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supabase-mcp-server
Niell007/supabase-mcp-serverUpdated 22 days ago01

Remote#SQL#database management#SupabaseLicense: Apache License 2.0Language: Python

Supabase MCP Server

Supabase    MCP

Enable your favorite IDE to safely execute SQL queries, manage your database end-to-end, access Management API, and handle user authentication with built-in safety controls.

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A feature-rich MCP server that enables any MCP clients (Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop, Cline and others) to safely interact with Supabase databases. It provides tools for database management, SQL query execution, and Supabase Management API access with built-in safety controls.

Table of contents

Getting started • Feature overview • Troubleshooting • Changelog

✨ Key features

  • 💻 Compatible with Cursor, Windsurf, Cline and other MCP clients supporting stdio protocol
  • 🔐 Control read-only and read-write modes of SQL query execution
  • 🔍 Runtime SQL query validation with risk level assessment
  • 🛡️ Three-tier safety system for SQL operations: safe, write, and destructive
  • 🔄 Robust transaction handling for both direct and pooled database connections
  • 📝 Automatic versioning of database schema changes
  • 💻 Manage your Supabase projects with Supabase Management API
  • 🧑‍💻 Manage users with Supabase Auth Admin methods via Python SDK
  • 🔨 Pre-built tools to help Cursor & Windsurf work with MCP more effectively
  • 📦 Dead-simple install & setup via package manager (uv, pipx, etc.)

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Installing the server requires the following on your system:

  • Python 3.12+

If you plan to install via uv, ensure it's installed.

PostgreSQL Installation

PostgreSQL installation is no longer required for the MCP server itself, as it now uses asyncpg which doesn't depend on PostgreSQL development libraries.

However, you'll still need PostgreSQL if you're running a local Supabase instance:

MacOS

brew install postgresql@16

Windows

Step 1. Installation

Since v0.2.0 I introduced support for package installation. You can use your favorite Python package manager to install the server via:

# if pipx is installed (recommended)
pipx install supabase-mcp-server

# if uv is installed
uv pip install supabase-mcp-server

pipx is recommended because it creates isolated environments for each package.

You can also install the server manually by cloning the repository and running pipx install -e . from the root directory.

Installing from source

If you would like to install from source, for example for local development:

uv venv
# On Mac
source .venv/bin/activate
# On Windows
.venv\Scripts\activate
# Install package in editable mode
uv pip install -e .

Installing via Smithery.ai

You can find the full instructions on how to use Smithery.ai to connect to this MCP server here.

Step 2. Configuration

The Supabase MCP server requires configuration to connect to your Supabase database, access the Management API, and use the Auth Admin SDK. This section explains all available configuration options and how to set them up.

Environment Variables

The server uses the following environment variables:

VariableRequiredDefaultDescription
SUPABASE_PROJECT_REFNo127.0.0.1:54322Your Supabase project reference ID (or local host:port)
SUPABASE_DB_PASSWORDNopostgresYour database password
SUPABASE_REGIONNous-east-1AWS region where your Supabase project is hosted
SUPABASE_ACCESS_TOKENNoNonePersonal access token for Supabase Management API
SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEYNoNoneService role key for Auth Admin SDK

Note: The default values are configured for local Supabase development. For remote Supabase projects, you must provide your own values for SUPABASE_PROJECT_REF and SUPABASE_DB_PASSWORD.

Connection Types

Database Connection
  • The server connects to your Supabase PostgreSQL database using the transaction pooler endpoint
  • Local development uses a direct connection to 127.0.0.1:54322
  • Remote projects use the format: postgresql://postgres.[project_ref]:[password]@aws-0-[region].pooler.supabase.com:6543/postgres

⚠️ Important: Session pooling connections are not supported. The server exclusively uses transaction pooling for better compatibility with the MCP server architecture.

Management API Connection
  • Requires SUPABASE_ACCESS_TOKEN to be set
  • Connects to the Supabase Management API at https://api.supabase.com
  • Only works with remote Supabase projects (not local development)
Auth Admin SDK Connection
  • Requires SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY to be set
  • For local development, connects to http://127.0.0.1:54321
  • For remote projects, connects to https://[project_ref].supabase.co

Configuration Methods

The server looks for configuration in this order (highest to lowest priority):

  1. Environment Variables: Values set directly in your environment
  2. Local .env File: A .env file in your current working directory (only works when running from source)
  3. Global Config File:
    • Windows: %APPDATA%\supabase-mcp\.env
    • macOS/Linux: ~/.config/supabase-mcp/.env
  4. Default Settings: Local development defaults (if no other config is found)

⚠️ Important: When using the package installed via pipx or uv, local .env files in your project directory are not detected. You must use either environment variables or the global config file.

