Astra DB MCP server

The Astra DB MCP Server enhances Large Language Models (LLMs) by enabling them to interact with Astra DB databases using the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This server allows AI agents to directly query, update, and manage your database content.

Prerequisites

You need a running Astra DB database to use this server. If you don't have one yet, you can create a free database at Astra DB.

To set up the server, you'll need:

1. An Astra DB Application Token
2. The Astra DB API Endpoint

You can learn how to obtain these credentials in the Astra DB getting started docs.

Setting Up with MCP Clients

Claude Desktop

To add this server to Claude Desktop:

1. Go to Preferences -> Developer -> Edit Config
2. Add this JSON configuration to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "astra-db-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@datastax/astra-db-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN": "your_astra_db_token",
        "ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT": "your_astra_db_endpoint"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windows PowerShell Configuration

If you're using Windows PowerShell, modify the command section as follows:

"command": "cmd",
"args": ["/k", "npx", "-y", "@datastax/astra-db-mcp"],

Specifying a Keyspace

By default, the server uses the default keyspace. To connect to a specific keyspace, add:

"ASTRA_DB_KEYSPACE": "your_desired_keyspace"

to the env object in your configuration.

Cursor

To add this server to Cursor:

1. Go to Settings -> Cursor Settings -> MCP
2. Click "+ Add New MCP Server"
3. Enter the same JSON configuration shown above

Alternatively, using the wizard:

• Name: Any name you prefer
• Type: Command
• Command:

env ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN=your_astra_db_token ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT=your_astra_db_endpoint npx -y @datastax/astra-db-mcp

Available Tools

The MCP server provides these tools for Astra DB interaction:

Collection Management

• GetCollections: List all collections in the database
• CreateCollection: Create a new collection
• UpdateCollection: Modify an existing collection
• DeleteCollection: Remove a collection

Record Operations

• ListRecords: Get records from a collection
• GetRecord: Retrieve a specific record by ID
• CreateRecord: Add a new record
• UpdateRecord: Modify an existing record
• DeleteRecord: Remove a record
• FindRecord: Search for records by field value

Bulk Operations

• BulkCreateRecords: Add multiple records at once
• BulkUpdateRecords: Update multiple records simultaneously
• BulkDeleteRecords: Delete multiple records in one operation

Utility Functions

• OpenBrowser: Launch a browser for authentication/setup
• HelpAddToClient: Get help with client configuration
• EstimateDocumentCount: Estimate the number of documents in a collection

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "astra-db-mcp" '{"command":"npx","args":["-y","@datastax/astra-db-mcp"],"env":{"ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN":"your_astra_db_token","ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT":"your_astra_db_endpoint"}}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "astra-db-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "@datastax/astra-db-mcp"
            ],
            "env": {
                "ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN": "your_astra_db_token",
                "ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT": "your_astra_db_endpoint"
            }
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "astra-db-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "@datastax/astra-db-mcp"
            ],
            "env": {
                "ASTRA_DB_APPLICATION_TOKEN": "your_astra_db_token",
                "ASTRA_DB_API_ENDPOINT": "your_astra_db_endpoint"
            }
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect