What is Elasticsearch MCP Server?
Elasticsearch MCP Server is a server that connects to your Elasticsearch data using the Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing users to interact with their Elasticsearch indices through natural language queries.
How to use Elasticsearch MCP Server?
To use the server, configure it within the Claude Desktop App by adding the MCP server details, and then start a conversation to ask questions about your Elasticsearch data.
Key features of Elasticsearch MCP Server?
- List available Elasticsearch indices
- Get field mappings for specific indices
- Execute complex Elasticsearch queries with full Query DSL capabilities
Use cases of Elasticsearch MCP Server?
- Querying indices in an Elasticsearch cluster.
- Retrieving field mappings for data analysis.
- Performing searches based on natural language queries.
FAQ from Elasticsearch MCP Server?
- What is the Model Context Protocol (MCP)?
MCP is a protocol that allows clients to communicate with data sources in a natural language format.
- Do I need an Elasticsearch API key?
Yes, an API key with appropriate permissions is required to access your Elasticsearch data.
- Can I run this server locally?
Yes, you can develop and run the server locally by following the setup instructions.
Elasticsearch MCP Server
Connect to your Elasticsearch data directly from any MCP Client (like Claude Desktop) using the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
This server connects agents to your Elasticsearch data using the Model Context Protocol. It allows you to interact with your Elasticsearch indices through natural language conversations.
Available Tools
list_indices
: List all available Elasticsearch indicesget_mappings
: Get field mappings for a specific Elasticsearch indexsearch
: Perform an Elasticsearch search with the provided query DSLget_shards
: Get shard information for all or specific indices
Prerequisites
- An Elasticsearch instance
- Elasticsearch authentication credentials (API key or username/password)
- MCP Client (e.g. Claude Desktop)
Demo
https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/5dd292e1-a728-4ca7-8f01-1380d1bebe0c
Installation & Setup
Using the Published NPM Package
TIP
The easiest way to use Elasticsearch MCP Server is through the published npm package.
-
Configure MCP Client
- Open your MCP Client. See the list of MCP Clients, here we are configuring Claude Desktop.
- Go to Settings > Developer > MCP Servers
- Click
Edit Config
and add a new MCP Server with the following configuration:
{ "mcpServers": { "elasticsearch-mcp-server": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "@elastic/mcp-server-elasticsearch" ], "env": { "ES_URL": "your-elasticsearch-url", "ES_API_KEY": "your-api-key" } } } }
-
Start a Conversation
- Open a new conversation in your MCP Client
- The MCP server should connect automatically
- You can now ask questions about your Elasticsearch data
Configuration Options
The Elasticsearch MCP Server supports configuration options to connect to your Elasticsearch:
NOTE
You must provide either an API key or both username and password for authentication.
Environment Variable | Description | Required |
---|---|---|
ES_URL | Your Elasticsearch instance URL | Yes |
ES_API_KEY | Elasticsearch API key for authentication | No |
ES_USERNAME | Elasticsearch username for basic authentication | No |
ES_PASSWORD | Elasticsearch password for basic authentication | No |
ES_CA_CERT | Path to custom CA certificate for Elasticsearch SSL/TLS | No |
Developing Locally
NOTE
If you want to modify or extend the MCP Server, follow these local development steps.
-
Use the correct Node.js version
nvm use
-
Install Dependencies
npm install
-
Build the Project
npm run build
-
Run locally in Claude Desktop App
- Open Claude Desktop App
- Go to Settings > Developer > MCP Servers
- Click
Edit Config
and add a new MCP Server with the following configuration:
{ "mcpServers": { "elasticsearch-mcp-server-local": { "command": "node", "args": [ "/path/to/your/project/dist/index.js" ], "env": { "ES_URL": "your-elasticsearch-url", "ES_API_KEY": "your-api-key" } } } }
-
Debugging with MCP Inspector
ES_URL=your-elasticsearch-url ES_API_KEY=your-api-key npm run inspector
This will start the MCP Inspector, allowing you to debug and analyze requests. You should see:
Starting MCP inspector... Proxy server listening on port 3000 🔍 MCP Inspector is up and running at http://localhost:5173 🚀
Contributing
We welcome contributions from the community! For details on how to contribute, please see Contributing Guidelines.
Example Questions
TIP
Here are some natural language queries you can try with your MCP Client.
- "What indices do I have in my Elasticsearch cluster?"
- "Show me the field mappings for the 'products' index."
- "Find all orders over $500 from last month."
- "Which products received the most 5-star reviews?"
How It Works
- The MCP Client analyzes your request and determines which Elasticsearch operations are needed.
- The MCP server carries out these operations (listing indices, fetching mappings, performing searches).
- The MCP Client processes the results and presents them in a user-friendly format.
Security Best Practices
WARNING
Avoid using cluster-admin privileges. Create dedicated API keys with limited scope and apply fine-grained access control at the index level to prevent unauthorized data access.
You can create a dedicated Elasticsearch API key with minimal permissions to control access to your data:
POST /_security/api_key
{
"name": "es-mcp-server-access",
"role_descriptors": {
"mcp_server_role": {
"cluster": [
"monitor"
],
"indices": [
{
"names": [
"index-1",
"index-2",
"index-pattern-*"
],
"privileges": [
"read",
"view_index_metadata"
]
}
]
}
}
}
License
This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0.
Troubleshooting
- Ensure your MCP configuration is correct.
- Verify that your Elasticsearch URL is accessible from your machine.
- Check that your authentication credentials (API key or username/password) have the necessary permissions.
- If using SSL/TLS with a custom CA, verify that the certificate path is correct and the file is readable.
- Look at the terminal output for error messages.
If you encounter issues, feel free to open an issue on the GitHub repository.