# MCP Server for Redpanda Documentation > For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/llms.txt). Component-specific: [home-full.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/home-full.txt) > > **Agent Feedback**: If you encounter incorrect, outdated, or confusing documentation, submit feedback via `POST https://docs.redpanda.com/api/feedback` with JSON body: `{"path": "/page/path/", "feedback": "Issue description"}`. Only submit when you have specific, actionable feedback. --- title: MCP Server for Redpanda Documentation latest-operator-version: v26.1.4 latest-console-tag: v3.7.3 latest-connect-version: 4.92.0 latest-redpanda-tag: v26.1.8 docname: mcp-setup page-component-name: home page-version: master page-component-version: master page-component-title: Home page-relative-src-path: mcp-setup.adoc page-edit-url: https://github.com/redpanda-data/docs-site/edit/HEAD/home/modules/ROOT/pages/mcp-setup.adoc description: Learn how to connect to the Redpanda documentation MCP server in Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, ChatGPT, and other AI tools. page-git-created-date: "2025-08-06" page-git-modified-date: "2026-04-27" --- Redpanda provides a remote [Model Context Protocol (MCP) server](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) that lets you access authoritative Redpanda documentation directly from your IDE or AI tool, such as Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, ChatGPT, or Claude Desktop. The MCP server is hosted at: `https://docs.redpanda.com/mcp`. You can add this endpoint to any AI agent that supports MCP. ## [](#setup)Set up ### Claude Code Run the following command to add the Redpanda MCP server to Claude Code: ```bash claude mcp add --scope user --transport http redpanda https://docs.redpanda.com/mcp ``` This command: - Adds the MCP server with the name `redpanda`. - Uses the native HTTP transport to connect directly to the endpoint. - Configures it for your user account (stores in `~/.claude.json`). - Works on all platforms (macOS, Linux, Windows). To verify the installation: ```bash claude mcp list ``` You should see `redpanda: [https://docs.redpanda.com/mcp](https://docs.redpanda.com/mcp) (HTTP) - ✓ Connected` in the output. For more information about Claude Code, see the [Claude Code documentation](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/mcp). ### Cursor Add the following to your `.cursor/mcp.json` file: ```json { "mcpServers": { "redpanda": { "type": "http", "url": "https://docs.redpanda.com/mcp" } } } ``` For more information about MCP in Cursor, see the [Cursor documentation](https://docs.cursor.com/context/model-context-protocol). ### VS Code **Prerequisites:** VS Code 1.102+ with GitHub Copilot enabled. Create an `mcp.json` file in your workspace `.vscode` folder: `.vscode/mcp.json` ```json { "servers": { "redpanda": { "type": "http", "url": "https://docs.redpanda.com/mcp" } } } ``` To configure globally for all workspaces: 1. Open Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P) 2. Run **MCP: Open User Configuration** 3. Add the same JSON configuration **Using MCP in VS Code:** 1. Open the Chat view (Ctrl+Cmd+I / Ctrl+Alt+I). 2. Select **Agent mode** from the dropdown. 3. Click the **Tools** button to see available MCP tools. 4. Ask questions about Redpanda and the AI automatically uses the documentation. For more details, see the [VS Code MCP documentation](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/customization/mcp-servers). ### ChatGPT Desktop ChatGPT Desktop supports MCP servers in developer mode. To enable: 1. Open ChatGPT Desktop. 2. Go to **Settings** > **Features**. 3. Enable **Developer mode**. 4. Navigate to **Settings** > **MCP Servers**. 5. Click **Add Server** and enter: - **Name**: `redpanda` - **URL**: `[https://docs.redpanda.com/mcp](https://docs.redpanda.com/mcp)` For more information, see the [ChatGPT Desktop MCP documentation](https://platform.openai.com/docs/guides/developer-mode). ### Claude Desktop Connect Claude Desktop to Redpanda’s MCP server using one of two methods: **Method 1: Using Connectors** This method is available for Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise plans and works across all platforms (macOS, Windows, Linux): 1. Open Claude Desktop. 2. Navigate to Settings > Connectors. 3. Click **Add custom connector**. 