Metabase MCP Server

Official

Metabase ships its own MCP endpoint — search your BI content, build and run queries, and save questions and dashboards without leaving the chat.

Remote serverstreamable-httpClojure 48.5k

What is the Metabase MCP server?

Metabase MCP server is a hosted integration for AI assistants that speak the Model Context Protocol. Metabase's built-in MCP server exposes search, query construction, SQL execution and question or dashboard authoring over Streamable HTTP, scoped to the user's own permissions.

What you get

Metabase's built-in MCP server exposes search, query construction, SQL execution and question or dashboard authoring over Streamable HTTP, scoped to the user's own permissions.

Setting it up

Being a remote server, there is no local install. You register the endpoint with your client, authorise it once, and the tools appear.

What the assistant can call

Once Metabase is connected, these are the calls the assistant has available:

  • search — Find tables, metrics, cards, dashboards and collections by keyword or natural-language query
  • read_resource — Read up to five Metabase entities at once by metabase:// URI, covering database, schema, table, collection, question, dashboard, metric and transform
  • construct_query — Build a query against a table or metric and return an opaque query handle for later execution or saving
  • construct_native_query — Build a native SQL query for a database and return a handle intended for saving as a card; it does not execute the SQL
  • query — Query a table or metric directly, with continuation-token pagination
  • execute_query — Run a previously constructed query handle and return rows plus column metadata
  • execute_sql — Run raw SQL against a database, subject to native-query permission and the instance-level enable setting
  • execute_question — Run a saved question by id under the caller's permissions and return its rows and columns
  • create_question — Save a constructed query as a named question (card)
  • update_question — Patch a saved question — rename it, move it between collections, replace its query, or archive it
  • create_metric — Save a query with one aggregation as a reusable metric
  • update_metric — Patch, move or archive an existing metric

Configuration and credentials

A running Metabase instance whose version includes the built-in MCP handler, reachable over HTTPS, plus a Metabase login. Raw SQL execution additionally needs native-query permission and the mcp-execute-sql-enabled instance setting turned on.

Before you rely on it

  • Your data travels to the provider's service, so the usual questions apply about what you send and what they retain.
  • With 15 tools registered it takes up a noticeable share of the context window; turn it off in projects that never touch Metabase.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the metabase mcp server does with a few real requests.

Choosing this one

This sits in the database access group, where several servers overlap in what they claim to do but differ sharply once you actually set them up. Metabase's toolset — search, read_resource, construct_query and 12 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by Metabase rather than a third party, which usually means auth handling and breaking changes are dealt with faster.

This entry was verified against Metabase's own documentation before publication; SyncDev keeps the directory reviewed rather than auto-generated.

What you can do with it

Ad-hoc analytics without SQL

Ask a question in plain language, let the model find the right table or curated metric, construct the query and return rows — all inside your existing permission model.

Turning a good answer into shared content

Once an exploration lands somewhere useful, save it as a question and drop it onto a new dashboard so the rest of the team inherits the work.

Metadata archaeology

Walk databases, schemas and tables by URI to answer 'where does this number actually come from?' before anyone writes a query.

Read-only analytics assistant

Issue a token limited to search, resource read and query execution scopes so an agent can answer questions but cannot create, edit or archive anything.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
searchFind tables, metrics, cards, dashboards and collections by keyword or natural-language query.
read_resourceRead up to five Metabase entities at once by metabase:// URI, covering database, schema, table, collection, question, dashboard, metric and transform navigation.
construct_queryBuild a query against a table or metric and return an opaque query handle for later execution or saving.
construct_native_queryBuild a native SQL query for a database and return a handle intended for saving as a card; it does not execute the SQL.
queryQuery a table or metric directly, with continuation-token pagination.
execute_queryRun a previously constructed query handle and return rows plus column metadata.
execute_sqlRun raw SQL against a database, subject to native-query permission and the instance-level enable setting.
execute_questionRun a saved question by id under the caller's permissions and return its rows and columns.
create_questionSave a constructed query as a named question (card).
update_questionPatch a saved question — rename it, move it between collections, replace its query, or archive it.
create_metricSave a query with one aggregation as a reusable metric.
update_metricPatch, move or archive an existing metric.
create_dashboardCreate a dashboard, optionally pre-populated with saved questions auto-positioned on the grid.
update_dashboardUpdate dashboard name, description or collection, or archive it.
create_collectionCreate a collection, optionally nested under a parent collection.

How to install the Metabase MCP server

claude mcp add metabase https://your-metabase.example.com/api/metabase-mcp --transport streamable-http

Configuration

A running Metabase instance whose version includes the built-in MCP handler, reachable over HTTPS, plus a Metabase login. Raw SQL execution additionally needs native-query permission and the mcp-execute-sql-enabled instance setting turned on.

Example prompts to try

  • Find every dashboard that touches the subscriptions table and tell me which ones are stale.
  • What was weekly signup count by channel for the last quarter? Chart it and save it as a question in the Growth collection.
  • Explain what the 'Net Revenue' metric actually aggregates and which table it reads from.
  • Build me a dashboard with our three most-used revenue questions on it.

Frequently asked questions

No separate package. The MCP server is part of Metabase and is served from your own instance at /api/metabase-mcp. The older /api/mcp path still resolves as an alias for clients configured before the rename, but /api/metabase-mcp is the canonical URL. You only need a Metabase version new enough to include the handler and a client that speaks the Streamable HTTP transport.