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MongoDB MCP Server for VS Code: Setup & Config

VS Code: MongoDB MCP Server connects AI clients to MongoDB databases and Atlas.

What you can do with MongoDB in VS Code

A broad MongoDB toolset with read-only onboarding and integrated MongoDB knowledge search.

  • Inspect collection schemas and indexes before writing queries.
  • Review query plans, database statistics, and recent MongoDB logs.

Before you start: MongoDB in VS Code

  • Node.js 22.13.0 or later
  • A MongoDB connection string or Atlas service-account credentials
  • An MCP-compatible client

This is the README's read-only connection-string setup. Atlas operations instead need MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_ID and MDB_MCP_API_CLIENT_SECRET. Docker and HTTP alternatives are documented; HTTP needs deployment-level authentication and protection.

MongoDB VS Code configuration

  1. Choose VS Code configuration scope

    For MongoDB MCP Server, open Workspace: .vscode/mcp.json. Merge into servers; preserve existing inputs.

  2. Add MongoDB MCP Server to VS Code

    Use the mongodb-mcp-server entry below in servers. Keep MongoDB MCP Server's documented stdio connection fields and your other VS Code entries.

  3. Check MongoDB MCP Server in VS Code

    MongoDB MCP Server: Start in VS Code’s MCP controls; inspect output and trust prompts.

Config file · Workspace: .vscode/mcp.json

JSON
{
  "servers": {
    "mongodb-mcp-server": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mongodb-mcp-server@latest",
        "--readOnly"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MDB_MCP_CONNECTION_STRING": "<MongoDB connection string with appropriate credentials>"
      }
    }
  }
}

MongoDB tools available to VS Code

MongoDB's stored tool list documents 27 tools; compare it with VS Code's connected tool list, because the stored list is not a live check.

aggregate-db

Look for aggregate-db among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

aggregate

Look for aggregate among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

Execute an aggregation pipeline on a collection.

collection-indexes

Look for collection-indexes among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

Inspect indexes attached to a collection.

collection-schema

Look for collection-schema among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

Inspect a collection's document structure.

collection-storage-size

Look for collection-storage-size among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

Report storage size for a collection.

connect

Look for connect among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

Open an independent MongoDB connection and return its identifier.

count

Look for count among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

Count collection documents, optionally constrained by a query.

create-collection

Look for create-collection among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

Add a collection, creating its database if necessary.

create-index

Look for create-index among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

db-stats

Look for db-stats among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

delete-many

Look for delete-many among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

disconnect

Look for disconnect among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

drop-collection

Look for drop-collection among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

drop-database

Look for drop-database among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

drop-index

Look for drop-index among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

Remove a specified collection index.

explain

Look for explain among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

Inspect execution statistics for the optimizer's selected query plan.

export

Look for export among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

Save query or aggregation output in the requested EJSON format.

find

Look for find among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

Search documents within a collection.

insert-many

Look for insert-many among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

Insert a document array, splitting large payloads into batches when needed.

list-collections

Look for list-collections among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

Enumerate collections belonging to a database.

list-connections

Look for list-connections among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

Show active connection identifiers, including any preconfigured connection.

list-databases

Look for list-databases among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

mongodb-logs

Look for mongodb-logs among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

rename-collection

Look for rename-collection among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

update-many

Look for update-many among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

list-knowledge-sources

Look for list-knowledge-sources among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

search-knowledge

Look for search-knowledge among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MongoDB through the MCP controls.

MongoDB: full stored tool descriptions

Troubleshooting MongoDB in VS Code

  • Make npx mongodb-mcp-server@latest (Node.js/npm) available in the workspace, container, or remote environment hosting MongoDB MCP Server. Start through VS Code's MCP controls; inspect output and trust prompts.
  • For MongoDB MCP Server, keep MDB_MCP_CONNECTION_STRING out of version control; VS Code documents input variables and secret handling.
  • MongoDB MCP Server uses stdio here: VS Code must keep the configured process running; protocol output belongs on stdout and diagnostics on stderr.
  • Known limitation: Atlas tools require separate service-account credentials.
  • Known limitation: HTTP deployments need additional security controls.
  • Known limitation: Write-enabled tools can delete data and database objects.
  • General VS Code troubleshooting lives in the /clients/vscode guide.

MongoDB MCP Server — details. VS Code guide

Frequently asked questions

For MongoDB MCP Server, edit workspace .vscode/mcp.json. VS Code requires servers rather than mcpServers; preserve the displayed type on each entry.

VS Code's mongodb-mcp-server example uses stdio.

MongoDB MCP Server's VS Code configuration invokes npx mongodb-mcp-server@latest (Node.js/npm).

VS Code's MongoDB MCP Server example references MDB_MCP_CONNECTION_STRING. Check these names if startup or authentication fails; the example alone does not distinguish required from optional values.

MongoDB MCP Server's stored list contains 27 tools, including aggregate-db, aggregate, collection-indexes. Compare those names with VS Code's connected tool list; the stored list is not a live check.

Yes. A connection string can point to a local MongoDB instance or an Atlas cluster.

They require Atlas API service-account credentials and the permissions needed for the requested operations.