> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/ai/mcp-server.md).

# MCP Server

The <code class="expression">space.vars.ionos\_cloud\_mcp\_server</code> connects your AI client or AI agent to your <code class="expression">space.vars.ionos\_cloud</code> account using the [<mark style="color:blue;">Model Context Protocol (MCP)</mark>](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/). It runs as a local binary on your machine and makes API calls directly to <code class="expression">space.vars.ionos\_cloud</code>, not through any AI provider. It provides access to [<mark style="color:blue;">100+ tools</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/tool-reference.md) across Compute Engine, Managed Kubernetes, <code class="expression">ionos\_cloud\_object\_storage</code>, Cloud DNS, Certificate Manager, Billing, and Activity Log.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** The server is read-only by default. Unless you opt in, all tools are inspection and query operations and the server cannot create, update, or delete resources. Write tools for Compute Engine and Managed Kubernetes are available behind the `IONOS_MCP_TOOL_SCOPE` environment variable. For more information, see [<mark style="color:blue;">Write Operations</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/configuration/write-operations.md).
{% endhint %}

## Why IONOS CLOUD MCP

* **Read-only by default:** Out of the box, these tools are inspection-only. The server cannot create, modify, or delete any resource. This makes it safe to connect to production accounts and share with teams. Write tools exist but must be enabled deliberately, and every create, delete, and disruptive action needs a two-step confirmation. For more information, see [<mark style="color:blue;">Write Operations</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/configuration/write-operations.md).
* **Local binary:** <code class="expression">space.vars.ionos\_cloud\_api</code> calls go directly from the MCP server to <code class="expression">space.vars.ionos\_cloud</code>. They are not proxied through Anthropic, Microsoft, or any third-party relay. The AI client sends tool outputs to its model backend for inference; review your AI client's privacy policy for details.
* [<mark style="color:blue;">**100+ tools**</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/tool-reference.md) **across 7 products:** Compute Engine, Managed Kubernetes, <code class="expression">space.vars.ionos\_cloud\_object\_storage</code>, Cloud DNS, Billing, Certificate Manager, and Activity Log.
* **Open source (**[<mark style="color:blue;">**Apache 2.0**</mark>](https://opensource.org/licenses/apache-2-0)**):** Inspect the source, contribute, or extend at [<mark style="color:blue;">github.com/ionos-cloud/ionoscloud-mcp</mark>](https://github.com/ionos-cloud/ionoscloud-mcp).
* **Pairs with the** <code class="expression">space.vars.ionos\_cloud</code> **Documentation MCP:** Add `https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/~gitbook/mcp` to your config to give your AI assistant live account data and full product documentation in the same session. For more information, see [<mark style="color:blue;">Overview</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/overview.md#ionos-cloud-documentation-mcp).
* **Discoverable on the major MCP registries:** Available on the [<mark style="color:blue;">Official MCP Registry</mark>](https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/?q=ionos), [<mark style="color:blue;">Smithery</mark>](https://smithery.ai/servers/ionos-cloud/ionoscloud-mcp), [<mark style="color:blue;">mcp.so</mark>](https://mcp.so/server/ionos-cloud-mcp-server/ionos-cloud), [<mark style="color:blue;">Glama</mark>](https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/ionos-cloud/ionoscloud-mcp), the [<mark style="color:blue;">Cursor Directory</mark>](https://cursor.directory/plugins/ionoscloud-mcp), [<mark style="color:blue;">mcpservers.org</mark>](https://mcpservers.org/servers/ionos-cloud/ionoscloud-mcp), [<mark style="color:blue;">PulseMCP</mark>](https://www.pulsemcp.com/servers/ionoscloud), [<mark style="color:blue;">MCPMarket</mark>](https://mcpmarket.com/server/ionos-cloud), and [<mark style="color:blue;">awesome-mcp-servers</mark>](https://github.com/punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers) so you can find and install it from within your AI client.

## Product Overview

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>IONOS CLOUD MCP Server</strong></mark></td><td>Learn how the MCP Server works, what products it covers, and how its tool scopes work.</td><td><a href="/cloud/ai/mcp-server/overview.md">Overview</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

## Quick Links

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>Quick Start</strong></mark></td><td>Install the binary and connect your first AI client in minutes.</td><td><a href="/cloud/ai/mcp-server/quick-start.md">Quick Start</a></td></tr><tr><td><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>Connect to an AI Client</strong></mark></td><td>Per-client setup guides for Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cline, Continue, Cursor, Gemini CLI, JetBrains, Kiro, OpenCode, VS Code, Windsurf, and Zed.</td><td><a href="/cloud/ai/mcp-server/connect-to-an-ai-client.md">Connect to an AI Client</a></td></tr><tr><td><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>Configuration</strong></mark></td><td>Authentication, environment variables, opt-in write operations, and selective tool loading.</td><td><a href="/cloud/ai/mcp-server/configuration.md">Configuration</a></td></tr><tr><td><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>Use Cases</strong></mark></td><td>Explore infrastructure audits, security checks, billing analysis, FinOps pipelines, and agentic workflows.</td><td><a href="/cloud/ai/mcp-server/use-cases.md">Use Cases</a></td></tr><tr><td><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>Troubleshooting</strong></mark></td><td>Fix connection issues, missing tools, authentication errors, and rate-limit problems.</td><td><a href="/cloud/ai/mcp-server/troubleshooting.md">Troubleshooting</a></td></tr><tr><td><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>Tool Reference</strong></mark></td><td>A complete list of all tools across Compute Engine, Managed Kubernetes, <code class="expression">ionos_cloud_object_storage</code>, Cloud DNS, Billing, Certificate Manager, and Activity Log.</td><td><a href="/cloud/ai/mcp-server/tool-reference.md">Tool Reference</a></td></tr><tr><td><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>Tutorials</strong></mark></td><td>Step-by-step instructions for deploying IONOS CLOUD MCP Server workflows.</td><td><a href="https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/tutorials/ai/mcp-server">https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/tutorials/ai/mcp-server</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

