# @serdnaley/metabase-mcp [Health: Active]

**Category:** 💻 Developer Tools  
**Repository:** https://github.com/Serdnaley/metabase-mcp  
**GitHub Stars:** 0  
**npm Downloads (last month):** 170637  
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**Directory Page:** https://allmcps.com/mcp/serdnaley-metabase-mcp

## Description
Headless MCP server for Metabase: API-key auth (no OAuth), stdio or HTTP, 178 tools with toolsets, works on every Metabase tier

## Claude Desktop Quick Installation
Install path detected from listing signals. Uses `npx` (confidence: high):

```json
"mcpServers": {
  "metabase-mcp": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y","@serdnaley/metabase-mcp"],
    "env": {
      "METABASE_URL": "",
      "METABASE_API_KEY": "",
      "METABASE_EMAIL": "",
      "METABASE_PASSWORD": ""
    }
  }
}
```

**Requires environment variables:** `METABASE_URL`, `METABASE_API_KEY`, `METABASE_EMAIL`, `METABASE_PASSWORD` — the values above are empty placeholders; fill in real credentials before running (see the repository for what each one is for).

## Documentation

## What @serdnaley/metabase-mcp does

@serdnaley/metabase-mcp exposes Metabase functionality through the Model Context Protocol. It supports both analytics and administration, with 187 tools organized into 34 toolsets. These cover searching, databases, tables, saved questions, dashboards, collections, actions, datasets, users, groups, permissions, segments, settings, alerts, subscriptions, glossary content, documents, snippets, caching, persistence, uploads, metrics, measures, transforms, exports, embedding, tasks, logs, and explorations.

The server is intended for headless environments as well as local desktop use. Authentication can use a Metabase API key or a session created from an email address and password. It works with Metabase OSS and paid editions, while paid-only capabilities depend on the features enabled by the connected instance.

## How it works

Run the package through `npx` in stdio mode for a local MCP client, or start it in Streamable HTTP mode for a shared or server deployment. In HTTP mode, clients authenticate with a bearer token. Metabase credentials remain with the MCP server rather than being passed through each client interaction.

Toolsets can be selected with an environment variable, and individual tools can be added or excluded using names or glob patterns. Every tool includes read-only, destructive, and idempotent hints where applicable, allowing compatible clients to distinguish safer reads from operations that change data or configuration.

Query output is controlled with row and response-size limits, and query results can be compacted and paged. Resources and prompts are also available for browsing databases, cards, dashboards, and collections and for using prepared workflows.

## Setup and configuration

The minimum connection settings are `METABASE_URL` plus either `METABASE_API_KEY` or both `METABASE_EMAIL` and `METABASE_PASSWORD`. The API key route is recommended for headless operation. Local clients can launch the package with `npx -y @serdnaley/metabase-mcp` and pass these values as environment variables.

Set `MCP_TRANSPORT=http` or use the HTTP command-line option for a service deployment. `MCP_HTTP_HOST` and `MCP_HTTP_PORT` control the bind address and port; the default is loopback on port 3333. HTTP deployments use `MCP_HTTP_TOKEN`, which must be at least 16 characters. Running without HTTP authentication is available only when explicitly enabled on a loopback host.

`METABASE_READ_ONLY_MODE=true` hides write tools. `METABASE_TOOLSETS` selects toolsets or presets, while `METABASE_TOOLS_ENABLE` and `METABASE_TOOLS_DISABLE` refine the selection. `METABASE_MAX_ROWS` and `METABASE_MAX_RESPONSE_CHARS` limit output size. Additional request headers can be supplied as a JSON object through `METABASE_CUSTOM_HEADERS`, which is useful when a proxy requires its own headers.

## Tools and capabilities

- Query Metabase data and inspect databases, tables, cards, dashboards, and collections.
- Manage users, groups, permissions, settings, database connections, transforms, alerts, subscriptions, and other administrative resources.
- Create or operate on exports, actions, uploads, metrics, measures, snippets, embedding settings, and persistence features where the Metabase instance supports them.
- Load only selected toolsets and annotate tools for safer client approval behavior.
- Browse supported Metabase resources through MCP resources and use included prompts for common workflows.

## Limitations and notes

Compatibility is tested against Metabase 0.59 and 0.64. Features tied to paid Metabase editions require those features to be available on the target instance. HTTP clients must support Streamable HTTP and send the configured bearer token unless unauthenticated loopback mode is enabled. Write operations remain available unless read-only mode or tool filtering removes them, so deployments should choose credentials and enabled tools according to the intended level of access.

_Full upstream README: https://allmcps.com/mcp/serdnaley-metabase-mcp/readme_