Neon MCP Server
Neon MCP Server is an open-source tool that lets you interact with your Lakebase Postgres databases on Neon in natural language.
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a standardized protocol designed to manage context between large language models (LLMs) and external systems. This repository provides a remote MCP Server for Neon.
Neon's MCP server acts as a bridge between natural language requests and the Neon API. Built upon MCP, it translates your requests into the necessary API calls, enabling you to manage tasks such as creating projects and branches, running queries, and performing database migrations seamlessly.
Some of the key features of the Neon MCP server include:
- Natural language interaction: Manage Neon databases using intuitive, conversational commands.
- Simplified database management: Perform complex actions without writing SQL or directly using the Neon API.
- Accessibility for non-developers: Empower users with varying technical backgrounds to interact with Neon databases.
- Database migration support: Leverage Neon's branching capabilities for database schema changes initiated via natural language.
For example, in Claude Code, or any MCP Client, you can use natural language to accomplish things with Neon, such as:
Let's create a new Postgres database, and call it "my-database". Let's then create a table called users with the following columns: id, name, email, and password.I want to run a migration on my project called "my-project" that alters the users table to add a new column called "created_at".Can you give me a summary of all of my Neon projects and what data is in each one?
[!WARNING]
Neon MCP Server Security Considerations
The Neon MCP Server grants powerful database management capabilities through natural language requests. Always review and authorize actions requested by the LLM before execution. Ensure that only authorized users and applications have access to the Neon MCP Server.
The Neon MCP Server is intended for local development and IDE integrations only. We do not recommend using the Neon MCP Server in production environments. It can execute powerful operations that may lead to accidental or unauthorized changes.
For more information, see MCP security guidance →.
Setting up Neon MCP Server
There are a few options for setting up the Neon MCP Server:
- Quick Setup with API Key (Cursor, VS Code, and Claude Code): Run
neon@latest init to automatically configure Neon's MCP Server, agent skills, and VS Code extension with one command.
- Remote MCP Server (OAuth Based Authentication): Connect to Neon's managed MCP server using OAuth for authentication. This method is more convenient as it eliminates the need to manage API keys. Additionally, you will automatically receive the latest features and improvements as soon as they are released.
- Remote MCP Server (API Key Based Authentication): Connect to Neon's managed MCP server using API key for authentication. This method is useful if you want to connect a remote agent to Neon where OAuth is not available. Additionally, you will automatically receive the latest features and improvements as soon as they are released.
Prerequisites
- An MCP Client application.
- A Neon account.
- Node.js (>= v18.0.0): Download from nodejs.org.
- If IP Allow is enabled, add
34.192.103.46 and 23.22.233.166 to your allowlist (mcp.neon.tech static IPs).
For development, you'll need Node.js 22+ (pnpm is provided via Corepack — run corepack enable to activate it).
Option 1. Quick Setup with API Key
Don't want to manually create an API key?
Run neon@latest init to automatically configure Neon's MCP Server with one command:
npx neon@latest init
This works with Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), and Claude Code. It will authenticate via OAuth, create a Neon API key for you, and configure your editor automatically.
Option 2. Remote Hosted MCP Server (OAuth Based Authentication)
Connect to Neon's managed MCP server using OAuth for authentication. This is the easiest setup, requires no local installation of this server, and doesn't need a Neon API key configured in the client.
Run the following command to add the Neon MCP Server for all detected agents and editors in your workspace:
npx add-mcp "https://mcp.neon.tech/mcp?category=projects&category=branches&category=endpoints&category=querying&category=schema"
That URL publishes projects, branches, compute endpoints, querying, and schema. Preview it with /api/list-tools?category=projects&category=branches&category=endpoints&category=querying&category=schema. The unfiltered URL publishes every category:
npx add-mcp https://mcp.neon.tech/mcp
Add the -g flag to add the Neon MCP Server to the global MCP server list instead of project-scoped.
