MongoDB MCP server

Last verified: 2026-09

Query MongoDB collections.

Community Databases & data Needs a secret Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Code, VS Code

What it does

Official MongoDB MCP. Local npx talks to any connection string; Atlas also has a hosted OAuth path. Can find, aggregate, write, and manage Atlas clusters depending on flags. README's install button uses --readOnly — start there.

It sits in Databases & data: A database MCP is SQL or an API with your credentials.

Good for

find / aggregate on a staging cluster with --readOnly.
Inspect collection-schema before writing an application query.
List databases the URI can see, then one collection.
Atlas extras only after you have seen the local read path work.

Tools

find / aggregate / count — Read documents.
insert-many / update-many / delete-many — Writes — off if you pass --readOnly.
list-databases / list-collections / collection-schema / collection-indexes — Discover the cluster.
Atlas cluster / user tools — When Atlas credentials are set.

Config (Claude Desktop / Cursor / Windsurf)

Paste the JSON below. Same mcpServers shape. Replace placeholder paths and secrets. Windows paths look like C:\\Users\\you\\project, not /path/to. Host-side steps →

Claude Desktop

OS	Config file
macOS	`~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
Windows	`%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json` (usually `C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Roaming\Claude\`)
Linux	`~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`

Cursor

Scope	macOS / Linux	Windows
This project	`.cursor/mcp.json` in the repo root
This user	`~/.cursor/mcp.json`	`%USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json`

Windsurf

OS	Config file
macOS / Linux	`~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json`
Windows	`%USERPROFILE%\.codeium\windsurf\mcp_config.json`

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mongodb": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mongodb-mcp-server",
        "--readOnly"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MDB_MCP_CONNECTION_STRING": "mongodb://..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Windsurf remote MCP: use serverUrl instead of url if the block below is HTTP.

One-liner: npx -y mongodb-mcp-server

Secrets it wants: MDB_MCP_CONNECTION_STRING

Source repo →

How to get started

Put a least-privilege URI in MDB_MCP_CONNECTION_STRING.
Add --readOnly to args until you actually want writes.
Ask it to list databases, then one collection schema.

Access risk

A URI with readWriteAnyDatabase is production access. --readOnly is the default you want.

When to skip it

Skip it for Postgres/SQLite (official servers) or a hosted Neon/Supabase project.

Instead: PostgreSQL, Supabase, Neon.

OfficialPostgreSQLRun SQL against a Postgres database. Databases & dataSupabaseTalk to a Supabase project: tables, auth, edge functions. Databases & dataNeonManage and query Neon Postgres.

Vs alternatives

Server	Official?	Needs a secret?	Best for
MongoDB	No	Yes	Query MongoDB collections.
PostgreSQL	Yes	Yes	Run SQL against a Postgres database.
Supabase	No	Yes	Talk to a Supabase project: tables, auth, edge functions.
Neon	No	Yes	Manage and query Neon Postgres.

More in Databases & data

OfficialPostgreSQLRun SQL against a Postgres database. OfficialRedisGet and set keys in Redis. OfficialSQLiteQuery a local SQLite file. Databases & dataAirtableRead and write Airtable bases.

All 11 in this category →

FAQ

How do I keep it from writing?

The README install uses --readOnly. Keep that flag until you want inserts. A URI with readWriteAnyDatabase is production access.

Local npx or Atlas hosted?

Hosted Atlas MCP via OAuth if you only use Atlas. Local mongodb-mcp-server for any connection string.

Mongo or Postgres?

Whichever the app already uses. Do not add both write paths.

Does find return the whole collection?

It can return a lot. Ask for a filter and a limit. Huge dumps waste tokens and may include PII.