Trello MCP Server

Integrates Trello boards with the Model Context Protocol, enabling interaction with cards, lists, and board activities.

Local serverstdioTypeScript

What is the Trello MCP server?

Trello MCP server exists for a simple reason — assistants are far more useful when they can act on Trello directly instead of describing what you should do. Integrates Trello boards with the Model Context Protocol, enabling interaction with cards, lists, and board activities.

What you get

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides tools for interacting with Trello boards. This server enables seamless integration with Trello's API while handling rate limiting, type safety, and error handling automatically.

  • Full Trello Board Integration — Interact with cards, lists, and board activities
  • Built-in Rate Limiting — Respects Trello's API limits (300 requests/10s per API key, 100 requests/10s per token)
  • Type-Safe Implementation — Written in TypeScript with comprehensive type definitions
  • Input Validation — Robust validation for all API inputs
  • Error Handling — Graceful error handling with informative messages

What the assistant can call

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

  • get_cards_by_list_id — The get_cards_by_list_id tool exposed by this server
  • get_lists — The get_lists tool exposed by this server
  • get_recent_activity — The get_recent_activity tool exposed by this server
  • add_card_to_list — The add_card_to_list tool exposed by this server
  • update_card_details — The update_card_details tool exposed by this server
  • archive_card — The archive_card tool exposed by this server
  • add_list_to_board — The add_list_to_board tool exposed by this server
  • archive_list — The archive_list tool exposed by this server
  • get_my_cards — The get_my_cards tool exposed by this server
  • Prerequisites — The Prerequisites tool exposed by this server
  • Setup — 1. Clone the repository bash git clone https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/server-trello.git cd server-trello

Setting it up

@modelcontextprotocol/mcp-server-trello on npm is all you need. Most clients run it directly, so configuration is a few lines and a restart.

Configuration and credentials

You will need 3 environment variables: TRELLO_API_KEY, TRELLO_TOKEN, TRELLO_BOARD_ID. The server will not start without them, which is usually why the tools fail to appear on a first run. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.

  • Node.js 16 or higher - npm or yarn

Choosing this one

Plenty of planning and project tracking 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. Trello's toolset — get_cards_by_list_id, get_lists, get_recent_activity and 8 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by diegofornalha; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

We check each listing at SyncDev against the project's documentation before it goes live — if something here drifts out of date, it is a bug worth reporting.

Before you rely on it

  • 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.
  • With 11 tools registered it takes up a noticeable share of the context window; turn it off in projects that never touch Trello.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the trello mcp server does with a few real requests.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
get_cards_by_list_idThe get_cards_by_list_id tool exposed by this server.
get_listsThe get_lists tool exposed by this server.
get_recent_activityThe get_recent_activity tool exposed by this server.
add_card_to_listThe add_card_to_list tool exposed by this server.
update_card_detailsThe update_card_details tool exposed by this server.
archive_cardThe archive_card tool exposed by this server.
add_list_to_boardThe add_list_to_board tool exposed by this server.
archive_listThe archive_list tool exposed by this server.
get_my_cardsThe get_my_cards tool exposed by this server.
PrerequisitesThe Prerequisites tool exposed by this server.
Setup1. Clone the repository bash git clone https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/server-trello.git cd server-trello

How to install the Trello MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "trello-2": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/mcp-server-trello"],
      "env": {
        "TRELLO_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "TRELLO_TOKEN": "your-value",
        "TRELLO_BOARD_ID": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Configuration

  • Node.js 16 or higher - npm or yarn
VariableDescriptionRequired
TRELLO_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
TRELLO_TOKENCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
TRELLO_BOARD_IDConfiguration value read at startup.Optional

Example prompts to try

  • Use Trello to get cards by list id.
  • Use Trello to get lists.
  • Use Trello to get recent activity.

Frequently asked questions

Key features include full Trello board integration, built-in rate limiting, type-safe implementation (TypeScript), robust input validation, and graceful error handling.