Setting Up Configuration

Option 1: Client-Specific Configuration (Recommended)

Set environment variables directly in your MCP client configuration (see client-specific setup instructions in Step 3). Most MCP clients support this approach, which keeps your configuration with your client settings.

Option 2: Global Configuration

Create a global .env configuration file that will be used for all MCP server instances:

# Create config directory
# On macOS/Linux
mkdir -p ~/.config/supabase-mcp
# On Windows (PowerShell)
mkdir -Force "$env:APPDATA\supabase-mcp"

# Create and edit .env file
# On macOS/Linux
nano ~/.config/supabase-mcp/.env
# On Windows (PowerShell)
notepad "$env:APPDATA\supabase-mcp\.env"

Add your configuration values to the file:

SUPABASE_PROJECT_REF=your-project-ref
SUPABASE_DB_PASSWORD=your-db-password
SUPABASE_REGION=us-east-1
SUPABASE_ACCESS_TOKEN=your-access-token
SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY=your-service-role-key
Option 3: Project-Specific Configuration (Source Installation Only)

If you're running the server from source (not via package), you can create a .env file in your project directory with the same format as above.

Finding Your Supabase Project Information

  • Project Reference: Found in your Supabase project URL: https://supabase.com/dashboard/project/<project-ref>
  • Database Password: Set during project creation or found in Project Settings → Database
  • Access Token: Generate at https://supabase.com/dashboard/account/tokens
  • Service Role Key: Found in Project Settings → API → Project API keys

Supported Regions

The server supports all Supabase regions:

  • us-west-1 - West US (North California)
  • us-east-1 - East US (North Virginia) - default
  • us-east-2 - East US (Ohio)
  • ca-central-1 - Canada (Central)
  • eu-west-1 - West EU (Ireland)
  • eu-west-2 - West Europe (London)
  • eu-west-3 - West EU (Paris)
  • eu-central-1 - Central EU (Frankfurt)
  • eu-central-2 - Central Europe (Zurich)
  • eu-north-1 - North EU (Stockholm)
  • ap-south-1 - South Asia (Mumbai)
  • ap-southeast-1 - Southeast Asia (Singapore)
  • ap-northeast-1 - Northeast Asia (Tokyo)
  • ap-northeast-2 - Northeast Asia (Seoul)
  • ap-southeast-2 - Oceania (Sydney)
  • sa-east-1 - South America (São Paulo)

Limitations

  • No Self-Hosted Support: The server only supports official Supabase.com hosted projects and local development
  • No Connection String Support: Custom connection strings are not supported
  • No Session Pooling: Only transaction pooling is supported for database connections
  • API and SDK Features: Management API and Auth Admin SDK features only work with remote Supabase projects, not local development

Step 3. Usage

In general, any MCP client that supports stdio protocol should work with this MCP server. This server was explicitly tested to work with:

  • Cursor
  • Windsurf
  • Cline
  • Claude Desktop

Additionally, you can also use smithery.ai to install this server a number of clients, including the ones above.

Follow the guides below to install this MCP server in your client.

Cursor

Go to Settings -> Features -> MCP Servers and add a new server with this configuration:

# can be set to any name
name: supabase
type: command
# if you installed with pipx
command: supabase-mcp-server
# if you installed with uv
command: uv run supabase-mcp-server
# if the above doesn't work, use the full path (recommended)
command: /full/path/to/supabase-mcp-server  # Find with 'which supabase-mcp-server' (macOS/Linux) or 'where supabase-mcp-server' (Windows)

If configuration is correct, you should see a green dot indicator and the number of tools exposed by the server. How successful Cursor config looks like

Windsurf

Go to Cascade -> Click on the hammer icon -> Configure -> Fill in the configuration:

{
    "mcpServers": {
      "supabase": {
        "command": "/Users/username/.local/bin/supabase-mcp-server",  // update path
        "env": {
          "SUPABASE_PROJECT_REF": "your-project-ref",
          "SUPABASE_DB_PASSWORD": "your-db-password",
          "SUPABASE_REGION": "us-east-1",  // optional, defaults to us-east-1
          "SUPABASE_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-access-token",  // optional, for management API
          "SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY": "your-service-role-key"  // optional, for Auth Admin SDK
        }
      }
    }
}

If configuration is correct, you should see green dot indicator and clickable supabase server in the list of available servers.

