Alibaba RDS OpenAPI MCP Server

How to use

Use an MCP client to connect to the MCP server using either a local (stdio) server process or a cloud-based/http endpoint configured in your MCP client. You can enable and configure the RDS OpenAPI MCP tools to perform operations such as creating or modifying RDS instances, managing security, querying performance data, and running read-only SQL tasks. Follow the instructions below to start the MCP server and connect your client to the server, then select the RDS toolsets you need for your workflow.

How to install

Prerequisites: install the required runtimes and set up credentials so the MCP server can access Alibaba Cloud RDS resources.

# Install uvx if using the Cherry-studio route (recommended)
# This step assumes you have access to uv/uvx via your environment
# Follow your environment's instructions to install uv or uvx

# Alternatively, install the MCP server client tooling as described below

Additional configuration and runtime environments

Two primary ways to run the MCP server are demonstrated: using Cherry-studio with uvx to run the MCP server package, or using Cline to run the server via a CLI command that launches the MCP server package. You can also run through Claude by invoking uv to run the Python-based MCP server. Ensure you provide Alibaba Cloud credentials and optional security tokens as required by your setup.

Configuration and usage details

Choose one of the following configurations to start the MCP server and connect your MCP client.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rds-openapi": {
      "name": "rds-openapi",
      "type": "stdio",
      "description": "RDS OpenAPI MCP server via UV/uvx",
      "isActive": true,
      "registryUrl": "",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "alibabacloud-rds-openapi-mcp-server@latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_ID": "$you_access_id",
        "ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET": "$you_access_key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Common start examples

The following snippets illustrate how you can start the MCP server in different environments. Use the exact commands shown to ensure compatibility with MCP clients.

# Cherry-studio approach (recommended): use uvx to run the MCP server
uvx alibabacloud-rds-openapi-mcp-server@latest

# Example Cline approach: set environment and run
export SERVER_TRANSPORT=sse
export ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your_access_id
export ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET=your_access_key
export ALIBABA_CLOUD_SECURITY_TOKEN=your_sts_token # optional
export API_KEY=your_mcp_api_key # optional

uvx alibabacloud-rds-openapi-mcp-server@latest

Troubleshooting tips

If you encounter a 401 Incorrect API key provided error when using certain clients, verify that you have the correct API key configured and that the API key authentication is enabled for your MCP client. Ensure that the Alibaba Cloud credentials used by the MCP server have access to RDS services.

OpenAPI tools and SQL tools available

OpenAPI Tools provide a broad set of operations for RDS instances, networks, parameters, monitoring, and more. SQL Tools enable read-only or explain-style queries to analyze data and schema information without altering the database.

Toolsets and usage patterns

Toolsets group related MCP tools so you can enable only what you need. You can specify toolsets at startup or via environment variables. The default loads the standard RDS toolset if none is specified.

add_tags_to_db_instance

Add tags to an RDS instance.

allocate_instance_public_connection

Allocate a public connection for an RDS instance.

attach_whitelist_template_to_instance

Attach a whitelist template to an RDS instance.

create_db_instance

Create an RDS instance.

create_db_instance_account

Create an account for an RDS instance.

describe_all_whitelist_template

Query the whitelist template list.

describe_available_classes

Query available instance classes and storage ranges.

describe_available_zones

Query available zones for RDS instances.

describe_bills

Query the consumption summary of all product instances or billing items for a user within a specific billing period.

describe_db_instance_accounts

Batch retrieves account information for multiple RDS instances.

describe_db_instance_attribute

Queries the details of an instance.

describe_db_instance_databases

Batch retrieves database information for multiple RDS instances.

describe_db_instance_ip_allowlist

Batch retrieves IP allowlist configurations for multiple RDS instances.

describe_db_instance_net_info

Batch retrieves network configuration details for multiple RDS instances.

describe_db_instance_parameters

Batch retrieves parameter information for multiple RDS instances.

describe_db_instance_performance

Queries the performance data of an instance.

describe_db_instances

Queries instances.

describe_error_logs

Queries the error log of an instance.

describe_instance_linked_whitelist_template

Query the whitelist template list.

describe_monitor_metrics

Queries performance and diagnostic metrics for an instance using the DAS API.

describe_slow_log_records

Query slow log records for an RDS instance.

describe_sql_insight_statistic

Query SQL Log statistics, including SQL cost time, execution times, and account.

describe_vpcs

Query VPC list.

describe_vswitches

Query VSwitch list.

modify_security_ips

Modify RDS instance security IP whitelist.

get_current_time

Get the current time.

modify_db_instance_description

Modify RDS instance descriptions.

modify_db_instance_spec

Modify RDS instance specifications.

modify_parameter

Modify RDS instance parameters.

restart_db_instance

Restart an RDS instance.

explain_sql

Execute sql explain and return sql result.

show_engine_innodb_status

Execute sql show engine innodb status and return sql result.

show_create_table

Execute sql show create table and return sql result.

query_sql

Execute read-only sql and return sql result.