MongoDB MCP Server

What is MongoDB MCP Server about?

MongoDB MCP Server delivers a Model Context Protocol interface for interacting with MongoDB instances—both self‑hosted deployments and Atlas clusters. It exposes a catalog of database‑level tools (find, aggregate, insert, etc.) and Atlas‑specific operations (list projects, create clusters, manage access lists) through a standard MCP server endpoint.

How to use MongoDB MCP Server?

1. Install & start – the server is run via npx. Choose either a direct connection string or Atlas Service Account credentials.

   # Using a MongoDB connection string
   export MDB_MCP_CONNECTION_STRING="mongodb://localhost:27017/myDatabase"
   npx -y mongodb-mcp-server
   
   # Using Atlas Service Account credentials
   export MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_ID="<YOUR_CLIENT_ID>"
   export MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_SECRET="<YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET>"
   npx -y mongodb-mcp-server
   

2. Configure the client – add a MCP server entry to VS Code, Cursor, Claude Desktop, etc., pointing to the mongodb-mcp-server process (default stdio transport) or to the optional HTTP transport (--transport http).
3. Run tools – invoke supported tools via the client UI or programmatically through MCP calls (e.g., find, atlas-list-projects).

Key Features

• Dual connection modes – direct MongoDB URI or Atlas API Service Account.
• Extensive toolset – 30+ database operations (query, aggregation, CRUD, index management) plus 12 Atlas management tools.
• Transport flexibility – default stdio, optional streamable HTTP for remote access.
• Security controls – read‑only mode, confirmation prompts, index‑check enforcement, environment‑variable secret handling.
• Export support – results can be saved as EJSON files and accessed via exported-data://{name}.
• Logging & telemetry – configurable loggers (mcp, disk, stderr) and opt‑out telemetry.

Use Cases

• Data analysis – read‑only access to production collections for ad‑hoc queries from AI assistants.
• Operations automation – script Atlas provisioning (projects, clusters, users) via MCP‑compatible tools.
• Secure remote access – run the server in a container and expose an HTTP endpoint behind a corporate gateway.
• Export & share – generate EJSON snapshots of query results for downstream processing.

FAQ

Q: Do I need both a connection string and Atlas credentials? A: No. Use a connection string for direct database access, or Atlas Service Account credentials for Atlas‑specific tools. The server requires at least one of these to start.

Q: How can I enforce read‑only access? A: Set MDB_MCP_READ_ONLY=true (or use the --readOnly flag). The server will register only read, connect, and metadata tools.

Q: Can I run the server in Docker? A: Yes. The README provides Docker examples; simply pass the required environment variables to the container.

Q: Is the HTTP transport safe for production? A: Only if you add authentication, TLS, and network restrictions. By default the server uses stdio, which is the safest option.

Q: Where are logs stored? A: By default under ~/.mongodb/mongodb-mcp/.app-logs (macOS/Linux) or %LOCALAPPDATA%\mongodb\mongodb-mcp\.app-logs (Windows). Override with MDB_MCP_LOG_PATH.

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
• 📄 Supported Resources
• ⚙️ Configuration
  • Configuration Options
  • Atlas API Access
  • Configuration Methods
    • Environment Variables
    • Command-Line Arguments
    • MCP Client Configuration
    • Proxy Support
• 🤝 Contributing

Prerequisites

• Node.js
  • At least 20.19.0
  • When using v22 then at least v22.12.0
  • Otherwise any version 23+

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

🔒 Security Recommendation 1: When using Atlas API credentials, be sure to assign only the minimum required permissions to your service account. See Atlas API Permissions for details.

🔒 Security Recommendation 2: For enhanced security, we strongly recommend using environment variables to pass sensitive configuration such as connection strings and API credentials instead of command line arguments. Command line arguments can be visible in process lists and logged in various system locations, potentially exposing your secrets. Environment variables provide a more secure way to handle sensitive information.