How successful Windsurf config looks like

Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop also supports MCP servers through a JSON configuration. Follow these steps to set up the Supabase MCP server:

  1. Find the full path to the executable (this step is critical):

    # On macOS/Linux
which supabase-mcp-server

# On Windows
where supabase-mcp-server

    Copy the full path that is returned (e.g., /Users/username/.local/bin/supabase-mcp-server).

  2. Configure the MCP server in Claude Desktop:

    • Open Claude Desktop
    • Go to Settings → Developer -> Edit Config MCP Servers
    • Add a new configuration with the following JSON:
    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "supabase": {
      "command": "/full/path/to/supabase-mcp-server",  // Replace with the actual path from step 1
      "env": {
        "SUPABASE_PROJECT_REF": "your-project-ref",
        "SUPABASE_DB_PASSWORD": "your-db-password",
        "SUPABASE_REGION": "us-east-1",  // optional, defaults to us-east-1
        "SUPABASE_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-access-token",  // optional, for management API
        "SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY": "your-service-role-key"  // optional, for Auth Admin SDK
      }
    }
  }
}

⚠️ Important: Unlike Windsurf and Cursor, Claude Desktop requires the full absolute path to the executable. Using just the command name (supabase-mcp-server) will result in a "spawn ENOENT" error.

If configuration is correct, you should see the Supabase MCP server listed as available in Claude Desktop.

How successful Windsurf config looks like

Cline

Cline also supports MCP servers through a similar JSON configuration. Follow these steps to set up the Supabase MCP server:

  1. Find the full path to the executable (this step is critical):

    # On macOS/Linux
which supabase-mcp-server

# On Windows
where supabase-mcp-server

    Copy the full path that is returned (e.g., /Users/username/.local/bin/supabase-mcp-server).

  2. Configure the MCP server in Cline:

    • Open Cline in VS Code
    • Click on the "MCP Servers" tab in the Cline sidebar
    • Click "Configure MCP Servers"
    • This will open the cline_mcp_settings.json file
    • Add the following configuration:
    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "supabase": {
      "command": "/full/path/to/supabase-mcp-server",  // Replace with the actual path from step 1
      "env": {
        "SUPABASE_PROJECT_REF": "your-project-ref",
        "SUPABASE_DB_PASSWORD": "your-db-password",
        "SUPABASE_REGION": "us-east-1",  // optional, defaults to us-east-1
        "SUPABASE_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-access-token",  // optional, for management API
        "SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY": "your-service-role-key"  // optional, for Auth Admin SDK
      }
    }
  }
}

If configuration is correct, you should see a green indicator next to the Supabase MCP server in the Cline MCP Servers list, and a message confirming "supabase MCP server connected" at the bottom of the panel.

How successful configuration in Cline looks like

Troubleshooting

Here are some tips & tricks that might help you:

  • Debug installation - run supabase-mcp-server directly from the terminal to see if it works. If it doesn't, there might be an issue with the installation.
  • MCP Server configuration - if the above step works, it means the server is installed and configured correctly. As long as you provided the right command, IDE should be able to connect. Make sure to provide the right path to the server executable.
  • "No tools found" error - If you see "Client closed - no tools available" in Cursor despite the package being installed:
    • Find the full path to the executable by running which supabase-mcp-server (macOS/Linux) or where supabase-mcp-server (Windows)
    • Use the full path in your MCP server configuration instead of just supabase-mcp-server
    • For example: /Users/username/.local/bin/supabase-mcp-server or C:\Users\username\.local\bin\supabase-mcp-server.exe
  • Environment variables - to connect to the right database, make sure you either set env variables in mcp_config.json or in .env file placed in a global config directory (~/.config/supabase-mcp/.env on macOS/Linux or %APPDATA%\supabase-mcp\.env on Windows).
  • Accessing logs - The MCP server writes detailed logs to a file:
    • Log file location:
      • macOS/Linux: ~/.local/share/supabase-mcp/mcp_server.log
      • Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.local\share\supabase-mcp\mcp_server.log
    • Logs include connection status, configuration details, and operation results
    • View logs using any text editor or terminal commands: 
      # On macOS/Linux
cat ~/.local/share/supabase-mcp/mcp_server.log

# On Windows (PowerShell)
Get-Content "$env:USERPROFILE\.local\share\supabase-mcp\mcp_server.log"

If you are stuck or any of the instructions above are incorrect, please raise an issue.

