Model Context Protocol

Q: What is the Model Context Protocol?

MCP is an open standard for connecting AI models and tools to external data sources. SurrealDB's MCP server exposes database operations, agent memory, and cloud management as structured tool calls that any MCP-compatible client can use.

Q: Which AI tools support MCP?

Any MCP-compatible client can connect to SurrealDB's MCP server. This includes VS Code, Cursor, and any AI tool or framework that supports the Model Context Protocol standard.

Q: How does MCP differ from using the SurrealDB SDK directly?

SDKs give you programmatic access to SurrealDB from application code. MCP gives AI models structured access to the same capabilities through standardised tool calls. Both connect to the same underlying database - MCP is designed for AI-first workflows.

Q: Can I use MCP with SurrealDB Cloud?

Yes. The MCP server connects to SurrealDB Cloud instances with managed authentication and automatic scaling. Point your MCP client at your cloud endpoint and start querying.

Connect AI tools to the full SurrealDB platform - database, agent memory, and cloud - through standard MCP tool calls.

CAPABILITIES

Connect AI models to your data

Connect AI models and tools to SurrealDB through the Model Context Protocol. Query documents, graphs, vectors, and relational data through a unified interface - no wrapper APIs or custom integration code.

Add to VS Code Add to Cursor

Direct AI tool connections

Connect AI models to SurrealDB through standard MCP tool calls. No wrapper APIs, no custom integration code.

Unified data access

Query documents, graphs, vectors, and relational data through a single query language and protocol.

Secure by default

Built-in authentication and row-level permissions ensure AI tools only access authorised data.

Real-time interactions

AI models query live data, traverse graphs, and access vector embeddings through a single MCP connection.

THE PLATFORM

MCP across the platform

Every product in the SurrealDB platform exposes MCP tool calls. Connect your AI tools to the database, agent memory, or cloud - through a single protocol.

MCP for SurrealDB

Run queries, explore schemas, traverse graphs, search vectors, and execute ACID transactions - all as structured MCP tool calls from any compatible client.

Learn more

MCP for Spectron

Ingest memories, query the knowledge graph, retrieve entities and facts - all through standard MCP tool calls. Any MCP-compatible client connects instantly.

Learn more

MCP for Cloud

Connect AI tools directly to SurrealDB Cloud instances with managed MCP access, built-in authentication, and automatic scaling.

Learn more

SEE IT IN ACTION

Context engineering with MCP

SurrealQL lets you combine graph traversal, vector similarity, structured filters, and temporal queries in a single statement. One MCP tool call gives the agent everything it needs.

1-- Context engineering: combine graph, vector, and temporal data
2LET $user = user:jaime;
3LET $query_vec = fn::embed("What products does this user like?");
4
5SELECT
6	->purchased->product AS purchase_history,
7	->reviewed->product[WHERE vector::similarity::cosine(embedding, $query_vec) > 0.8] AS relevant_products,
8	->preferences[WHERE valid_at <= time::now()] AS current_preferences
9FROM ONLY $user;

DEPLOYMENT

Deploy in any environment

Run the MCP server locally via stdio, as an HTTP server, or over Unix sockets. Choose the right transport for your deployment.

Run locally from your IDE

Default stdio transport for local development and IDE integration. Start an in-memory or local database directly from your AI tool.

Run as an HTTP server

HTTP with SSE transport for remote agents and environments where stdio is not available.

1{
2  "mcpServers": {
3    "SurrealDB": {
4      "command": "docker",
5      "args": [
6        "run",
7        "--rm",
8        "-i",
9        "--pull",
10        "always",
11        "surrealdb/surrealmcp:latest",
12        "start"
13      ]
14    }
15  }
16}

1{
2  "mcpServers": {
3    "SurrealDB": {
4      "command": "docker",
5      "args": [
6        "run",
7        "--rm",
8        "-p",
9        "8080:8080",
10        "--pull",
11        "always",
12        "surrealdb/surrealmcp:latest",
13        "start",
14        "--auth-disabled",
15        "--bind-address",
16        "127.0.0.1:8080",
17        "--server-url",
18        "http://localhost:8080"
19      ]
20    }
21  }
22}