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

Default Safety Notice: All examples below include --readOnly by default to ensure safe, read-only access to your data. Remove --readOnly if you need to enable write operations.

Option 1: Connection String

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "MongoDB": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mongodb-mcp-server@latest", "--readOnly"],
      "env": {
        "MDB_MCP_CONNECTION_STRING": "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

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@latest", "--readOnly"],
      "env": {
        "MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_ID": "your-atlas-service-accounts-client-id",
        "MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_SECRET": "your-atlas-service-accounts-client-secret"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 3: Standalone Service using environment variables and command line arguments

You can source environment variables defined in a config file or explicitly set them like we do in the example below and run the server via npx.

# Set your credentials as environment variables first
export MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_ID="your-atlas-service-accounts-client-id"
export MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_SECRET="your-atlas-service-accounts-client-secret"

# Then start the server
npx -y mongodb-mcp-server@latest --readOnly

💡 Platform Note: The examples above use Unix/Linux/macOS syntax. For Windows users, see Environment Variables for platform-specific instructions.

• For a complete list of configuration options see Configuration Options
• To configure your Atlas Service Accounts credentials please refer to Atlas API Access
• Connection String via environment variables in the MCP file example
• Atlas API credentials via environment variables in the MCP file example

Option 4: 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

# Set your credentials as environment variables first
export MDB_MCP_CONNECTION_STRING="mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster.mongodb.net/myDatabase"

# Then start the docker container
docker run --rm -i \
  -e MDB_MCP_CONNECTION_STRING \
  -e MDB_MCP_READ_ONLY="true" \
  mongodb/mongodb-mcp-server:latest

💡 Platform Note: The examples above use Unix/Linux/macOS syntax. For Windows users, see Environment Variables for platform-specific instructions.

Option C: With Atlas API credentials

# Set your credentials as environment variables first
export MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_ID="your-atlas-service-accounts-client-id"
export MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_SECRET="your-atlas-service-accounts-client-secret"

# Then start the docker container
docker run --rm -i \
  -e MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_ID \
  -e MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_SECRET \
  -e MDB_MCP_READ_ONLY="true" \
  mongodb/mongodb-mcp-server:latest

💡 Platform Note: The examples above use Unix/Linux/macOS syntax. For Windows users, see Environment Variables for platform-specific instructions.

Docker in MCP Configuration File

Without options:

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

With connection string:

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

With Atlas API credentials:

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

Option 5: Running as an HTTP Server

⚠️ Security Notice: This server now supports Streamable HTTP transport for remote connections. HTTP transport is NOT recommended for production use without implementing proper authentication and security measures.

Suggested Security Measures Examples:

• Implement authentication (e.g., API gateway, reverse proxy)
• Use HTTPS/TLS encryption
• Deploy behind a firewall or in private networks
• Implement rate limiting
• Never expose directly to the internet

For more details, see MCP Security Best Practices.

You can run the MongoDB MCP Server as an HTTP server instead of the default stdio transport. This is useful if you want to interact with the server over HTTP, for example from a web client or to expose the server on a specific port.

To start the server with HTTP transport, use the --transport http option:

npx -y mongodb-mcp-server@latest --transport http

By default, the server will listen on http://127.0.0.1:3000. You can customize the host and port using the --httpHost and --httpPort options:

npx -y mongodb-mcp-server@latest --transport http --httpHost=0.0.0.0 --httpPort=8080

• --httpHost (default: 127.0.0.1): The host to bind the HTTP server.
• --httpPort (default: 3000): The port number for the HTTP server.

Note: The default transport is stdio, which is suitable for integration with most MCP clients. Use http transport if you need to interact with the server over HTTP.

🛠️ 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
• export - Export query or aggregation results to EJSON format. Creates a uniquely named export accessible via the exported-data resource.

