Astra DB

What is Astra DB MCP Server?

The Astra DB MCP Server is a tool that allows Large Language Models (LLMs) to interact with Astra DB, a cloud-native NoSQL database-as-a-service built on Apache Cassandra®. It enables LLMs to act as agents, performing a wide range of database operations.

How to use the project?

To use the Astra DB MCP Server, you need an Astra DB database and an application token. You can then add the server to your MCP client, such as Claude Desktop, by configuring the command and environment variables. The server can be run using npx @datastax/astra-db-mcp.

Key Features

• Full CRUD Operations: Create, read, update, and delete documents and collections.
• Vector Search: Perform vector-based similarity searches.
• Namespace Management: Create and manage namespaces (keyspaces).
• Authentication: Securely connect to Astra DB using an application token.

Use Cases

• AI-powered Data Management: Enable AI agents to manage and query your Astra DB data directly.
• RAG Applications: Use Astra DB as a vector store for Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) applications, allowing LLMs to access and retrieve information from your database.
• Chatbots and Virtual Assistants: Build intelligent chatbots that can interact with your database to provide users with real-time information.

FAQ

Q: What is Astra DB? A: Astra DB is a serverless, multi-cloud database-as-a-service built on Apache Cassandra®. It offers a flexible data model and powerful features for building modern applications.

Q: Do I need a credit card to use Astra DB? A: No, you can create a free-tier database on Astra DB without a credit card.

Q: What is the default keyspace? A: The default keyspace is typically default_keyspace, but you can configure a different keyspace using the ASTRA_DB_KEYSPACE environment variable.

Astra DB MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for interacting with Astra DB. MCP extends the capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs) by allowing them to interact with external systems as agents.

Prerequisites

You need to have a running Astra DB database. If you don't have one, you can create a free database here. From there, you can get two things you need:

1. An Astra DB Application Token
2. The Astra DB API Endpoint

To learn how to get these, please read the getting started docs.

Adding to an MCP client

Here's how you can add this server to your MCP client.

Claude Desktop

To add this to Claude Desktop, go to Preferences -> Developer -> Edit Config and add this JSON blob to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "astra-db-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@datastax/astra-db-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN": "your_astra_db_token",
        "ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT": "your_astra_db_endpoint"
      }
    }
  }
}

Optional Keyspace Configuration: By default, this server uses the keyspace configured in the underlying Astra DB library (typically default_keyspace). If you need to connect to a specific keyspace, you can add the ASTRA_DB_KEYSPACE variable to the env object above, like so:

"env": {
  "ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN": "your_astra_db_token",
  "ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT": "your_astra_db_endpoint",
  "ASTRA_DB_KEYSPACE": "your_desired_keyspace"
}

Windows PowerShell Users: npx is a batch command so modify the JSON as follows:

  "command": "cmd",
  "args": ["/k", "npx", "-y", "@datastax/astra-db-mcp"],

Cursor

To add this to Cursor, go to Settings -> Cursor Settings -> MCP

From there, you can add the server by clicking the "+ Add New MCP Server" button, where you should be brought to an mcp.json file.

Tip: there is a ~/.cursor/mcp.json that represents your Global MCP settings, and a project-specific .cursor/mcp.json file that is specific to the project. You probably want to install this MCP server into the project-specific file.

Add the same JSON as indiciated in the Claude Desktop instructions.

Alternatively you may be presented with a wizard, where you can enter the following values (for Unix-based systems):

• Name: Whatever you want
• Type: Command
• Command:

env ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN=your_astra_db_token ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT=your_astra_db_endpoint npx -y @datastax/astra-db-mcp

Note: ASTRA_DB_KEYSPACE is optional. If omitted, the default keyspace configured in the Astra DB library will be used.

Once added, your editor will be fully connected to your Astra DB database.

Available Tools

The server provides the following tools for interacting with Astra DB:

• GetCollections: Get all collections in the database
• CreateCollection: Create a new collection in the database
• UpdateCollection: Update an existing collection in the database
• DeleteCollection: Delete a collection from the database
• ListRecords: List records from a collection in the database
• GetRecord: Get a specific record from a collection by ID
• CreateRecord: Create a new record in a collection
• UpdateRecord: Update an existing record in a collection
• DeleteRecord: Delete a record from a collection
• FindRecord: Find records in a collection by field value
• BulkCreateRecords: Create multiple records in a collection at once
• BulkUpdateRecords: Update multiple records in a collection at once
• BulkDeleteRecords: Delete multiple records from a collection at once
• OpenBrowser: Open a web browser for authentication and setup
• HelpAddToClient: Get assistance with adding Astra DB client to your MCP client
• EstimateDocumentCount: Get estimate of the number of documents in a collection

Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file. The format is based on Keep a Changelog, and this project adheres to Semantic Versioning.

Running evals

The evals package loads an mcp client that then runs the index.ts file, so there is no need to rebuild between tests. You can load environment variables by prefixing the npx command. Full documentation can be found here.

OPENAI_API_KEY=your-key  npx mcp-eval evals.ts tools.ts

❤️ Contributors

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