mcp-lancedb

MCP server from richard-gyiko/mcp-lancedb-server

Installation

Run this command in your terminal to add the MCP server to Claude Code.

Run in terminal:

Command

claude mcp add --transport stdio richard-gyiko-mcp-lancedb-server node server.js \
  --env PORT="3000" \
  --env LOG_LEVEL="info" \
  --env LANCEDB_PATH="path/to/lancedb"

How to use

The mcp-lancedb-server exposes a LanceDB-backed data store over the MCP protocol. Clients can connect using an MCP client and interact with LanceDB spaces, tables, and vectors through the standard MCP endpoints exposed by this server. Typical capabilities include creating and listing LanceDB spaces, inspecting table schemas, inserting and querying records, and performing vector similarity operations against stored embeddings. The server is designed to be friendly to small-scale projects that want a simple LanceDB integration within an MCP-based tooling ecosystem.

To use it, start the server and point your MCP client at the configured host/port. Use the client’s MCP commands to create a LanceDB space, create tables, insert records, and run queries or similarity searches. If your workflow involves embedding-based retrieval, you can store embeddings in LanceDB columns and execute vector similarity queries directly through the MCP interface. Ensure your client is configured to respect the server’s environment (paths to LanceDB data, port, and any access controls) for a smooth experience.

How to install

Prerequisites:

Node.js (v14+ recommended)
npm or yarn
Git

Prerelease checks

Ensure Node.js and npm are installed: node -v npm -v

Clone the repository (or download the release):

git clone https://github.com/your-org/mcp-lancedb-server.git
cd mcp-lancedb-server

Install dependencies

npm install

Configure environment (example)

Create a .env file or set environment variables as needed: LANCEDB_PATH=./data/lancedb PORT=3000 LOG_LEVEL=info

Run the server

npm run start or
node server.js

Verify the server is running

Access the configured port (e.g., http://localhost:3000) or check startup logs for MCP endpoint details.

Optional: run as a background service (example using pm2)

pm2 start server.js --name mcp-lancedb-server
pm2 logs mcp-lancedb-server

Additional notes

Tips and common issues:

If LanceDB data persists between restarts, ensure LANCEDB_PATH points to a persistent directory.
Check the server logs (LOG_LEVEL can help surface detail during debugging).
Ensure network/firewall rules allow MCP clients to reach the server port.
If you upgrade LanceDB or dependencies, re-run npm install to refresh node_modules.
For troubleshooting connectivity, verify the MCP client version is compatible with the server’s MCP protocol version.
If you encounter permission errors writing to LANCEDB_PATH, verify filesystem permissions for the user running the node process.