Node-RED MCP Server

MCP server for Node-RED workflow management. Provides AI assistants with 17 tools to manage flows, node modules, context stores, and runtime settings through the Node-RED Admin API v2.

Installation

Standalone Node-RED:

claude mcp add node-red -e NODE_RED_URL=http://localhost:1880 -e NODE_RED_TOKEN=your-api-token -- npx mcp-node-red

Home Assistant Add-on (Basic Auth):

claude mcp add node-red -e NODE_RED_URL=http://username:[email protected]:1880 -- npx mcp-node-red

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or ~/.config/claude/claude_desktop_config.json (Linux):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "node-red": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mcp-node-red"],
      "env": {
        "NODE_RED_URL": "http://localhost:1880",
        "NODE_RED_TOKEN": "your-api-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop to load the server.

Configuration

Environment Variables

• NODE_RED_URL (required): Your Node-RED instance URL
• NODE_RED_TOKEN (optional): API token for authentication

Environment Files

The server loads environment variables from .env and .env.local files in the working directory:

• .env -- Base defaults (tracked in version control if desired)
• .env.local -- Local overrides (gitignored, never committed)

Precedence (highest to lowest):

1. Real environment variables (e.g., set via shell or MCP config)
2. .env.local
3. .env

Copy .env.example as a starting template:

cp .env.example .env

Node-RED Setup

Standalone Node-RED

1. Enable Admin API in Node-RED settings.js:

adminAuth: {
  type: "credentials",
  users: [{
    username: "admin",
    password: "$2a$08$...",  // bcrypt hash
    permissions: "*"
  }]
}

2. Generate API token:

curl -X POST http://localhost:1880/auth/token \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"client_id":"node-red-admin","grant_type":"password","scope":"*","username":"admin","password":"your-password"}'

Home Assistant Add-on

The Home Assistant Node-RED add-on uses Basic Auth with your Home Assistant credentials:

# Test connection
curl http://USERNAME:[email protected]:1880/flows

Configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "node-red": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mcp-node-red"],
      "env": {
        "NODE_RED_URL": "http://admin:[email protected]:1880"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: No NODE_RED_TOKEN needed - credentials are in the URL.

Features

Flow Management

• get_flows: Retrieve all flows from your Node-RED instance
• create_flow: Create new flows via POST /flow
• update_flow: Update individual flows safely via PUT /flow/:id
• validate_flow: Validate flow configuration without deploying
• delete_flow: Delete a flow and all its nodes by ID

Runtime Control

• get_flow_state: Get runtime state of flows (started/stopped)
• set_flow_state: Start or stop all flows in the runtime

Node Module Management

• get_nodes: List all installed node modules with versions and status
• install_node: Install a node module from the npm registry
• set_node_module_state: Enable or disable an installed node module
• remove_node_module: Uninstall a node module from Node-RED

Context Store

• get_context: Read context data at global, flow, or node scope
• delete_context: Delete context values at any scope

Runtime Info

• get_settings: Get Node-RED runtime settings including version
• get_diagnostics: Get system diagnostics (Node.js, OS, memory)

Node Interaction

• trigger_inject: Trigger an inject node (same as clicking the button)
• set_debug_state: Enable or disable a debug node's output

Usage

Once configured, ask your AI assistant natural language questions:

Get all flows from my Node-RED instance

Create a new flow with label "Temperature Monitor"

Update flow "flow1" to change its label to "New Name"

Delete the flow with ID "flow1"

What node modules are installed?

Install the node-red-contrib-mqtt module

Trigger the inject node to test my flow

Show me the global context data

Get the Node-RED runtime settings and version

Safety Features

• Individual flow updates: Uses PUT /flow/:id to update only the specified flow
• No accidental deletions: Other flows remain completely untouched
• Validation: All flow configurations are validated before sending to Node-RED
• Read-only by default: Only modifies flows when explicitly requested
• Module management guards: Core modules cannot be removed; enable/disable is reversible
• Scoped context operations: Context reads and deletes are scoped to specific keys

Development

See docs/development.md for development setup, testing, and contribution guidelines.

License

MIT