# Render (MCP archived)

> Deploy and manage Render web services, static sites, cron jobs, and Postgres from an AI agent. Official MCP server is archived; Render platform is unaffected.

[Canonical HTML page](https://top-mcps.com/mcp/render) · [server.json](https://top-mcps.com/mcp/render.json) · [methodology](https://top-mcps.com/about/methodology)

## Install

### Claude Desktop — `claude_desktop_config.json`

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

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "render": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@render-mcp-server/cli"
      ],
      "env": {
        "RENDER_API_KEY": "${RENDER_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

### Claude Code — `CLI or .mcp.json`

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

```shell
# export RENDER_API_KEY=your_render_api_key
claude mcp add render -- npx @render-mcp-server/cli
```

### Cursor — `.cursor/mcp.json`

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

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "render": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@render-mcp-server/cli"
      ],
      "env": {
        "RENDER_API_KEY": "${RENDER_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code — `.vscode/mcp.json`

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

```jsonc
{
  "servers": {
    "render": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@render-mcp-server/cli"
      ],
      "env": {
        "RENDER_API_KEY": "${RENDER_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

### Windsurf — `~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json`

Open via Cascade → hammer icon → Configure.

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "render": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@render-mcp-server/cli"
      ],
      "env": {
        "RENDER_API_KEY": "${RENDER_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

### Cline — `cline_mcp_settings.json`

Open via the Cline sidebar → MCP Servers → Edit.

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "render": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@render-mcp-server/cli"
      ],
      "env": {
        "RENDER_API_KEY": "${RENDER_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

### Continue — `~/.continue/config.json`

Continue uses modelContextProtocolServers with a transport block.

```json
{
  "experimental": {
    "modelContextProtocolServers": [
      {
        "transport": {
          "type": "stdio",
          "command": "npx",
          "args": [
            "@render-mcp-server/cli"
          ],
          "env": {
            "RENDER_API_KEY": "${RENDER_API_KEY}"
          }
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}
```

### Codex CLI — `~/.codex/config.toml`

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

```shell
# ~/.codex/config.toml
[mcp_servers.render]
command = "npx"
args = [
  "@render-mcp-server/cli",
]
env = { RENDER_API_KEY = "${RENDER_API_KEY}" }
```

### Zed — `~/.config/zed/settings.json`

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

```jsonc
{
  "context_servers": {
    "render": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": [
          "@render-mcp-server/cli"
        ]
      },
      "env": {
        "RENDER_API_KEY": "${RENDER_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

### ChatGPT — `ChatGPT → Apps directory`

Render (MCP archived) 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.

```none

```

## At a glance

- **Maintainer:** Render
- **Transport:** stdio
- **Auth model:** API key
- **Required secrets:** RENDER_API_KEY
- **Supported clients:** Claude, Cursor, Any MCP-compatible client, Render accounts
- **License:** Apache-2.0
- **Language:** Go
- **Latest version:** latest
- **Last verified:** 2026-05-31
- **GitHub stars:** 134 (fetched 2026-06-02T11:55:52.218Z)
- **Score:** 71/100 (rubric 2026-04 — see https://top-mcps.com/about/methodology)
- **Source:** https://github.com/render-oss/render-mcp-server
- **Homepage:** https://render.com/docs/mcp-server

## Quick answer

**What it does.** Exposes the Render REST API as MCP tools: list/create services, deploy, read logs, query metrics, and run read-only SQL against Postgres.

**Best for:**
- Provisioning web services and static sites
- Reading deploy logs and metrics
- Updating environment variables
- Querying Render Postgres read-only
- Creating cron jobs and KV stores

**Not for:**
- Unattended production deploys without review
- Workloads needing Render features outside the API surface
- Bulk operations across many workspaces

## Description

The official Render MCP lets AI agents provision web services, static sites, and cron jobs on Render, query logs and metrics, and run read-only SQL against Render Postgres — without leaving the conversation. Note: the render-mcp-server repository is archived — no upstream maintenance. The Render platform itself is current; the MCP wrapper is the deprecated piece.

## Why it matters

Render is one of the most popular hosting platforms for full-stack Node, Python, and Go apps. Direct agent control turns "deploy this fix" into a single prompt instead of a dashboard tour.

## Key features

- Provision web services, static sites, cron jobs
- Deploy + log + metrics tools
- Read-only SQL against Render Postgres
- KV store + Postgres provisioning
- Official Render maintenance, Apache-2.0

## FAQ

### Is it official?

Yes — maintained by Render at github.com/render-oss/render-mcp-server under Apache-2.0.

### Can it write to Postgres?

No — Postgres access is intentionally read-only. The server runs SELECT-only queries.

### Is there a hosted remote MCP?

Render documents a hosted option; verify the current URL in their official docs before assuming.

## Changelog

- **2026-05-31** — Refreshed install snippets and fact sheet; verified for 2026.
- **2025-06-15** — Initial directory listing.