# Redpanda Cloud Management MCP Server Quickstart

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/llms.txt). Component-specific: [cloud-data-platform-full.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform-full.txt)

---
title: Redpanda Cloud Management MCP Server Quickstart
page-beta-text: This is a beta feature. Beta features are available for testing and feedback. They are not supported by Redpanda and should not be used in production environments.
latest-operator-version: v26.1.4
latest-console-tag: v3.7.3
latest-connect-version: 4.93.0
latest-redpanda-tag: v26.1.9
docname: mcp/quickstart
page-component-name: cloud-data-platform
page-version: master
page-component-version: master
page-component-title: Cloud
page-relative-src-path: mcp/quickstart.adoc
page-edit-url: https://github.com/redpanda-data/cloud-docs/edit/main/modules/ai-agents/pages/mcp/quickstart.adoc
# Beta release status
page-beta: "true"
description: Connect your Claude AI agent to your Redpanda Cloud account and clusters using the Redpanda Cloud Management MCP Server.
page-topic-type: tutorial
personas: agent_developer, platform_admin
learning-objective-1: Authenticate to Redpanda Cloud with rpk
learning-objective-2: Install the MCP integration for Claude
learning-objective-3: Issue natural language commands to manage clusters
page-git-created-date: "2026-04-28"
page-git-modified-date: "2026-04-28"
release-status: beta - This is a beta feature. Beta features are available for testing and feedback. They are not supported by Redpanda and should not be used in production environments.
---

<!-- Source: https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/ai-agents/mcp/quickstart.md -->

In this quickstart, you’ll get your Claude AI agent talking to Redpanda Cloud using the [Redpanda Cloud Management MCP Server](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/ai-agents/mcp/overview/).

After completing this quickstart, you will be able to:

-   Authenticate to Redpanda Cloud with rpk

-   Install the MCP integration for Claude

-   Issue natural language commands to manage clusters


## [](#prerequisites)Prerequisites

-   At least version 25.2.3 of [`rpk` installed on your computer](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/manage/rpk/rpk-install/)

-   Access to a Redpanda Cloud account

-   [Claude](https://support.anthropic.com/en/articles/10065433-installing-claude-desktop) or [Claude Code](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/setup) installed

    > 💡 **TIP**
    >
    > For other clients, see [Configure the Redpanda Cloud Management MCP Server](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/ai-agents/mcp/configuration/).


## [](#set-up-the-mcp-server)Set up the MCP server

1.  Verify your `rpk` version.

    ```bash
    rpk version
    ```

    Ensure the version is at least 25.2.3.

2.  Log in to Redpanda Cloud.

    ```bash
    rpk cloud login
    ```

    A browser window opens. Sign in to grant access. After you sign in, `rpk` stores a token locally. This token is not shared with your AI agent. It is used by the MCP server to authenticate requests to your Redpanda Cloud account.

3.  Install the MCP integration. Choose one client:

    ```bash
    # Claude desktop
    rpk cloud mcp install --client claude

    # Claude Code (IDE)
    rpk cloud mcp install --client claude-code
    ```

    This command configures the MCP server for your client. If you need to update the integration, re-run the install command for your client.


## [](#start-prompting)Start prompting

Launch Claude or Claude Code and try one of these prompts:

-   “Create a Redpanda Cloud cluster named `dev-mcp`.”

-   “List topics in `dev-mcp`.”

-   “Create a topic `orders-raw` with 6 partitions.”


> 📝 **NOTE: Delete operations are opt-in**
>
> The MCP server does **not** expose API endpoints that result in delete operations by default. Use `--allow-delete` only if you intentionally want to enable delete operations. See [Enable delete operations](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/ai-agents/mcp/configuration/#enable_delete_operations).

## [](#next-steps)Next steps

-   [Configure the Redpanda Cloud Management MCP Server](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/ai-agents/mcp/configuration/)