alibabacloud-rds-openapi

This MCP server provides a set of OpenAPI-based tools for managing Alibaba Cloud RDS instances. It exposes a collection of OpenAPI tools under the rds-openapi suite, including actions to describe instances, modify configurations, manage security IP whitelists, and perform various database-related operations. The server runs as an MCP through uv/uvx, allowing you to enable or disable specific toolsets to tailor capabilities to your needs. You can also utilize the included SQL tools to execute read-only SQL statements and retrieve results in a controlled, ephemeral manner as part of automated workflows. When using this server, you will authenticate with Alibaba Cloud credentials (AK/SK) and optionally provide an API key for MCP-level request filtering. The toolsets can be configured to limit exposure to only the required subset of OpenAPI operations, helping to minimize risk while integrating with your workflows.

Prerequisites:

• Install uv from Astral (uv) or via the recommended installation method in the uv documentation.
• Install Python (recommended: Python 3.12) and ensure it is available on your PATH.
• Alibaba Cloud credentials with access to RDS services.

Step-by-step installation:

1. Install uv (if not already installed) following the uv installation guide:

# Example (if using a system package manager or provided installer)
# Refer to the Astral uv docs for exact commands for your OS

2. Install Python 3.12 (or a compatible version) and ensure python is accessible:

# On Unix-like systems
pyenv install 3.12.0
pyenv global 3.12.0

3. Install the MCP server package via npm/yarn/cherrystudio workflow as described in the README:

# Using uv with the OpenAPI MCP server via the example configuration
# No additional installation is required beyond uv; ensure you have network access to pull the server package

4. Prepare your environment variables:

export ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your_access_id
export ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET=your_access_key
# Optional, if using STS
export ALIBABA_CLOUD_SECURITY_TOKEN=your_sts_token
# Optional for API Key protection
export API_KEY=your_mcp_server_api_key

5. Run the MCP server via uvx (as shown in the Quick Start examples):

uvx alibabacloud-rds-openapi-mcp-server@latest

6. If you are using Claude/Cline style configuration, ensure your MCP client is pointed at the running server's address (e.g., http://127.0.0.1:8000) as described in the documentation.

Tips and considerations:

• Ensure Alibaba Cloud credentials have the necessary RDS permissions for the actions you plan to perform.
• If you encounter 401 errors related to API keys, verify API_KEY configuration and the server’s authentication settings.
• The toolsets (MCP_TOOLSETS) let you enable only the needed tools (e.g., rds, rds_custom_read). By default, the rds group is loaded if no toolset is specified.
• When using STS tokens, remember to refresh tokens as needed; you can supply ALIBABA_CLOUD_SECURITY_TOKEN if required.
• For security, avoid exposing your AK/SK in logs or shared configurations. Use environment variables and secret managers where possible.
• The OpenAPI Tools list includes a wide range of operations (describe_db_instance, modify_db_instance, restart_db_instance, etc.). Review the list to determine which tools you need for your automation.
• If importing the configuration into Cherry-studio or another MCP client, ensure the server name and command match the MCP client’s expectations (e.g., using uvx with the latest package).