Overview
What is node-red-mcp-server?
Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Node-RED — allows language models (like Claude, GPT) to interact with Node-RED through a standardized API. It provides tools to manage flows, nodes, and settings, enabling language models to automate and control Node-RED flows programmatically.
How to use node-red-mcp-server?
Install globally with npm install -g node-red-mcp-server or locally with npm install node-red-mcp-server. Run from the command line using node-red-mcp-server --url http://localhost:1880 --token YOUR_TOKEN, or configure via a .env file with NODE_RED_URL and NODE_RED_TOKEN. For integration with Claude Desktop, add a tool configuration in Settings → Advanced → Tool Configuration pointing to the server binary and providing the Node-RED URL and token. Programmatic usage is also supported via import { createServer } from 'node-red-mcp-server'.
Key features of node-red-mcp-server
- Retrieve and update Node-RED flows
- Manage tabs and individual nodes
- Search for nodes by type or properties
- Access settings and runtime state
- Trigger inject nodes remotely
- Output and visualize flows and stats
Use cases of node-red-mcp-server
- Automating flow deployment and modifications via an LLM
- Remotely triggering inject nodes to start processes
- Querying runtime diagnostics and settings for monitoring
- Finding specific nodes across multiple flows by type or name
- Programmatically managing flow tabs and node modules
FAQ from node-red-mcp-server
What are the requirements to run node-red-mcp-server?
Node.js v16 or newer is required. You also need a running Node-RED instance with HTTP API access enabled.
How do I configure the server with my Node-RED instance?
Provide the Node-RED base URL and API access token either via CLI arguments (--url, --token) or environment variables (NODE_RED_URL, NODE_RED_TOKEN).
How do I integrate node-red-mcp-server with Claude Desktop?
In Claude Desktop, go to Settings → Advanced → Tool Configuration and add a new tool configuration that runs the server binary (node-red-mcp-server.mjs) with the --verbose flag, setting NODE_RED_URL, NODE_RED_TOKEN, and optionally MCP_SERVER_PORT in the environment.
What MCP tools does the server provide?
It offers flow tools (get-flows, update-flows, list-tabs, create-flow, delete-flow, get-flows-state, set-flows-state, visualize-flows), node tools (inject, get-nodes, get-node-info, toggle-node-module, find-nodes-by-type, search-nodes), settings tools (get-settings, get-diagnostics), and a utility tool (api-help).
