NiFi

This NiFi MCP Server exposes 24 read-only tools for exploring NiFi flows and configuration, plus 42 write-capable actions that can be enabled when NIFI_READONLY is set to false. The server automatically detects NiFi version 1.x or 2.x and adapts its behavior accordingly, and it authenticates via Knox tokens, cookies, or passcodes depending on your deployment. Typical usage involves querying flow structure, processors, connections, and health status to inform design decisions, followed by controlled write operations to build or modify flows when needed. You can browse, inspect, and analyze your NiFi environment through the read-only methods (e.g., get_nifi_version, list_processors, get_processor_details, get_flow_summary) and then selectively invoke write operations (e.g., create_processor, connect Components, or start/stop processors) if you intend to implement or adjust a NiFi flow with appropriate safeguards.

Prerequisites:

• Python 3.8+ environment
• Git
• Optional: virtual environment tool (venv)

Option A: Direct installation for Claude Desktop/CLI workflows

1. Clone the repository and set up a virtual environment:

git clone https://github.com/kevinbtalbert/nifi-mcp-server.git
cd nifi-mcp-server
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e .

2. Run the server (example with a local venv Python):

python -m nifi_mcp_server.server

3. Point your MCP client to the running server using the environment configuration described in the README (NIFI_API_BASE, KNOX_TOKEN, etc.).

Option B: Using uvx (Cloudera Agent Studio) installation

1. Ensure uvx is installed and available in PATH.
2. Run the server from GitHub sources (as shown in the README snippet):

uvx --from git+https://github.com/kevinbtalbert/nifi-mcp-server@main run-server

3. Provide environment variables as described:

MCP_TRANSPORT=stdio
NIFI_API_BASE=https://your NiFi API base
KNOX_TOKEN=<your_knox_bearer_token>
NIFI_READONLY=true

Prerequisites recap: ensure network access to NiFi (via the NiFi API base), valid Knox tokens, and permissions to perform read (and optionally write) operations. After installation, configure your MCP client with the provided mcp_config example to connect to the server.

Notes and tips:

• NIFI_READONLY defaults to true to prevent accidental modifications; set to false only in controlled environments where you intend to perform write operations.
• The NiFi API base URL should point to the appropriate NiFi deployment (NiFi 1.x or 2.x) and may differ for Knox CDP deployments. If you have a Knox gateway URL, you can override NIFI_API_BASE with KNOX_GATEWAY_URL.
• Ensure the Knox token you supply has the required scopes for the NiFi API calls you intend to perform.
• When enabling write operations, exercise caution with actions that can affect data flow (e.g., delete_processor, empty_connection_queue).
• If you see version-detection issues, verify network access to NiFi and correct API base paths for your NiFi version.
• The 24 read-only tools and 42 write operations are surfaced via MCP protocol; you can discover capabilities at runtime based on NiFi version and permissions.