📄 Supported Resources

• config - Server configuration, supplied by the user either as environment variables or as startup arguments with sensitive parameters redacted. The resource can be accessed under URI config://config.
• debug - Debugging information for MongoDB connectivity issues. Tracks the last connectivity attempt and error information. The resource can be accessed under URI debug://mongodb.
• exported-data - A resource template to access the data exported using the export tool. The template can be accessed under URI exported-data://{exportName} where exportName is the unique name for an export generated by the export tool.

Configuration

🔒 Security Best Practice: We strongly recommend using environment variables for sensitive configuration such as API credentials (MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_ID, MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_SECRET) and connection strings (MDB_MCP_CONNECTION_STRING) instead of command-line arguments. Environment variables are not visible in process lists and provide better security for your sensitive data.

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

CLI Option	Environment Variable	Default	Description
apiClientId	MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_ID		Atlas API client ID for authentication. Required for running Atlas tools.
apiClientSecret	MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_SECRET		Atlas API client secret for authentication. Required for running Atlas tools.
connectionString	MDB_MCP_CONNECTION_STRING		MongoDB connection string for direct database connections. Optional, if not set, you'll need to call the connect tool before interacting with MongoDB data.
loggers	MDB_MCP_LOGGERS	disk,mcp	Comma separated values, possible values are mcp, disk and stderr. See Logger Options for details.
logPath	MDB_MCP_LOG_PATH	see note*	Folder to store logs.
disabledTools	MDB_MCP_DISABLED_TOOLS		An array of tool names, operation types, and/or categories of tools that will be disabled.
confirmationRequiredTools	MDB_MCP_CONFIRMATION_REQUIRED_TOOLS	create-access-list,create-db-user,drop-database,drop-collection,delete-many	An array of tool names that require user confirmation before execution. Requires the client to support elicitation.
readOnly	MDB_MCP_READ_ONLY	false	When set to true, only allows read, connect, and metadata operation types, disabling create/update/delete operations.
indexCheck	MDB_MCP_INDEX_CHECK	false	When set to true, enforces that query operations must use an index, rejecting queries that perform a collection scan.
telemetry	MDB_MCP_TELEMETRY	enabled	When set to disabled, disables telemetry collection.
transport	MDB_MCP_TRANSPORT	stdio	Either 'stdio' or 'http'.
httpPort	MDB_MCP_HTTP_PORT	3000	Port number.
httpHost	MDB_MCP_HTTP_HOST	127.0.0.1	Host to bind the http server.
idleTimeoutMs	MDB_MCP_IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS	600000	Idle timeout for a client to disconnect (only applies to http transport).
notificationTimeoutMs	MDB_MCP_NOTIFICATION_TIMEOUT_MS	540000	Notification timeout for a client to be aware of diconnect (only applies to http transport).
exportsPath	MDB_MCP_EXPORTS_PATH	see note*	Folder to store exported data files.
exportTimeoutMs	MDB_MCP_EXPORT_TIMEOUT_MS	300000	Time in milliseconds after which an export is considered expired and eligible for cleanup.
exportCleanupIntervalMs	MDB_MCP_EXPORT_CLEANUP_INTERVAL_MS	120000	Time in milliseconds between export cleanup cycles that remove expired export files.
atlasTemporaryDatabaseUserLifetimeMs	MDB_MCP_ATLAS_TEMPORARY_DATABASE_USER_LIFETIME_MS	14400000	Time in milliseconds that temporary database users created when connecting to MongoDB Atlas clusters will remain active before being automatically deleted.

Logger Options

The loggers configuration option controls where logs are sent. You can specify one or more logger types as a comma-separated list. The available options are:

• mcp: Sends logs to the MCP client (if supported by the client/transport).
• disk: Writes logs to disk files. Log files are stored in the log path (see logPath above).
• stderr: Outputs logs to standard error (stderr), useful for debugging or when running in containers.

Default: disk,mcp (logs are written to disk and sent to the MCP client).

You can combine multiple loggers, e.g. --loggers disk stderr or export MDB_MCP_LOGGERS="mcp,stderr".

