DataWorks MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides tools for AI, allowing it to interact with the DataWorks Open API through a standardized

Local serverstdio

What is the DataWorks MCP server?

Dataworks mcp server connects DataWorks to AI assistants that speak the Model Context Protocol. A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides tools for AI, allowing it to interact with the DataWorks Open API through a standardized interface. This implementation is based on the Aliyun Open API and enables AI agents to perform cloud resources operations seamlessly.

What DataWorks does

Want a ready-to-use AI experience for DataWorks without manual MCP setup?

The server implements the Model Context Protocol specification to standardize cloud resource interactions for AI agents.

Installing the dataworks mcp server

The server is distributed via npm as alibabacloud-dataworks-mcp-server, so most clients can run it without a manual build step. Add it to your MCP client's configuration and restart the client to pick it up — the copy-paste configs for Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor are on this page.

Configuration

Before the server will start you need to supply 5 environment variables: REGION, ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_ID, ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET, TOOL_CATEGORIES, TOOL_NAMES. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than committing them.

Requirements

  • Node.js (v16 or higher) * pnpm (recommended), npm, or yarn * DataWorks Open API with access key and secret key

Where it fits

Developer-tool servers are usually the first ones people connect, because they turn "help me with this code" into an assistant that can actually read the repo and act on it. DataWorks sits in that group. Worth comparing against the other developer tools servers in this directory before you commit to one, since several overlap in scope but differ sharply in setup cost and permissions.

Practical notes

  • This server runs locally, so it operates with whatever access your machine and its credentials already have. Scope that deliberately rather than by default.
  • It will not start until its required credentials are present, so set those before wondering why the tools never appear.
  • MCP clients ask for confirmation before each tool call by default. Keep that on while you learn what the dataworks mcp server actually does with your data.
  • Every entry in this directory is reviewed by hand before it goes live, and details are checked against the project's own documentation.

How to install the DataWorks MCP server

If you built from source (Option 2):
```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alibabacloud-dataworks-mcp-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/alibabacloud-dataworks-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "REGION": "your_dataworks_open_api_region_id_here",
        "ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_ID": "your_alibaba_cloud_access_key_id",
        "ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET": "your_alibaba_cloud_access_key_secret",
        "TOOL_CATEGORIES": "optional_your_tool_categories_here_ex_SERVER_IDE_DEFAULT",
        "TOOL_NAMES": "optional_your_tool_names_here_ex_ListProjects"
      },
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.

Configuration

  • Node.js (v16 or higher) * pnpm (recommended), npm, or yarn * DataWorks Open API with access key and secret key
VariableDescriptionRequired
REGIONConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_IDCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_SECRETCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
TOOL_CATEGORIESConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
TOOL_NAMESConfiguration value read at startup.Optional

Frequently asked questions

It connects DataWorks to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with DataWorks directly.