RDL MCP Server

Most developer tooling work still happens through a UI a human drives. RDL MCP server moves it into the conversation instead. Edit SSRS reports using AI - simple tools to read and modify RDL files.

The short version

Edit SSRS reports using AI assistants instead of wrestling with 2000+ lines of XML. This Model Context Protocol (MCP) server gives Claude, Copilot, and other AI tools simple commands to read and modify RDL files.

• describe_rdl_report - Get report structure overview
• get_rdl_datasets - View datasets, fields, and stored procedures (supports field limiting and filtering)
• get_rdl_parameters - List all report parameters
• get_rdl_columns - See column headers, widths, and bindings
• update_column_header / update_column_width - Change columns
• add_column / remove_column - Add or remove columns

Getting it running

rdl-mcp on PyPI is all you need. Most clients run it directly, so configuration is a few lines and a restart.

The tools it exposes

The server publishes 3 tools. What each one is for:

• field_limit — 0 = counts only (default), -1 = all fields, N = limit to N fields
• field_pattern — Optional regex to filter field names
• footer_expression — Optional expression for footer/total row - e.g. "=Sum(Fields!Amount.Value)", "=Count(Fields!ID.Value)", "Total:", or leave empty

Things to watch

• It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
• Keep per-call confirmation enabled while you learn its behaviour; it is the cheapest safeguard you have.

How it compares

Plenty of developer tooling servers cover similar ground. The differences that matter in practice are scope of access and how much setup stands between you and a working tool call. RDL's toolset — field_limit, field_pattern, footer_expression — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by bethmaloney; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.