Trello MCP Server

What is Trello MCP Server?

Trello MCP Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that bridges Trello with various AI assistants, including Claude Desktop and GitHub Copilot Chat. It allows users to interact with their Trello boards using natural language prompts through these AI clients.

How to Use Trello MCP Server

Prerequisites:

• Node.js 20+ (for local development) or Docker (for containerized deployment)
• A Trello account
• Trello API credentials (API Key and Token)

Installation:

1. Local Installation:

   • Clone the repository.
   • Install dependencies (npm install).
   • Build the TypeScript code (npm run build).

2. Docker Installation:

   • Clone the repository.
   • Build the Docker image (docker build -t trello-mcp-server .).

Configuration:

After installation, configure your AI assistant (e.g., Claude Desktop, VS Code with GitHub Copilot Chat) by adding the Trello MCP Server to its MCP server settings. This involves specifying the command to run the server (node for local, docker for containerized) and providing your Trello API Key and Token as environment variables.

Interaction:

Once configured, you can interact with your Trello boards using natural language prompts through your AI assistant. Examples include:

• "Show me all my Trello boards"
• "What cards are in my "Project Management" board?"
• "Create a new card called "Review documentation" in the "To Do" list"
• "Move the "Bug fix" card to the "In Progress" list"
• "Add a comment to the card saying "This needs urgent attention""
• "Archive the completed card "Setup database""

Key Features of Trello MCP Server

• Trello Integration: Seamlessly connects with Trello boards.
• AI Assistant Compatibility: Works with MCP-compatible AI assistants like Claude Desktop and GitHub Copilot Chat.
• Board Management: List boards, read board contents (lists and cards).
• Card Management: Create, move, add comments to, and archive cards.
• Resource Access: Exposes Trello boards as MCP resources for AI assistants.
• Docker Support: Easy deployment with Docker.
• Comprehensive Toolset: Provides tools for various Trello actions:
  • list_boards: List all open Trello boards.
  • read_board: Read lists and cards from a specific board.
  • create_list: Create a list.
  • create_card: Create a new card in a specific list.
  • move_card: Move a card to a different list.
  • add_comment: Add a comment to a card.
  • archive_card: Archive a card.
  • archive_list: Archive a list.
  • delete_board: Delete a board.
  • update_list_name: Update a list name.
  • update_card_name: Update a card name.

Use Cases of Trello MCP Server

• Voice-controlled Trello: Manage Trello boards using voice commands through AI assistants.
• Automated Trello Workflows: Integrate Trello actions into AI-driven automation scripts.
• Enhanced Productivity: Quickly perform Trello tasks without manually navigating the interface.
• Developer Tools Integration: Control Trello directly from development environments like VS Code.

Trello MCP Server FAQ

Q: How do I get my Trello API credentials? A: Go to https://trello.com/app-key to get your API Key and generate a Token.

Q: What should I do if the server is not connecting? A: Check your API Key and Token, verify the file path in your MCP configuration, ensure you've built the project, and try running the server independently first. Also, restart your MCP client after configuration changes.

Q: I'm encountering Docker-specific issues. What should I check? A: Ensure you've built the Docker image, that API key and token are passed correctly as arguments, and that Docker has the necessary permissions.

Q: Why am I getting an "Invalid Credentials" error? A: Double-check your Trello API Key and Token, ensure the token has the necessary permissions, and consider regenerating your token if it's expired.

Q: My tools are not working. What could be the problem? A: Verify board/card/list IDs, check write permissions to the Trello board, and look at console logs for detailed error messages.

Q: Is it safe to commit my API credentials to version control? A: No, never commit your API credentials to version control. Store them securely, use .env files, and add them to .gitignore.

Trello MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that connects Trello with AI assistants like Claude Desktop, GitHub Copilot Chat, and other MCP-compatible clients.

Features

• 📋 List all your Trello boards
• 🔍 Read board contents (lists and cards)
• ➕ Create new cards
• 🔄 Move cards between lists
• 💬 Add comments to cards
• 🗃️ Archive cards
• 🔗 Access boards as MCP resources
• 🐳 Docker support for easy deployment

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20+ installed (for local development)
• Docker (for containerized deployment)
• A Trello account
• Trello API credentials (API Key and Token)

Installation

Option 1: Local Installation

1. Clone this repository:

git clone https://github.com/lioarce01/trello-mcp-server.git
cd trello-mcp-server

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Build the TypeScript code:

npm run build

Option 2: Docker Installation

1. Clone this repository:

git clone https://github.com/lioarce01/trello-mcp-server.git
cd trello-mcp-server

2. Build the Docker image:

docker build -t trello-mcp-server .