MCP Inspector

A super useful tool to help debug MCP server issues is MCP Inspector. If you installed from source, you can run supabase-mcp-inspector from the project repo and it will run the inspector instance. Coupled with logs this will give you complete overview over what's happening in the server.

📝 Running supabase-mcp-inspector, if installed from package, doesn't work properly - I will validate and fix in the coming release.

Feature Overview

Database query tools

Since v0.3+ server provides comprehensive database management capabilities with built-in safety controls:

  • SQL Query Execution: Execute PostgreSQL queries with risk assessment

    • Three-tier safety system:
      • safe: Read-only operations (SELECT) - always allowed
      • write: Data modifications (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE) - require unsafe mode
      • destructive: Schema changes (DROP, CREATE) - require unsafe mode + confirmation

  • SQL Parsing and Validation:

    • Uses PostgreSQL's parser (pglast) for accurate analysis and provides clear feedback on safety requirements

  • Automatic Migration Versioning:

    • Database-altering operations operations are automatically versioned
    • Generates descriptive names based on operation type and target

  • Safety Controls:

    • Default SAFE mode allows only read-only operations
    • All statements run in transaction mode via asyncpg
    • 2-step confirmation for high-risk operations

  • Available Tools:

    • get_schemas: Lists schemas with sizes and table counts
    • get_tables: Lists tables, foreign tables, and views with metadata
    • get_table_schema: Gets detailed table structure (columns, keys, relationships)
    • execute_postgresql: Executes SQL statements against your database
    • confirm_destructive_operation: Executes high-risk operations after confirmation
    • retrieve_migrations: Gets migrations with filtering and pagination options
    • live_dangerously: Toggles between safe and unsafe modes

Management API tools

Since v0.3.0 server provides secure access to the Supabase Management API with built-in safety controls:

  • Available Tools:

    • send_management_api_request: Sends arbitrary requests to Supabase Management API with auto-injection of project ref
    • get_management_api_spec: Gets the enriched API specification with safety information
      • Supports multiple query modes: by domain, by specific path/method, or all paths
      • Includes risk assessment information for each endpoint
      • Provides detailed parameter requirements and response formats
      • Helps LLMs understand the full capabilities of the Supabase Management API
    • get_management_api_safety_rules: Gets all safety rules with human-readable explanations
    • live_dangerously: Toggles between safe and unsafe operation modes

  • Safety Controls:

    • Uses the same safety manager as database operations for consistent risk management
    • Operations categorized by risk level:
      • safe: Read-only operations (GET) - always allowed
      • unsafe: State-changing operations (POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE) - require unsafe mode
      • blocked: Destructive operations (delete project, etc.) - never allowed
    • Default safe mode prevents accidental state changes
    • Path-based pattern matching for precise safety rules

Note: Management API tools only work with remote Supabase instances and are not compatible with local Supabase development setups.

Auth Admin tools

I was planning to add support for Python SDK methods to the MCP server. Upon consideration I decided to only add support for Auth admin methods as I often found myself manually creating test users which was prone to errors and time consuming. Now I can just ask Cursor to create a test user and it will be done seamlessly. Check out the full Auth Admin SDK method docs to know what it can do.

Since v0.3.6 server supports direct access to Supabase Auth Admin methods via Python SDK:

  • Includes the following tools:
    • get_auth_admin_methods_spec to retrieve documentation for all available Auth Admin methods
    • call_auth_admin_method to directly invoke Auth Admin methods with proper parameter handling
  • Supported methods:
    • get_user_by_id: Retrieve a user by their ID
    • list_users: List all users with pagination
    • create_user: Create a new user
    • delete_user: Delete a user by their ID
    • invite_user_by_email: Send an invite link to a user's email
    • generate_link: Generate an email link for various authentication purposes
    • update_user_by_id: Update user attributes by ID
    • delete_factor: Delete a factor on a user (currently not implemented in SDK)

Why use Auth Admin SDK instead of raw SQL queries?

