render-mcp

# Render MCP Server The Render MCP server lets AI coding tools manage Render services, databases, deploys, logs, and metrics directly. This skill covers **setup**, **authentication**, **workspace selection**, the **tool catalog**, and **troubleshooting**. Action skills (render-deploy, render-debug, render-monitor) use MCP tools for their workflows. If MCP is not connected, set it up using this skill first. ## When to Use - `list_services()` fails or MCP tools are unavailable - First-time Render MCP setup for any AI tool - User asks how to connect their AI tool to Render - Switching workspaces or troubleshooting auth errors - Discovering which MCP tools exist and what they do ## Connection Details | Property | Value | |----------|-------| | URL | `https://mcp.render.com/mcp` | | Transport | HTTP (streamable) | | Auth | Bearer token (Render API key) | | API key page | `https://dashboard.render.com/u/*/settings#api-keys` | | Docs | `https://render.com/docs/mcp-server` | ## Setup by Tool ### Cursor 1. Get an API key from the [Render Dashboard](https://dashboard.render.com/u/*/settings#api-keys) 2. Add to `~/.cursor/mcp.json`: ```json { "mcpServers": { "render": { "url": "https://mcp.render.com/mcp", "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>" } } } } ``` 3. Restart Cursor, then verify with `list_services()` ### Claude Code 1. Get an API key from the [Render Dashboard](https://dashboard.render.com/u/*/settings#api-keys) 2. Add the MCP server: ```bash claude mcp add --transport http render https://mcp.render.com/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>" ``` 3. Restart Claude Code, then verify with `list_services()` ### Codex 1. Get an API key from the [Render Dashboard](https://dashboard.render.com/u/*/settings#api-keys) 2. Set the key in your shell: ```bash export RENDER_API_KEY="<YOUR_API_KEY>" ``` 3. Add the MCP server: ```bash codex mcp add render --url https://mcp.render.com/mcp --bearer-token-env-var RENDER_API_KEY ``` 4. Restart Codex, then verify with `list_services()` ### Other Tools For tools not listed above, use the generic HTTP MCP configuration: - **URL:** `https://mcp.render.com/mcp` - **Auth header:** `Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>` - **Transport:** HTTP (streamable HTTP, not SSE) See [Render MCP docs](https://render.com/docs/mcp-server) for tool-specific instructions. ## Workspace Selection After MCP is connected, set the active workspace: ``` Set my Render workspace to [WORKSPACE_NAME] ``` Or programmatically: ``` get_selected_workspace() # Check current list_workspaces() # List available ``` All MCP operations run against the active workspace. ## Tool Catalog ### Service management | Tool | Purpose | |------|---------| | `list_services()` | List all services and datastores | | `get_service(serviceId)` | Get service details | | `create_web_service(...)` | Create a web service from Git repo | | `create_static_site(...)` | Create a static site from Git repo | | `update_service(serviceId, ...)` | Update service configuration | | `restart_service(serviceId)` | Restart a service | ### Deploys | Tool | Purpose | |------|---------| | `list_deploys(serviceId, limit)` | List deploys for a service | | `trigger_deploy(serviceId)` | Trigger a new deploy | ### Logs | Tool | Purpose | |------|---------| | `list_logs(resource, level, type, text, statusCode, limit)` | Query logs with filters | Key filters: `level` (error, warn, info), `type` (build, deploy), `text` (search string), `statusCode` (HTTP codes). ### Metrics | Tool | Purpose | |------|---------| | `get_metrics(resourceId, metricTypes, ...)` | Get service or database metrics | Metric types: `cpu_usage`, `memory_usage`, `cpu_limit`, `memory_limit`, `http_latency`, `http_request_count`, `active_connections`. Optional: `httpLatencyQuantile` (0.5, 0.95, 0.99), `httpPath` (filter by endpoint). ### Databases | Tool | Purpose | |------|---------| | `list_postgres_instances()` | List Postgres databases | | `get_postgres(postgresId)` | Get database details | | `query_render_postgres(postgresId, sql)` | Run SQL query | ### Key Value | Tool | Purpose | |------|---------| | `list_key_value()` | List Key Value instances | | `get_key_value(keyValueId)` | Get Key Value details | ### Environment Variables | Tool | Purpose | |------|---------| | `update_environment_variables(serviceId, envVars)` | Set env vars on a service | ### Workspace | Tool | Purpose | |------|---------| | `list_workspaces()` | List available workspaces | | `get_selected_workspace()` | Get the active workspace | ## Common Mistakes | Mistake | Fix | |---------|-----| | Wrong URL (using SSE endpoint) | Use `https://mcp.render.com/mcp` (not `/sse`) | | Expired or invalid API key | Generate a new key from Dashboard > Account Settings > API Keys | | Wrong workspace selected | Run `list_workspaces()` and switch to the correct one | | Using MCP to create image-backed services | Not supported — use Dashboard or API for prebuilt Docker images | | Missing `Bearer` prefix in auth header | Header must be `Authorization: Bearer <key>` | ## Troubleshooting See `references/troubleshooting.md` for connection errors, auth failures, timeout issues, and tool-specific quirks. ## References | Document | Contents | |----------|----------| | `references/troubleshooting.md` | Connection errors, auth failures, tool-specific issues, timeout handling | ## Related Skills - **render-deploy** — Deploy flows using MCP tools - **render-debug** — Debug failures using MCP logs and metrics - **render-monitor** — Monitor health using MCP metrics - **render-cli** — CLI alternative when MCP is unavailable