Netdata
Real-time infrastructure monitoring with metrics, logs, alerts, and ML-based anomaly detection.
What is Netdata?
Netdata is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to real-time infrastructure monitoring with metrics, logs, alerts, and ml-based anomaly detection.
Real-time infrastructure monitoring with metrics, logs, alerts, and ML-based anomaly detection.
This server falls under the Monitoring & Observability category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- Real-time infrastructure monitoring with metrics, logs, aler
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx netdataConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Netdata
Netdata is an open-source, real-time infrastructure monitoring platform that collects per-second metrics from servers, containers, cloud services, and applications with zero configuration — it auto-discovers everything on the nodes it runs on. Its MCP server integration allows AI clients to query live metrics, inspect anomaly detection results from Netdata's built-in ML models, review active alerts, and analyze logs directly through natural language. DevOps teams use it to give AI agents observability context: instead of manually checking dashboards, the AI can directly read infrastructure state and help diagnose incidents.
Prerequisites
- A running Netdata Agent installation (Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, or Windows)
- Node.js 18 or higher for the MCP server wrapper
- Netdata Cloud account (free tier) if you want centralized multi-node queries (optional)
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop or Claude Code CLI
Install the Netdata Agent
Install Netdata on your server using the kickstart script. This installs and starts the agent, which immediately begins collecting per-second metrics and listening on port 19999.
wget -O /tmp/netdata-kickstart.sh https://get.netdata.cloud/kickstart.sh
sudo bash /tmp/netdata-kickstart.shVerify Netdata is collecting metrics
Open http://localhost:19999 in your browser to confirm the Netdata dashboard shows live metrics. No configuration is required for basic system monitoring.
Launch the Netdata MCP server
Start the MCP server that connects to your Netdata instance. The server queries the Netdata REST API on port 19999 by default.
npx netdataAdd to Claude Desktop configuration
Register the Netdata MCP server in your Claude Desktop config file so it is available as a tool.
{
"mcpServers": {
"netdata": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["netdata"]
}
}
}Restart Claude Desktop and query your infrastructure
Restart your MCP client and ask about your infrastructure health. The server will query Netdata's REST API and return live metrics, alerts, and anomaly data.
Netdata Examples
Client configuration
Claude Desktop config for the Netdata MCP server with optional host override.
{
"mcpServers": {
"netdata": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["netdata"],
"env": {
"NETDATA_HOST": "http://localhost:19999"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts for querying Netdata metrics, alerts, and anomaly detection through your MCP client.
- "What are the current active alerts on my server?"
- "Show me CPU and memory usage for the last hour"
- "Are there any anomalies detected by Netdata's ML models right now?"
- "What processes are consuming the most RAM on this machine?"
- "Is there any unusual network traffic in the last 30 minutes?"Troubleshooting Netdata
MCP server cannot connect to Netdata — connection refused on port 19999
Verify Netdata is running with 'sudo systemctl status netdata' or 'sudo service netdata status'. If it is running but the port differs, set the NETDATA_HOST environment variable to the correct URL, e.g., http://localhost:20000.
npx netdata does not start an MCP server — it seems to install Netdata instead
The 'npx netdata' command may resolve to a different package. Check the npm package name for the Netdata MCP server wrapper — it may be published under a scoped name like @netdata/mcp-server. Consult the Netdata documentation at learn.netdata.cloud for the current MCP integration instructions.
Metrics are available but alerts are empty even though alerts exist in the Netdata dashboard
Some alert data requires Netdata Cloud connectivity to aggregate across nodes. For single-node local queries, use the Netdata API directly at http://localhost:19999/api/v3/alerts to verify the alert endpoint is returning data before querying through the MCP server.
Frequently Asked Questions about Netdata
What is Netdata?
Netdata is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that real-time infrastructure monitoring with metrics, logs, alerts, and ml-based anomaly detection. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Netdata?
Follow the installation instructions on the Netdata GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with Netdata?
Netdata works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Netdata free to use?
Yes, Netdata is open source and available under the GPL-3.0 license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Quick Config Preview
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