What auth does it need?

A Grafana service-account token (`GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN`) plus your instance `GRAFANA_URL`. The deprecated `GRAFANA_API_KEY` still works.

Which datasources can it query?

Prometheus and Loki are first-class, plus ClickHouse, CloudWatch, Elasticsearch/OpenSearch, InfluxDB, Snowflake, Athena, and more.

Minimum Grafana version?

Grafana 9.0 or later for full tool coverage.

Grafana

Name: Top MCPs — curated MCP directory
Creator: Top MCPs
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Official

Query dashboards, Prometheus/Loki datasources, alerts, and incidents from an AI agent — official.

Score 88(?)Grafana LabsApache-2.0 3.4kVerified Oct 1, 2026Top MCPs for Cloud & Infrastructure →

Install View on GitHub

Quick answer

What it does

Exposes Grafana operations as MCP tools: dashboard search/edit, datasource queries (Prometheus, Loki, and 10+ others), alert-rule inspection, and Incident/OnCall/Sift workflows.

Best for

Incident investigation across metrics + logs
Querying Prometheus and Loki via one MCP
Dashboard search and editing
Alert-rule inspection

Not for

Grafana versions before 9.0
Direct datasource access without Grafana

Source: top-mcps.com/mcp/grafana — verified Oct 2026

Setup recipe

Pick your client, then follow the three steps.

Install

claude_desktop_config.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "grafana": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "-e",
        "GRAFANA_URL",
        "-e",
        "GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN",
        "grafana/mcp-grafana",
        "-t",
        "stdio"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GRAFANA_URL": "${GRAFANA_URL}",
        "GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN": "${GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Paste under mcpServers. Fully quit and reopen Claude after editing.

CLI or .mcp.jsonshell

# export GRAFANA_URL=https://myinstance.grafana.net
# export GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN=glsa_your_token
claude mcp add grafana -- docker run --rm -i -e GRAFANA_URL -e GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN grafana/mcp-grafana -t stdio

Run from your repo. Commit .mcp.json to share with your team.

.cursor/mcp.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "grafana": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "-e",
        "GRAFANA_URL",
        "-e",
        "GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN",
        "grafana/mcp-grafana",
        "-t",
        "stdio"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GRAFANA_URL": "${GRAFANA_URL}",
        "GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN": "${GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Global path: ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Reload window after editing.

.vscode/mcp.jsonjsonc

{
  "servers": {
    "grafana": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "-e",
        "GRAFANA_URL",
        "-e",
        "GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN",
        "grafana/mcp-grafana",
        "-t",
        "stdio"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GRAFANA_URL": "${GRAFANA_URL}",
        "GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN": "${GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code uses the "servers" key (not "mcpServers").

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "grafana": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "-e",
        "GRAFANA_URL",
        "-e",
        "GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN",
        "grafana/mcp-grafana",
        "-t",
        "stdio"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GRAFANA_URL": "${GRAFANA_URL}",
        "GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN": "${GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Open via Cascade → hammer icon → Configure.

cline_mcp_settings.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "grafana": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "-e",
        "GRAFANA_URL",
        "-e",
        "GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN",
        "grafana/mcp-grafana",
        "-t",
        "stdio"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GRAFANA_URL": "${GRAFANA_URL}",
        "GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN": "${GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Open via the Cline sidebar → MCP Servers → Edit.

~/.continue/config.jsonjson

{
  "experimental": {
    "modelContextProtocolServers": [
      {
        "transport": {
          "type": "stdio",
          "command": "docker",
          "args": [
            "run",
            "--rm",
            "-i",
            "-e",
            "GRAFANA_URL",
            "-e",
            "GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN",
            "grafana/mcp-grafana",
            "-t",
            "stdio"
          ],
          "env": {
            "GRAFANA_URL": "${GRAFANA_URL}",
            "GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN": "${GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN}"
          }
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Continue uses modelContextProtocolServers with a transport block.

~/.codex/config.tomlshell

# ~/.codex/config.toml
[mcp_servers.grafana]
command = "docker"
args = [
  "run",
  "--rm",
  "-i",
  "-e",
  "GRAFANA_URL",
  "-e",
  "GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN",
  "grafana/mcp-grafana",
  "-t",
  "stdio",
]
env = { GRAFANA_URL = "${GRAFANA_URL}", GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN = "${GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN}" }

Codex uses TOML. Each server is a [mcp_servers.<name>] subtable.

~/.config/zed/settings.jsonjsonc

{
  "context_servers": {
    "grafana": {
      "command": {
        "path": "docker",
        "args": [
          "run",
          "--rm",
          "-i",
          "-e",
          "GRAFANA_URL",
          "-e",
          "GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN",
          "grafana/mcp-grafana",
          "-t",
          "stdio"
        ]
      },
      "env": {
        "GRAFANA_URL": "${GRAFANA_URL}",
        "GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN": "${GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Zed calls them "context_servers". Settings live-reload on save.

ChatGPT → Apps directorynone

Grafana doesn't ship a hosted HTTPS endpoint today. ChatGPT supports remote MCP servers only — to use this server in ChatGPT you'll need to deploy it to a public HTTPS URL first (e.g. via Cloudflare Workers or Vercel) or wait for an official remote build.

2
Set required secrets
Set GRAFANA_URL, GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN in your shell environment before launching your MCP client.
3
Try a minimum working prompt
Minimum working prompt pending verification. Try any prompt from the MCP’s README once installed.

