Grafbase
[Acquired by The Guild] The Grafbase GraphQL Federation Gateway
What is Grafbase?
Grafbase is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to [acquired by the guild] the grafbase graphql federation gateway
[Acquired by The Guild] The Grafbase GraphQL Federation Gateway
This server falls under the APIs category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- MCP protocol support
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx grafbaseConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Grafbase
Grafbase is a GraphQL federation gateway written in Rust that allows teams to compose multiple GraphQL services into a single unified API endpoint, with support for enterprise features like WebAssembly-based custom resolvers, schema registry, and access controls. Note that the Grafbase platform and dashboard have been sunset following acquisition by The Guild, and the project is in maintenance-only mode with archival planned; users are advised to migrate to The Guild's Hive Gateway or Hive Router for actively supported federation gateway functionality.
Prerequisites
- Rust toolchain installed (for building from source) or a pre-built binary from GitHub releases
- One or more existing GraphQL subgraph services to federate
- A Grafbase configuration file (grafbase.config.ts or grafbase.toml) defining your subgraphs
- An MCP client such as Claude Desktop or Claude Code if using MCP integration
Check the project maintenance status
As of 2025, Grafbase has been acquired by The Guild and the platform is sunset. The open-source gateway code remains available for self-hosting but receives only critical security fixes. Consider The Guild's Hive Gateway as the actively maintained successor.
Install the Grafbase CLI
Download the pre-built Grafbase CLI binary for your platform from the GitHub releases page, or install via the install script.
curl -fsSL https://grafbase.com/downloads/cli/install.sh | shCreate a Grafbase configuration
Define your federation configuration. The grafbase.config.ts file lists all subgraphs (services) that the gateway will compose into a unified schema.
import { config, graph } from '@grafbase/sdk'
export default config({
graph: graph.Federated({
subgraphs: [
{ name: 'products', url: 'http://localhost:4001/graphql' },
{ name: 'users', url: 'http://localhost:4002/graphql' }
]
})
})Start the local development gateway
Run the Grafbase gateway in development mode. It will compose all configured subgraph schemas and expose a unified GraphQL endpoint.
grafbase devConfigure the MCP integration
Grafbase includes MCP protocol support for exposing your federated GraphQL schema to AI assistants. Add it to your MCP client configuration.
{
"mcpServers": {
"grafbase": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["grafbase", "mcp"],
"env": {
"GRAFBASE_API_URL": "http://localhost:4000/graphql"
}
}
}
}Grafbase Examples
Client configuration
MCP client configuration for the Grafbase gateway server pointing at a locally running GraphQL federation endpoint.
{
"mcpServers": {
"grafbase": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["grafbase", "mcp"],
"env": {
"GRAFBASE_API_URL": "http://localhost:4000/graphql"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts for exploring a federated GraphQL API through the Grafbase MCP server.
- "Show me all available GraphQL types and queries in this federated schema"
- "Write a GraphQL query to fetch users with their associated product orders"
- "Explain the relationship between the users and products subgraphs"
- "Generate a GraphQL mutation to create a new product and return its ID"Troubleshooting Grafbase
grafbase dev fails to start or compose schemas
Verify all subgraph URLs in your grafbase.config.ts are reachable and returning valid GraphQL schemas. Run each subgraph independently first and test with a GraphQL client before composing them.
Grafbase platform dashboard and cloud features no longer work
The Grafbase cloud platform was sunset following acquisition by The Guild. Self-hosted gateway functionality still works. For managed GraphQL federation, migrate to The Guild's Hive platform at the.guild.dev.
WebAssembly resolver compilation errors
Ensure the wasm32-unknown-unknown Rust target is installed: 'rustup target add wasm32-unknown-unknown'. Check that your Rust version is compatible with the Grafbase SDK version in your package.json.
Frequently Asked Questions about Grafbase
What is Grafbase?
Grafbase is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that [acquired by the guild] the grafbase graphql federation gateway It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Grafbase?
Follow the installation instructions on the Grafbase GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with Grafbase?
Grafbase works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Grafbase free to use?
Yes, Grafbase is open source and available under the MPL-2.0 license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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