Getting Trello API Credentials

1. Get your API Key:

   • Go to https://trello.com/app-key
   • Copy your API Key

2. Get your Token:

   • On the same page, click on "Token" link
   • Authorize the application and copy your Token

Configuration

For Claude Desktop

Local Installation

Add the server configuration to your Claude Desktop config file:

Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Linux: ~/.config/claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "trello-mcp": {
        "command": "node",
        "args": ["absolute/path/to/the/project/dist/index.js"],
        "env": {
          "TRELLO_API_KEY": "your_api_key",
          "TRELLO_TOKEN": "your_token",
          "TRELLO_BASE_URL": "https://api.trello.com/1"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Docker Configuration

For Docker deployment, add this configuration:

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "trello-mcp": {
        "command": "docker",
        "args": [
          "run",
          "--rm",
          "-i",
          "-e",
          "TRELLO_API_KEY=your_api_key",
          "-e",
          "TRELLO_TOKEN=your_token",
          "-e",
          "TRELLO_BASE_URL=https://api.trello.com/1",
          "trello-mcp-server"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

For VS Code with GitHub Copilot Chat

Local Installation

Add to your VS Code settings.json:

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "trello-mcp": {
        "command": "node",
        "args": ["absolute/path/to/the/project/dist/index.js"],
        "env": {
          "TRELLO_API_KEY": "your_api_key",
          "TRELLO_TOKEN": "your_token",
          "TRELLO_BASE_URL": "https://api.trello.com/1"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Docker Configuration

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "trello-mcp": {
        "command": "docker",
        "args": [
          "run",
          "--rm",
          "-i",
          "-e",
          "TRELLO_API_KEY=your_api_key",
          "-e",
          "TRELLO_TOKEN=your_token",
          "-e",
          "TRELLO_BASE_URL=https://api.trello.com/1",
          "trello-mcp-server"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Important:

• Replace absolute/path/to/the/project/dist/index.js with the actual absolute path to your compiled server file (local installation)
• Replace YOUR_TRELLO_API_KEY and YOUR_TRELLO_TOKEN with your actual Trello credentials

Docker Usage

Using Docker Run

# Build the image
docker build -t trello-mcp-server .

# Run with API key and token as arguments
docker run --rm -i --env-file .env trello-mcp-server

Local Testing

To test if your server works correctly:

1. Build the project:

npm run build

2. Run with credentials:

node dist/index.js

Docker Testing

1. Build and run with Docker:

docker build -t trello-mcp-server .
docker run --rm -i --env-file .env trello-mcp-server

2. You should see:

MCP server connected and ready.

Note: The server will wait for MCP client connections. To exit, press Ctrl+C.

Once configured, you can interact with your Trello boards through natural language:

List Boards

Show me all my Trello boards

Read Board Contents

What cards are in my "Project Management" board?

Create Cards

Create a new card called "Review documentation" in the "To Do" list

Move Cards

Move the "Bug fix" card to the "In Progress" list

Add Comments

Add a comment to the card saying "This needs urgent attention"

Archive Cards

Archive the completed card "Setup database"

Available Tools

Tool	Description	Parameters
list_boards	List all open Trello boards	None
read_board	Read lists and cards from a specific board	boardId
create_list	Create a list	boardId, name
create_card	Create a new card in a specific list	listId, name, desc (optional)
move_card	Move a card to a different list	cardId, listId
add_comment	Add a comment to a card	cardId, text
archive_card	Archive a card	cardId
archive_list	Archive a list	listId
delete_board	Delete a board	boardId
update_list_name	Update a list name	listId, name
update_card_name	Update a card name	cardId, name

Available Resources

The server exposes your Trello boards as MCP resources that can be read by AI assistants:

• Resource URI: board:{boardId}
• Content: JSON containing all lists and cards for the board

Development

Building

Local Development

npm run build

Docker Development

# Build Docker image
docker build -t trello-mcp-server .

Running in Development

Local Development

To run the server directly (for testing):

# With npm
npm run build
node dist/index.js

# With pnpm
pnpm run build
node dist/index.js

Docker Development

# Run with docker (pass credentials as arguments)
docker run --rm -i --env-file .env trello-mcp-server

Development Scripts

You can also create a development script in your package.json:

{
  "scripts": {
    "build": "tsc",
    "start": "node dist/index.js",
    "dev": "tsx ./src/index.ts",
    "docker:build": "docker build -t trello-mcp-server .",
    "docker:run": "docker run --rm -i --env-file .env trello-mcp-server"
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Server Not Connecting

1. Check credentials: Make sure you're passing API Key and Token as arguments
2. Verify file path: Ensure the path in your MCP configuration is correct (local installation)
3. Build first: Always run npm run build or docker build before testing
4. Test standalone: Try running the server independently first
5. Restart client: Restart your MCP client (Claude Desktop/VS Code) after config changes

Docker-Specific Issues

1. Image not found: Make sure you've built the Docker image first with docker build -t trello-mcp-server .
2. Arguments not passed: Ensure API key and token are passed as arguments after the image name
3. Permissions: Check that Docker has the necessary permissions to run containers

Invalid Credentials Error

• Double-check your Trello API Key and Token
• Ensure the token has the necessary permissions
• Try regenerating your token if it's expired
• Verify credentials are properly passed as arguments

Tools Not Working

• Verify the board/card/list IDs are correct
• Check that you have write permissions to the Trello board
• Look at the console logs for detailed error messages

Security Notes

• Never commit your API credentials to version control
• Store credentials securely and rotate them regularly
• Use .env files and add them to .gitignore
• The server only requires the permissions you grant via the Trello token
• Consider using environment variables for credentials in production
• Docker containers run with non-root user for security

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

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