetry collection. When enabled, the MCP server will collect usage data and send it to MongoDB.

You can disable telemetry using:

• Environment variable: export MDB_MCP_TELEMETRY=disabled
• Command-line argument: --telemetry disabled
• DO_NOT_TRACK environment variable: export DO_NOT_TRACK=1

Atlas API Access

To use the Atlas API tools, you'll need to create a service account in MongoDB Atlas:

ℹ️ Note: For a detailed breakdown of the minimum required permissions for each Atlas operation, see the Atlas API Permissions section below.

1. Create a Service Account:

   • Log in to MongoDB Atlas at cloud.mongodb.com
   • Navigate to Access Manager > Organization Access
   • Click Add New > Applications > Service Accounts
   • Enter name, description and expiration for your service account (e.g., "MCP, MCP Server Access, 7 days")
   • Assign only the minimum permissions needed for your use case.
     • See Atlas API Permissions for details.
   • Click "Create"

To learn more about Service Accounts, check the MongoDB Atlas documentation.

2. Save Client Credentials:

   • After creation, you'll be shown the Client ID and Client Secret
   • Important: Copy and save the Client Secret immediately as it won't be displayed again

3. Add Access List Entry:

   • Add your IP address to the API access list

4. Configure the MCP Server:

   • Use one of the configuration methods below to set your apiClientId and apiClientSecret

Atlas API Permissions

Security Warning: Granting the Organization Owner role is rarely necessary and can be a security risk. Assign only the minimum permissions needed for your use case.

Quick Reference: Required roles per operation

What you want to do	Safest Role to Assign (where)
List orgs/projects	Org Member or Org Read Only (Org)
Create new projects	Org Project Creator (Org)
View clusters/databases in a project	Project Read Only (Project)
Create/manage clusters in a project	Project Cluster Manager (Project)
Manage project access lists	Project IP Access List Admin (Project)
Manage database users	Project Database Access Admin (Project)

• Prefer project-level roles for most operations. Assign only to the specific projects you need to manage or view.
• Avoid Organization Owner unless you require full administrative control over all projects and settings in the organization.

For a full list of roles and their privileges, see the Atlas User Roles documentation.

Configuration Methods

Environment Variables

Set environment variables with the prefix MDB_MCP_ followed by the option name in uppercase with underscores:

# Set Atlas API credentials (via Service Accounts)
export MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_ID="your-atlas-service-accounts-client-id"
export MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_SECRET="your-atlas-service-accounts-client-secret"

# Set a custom MongoDB connection string
export MDB_MCP_CONNECTION_STRING="mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster.mongodb.net/myDatabase"

export MDB_MCP_LOG_PATH="/path/to/logs"

MCP configuration file examples

Connection String with environment variables

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "MongoDB": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mongodb-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "MDB_MCP_CONNECTION_STRING": "mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster.mongodb.net/myDatabase"
      }
    }
  }
}

Atlas API credentials with environment variables

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "MongoDB": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mongodb-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_ID": "your-atlas-service-accounts-client-id",
        "MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_SECRET": "your-atlas-service-accounts-client-secret"
      }
    }
  }
}

Command-Line Arguments

Pass configuration options as command-line arguments when starting the server:

npx -y mongodb-mcp-server --apiClientId="your-atlas-service-accounts-client-id" --apiClientSecret="your-atlas-service-accounts-client-secret" --connectionString="mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster.mongodb.net/myDatabase" --logPath=/path/to/logs --readOnly --indexCheck

MCP configuration file examples

Connection String with command-line arguments

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "MongoDB": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mongodb-mcp-server",
        "--connectionString",
        "mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster.mongodb.net/myDatabase"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Atlas API credentials with command-line arguments

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "MongoDB": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mongodb-mcp-server",
        "--apiClientId",
        "your-atlas-service-accounts-client-id",
        "--apiClientSecret",
        "your-atlas-service-accounts-client-secret"
      ]
    }
  }
}

🤝Contributing

Interested in contributing? Great! Please check our Contributing Guide for guidelines on code contributions, standards, adding new tools, and troubleshooting information.