Upstash MCP server

Upstash MCP Server is a tool that lets you interact with your Upstash database services using natural language through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This server connects MCP-compatible clients like Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf to your Upstash Developer APIs, allowing you to manage Redis databases with conversational commands.

Requirements

• Node.js >= v18.0.0
• Upstash API key - Create one from the Upstash console

Installation Options

For Claude Desktop

The easiest way to install is using Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli@latest install @upstash/mcp-server --client claude

Alternatively, you can install without Smithery:

npx @upstash/mcp-server init <UPSTASH_EMAIL> <UPSTASH_API_KEY>

For Cursor

Install via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli@latest install @upstash/mcp-server --client cursor

Or manually add this command to your Cursor MCP config:

npx -y @upstash/mcp-server run <UPSTASH_EMAIL> <UPSTASH_API_KEY>

For Windsurf

Install via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli@latest install @upstash/mcp-server --client windsurf

Or manually add this command to your Windsurf MCP config:

npx -y @upstash/mcp-server run <UPSTASH_EMAIL> <UPSTASH_API_KEY>

Docker Installation

You can also run the server using Docker:

docker build -t upstash-mcp .

# Run the stdio server, add this command to your MCP config
docker run --rm -i \
  -e UPSTASH_EMAIL=<UPSTASH_EMAIL> \
  -e UPSTASH_API_KEY=<UPSTASH_API_KEY> \
  upstash-mcp

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

If your MCP client has trouble finding the right binaries:

• Get the full path by running which npx or which docker in your shell
• Replace the npx or docker command in the MCP config with the full binary path

Node Version Manager Issues

If you're using nvm or fnm, you may need to:

• Change the node command in the MCP config to the absolute path of the node binary

For additional help, check the MCP troubleshooting guide or join the Discord community.

Available Redis Tools

The MCP server supports the following Redis operations:

• Database Management:

  • Create new databases
  • List existing databases
  • Get database details
  • Delete databases
  • Update database regions
  • Reset database passwords

• Backup Operations:

  • Create backups
  • List backups
  • Delete backups
  • Restore backups
  • Set daily backup schedules

• Data Operations:

  • Run single Redis commands
  • Run multiple Redis commands
  • List keys with patterns

• Monitoring:

  • Get usage statistics for the last 5 days
  • View throughput spikes
  • Get database stats

These tools can be accessed using natural language commands through your MCP client.

How to add this MCP server to 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 > MCP and click "Add new global MCP server".

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

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "cursor-rules-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "cursor-rules-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

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 explictly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.