Alternatively, you can add the following "Neon" entry to your client's MCP server configuration file (e.g., mcp.json, mcp_config.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"Neon": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.neon.tech/mcp?category=projects&category=branches&category=endpoints&category=querying&category=schema"
}
}
}
Kiro: Add the following to your Kiro MCP config file (~/.kiro/settings/mcp.json for global, or .kiro/settings/mcp.json for project-scoped):
{
"mcpServers": {
"Neon": {
"url": "https://mcp.neon.tech/mcp?category=projects&category=branches&category=endpoints&category=querying&category=schema"
}
}
}
Or use the one-click install button at the top of this README. For more information, see the Kiro MCP documentation.
- Restart or refresh your MCP client.
- An OAuth window will open in your browser. Follow the prompts to authorize your MCP client to access your Neon account.
With OAuth-based authentication, the MCP server will, by default, operate on projects under your personal Neon account. To access or manage projects that belong to an organization, you must explicitly provide either the org_id or the project_id in your prompt to MCP client.
Option 3. Remote Hosted MCP Server (API Key Based Authentication)
Remote MCP Server also supports authentication using an API key in the Authorization header if your client supports it.
Create a Neon API key in the Neon Console. Next, run the following command to add the Neon MCP Server for all detected agents and editors in your workspace:
npx add-mcp "https://mcp.neon.tech/mcp?category=projects&category=branches&category=endpoints&category=querying&category=schema" --header "Authorization: Bearer <$NEON_API_KEY>"
Alternatively, you can add the following "Neon" entry to your client's MCP server configuration file (e.g., mcp.json, mcp_config.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"Neon": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.neon.tech/mcp?category=projects&category=branches&category=endpoints&category=querying&category=schema",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer <$NEON_API_KEY>"
}
}
}
}
Provide an organization's API key to limit access to projects under the organization only.
Scopes and Read-Only Mode
Neon MCP advertises OAuth scopes read and write. Your MCP client can request these, or you can make the selection in the OAuth permissions UI. * is treated as write if a client still sends it.
Read-only mode restricts which tools are available, disabling write operations like creating projects, branches, or running migrations. Read-only tools include listing projects, describing schemas, querying data, and viewing performance metrics.
You can set read-only mode in two ways:
- Default MCP URL (editable consent): Connect with
https://mcp.neon.tech/mcp and uncheck Allow writes on the authorization page. You can also choose one project, a Postgres role for SQL, and a subset of tool categories there.
- Parameterized MCP URL (fixed consent): Put
readonly, projectId, category, and/or roleName on the MCP server URL. The authorization page confirms that grant and does not offer editors. Change the URL and authorize again to change the grant.
{
"mcpServers": {
"Neon": {
"url": "https://mcp.neon.tech/mcp?readonly=true"
}
}
}
How the query param behaves:
- API key flow:
readonly=true is the way to enable read-only mode (there is no OAuth scope exchange in this flow). URL changes apply on the next request.
- OAuth flow:
projectId, category, readonly, and roleName on the MCP URL are a fixed grant confirmed at authorization. readonly=true cannot be widened to writes on that page. After a token is issued, changing the URL does not widen that token; authorize again.
For OAuth registration, x-read-only is an initial Allow-writes default on editable consent. It does not lock confirmation, and it does not reduce a parameterized URL that includes readonly=false. API-key requests still honor x-read-only per request, below the readonly query param.
Note: Read-only mode restricts which tools are available. run_sql stays available and runs each query in a READ ONLY transaction. run_sql_transaction is not available; run each statement with run_sql. Those calls run separately and do not share a transaction. For transaction semantics, use a connection with writes allowed.
URL Query Params for Access Control
Grant context (scope categories, project scoping, read-only mode, pinned Postgres role) is configured via URL query params on the MCP server URL. API-key requests apply those params on each request. OAuth tokens store the grant confirmed or edited at authorization.
| Param | Description | Example |
|---|
readonly | Enable read-only mode (true/false) | ?readonly=true |
category | Restrict to specific tool categories (repeated or CSV) | ?category=querying&category=schema |
projectId | Scope all operations to a single project | ?projectId=proj-123 |
roleName | Run all SQL as this Postgres role instead of the owner | ?roleName=app_reader |
Read-only + project-scoped example:
{
"mcpServers": {
"Neon": {
"url": "https://mcp.neon.tech/mcp?readonly=true&projectId=my-project-id"
}
}
}
Category-filtered example (only querying and schema tools):
{
"mcpServers": {
"Neon": {
"url": "https://mcp.neon.tech/mcp?category=querying&category=schema"
}
}
}
Pinned Postgres role example (read-only, one project, SQL as app_reader):
{
"mcpServers": {
"Neon": {
"url": "https://mcp.neon.tech/mcp?readonly=true&projectId=my-project-id&roleName=app_reader"
}
}
}
roleName pins the Postgres login role for the whole connection. Every SQL the server runs for you (run_sql, run_sql_transaction, explain_sql_statement, get_database_tables, describe_table_schema, describe_branch, list_slow_queries, inspect_database, and the SQL inside migrations and query tuning) logs in as that role, so Postgres grants decide what the agent can read or change. Without it, SQL runs as the database owner. Read-only mode still wraps queries in a READ ONLY transaction; the pinned role adds a limit that Postgres enforces on the login itself, so SQL that gets out of the transaction still has only the role's privileges.
- The server resolves the role's credentials internally and never returns them.
get_connection_string is not available on a pinned connection.
- A
role_name tool argument that differs from the pinned role is rejected. Omitting it uses the pinned role, never the owner.
- If the role does not exist or cannot log in (for example
ALTER ROLE … NOLOGIN), the call fails before any SQL runs. It does not retry as another role.
- The value must be one exact Postgres role name: letters, digits,
_ or $, starting with a letter or _, at most 63 characters. Anything else (empty, repeated, quoted, hyphenated) is rejected with 400, not ignored.
- The role must be able to log in (
LOGIN) and must exist on each branch you query. Roles created in SQL (CREATE ROLE app_reader LOGIN PASSWORD '…') work, as do roles created in the Neon Console or API. A role with the privileges it needs, and no more, is what makes the pin useful: for read-only agents, grant SELECT on the tables they should see and do not add it to neon_superuser.
- OAuth:
roleName on the MCP URL makes a fixed grant. The authorization page shows the role, and the issued token keeps it through refresh. Changing the URL later does not change the token; authorize again. With the default URL (editable consent), enter the role in the optional Postgres role field instead; leave it empty to keep the database owner. Tokens issued before this option have no pinned role and behave as before.
- API key: the role is read from the URL on each request. Anyone who can edit the connection URL and holds the API key can change or remove it, so keep the URL in configuration the agent does not control.
- The pin applies to SQL connections only. Management API tools still act with the API key or OAuth token's own access;
compare_database_schema, for example, is computed by the Neon API and is not limited by the role's grants. Combine roleName with readonly=true and category to limit those tools too.
You can preview which tools are visible for any configuration using the /api/list-tools endpoint (no auth required):
curl "https://mcp.neon.tech/api/list-tools?readonly=true&category=querying"
Host tools: list_organizations, describe_branch, run_sql, get_database_tables, describe_table_schema, list_slow_queries, explain_sql_statement, inspect_database, get_neon_auth_config, search, fetch, search_docs, get_doc, send_feedback.
Generated Management API tools that are GET and do not return secrets, plus query_logs (POST, read-only). Preview the exact set with /api/list-tools?readonly=true.
Tools requiring write access:
- Generated Management API writes (
create_project, create_branch, delete_project, …)
get_connection_string (the connection string carries a privileged role password, so it is withheld in read-only mode; copy it from the Neon Console instead)run_sql_transaction (its statements run in one session, so a COMMIT or SET TRANSACTION READ WRITE statement would end the read-only transaction)prepare_database_migration, complete_database_migrationprepare_query_tuning, complete_query_tuning
Server-Sent Events (SSE) Transport (Deprecated)
MCP supports two remote server transports: the deprecated Server-Sent Events (SSE) and the newer, recommended Streamable HTTP. If your LLM client doesn't support Streamable HTTP yet, you can switch the endpoint from https://mcp.neon.tech/mcp to https://mcp.neon.tech/sse to use SSE instead.
Run the following command to add the Neon MCP Server for all detected agents and editors in your workspace using the SSE transport:
npx add-mcp https://mcp.neon.tech/sse --type sse
Remote Server Architecture
The remote server runs as a Next.js App Router application on Vercel at mcp.neon.tech.
[!NOTE]
The root / path redirects to Neon MCP Server docs. There is no landing page.
