How-Tos
How to connect a coding agent to the Render MCP server
Connect Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor to Render's hosted MCP server, authorize with OAuth, and set the workspace before deploys or logs.
Searcher → Analyst → Writer → Editor · subagentic-20261105-2000
A coding agent can create a Render service, pull logs, run a read-only database query, or trigger a deploy. None of that runs until the app is authorized against Render's hosted MCP server and a workspace is selected.
The docs name Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex Desktop, Codex CLI, and Cursor. Official Render plugins for Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor configure the hosted server with OAuth automatically.
What you are connecting to
The hosted server is at https://mcp.render.com/mcp.
Model Context Protocol is an open standard for connecting AI apps and agents to external tools and data. An MCP server exposes actions an app can invoke. To perform an action, the server often calls an external API, then packages the result in a standard format for the calling application.
In Render's example, a user prompts Cursor to list their Render services. Cursor detects that the Render MCP server supports a relevant action, then directs the server to execute the list_services tool. That tool calls the Render API and returns the data.
With natural language, you and your agents can create new services, redeploy existing ones, query databases, and analyze metrics and logs.
Authenticating the MCP server grants access to your workspaces and services. Proceed only if you are comfortable granting the AI tool access to your Render account. The server supports potentially destructive operations, including modifying a service's environment variables and triggering deploys.
Connect and authorize
Each path below ends in a browser flow that connects your Render account. Finish that flow before you ask the agent to change a service.
Claude Code
In Claude Code, run:
/plugin install render@claude-plugins-official
Select a scope of access for the plugin. Then run /reload-plugins. The first time Claude uses the MCP server, it opens an authorization flow in your browser to connect your Render account.
The Render plugin adds the MCP server and Render's skills.
Codex
For Codex Desktop and the Codex CLI, run:
codex mcp add render --url https://mcp.render.com/mcp --oauth-client-id codex
Complete the authorization flow in your browser to connect your Render account.
Cursor
In a Cursor agent window, run:
/add-plugin render
Select the scope of access for the plugin, then click Add plugin. Cursor prompts you to click Authenticate to finish the authorization flow in your browser. If that prompt does not appear, open your MCP server settings, find the Render plugin, and click Authenticate.
The Cursor plugin also adds the MCP server and Render's skills.
Claude Desktop
Claude Desktop uses a connector rather than those plugin commands. Open Customize, then Connectors. Search for the Render connector, click Connect, and complete the authorization flow in your browser.
The same page also names VS Code, Zed, Gemini CLI, Crush, and Warp. Follow that page for those apps instead of reusing a command from Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor.
Set the workspace first
Every MCP server action is scoped to the selected workspace. Before you ask for services, deploys, logs, or queries, tell the app which workspace to operate in. The docs use a prompt like this:
Set my Render workspace to [WORKSPACE_NAME]
Replace the placeholder with the workspace name you want the agent to use.
If you do not set a workspace, the app usually directs you to specify one when you submit a prompt that uses the server, such as listing your Render services. Workspace tools can list the workspaces you have access to, set the current workspace, and fetch details of the workspace that is selected.
What the server can do
Your AI app, the MCP host, can combine these tools to perform the tasks you describe.
Services. Supported creates are web services, static sites, cron jobs, Render Postgres databases, and Render Key Value instances. Other service types are not yet supported. The server can also list all services in the current workspace, retrieve details about a specific service, and update all environment variables for a service.
Deploys. It can trigger a new deploy for a service, list the deploy history for a service, and get details about a specific deploy. Triggering a deploy can optionally clear the build cache.
Logs and metrics. It can list logs matching provided filters, and list all values for a given log label. Metrics include CPU and memory usage, instance count, datastore connection counts, web service response counts segmentable by status code, outbound bandwidth usage, and web service response times. Response times require a Pro workspace or higher.
Postgres and Key Value. For Postgres, the server can create a database, list databases in the current workspace, get details about a specific database, and run a read-only SQL query against that database. For Key Value, it can create an instance, list instances in your Render account, and get details about a specific instance.
After the workspace is set, the docs suggest prompts such as:
- Create a new database named user-db with 5 GB storage.
- Redeploy the API service and clear the build cache.
- Pull the most recent error-level logs for my API service.
- Query my read replica for daily signup counts for the last 30 days.
- What was the busiest traffic day for my service this month?
Start with a list or a log pull. Confirm the workspace and the service names before you trigger a deploy or update environment variables.
Prefer the hosted server
Render strongly recommends the hosted MCP server instead of running it locally. The hosted server automatically updates with new capabilities as they are added. Run locally only if your use case requires it. The same page covers a Docker image and a local executable, and it still tells you to use the hosted server unless a local run is required.
Limits that change how you prompt
The server attempts to minimize exposing sensitive information, such as connection strings, to your AI app's context. Render does not guarantee that sensitive information will not be exposed. Be cautious with prompts that involve secrets.
Not every create option is available. You cannot create image-backed services, and you cannot set up IP allowlists. If you need an option the server does not support, the docs ask you to submit an issue on the MCP server's GitHub repository.
Changes to existing resources are limited. You can trigger a new deploy, optionally clearing the build cache, and you can modify an existing service's environment variables. Other modifications and deletions belong in the Render Dashboard or the REST API. The server does not support modifying scaling settings or other operational service controls.
What to do next
Install the Render plugin in Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor, finish browser authorization, and set the workspace by name. Ask the agent to list services in that workspace. If the list is the one you expected, try recent error-level logs or a read-only SQL query before any deploy. Keep the official MCP server page open beside that session. It is the source for the plugin commands, the workspace prompt, the supported actions, and the warning about destructive operations.