Before starting, make sure you have the following:
- ✓ Claude Code installed —
npm i -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
- ✓ Metabase instance running (local or cloud, version 0.50+)
- ✓ Metabase API key (Settings → Admin → API Keys)
- ~ Node.js 18+ (for running the MCP server)
Note
The Metabase MCP server works with both open-source and Pro. Some tools require Pro. Step 6 covers what’s available where.
Metabase maintains an official MCP server package. Install it globally:
$ npm install -g @metabase/mcp-server
added 142 packages in 8.3s
✓ @metabase/mcp-server@0.4.2 installed
$ metabase-mcp --version
0.4.2
Add the Metabase MCP server to your Claude Code config. Open ~/.claude/settings.json and add the mcpServers block:
{
"mcpServers": {
"metabase": {
"command": "metabase-mcp",
"env": {
"MB_URL": "https://your-metabase.com",
"MB_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
}
}
}
}
Replace MB_URL with your Metabase instance URL and MB_API_KEY with the key from step 0.
Start Claude Code and confirm the MCP server connected:
> List all available MCP tools
⌟ list_tools (MCP)
↳ metabase: 24 tools available
Connected to Metabase at https://your-metabase.com
Tools: metabase_list_dashboards, metabase_get_dashboard,
metabase_list_cards, metabase_run_card, metabase_create_card,
metabase_get_activity, metabase_list_databases … +17 more
Claude Code
|
MCP: metabase ✓ 24 tools
You’re ready
If you see 24 tools listed, the connection is working. Move to step 4.
These work out of the box. Copy, paste, run.
01
“List all dashboards that haven’t been viewed in 60 days. Group by collection.”
Dashboard audit. Flags stale content you can safely archive.
02
“Show me the 10 most-viewed dashboards this month and who created them.”
Understand what’s actually being used across your team.
03
“Write a SQL query for [your question] and create a Metabase card in [collection].”
SQL generation + card creation in one shot. Claude reads your schema first.
04
“Find all questions querying [table]. List the dashboards they appear in.”
Impact analysis before schema changes. Know what breaks before you break it.
05
“Run card #[id] and explain the result in plain English.”
Makes any metric instantly readable for non-technical stakeholders.
The most useful automation: every Monday, Claude reads your core metrics via MCP and posts a Slack summary if anything moved significantly.
> Every Monday 09:00: run cards #101–105. Compare to last week. If any metric moved >15%, post to Slack #data-alerts.
⌟ create_cron_task
↳ schedule: "0 9 * * 1"
⌟ metabase_run_card (MCP) ×5
↳ baseline captured for WoW comparison
Cron set. Every Monday at 09:00:
1. Fetch all 5 KPI cards via Metabase MCP
2. Diff against previous week
3. Post to #data-alerts if delta > 15%
Zero manual work required.
Claude Code
|
MCP: metabase · slack
|
cron: active
Most MCP tools work with the free open-source Metabase. A few require Pro:
- ✓ OSS List / read / create dashboards and cards
- ✓ OSS Run queries, get results
- ✓ OSS Read database schema
- ✓ OSS Activity log (who viewed what)
- Pro Usage analytics (view counts, trending)
- Pro Subscriptions and scheduled reports via MCP
- Pro Row-level security via MCP
Tip
For most teams, OSS is enough for dashboard audits, SQL generation, and KPI monitoring. Pro is needed only for usage analytics or subscription automation.