Core implementation areas:
app/api/[transport]/route.ts: MCP transport endpoint for Streamable HTTP (/mcp) and SSE (/sse)app/api/authorize/, app/callback/, app/api/token/, app/api/revoke/: OAuth flow endpointsapp/.well-known/: OAuth discovery metadata endpointsmcp/: MCP server, tools, handlers, analytics, and Sentry integrationlib/: Next.js-compatible helpers (OAuth, configuration, error handling)mcp/utils/read-only.ts: read-only mode and scope handling
Guides
Features
Supported Tools
The Neon MCP Server provides the following actions, which are exposed as "tools" to MCP Clients. You can use these tools to interact with your Neon projects and databases using natural language commands.
Tool Scope Metadata
Each tool definition includes a scope category used for grant-based tool filtering and consent UX. Current categories are:
projectsbranchesendpointssnapshotsschemaqueryingneon_authdata_apiobservabilitydocsfunctionsstoragerealtimenull (tools without a scope category: search, fetch, send_feedback)
Notes:
- Management API tools come from
@neon/tools. Selectors are SDK paths (projects.list); published MCP names are verb-first (list_projects, delete_project, query_logs). Historical names stay where they already existed (describe_project, create_branch, reset_from_parent, compare_database_schema, provision_neon_auth, provision_neon_data_api, list_branch_computes).
?category=branches includes branch, role, and database tools (list_postgres_roles, create_postgres_database, …). A token already issued for branches gains those writes. Compute listing is ?category=endpoints. Snapshot restore is ?category=snapshots.- Project member and permission writes are not published.
list_project_members and list_project_permissions are reads.
- Schema tools (
?category=schema) are the host tools get_database_tables and describe_table_schema, plus generated compare_database_schema.
- Read-only enforcement still relies on
readOnlySafe and server-side read-only logic; scope is category metadata, not a standalone read/write switch.
- In project-scoped mode (
?projectId=...), tools without a project path (list_projects, create_project, list_organizations, list_regions, search, fetch, …) are hidden. delete_project is also hidden.
Project Management:
list_projects: Lists Neon projects. limit caps how many items come back.describe_project: Fetches a Neon project by id ({ "project_id": "…" }).create_project: Creates a Neon project and waits for the default compute. Does not return a connection string. Arguments are { "name": "…", "org_id": "…", "region_id": "…" }. Call get_connection_string after it succeeds.delete_project: Deletes an existing Neon project. Arguments are { "project_id": "…" }.list_organizations: Lists all organizations that the current user has access to. Optionally filter by organization name or ID using the search parameter.
Branch Management:
list_branches: Lists branches in a project. Use it to resolve a branch name to a br-… id.list_credentials, create_credential, revoke_credential, rotate_credential: Branch-scoped credentials for Object Storage and the AI Gateway. reveal is not a tool; rotation replaces secrets in place and is not idempotent.create_branch: Creates a branch with a read-write compute and waits until it is ready. Does not return a connection string. Arguments are { "project_id": "…", "name": "feature-x" }. Pass no_compute: true to skip the endpoint. Call get_connection_string after it succeeds.reset_from_parent: Resets a branch to its parent's current HEAD ({ "project_id": "…", "branch_id": "br-…" }). Discards writes since the branch diverged. preserve_under_name is required when the branch has children; those children move to the new branch. Parent HEAD only; point-in-time restore is restore_snapshot.delete_branch: Deletes a branch ({ "project_id": "…", "branch_id": "br-…" }).describe_branch: Retrieves a tree of databases, schemas, tables, views, and functions on a branch.- Generated branch tools take
branch_id as a branch id (br-...), not a name.
restore_snapshot: Restores a snapshot. Pass target_branch_id to restore onto an existing branch; omit it to create a new one.
Compute endpoints (?category=endpoints):
list_postgres_endpoints, list_branch_computes, get_postgres_endpoint, create_postgres_endpoint, update_postgres_endpoint, delete_postgres_endpoint, start_postgres_endpoint, suspend_postgres_endpoint, restart_postgres_endpoint
Snapshots (?category=snapshots):
list_snapshots, get_snapshot_schedule, set_snapshot_schedule, create_snapshot, update_snapshot, delete_snapshot, restore_snapshot
Schema (?category=schema):
get_database_tables, describe_table_schemacompare_database_schema: SQL schema diff of one database against another branch. database_name is required. Omitting base_branch_id compares against the parent. Optional lsn, timestamp, base_lsn, base_timestamp are point-in-time only.