Example: Set logger via environment variable

export MDB_MCP_LOGGERS="disk,stderr"

💡 Platform Note: For Windows users, see Environment Variables for platform-specific instructions.

Example: Set logger via command-line argument

npx -y mongodb-mcp-server@latest --loggers mcp stderr

Log File Location

When using the disk logger, log files are stored in:

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

You can override the log directory with the logPath option.

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.
• connect - Tools that allow you to connect or switch the connection to a MongoDB instance. If this is disabled, you will need to provide a connection string through the config when starting the server.

Require Confirmation

If your client supports elicitation, you can set the MongoDB MCP server to request user confirmation before executing certain tools.

When a tool is marked as requiring confirmation, the server will send an elicitation request to the client. The client with elicitation support will then prompt the user for confirmation and send the response back to the server. If the client does not support elicitation, the tool will execute without confirmation.

You can set the confirmationRequiredTools configuration option to specify the names of tools which require confirmation. By default, the following tools have this setting enabled: drop-database, drop-collection, delete-many, atlas-create-db-user, atlas-create-access-list.

Read-Only Mode

The readOnly configuration option allows you to restrict the MCP server to only use tools with "read", "connect", 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

💡 Platform Note: For Windows users, see Environment Variables for platform-specific instructions.

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

💡 Platform Note: For Windows users, see Environment Variables for platform-specific instructions.

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

Exports

The data exported by the export tool is temporarily stored in the configured exportsPath on the machine running the MCP server until cleaned up by the export cleanup process. If the exportsPath configuration is not provided, the following defaults are used:

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

The exportTimeoutMs configuration controls the time after which the exported data is considered expired and eligible for cleanup. By default, exports expire after 5 minutes (300000ms).

The exportCleanupIntervalMs configuration controls how frequently the cleanup process runs to remove expired export files. By default, cleanup runs every 2 minutes (120000ms).

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

💡 Platform Note: For Windows users, see Environment Variables for platform-specific instructions.

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:

Linux/macOS (bash/zsh):

# 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"

# Set log path
export MDB_MCP_LOG_PATH="/path/to/logs"

Windows Command Prompt (cmd):

set "MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_ID=your-atlas-service-accounts-client-id"
set "MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_SECRET=your-atlas-service-accounts-client-secret"

set "MDB_MCP_CONNECTION_STRING=mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster.mongodb.net/myDatabase"

set "MDB_MCP_LOG_PATH=C:\path\to\logs"

Windows PowerShell:

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

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

# Set log path
$env:MDB_MCP_LOG_PATH="C:\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:

🔒 Security Note: For sensitive configuration like API credentials and connection strings, use environment variables instead of command-line arguments.

# Set sensitive data as environment variable
export MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_ID="your-atlas-service-accounts-client-id"
export MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_SECRET="your-atlas-service-accounts-client-secret"
export MDB_MCP_CONNECTION_STRING="mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster.mongodb.net/myDatabase"

# Start the server with command line arguments
npx -y mongodb-mcp-server@latest --logPath=/path/to/logs --readOnly --indexCheck

💡 Platform Note: The examples above use Unix/Linux/macOS syntax. For Windows users, see Environment Variables for platform-specific instructions.

MCP configuration file examples

Connection String with command-line arguments

🔒 Security Note: We do not recommend passing connection string as command line argument. Connection string might contain credentials which can be visible in process lists and logged in various system locations, potentially exposing your credentials. Instead configure connection string through environment variables

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

Atlas API credentials with command-line arguments

🔒 Security Note: We do not recommend passing Atlas API credentials as command line argument. The provided credentials can be visible in process lists and logged in various system locations, potentially exposing your credentials. Instead configure Atlas API credentials through environment variables

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

Proxy Support

The MCP Server will detect typical PROXY environment variables and use them for connecting to the Atlas API, your MongoDB Cluster, or any other external calls to third-party services like OID Providers. The behaviour is the same as what mongosh does, so the same settings will work in the MCP Server.

🤝Contributing

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