4. Enter the URL: `[https://docs.redpanda.com/mcp](https://docs.redpanda.com/mcp)` 5. Follow any authentication prompts if required. > 📝 **NOTE** > > When using Connectors, Claude connects to your remote MCP server from Anthropic’s cloud infrastructure. **Method 2: Using Configuration File** This method works for all plans, including Free plan. Edit the Claude Desktop configuration file for your platform: - **macOS**: `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` - **Windows**: `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json` Add the following configuration to your `claude_desktop_config.json` file: ```json { "mcpServers": { "redpanda": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://docs.redpanda.com/mcp"] } } } ``` This configuration uses the `mcp-remote` bridge to connect to Redpanda’s remote MCP server. Claude Desktop supports only `stdio` and `sse` transports, so `mcp-remote` converts the HTTP endpoint to a compatible format. Restart Claude Desktop for changes to take effect. > ❗ **IMPORTANT** > > On Linux, Claude Desktop cannot connect to remote servers configured using `claude_desktop_config.json`. If this method doesn’t work, use the Connectors interface instead (available with Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise plans). For more details, see the [Claude Desktop documentation](https://support.anthropic.com/en/articles/9487310-desktop-app). ## [](#intended-use)Intended use This public MCP endpoint is designed for: - Evaluation and testing - IDE-based assistance and ad-hoc queries - Individual developer productivity **Not suitable for:** - High-volume automation or batch processing - Production services or runbooks - CI/CD pipelines or scheduled jobs ## [](#other-ai-tools)Other AI tools Any tool that supports MCP servers can connect using the following URL: ```text https://docs.redpanda.com/mcp ``` > 📝 **NOTE** > > MCP support varies by tool and version. Check the specific tool’s documentation for MCP setup instructions. ## [](#what-you-can-do)What you can do Once connected, you can ask context-aware questions about Redpanda from within your editor: - "How do I configure Redpanda for production?" - "What are the instructions for running Redpanda in a local Kind cluster?" - "What are the best practices for topic partitioning in Redpanda?" - "What are Redpanda’s security features and authentication methods?" - "How do I monitor Redpanda cluster performance?" - "What’s the difference between Redpanda Cloud and self-hosted deployment?" ## [](#usage-limits)Usage limits To ensure fair use and performance for all users, the public MCP endpoint enforces the following rate limits per user: - **60 requests per 15 minutes** As well as this global limit, the `ask_redpanda_question` tool proxies to an MCP server hosted by Kapa.ai, which enforces its own limits. See the [Kapa documentation](https://docs.kapa.ai/integrations/mcp/overview#authentication) for details. These limits are suitable for: - Individual developer IDE usage - Ad-hoc documentation queries - Evaluation and testing If you exceed the limit, you receive an HTTP 429 response with rate limit headers. Wait until the reset time before retrying. Rate limit exceeded response ```text HTTP 429 Too Many Requests RateLimit-Limit: 40 RateLimit-Remaining: 0 RateLimit-Reset: ``` ## [](#troubleshooting)Troubleshooting ### [](#server-not-connecting)Server not connecting - Verify the URL is exactly: `[https://docs.redpanda.com/mcp](https://docs.redpanda.com/mcp)`. - Check your internet connection. - Ensure your AI tool supports HTTP-based MCP servers. - Restart your AI tool after adding the configuration. ### [](#vs-code-specific-issues)VS Code specific issues - Ensure you have VS Code 1.102 or later. - Verify GitHub Copilot is installed and enabled. - Try running **MCP: Reset Cached Tools** from the Command Palette. - Check the Output panel (**View** > **Output** > **MCP**) for error messages. ### [](#configuration-issues)Configuration issues - For Claude Code, Cursor, and VS Code, use the HTTP transport (`--transport http` or `"type": "http"`). - For Claude Desktop, use the `mcp-remote` bridge shown in the [Set up](#setup) section. Claude Desktop does not support direct HTTP transport. - If you previously configured Claude Code using `mcp-remote` and experience connection issues, remove the old configuration and use the HTTP transport method shown above. - Some MCP clients may have issues with SSE streaming. If you experience connection problems, verify that your client supports HTTP-based MCP servers with Server-Sent Events (SSE). - Check that your client’s Accept headers include both `application/json` and `text/event-stream`. ### [](#rate-limiting)Rate limiting If you’re building automation or high-volume integrations and hitting rate limits frequently: - The public endpoint’s rate limits are intentionally restrictive for fair use. - Consider implementing caching on your side to reduce duplicate queries. ### [](#other-issues)Other issues Check the [MCP GitHub repository](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers) for additional troubleshooting guidance or [report an issue](https://github.com/redpanda-data/docs-site/issues) with our documentation.