The Auth Admin SDK provides several key advantages over direct SQL manipulation:

  • Functionality: Enables operations not possible with SQL alone (invites, magic links, MFA)

  • Accuracy: More reliable then creating and executing raw SQL queries on auth schemas

  • Simplicity: Offers clear methods with proper validation and error handling

    • Response format:
      • All methods return structured Python objects instead of raw dictionaries
      • Object attributes can be accessed using dot notation (e.g., user.id instead of user["id"])
    • Edge cases and limitations:
      • UUID validation: Many methods require valid UUID format for user IDs and will return specific validation errors
      • Email configuration: Methods like invite_user_by_email and generate_link require email sending to be configured in your Supabase project
      • Link types: When generating links, different link types have different requirements:
        • signup links don't require the user to exist
        • magiclink and recovery links require the user to already exist in the system
      • Error handling: The server provides detailed error messages from the Supabase API, which may differ from the dashboard interface
      • Method availability: Some methods like delete_factor are exposed in the API but not fully implemented in the SDK

Automatic Versioning of Database Changes

"With great power comes great responsibility." While execute_postgresql tool coupled with aptly named live_dangerously tool provide a powerful and simple way to manage your Supabase database, it also means that dropping a table or modifying one is one chat message away. In order to reduce the risk of irreversible changes, since v0.3.8 the server supports:

  • automatic creation of migration scripts for all write & destructive sql operations executed on the database
  • improved safety mode of query execution, in which all queries are categorized in:
    • safe type: always allowed. Includes all read-only ops.
    • writetype: requires write mode to be enabled by the user.
    • destructive type: requires write mode to be enabled by the user AND a 2-step confirmation of query execution for clients that do not execute tools automatically.

Universal Safety Mode

Since v0.3.8 Safety Mode has been standardized across all services (database, API, SDK) using a universal safety manager. This provides consistent risk management and a unified interface for controlling safety settings across the entire MCP server.

All operations (SQL queries, API requests, SDK methods) are categorized into risk levels:

  • Low risk: Read-only operations that don't modify data or structure (SELECT queries, GET API requests)
  • Medium risk: Write operations that modify data but not structure (INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE, most POST/PUT API requests)
  • High risk: Destructive operations that modify database structure or could cause data loss (DROP/TRUNCATE, DELETE API endpoints)
  • Extreme risk: Operations with severe consequences that are blocked entirely (deleting projects)

Safety controls are applied based on risk level:

  • Low risk operations are always allowed
  • Medium risk operations require unsafe mode to be enabled
  • High risk operations require unsafe mode AND explicit confirmation
  • Extreme risk operations are never allowed

How confirmation flow works

Any high-risk operations (be it a postgresql or api request) will be blocked even in unsafe mode. Every high-risk operation is blocked You will have to confirm and approve every high-risk operation explicitly in order for it to be executed. Explicit approval is always required

Changelog

  • 📦 Simplified installation via package manager - ✅ (v0.2.0)
  • 🌎 Support for different Supabase regions - ✅ (v0.2.2)
  • 🎮 Programmatic access to Supabase management API with safety controls - ✅ (v0.3.0)
  • 👷‍♂️ Read and read-write database SQL queries with safety controls - ✅ (v0.3.0)
  • 🔄 Robust transaction handling for both direct and pooled connections - ✅ (v0.3.2)
  • 🐍 Support methods and objects available in native Python SDK - ✅ (v0.3.6)
  • 🔍 Stronger SQL query validation ✅ (v0.3.8)
  • 📝 Automatic versioning of database changes ✅ (v0.3.8)
  • 📖 Radically improved knowledge and tools of api spec ✅ (v0.3.8)
  • ✍️ Improved consistency of migration-related tools for a more organized database vcs ✅ (v0.3.10)

For a more detailed roadmap, please see this discussion on GitHub.

Connect to Supabase logs

I'm planning to research, if it's possible to connect to Supabase db logs which might be useful for debugging (if not already supported.)

Enjoy! ☺️

Installation

Claude
Claude
Cursor
Cursor
Windsurf
Windsurf
Cline
Cline
Witsy
Witsy
Spin AI
Spin AI
Use the following variables when running the server locally:

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