SQL Query Execution:
get_connection_string: Returns your database connection string.run_sql: Executes a single SQL query against a specified Neon database. Supports both read and write operations. Optional role_name logs in as that Postgres role instead of the database owner, and compute_id picks the compute; credentials stay on the server. On a connection with ?roleName=, role_name must be omitted or match it.run_sql_transaction: Executes a series of SQL queries within a single transaction against a Neon database. Takes the same optional role_name and compute_id as run_sql.get_database_tables: Lists all tables within a specified Neon database.describe_table_schema: Retrieves the schema definition of a specific table, detailing columns, data types, and constraints.
Database Migrations (Schema Changes):
prepare_database_migration: Initiates a database migration process. Critically, it creates a temporary branch to apply and test the migration safely before affecting the main branch.complete_database_migration: Finalizes and applies a prepared database migration to the main branch. This action merges changes from the temporary migration branch and cleans up temporary resources.
SQL Querying and Optimization:
inspect_database: Runs one of 15 predefined read-only Postgres diagnostics against a branch — relation and index sizes, index and sequential-scan usage, active queries and locks, the heaviest and most frequent queries, cache hit rate and working-set size, autovacuum and bloat estimates, and replication state. Same checks as the neon inspect db CLI command. Omit database_name to cover every database on the branch; pass a name to inspect one. Four of them need the pg_stat_statements or neon extension.list_slow_queries: Identifies performance bottlenecks by finding the slowest queries in a database. Requires the pg_stat_statements extension.explain_sql_statement: Provides detailed execution plans for SQL queries to help identify performance bottlenecks.prepare_query_tuning: Analyzes query performance and suggests optimizations, like index creation. Creates a temporary branch for safely testing these optimizations.complete_query_tuning: Finalizes query tuning by either applying optimizations to the main branch or discarding them. Cleans up the temporary tuning branch.
Neon Auth (?category=neon_auth):
provision_neon_auth, get_auth, disable_auth, update_auth_configget_neon_auth_config: host tool; secrets redacted. Use generated Auth write tools to change settings.list_auth_oauth_providers, add_auth_oauth_provider, update_auth_oauth_provider, delete_auth_oauth_providerlist_auth_trusted_domains, add_auth_trusted_domain, delete_auth_trusted_domaincreate_auth_user, delete_auth_user, update_auth_user_role
Neon Data API (?category=data_api):
provision_neon_data_api, get_data_api, update_data_api, delete_data_api: Manage the Data API for a branch database.
Search and Discovery:
search: Searches across organizations, projects, and branches matching a query. Returns IDs, titles, and direct links to the Neon Console.fetch: Fetches detailed information about a specific organization, project, or branch using an ID (typically from the search tool).
Feedback (always available, including the no-login ?category=docs endpoint):
send_feedback: Sends anonymous feedback to the Neon team. Only the feedback text is sent, with no account, project, or connection details. Messages are limited to 10,000 characters.
Observability (?category=observability): these tools require the Neon Platform Beta and are currently only available for projects in the aws-us-east-2 region. A branch without logs access returns HTTP 404 with reason telemetry_not_enabled.
query_logs: Queries OpenTelemetry logs for a branch. POST in the Management API; treated as read-only by this server.list_log_fields: Lists the log fields you can enumerate values for on a branch.list_log_field_values: Lists the distinct values of a log field within a branch and time window.
Documentation and Resources (?category=docs):
search_docs: Searches neon.com (docs, API reference, PostgreSQL tutorial, guides, FAQs, changelog, and blog) with the same search as the neon.com search box. Takes query, optional categories (docs, api, postgresql, guides, faqs, blog, changelog), and optional limit (1-40, default 10). Returns ranked pages with title, url, slug, category, breadcrumb, heading, and excerpt; pass slug to get_doc to read the page.get_doc: Fetches one neon.com page as markdown. Takes slug from a search_docs hit (for example docs/guides/prisma or postgresql/tutorial/inner-join).