## Developer Tools

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>IONOS CLOUD MCP Server on GitHub</strong></mark></td><td>Source code, releases, issues, and contribution guide.</td><td><a href="https://github.com/ionos-cloud/ionoscloud-mcp">https://github.com/ionos-cloud/ionoscloud-mcp</a></td></tr><tr><td><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>IONOS CLOUD REST API</strong></mark></td><td>Complete REST API reference for the products the MCP server wraps.</td><td><a href="https://api.ionos.com/docs/">https://api.ionos.com/docs/</a></td></tr><tr><td><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>Model Context Protocol</strong></mark></td><td>The open standard the server implements: specification, SDKs, and compatible clients.</td><td><a href="https://modelcontextprotocol.io/">https://modelcontextprotocol.io/</a></td></tr><tr><td><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>Report Issues or Request Features</strong></mark></td><td>Open a GitHub issue to report a bug or request a feature. Community-visible requests help prioritise the roadmap.</td><td><a href="https://github.com/ionos-cloud/ionoscloud-mcp/issues">https://github.com/ionos-cloud/ionoscloud-mcp/issues</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

## Supported products

| Product                                                                                                                             | Tools             | What you can do                                                                                                                                                                      |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| [<mark style="color:blue;">Compute Engine</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/compute-services/compute-engine)                     | 50 read, 69 write | List and inspect data centers, servers, volumes, NICs, LANs, load balancers, NAT gateways, security groups, and more. With write tools enabled, also create, update, and delete them |
| [<mark style="color:blue;">Managed Kubernetes</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/containers/managed-kubernetes)                   | 8 read, 8 write   | List and inspect Kubernetes clusters, node pools, nodes, and available versions. With write tools enabled, also create, scale, upgrade, and delete them                              |
| [<mark style="color:blue;">IONOS CLOUD Object Storage</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/backup-and-storage/ionos-object-storage) | 23                | List buckets and objects, inspect bucket configuration (CORS, encryption, lifecycle, replication), and check access keys                                                             |
| [<mark style="color:blue;">Cloud DNS</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/network-services/cloud-dns)                               | 14                | List and inspect zones, records, reverse records, secondary zones, and DNSSEC keys                                                                                                   |
| [<mark style="color:blue;">Billing</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/management/usage/cost-and-usage)                            | 15                | View invoices, usage, traffic, the product pricing catalog, and the FOCUS v1.3 mapping                                                                                               |
| [<mark style="color:blue;">Certificate Manager</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/security/certificate-manager)                   | 6                 | List and inspect certificates, auto-certificates, and providers                                                                                                                      |
| [<mark style="color:blue;">Activity Log</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/observability/activity-logs)                           | 2                 | Query the full audit trail: who did what, when, on which resource                                                                                                                    |

## Supported AI clients

[<mark style="color:blue;">Claude Desktop</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/connect-to-an-ai-client/claude-desktop.md), [<mark style="color:blue;">Claude Code</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/connect-to-an-ai-client/claude-code.md), [<mark style="color:blue;">Cursor</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/connect-to-an-ai-client/cursor.md), [<mark style="color:blue;">VS Code</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/connect-to-an-ai-client/vs-code.md) (GitHub Copilot), [<mark style="color:blue;">Windsurf</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/connect-to-an-ai-client/windsurf.md), [<mark style="color:blue;">Gemini CLI</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/connect-to-an-ai-client/gemini-cli.md), [<mark style="color:blue;">Kiro</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/connect-to-an-ai-client/kiro.md), [<mark style="color:blue;">JetBrains AI Assistant</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/connect-to-an-ai-client/jetbrains.md), [<mark style="color:blue;">Continue</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/connect-to-an-ai-client/continue.md), [<mark style="color:blue;">Zed</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/connect-to-an-ai-client/zed.md), [<mark style="color:blue;">Cline</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/connect-to-an-ai-client/cline.md), [<mark style="color:blue;">OpenCode</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/connect-to-an-ai-client/opencode.md), and [<mark style="color:blue;">any other MCP-compatible client</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/connect-to-an-ai-client/other-clients.md).

## FAQ

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>FAQ</strong></mark></td><td>Answers to common questions about security, credentials, write operations, clients, and rate limits.</td><td><a href="/cloud/ai/mcp-server/faq.md">FAQ</a></td></tr></tbody></table>


---

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