Tools & permissions

Tool	Description	Args	Side effects
`search_dashboards`	Search for dashboards.	—	Read
`get_dashboard_by_uid`	Get a dashboard by uid.	—	Read
`update_dashboard`	Update or create a dashboard.	—	Write
`list_datasources`	List configured datasources.	—	Read
`query_prometheus`	Execute a query against a Prometheus datasource.	—	Read
`query_loki_logs`	Query and retrieve logs using LogQL.	—	Read
`list_incidents`	List incidents in Grafana Incident.	—	Read
`create_incident`	Create an incident in Grafana Incident.	—	Write
`list_oncall_schedules`	List schedules from Grafana OnCall.	—	Read

Security & scope

Access scope: Read + write
Sandbox: Authenticates with a Grafana service-account token, and the README documents the exact RBAC permission each tool requires (dashboards:read, datasources:query, alert.rules:read, …) plus the scope it can be limited to — so the token, not the server, decides what an agent can reach.
Gotchas: update_dashboard can overwrite an existing dashboard; grant dashboards:create/write only where agent edits are acceptable.
Query tools run with datasources:query, which exposes whatever the underlying datasource can read — scope tokens to specific datasource UIDs rather than datasources:*.

Agent prompt pack

— copy into Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT.

Paste into Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT. Edit the [brackets] before sending.

Recommend the best MCP servers for [task: e.g. cloud & infrastructure work] in [client: Claude].

Constraints:
- Prefer tools that are [official | open-source | read-only] — pick what matters for my use case.
- Exclude MCPs that require [e.g. a paid plan, OAuth-only flows, remote-only transport].
- Return at most 3 picks, ranked.

For each pick include:
1. One-sentence rationale.
2. The ready-to-paste install snippet for my client.
3. Any required secrets I need to create before installing.

Cross-check the top-mcps.com listing: https://top-mcps.com/top-mcps-for-cloud-infrastructure

Compare Grafana against a real alternative. Swap the second MCP in [brackets] if you want a different match.

Compare Grafana MCP vs [AWS MCP] for the following job: [describe the job, e.g. "let an agent create GitHub issues on bug triage"].

Judge them on:
- Setup time and complexity (what a new user hits first).
- Auth model (none / API key / OAuth 2.1) and credential risk.
- Transport (stdio / Streamable HTTP / SSE) and where the server runs.
- Required secrets and the blast radius if they leak.
- Operational risk in an unattended agent loop.
- Which one is "good enough" for a weekend prototype vs. production.

End with one sentence: which should I pick for my scenario, which is: [my scenario].

References:
- https://top-mcps.com/mcp/grafana
- top-mcps.com listing for AWS

Asks the agent to install and verify. Works inside Claude Code, Cursor Agent, Codex CLI.

Install the Grafana MCP server for my [client: Claude] at the default config path for that client.

Use the exact install snippet published at https://top-mcps.com/mcp/grafana (fetch https://top-mcps.com/mcp/grafana.json for the canonical server.json if you can read URLs).

Before finishing:
1. Create the required secrets (GRAFANA_URL, GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN) and put them in the appropriate env block — do not hard-code them.
2. Restart or reload the client so it picks up the new server.
3. Verify the server is connected (green / running state) and at least one tool is listed.
4. If anything fails, read the client's MCP logs and report the exact error — do not silently retry.

Confirm when done and list the tools the server now exposes.

Frequently asked questions

What changed

— 3 updates tracked.

Jul 13, 2026
v0.17.2 released
Jul 7, 2026
v0.17.1 released
Jun 23, 2026
v0.17.0 released

At a glance

Maintainer: Grafana Labs
Transport: stdioSSEStreamable HTTP
Auth model: API key
Required secrets: GRAFANA_URLGRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN
Supported clients: ChatGPT
Claude Desktop
Claude Code
Cursor
VS Code
Windsurf
Cline
Continue
Zed
Codex CLI
License: Apache-2.0
Language: Go
Latest version: latest
Last verified: Oct 1, 2026

GitHub repo

Rank badge

Maintainer of Grafana? Embed the live badge — it re-renders with the current rank and score on every catalog refresh.

[![Ranked #1 in Cloud & Infrastructure on Top-MCPs](https://top-mcps.com/badge/grafana.svg)](https://top-mcps.com/mcp/grafana)

Alternatives

AWS →
AWS's own managed MCP server — run AWS APIs, execute sandboxed scripts, and search AWS documentation under IAM.
Terraform →
Look up Terraform Registry providers and modules, and manage HCP Terraform workspaces from an AI agent.
Kubernetes →
Inspect and manage Kubernetes clusters through kubectl-equivalent tools, with a non-destructive mode.

Related guides

Best MCPs for DevOps in 2026 (Ranked) →
Ranked Guide

More Cloud & Infrastructure MCPs

Other tools in the same category worth evaluating.

Supabase

Full Supabase access: database, auth, storage, and edge functions.

supabasedatabasebackendpostgres

5 minLow

Stripe

Official

Manage payments, customers, and subscriptions through Stripe.

stripepaymentsbillinginvoicing

5 minMedium

Cloudflare

Official

Reach the whole Cloudflare API from an agent — DNS records, Workers, R2, and the Registrar beta — through one hosted Code Mode server.

cloudflareedgeworkersdns

5 minMedium

Compared with Grafana

Side-by-side breakdowns for the choices people most often weigh against this MCP.

GrafanavsKubernetes GrafanavsAWS GrafanavsTerraform GrafanavsSentry

Exploring Top MCPs for Cloud & Infrastructure? See all Cloud & Infrastructure MCPs →

Quick answer

What it does

Best for

Not for

Setup recipe

Install

Set required secrets

Try a minimum working prompt

Tools & permissions

Security & scope

Agent prompt pack

Full details

Frequently asked questions

What auth does it need?

Which datasources can it query?

Minimum Grafana version?

What changed

More Cloud & Infrastructure MCPs

Supabase

Stripe

Cloudflare

Compared with Grafana