Functions (?category=functions):
list_functions, get_function, update_function, delete_function, deploy_functionlist_functions_custom_domains, register_functions_custom_domain, delete_functions_custom_domainlist_triggers, get_trigger, create_trigger, update_trigger, delete_trigger: Scheduled function triggers (type: "schedule", five-field UTC cron).
Storage (?category=storage):
list_storage_buckets, create_storage_bucket, delete_storage_bucketlist_storage_objects, delete_storage_object, delete_storage_objects_by_prefixpresign_storage_object, get_storage
Realtime (?category=realtime):
get_realtime, enable_realtime, disable_realtime: Branch Realtime state, enable (optional allowed_origins), and disable. Enable and disable wait until the change is applied.get_realtime_secret: The shared secret the application backend issues Realtime tokens with. Not available in read-only mode.rotate_realtime_secret: Replaces the shared secret and waits until the change is applied. Not idempotent. Call get_realtime_secret afterwards for the new value.
Migrations
Migrations are a way to manage changes to your database schema over time. With the Neon MCP server, LLMs are empowered to do migrations safely with separate "Start" (prepare_database_migration) and "Commit" (complete_database_migration) commands.
The "Start" command accepts a migration and runs it in a new temporary branch. Upon returning, this command hints to the LLM that it should test the migration on this branch. The LLM can then run the "Commit" command to apply the migration to the original branch.
Development
This project uses pnpm as the package manager, pinned via Corepack.
Project Structure
The MCP server code lives at the repository root, a Next.js application deployed to Vercel at mcp.neon.tech.
corepack enable
pnpm install
See CONTRIBUTING.md for how to add tools. Tool arguments are snake_case.
Local Development
# Start the Next.js dev server (for the remote MCP server)
pnpm dev
Linting and Type Checking
pnpm lint
pnpm typecheck
Environment Variables
Required for remote server runtime:
| Variable | Description |
|---|
SERVER_HOST | Server URL (defaults to VERCEL_URL) |
UPSTREAM_OAUTH_HOST | Neon OAuth provider URL |
CLIENT_ID | OAuth client ID |
CLIENT_SECRET | OAuth client secret |
KV_URL | Vercel KV (Upstash Redis) URL |
OAUTH_DATABASE_URL | Postgres URL for token storage |
Optional:
| Variable | Description |
|---|
LOG_LEVEL | Winston log level: error, warn, info (default), debug, verbose, silly |
NEON_MCP_DISABLE_ANALYTICS | Set to 1 to disable product analytics |
Testing Pyramid
All tests run from the repository root.
# Unit tests
pnpm test:unit
# Integration tests
pnpm test:integration
# MCP protocol end-to-end tests (real MCP client/server tool calls)
pnpm test:e2e:mcp
# Website end-to-end tests (Playwright; provisions/validates ephemeral DB first)
pnpm test:e2e:web
# Full end-to-end suite
pnpm test:e2e
# Full test pyramid (unit + integration + e2e; used in CI)
pnpm test
Testing strategy:
- Prefer E2E for transport/protocol and user-visible behavior.
- Use integration tests for deterministic tool contracts and workflow behavior.
- Use unit tests for pure logic and edge cases.
- Avoid relying on third-party uptime in merge-gating tests; mock external dependencies in integration/unit tiers.
Deployment
Vercel deploys the remote server automatically from the repository branch configuration. Preview environments are available for pull requests.
Telemetry
The Neon MCP server collects product analytics and error reports to help us understand usage and improve reliability:
- Product analytics (Segment): when you connect with an authenticated account, the server sends an
identify event with your Neon account ID, name, and email address. It also tracks session start (server_init), each tool call (tool_call), and unexpected server errors (server_error). A tool-call event includes the tool name, auth method, and client, not the tool arguments or query results. Docs-only tool calls without an account are tracked anonymously. Events go to track.neon.tech, Neon's own analytics endpoint.
- Error reporting (Sentry): unexpected server errors are reported with stack traces and request context.
This collection is covered by the Neon Privacy Policy. To disable analytics when running the server yourself, set NEON_MCP_DISABLE_ANALYTICS=1. That flag does not disable Sentry.