node-red-mcp-server

Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Node-RED — allows language models (like Claude, GPT) to interact with Node-RED through a standardized API.

Description

node-red-mcp-server creates a bridge between language models and the Node-RED platform, providing tools to manage flows, nodes, and settings via the MCP (Model Context Protocol). This enables language models to automate and control Node-RED flows programmatically.

Key Features

Retrieve and update Node-RED flows via MCP
Manage tabs and individual nodes
Search for nodes by type or properties
Access settings and runtime state
Trigger inject nodes remotely
Output and visualize flows and stats

Installation

Global Installation

npm install -g node-red-mcp-server

Local Installation

npm install node-red-mcp-server

Usage

Command Line

node-red-mcp-server --url http://localhost:1880 --token YOUR_TOKEN

Configuration via `.env`

Create a .env file:

NODE_RED_URL=http://localhost:1880
NODE_RED_TOKEN=YOUR_TOKEN

Then run:

node-red-mcp-server

Integration with Claude or Other LLMs

Start the MCP server or configure Claude Desktop to start it automatically with the tool configuration below.

Configure Claude Desktop:

Open Claude Desktop app
Go to Settings → Advanced → Tool Configuration
Add a new tool configuration:

{
  "node-red": {
    "command": "node",
    "args": [
      "/path/to/node-red-mcp-server/bin/node-red-mcp-server.mjs",
      "--verbose"
    ],
    "env": {
      "NODE_RED_URL": "http://your-node-red-url:1880",
      "NODE_RED_TOKEN": "your-token-if-needed",
      "MCP_SERVER_PORT": "3000"
    }
  }
}

Replace /path/to/node-red-mcp-server with the actual path to your installation
Update NODE_RED_URL to point to your Node-RED instance
Set NODE_RED_TOKEN if your Node-RED instance requires authentication

After configuration, Claude can interact with your Node-RED instance through the MCP tools.

For more information about the Model Context Protocol, visit the official MCP documentation.

Programmatic Usage

import { createServer } from 'node-red-mcp-server';

const server = createServer({
  nodeRedUrl: 'http://localhost:1880',
  nodeRedToken: 'YOUR_TOKEN',
  verbose: true
});

await server.start();

Configuration Options

CLI Parameters

Parameter	Short	Description
`--url`	`-u`	Node-RED base URL
`--token`	`-t`	API access token
`--verbose`	`-v`	Enable verbose logging
`--help`	`-h`	Show help
`--version`	`-V`	Show version number

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
`NODE_RED_URL`	URL of your Node-RED instance
`NODE_RED_TOKEN`	API access token

MCP Tools

Flow Tools

get-flows — Get all flows
update-flows — Update all flows
get-flow — Get a specific flow by ID
update-flow — Update a specific flow by ID
list-tabs — List all tabs (workspaces)
create-flow — Create a new flow tab
delete-flow — Delete a flow tab
get-flows-state — Get deployment state
set-flows-state — Change deployment state
get-flows-formatted — Get human-readable flow list
visualize-flows — Generate graph-like view of flows

Node Tools

inject — Trigger an inject node
get-nodes — List available node types
get-node-info — Detailed info about a node module
toggle-node-module — Enable/disable a node module
find-nodes-by-type — Locate nodes by type
search-nodes — Find nodes by name or property

Settings Tools

get-settings — Get Node-RED runtime settings
get-diagnostics — Fetch diagnostics info

Utility Tools

api-help — Show Node-RED API help

Requirements

Node.js v16 or newer
A running Node-RED instance with HTTP API access

License

MIT License

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.