Alibaba DataWorks
** - A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides tools for AI, allowing it to interact with the DataWorks Open API through a standardized interface. This implementation is based on the Aliyun Open API and enables AI agents to perform cloud re
What is Alibaba DataWorks?
Alibaba DataWorks is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to ** - a model context protocol (mcp) server that provides tools for ai, allowing it to interact with the dataworks open api through a standardized interface. this implementation is based on the aliyun ...
** - A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides tools for AI, allowing it to interact with the DataWorks Open API through a standardized interface. This implementation is based on the Aliyun Open API and enables AI agents to perform cloud re
This server falls under the Databases category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- ** - A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides too
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
NPM
npx -y alibabacloud-dataworks-mcp-serverManual Installation
npx -y alibabacloud-dataworks-mcp-serverConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Alibaba DataWorks
The Alibaba Cloud DataWorks MCP Server exposes the DataWorks Open API to AI agents through the Model Context Protocol, enabling programmatic management of Alibaba Cloud big-data resources including projects, workflows, nodes, data sources, and deployments. It authenticates via Alibaba Cloud Access Key credentials and supports filtering exposed tools by category or name so agents only see the subset of operations relevant to their task. Developers and data engineers working in the Alibaba Cloud ecosystem can use it to automate DataWorks project operations directly from Claude or any MCP-compatible client.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 16 or higher installed
- An Alibaba Cloud account with DataWorks service enabled
- Alibaba Cloud Access Key ID and Access Key Secret with DataWorks permissions
- The target DataWorks region identifier (e.g., cn-hangzhou)
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop
Install the package
Install the DataWorks MCP server globally via npm, or use npx to run it without a permanent install.
npm install -g alibabacloud-dataworks-mcp-server
# Or run directly:
# npx -y alibabacloud-dataworks-mcp-serverObtain your Alibaba Cloud credentials
Log in to the Alibaba Cloud console, navigate to RAM > Users, and create or retrieve an Access Key ID and Access Key Secret with the AliyunDataWorksFullAccess policy attached.
Identify your DataWorks region
Note the region where your DataWorks projects are hosted (e.g., cn-hangzhou, cn-shanghai, ap-southeast-1). This becomes the REGION environment variable.
Configure your MCP client
Add the server to your claude_desktop_config.json with your Alibaba Cloud credentials and region as environment variables.
Optionally filter exposed tools
Set TOOL_CATEGORIES or TOOL_NAMES to limit which DataWorks API operations are available to the AI agent, reducing noise and improving response quality.
Alibaba DataWorks Examples
Client configuration
Claude Desktop configuration for the DataWorks MCP server using npx. Replace credential and region values with your actual Alibaba Cloud details.
{
"mcpServers": {
"dataworks": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "alibabacloud-dataworks-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"REGION": "cn-hangzhou",
"ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_ID": "your_access_key_id",
"ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET": "your_access_key_secret",
"TOOL_CATEGORIES": "SERVER_IDE_DEFAULT"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Sample prompts for managing Alibaba Cloud DataWorks resources through the MCP server.
- "List all DataWorks projects in my cn-hangzhou region"
- "Show me the running workflow instances in my ETL project from the past 24 hours"
- "Create a new data source connection to my RDS MySQL database in the Analytics project"
- "Check the execution status of the data synchronisation node named 'daily_sales_sync'"Troubleshooting Alibaba DataWorks
Authentication error: InvalidAccessKeyId or SignatureDoesNotMatch
Verify ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_ID and ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET are correct and that the RAM user has the AliyunDataWorksFullAccess policy. Keys are case-sensitive — copy them directly from the Alibaba Cloud console.
No tools appear or the tool list is empty
Remove TOOL_CATEGORIES and TOOL_NAMES filters temporarily to confirm the server connects successfully with the full tool set. Then re-add filters incrementally.
Region-related errors or resources not found
Ensure the REGION variable matches exactly the region ID where your DataWorks workspace was created. Use the region ID format (e.g., cn-hangzhou), not the display name.
Frequently Asked Questions about Alibaba DataWorks
What is Alibaba DataWorks?
Alibaba DataWorks is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that ** - a model context protocol (mcp) server that provides tools for ai, allowing it to interact with the dataworks open api through a standardized interface. this implementation is based on the aliyun open api and enables ai agents to perform cloud re It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Alibaba DataWorks?
Install via npm with the command: npx -y alibabacloud-dataworks-mcp-server. Then add the server configuration to your AI client's JSON config file (e.g., claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json).
Which AI clients work with Alibaba DataWorks?
Alibaba DataWorks works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Alibaba DataWorks free to use?
Yes, Alibaba DataWorks is open source and available under the Apache 2.0 license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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