Nhost

What Nhost MCP server does

Nhost MCP server is built into the Nhost CLI and gives MCP-compatible AI coding assistants access to selected Nhost development and project-management operations. Nhost is an open-source backend platform built around PostgreSQL, Hasura, authentication, storage, serverless functions, and a CLI for local development.

The MCP server is intended for assistants working with an Nhost application. It can expose the application's GraphQL schema, execute the queries and mutations permitted by the configuration, modify Nhost Cloud project settings, and search Nhost's documentation. When used with a local Nhost environment, it can also work with Hasura metadata, permissions, and database migrations.

How it works

The MCP server is distributed as part of the Nhost CLI rather than as a separate package. After installing the CLI and initializing an Nhost project, an MCP-compatible client can launch it with the CLI command nhost mcp start.

The available operations depend on the environment and access settings. Cloud projects support project configuration changes, while local development adds metadata, permission, and migration management. GraphQL access is limited to the queries and mutations allowed for the connected project.

Nhost documents a direct Claude Code configuration using:

claude mcp add nhost nhost mcp start

The same CLI-based server can be configured for other MCP clients, including Codex, Gemini CLI, and Cursor.

Setup and configuration

Install the Nhost CLI using Homebrew on macOS or Linux, the Nix package, or a package manager such as npm, pnpm, Yarn, or Bun. Then authenticate and create or initialize a project:

nhost login
nhost init
nhost up

Once the CLI environment is ready, add the MCP server to the coding assistant using that client's MCP configuration process. Nhost provides separate access settings for the MCP server and documentation for client-specific setup.

The hosted workflow starts with an Nhost account and project. Local development uses the CLI to run an environment that tracks database migrations and Hasura metadata. Nhost can also be self-hosted, since the platform is open source, but the MCP server's use in that deployment should be configured through the corresponding CLI environment.

Tools and capabilities

• Read an Nhost project's GraphQL schema.
• Run permitted GraphQL queries and mutations.
• Update Nhost Cloud project configuration.
• Search Nhost documentation from an AI assistant.
• Manage Hasura metadata in local development.
• Work with local permissions and database migrations.

Limitations and notes

The server operates through the Nhost CLI, so the CLI must be installed and the relevant Nhost project environment must be available. GraphQL operations are constrained by the queries and mutations allowed for the project. Cloud configuration management and local metadata, permission, and migration operations apply to different development contexts. Nhost identifies the repository and most related open-source projects as MIT licensed.