What Is Neon MCP? Connecting a Postgres Database to Your Assistant: Setup, Read-Only Mode and Production Warning
You tell your assistant the database task; Neon MCP lists your projects and branches, reads the schema and table data, runs SQL and migrations, and creates branches; if write access is on, there are also tools that delete projects, branches and roles. It's the official remote MCP server hosted by Neon (address https://mcp.neon.tech/mcp). Neon's own docs recommend MCP "for development and testing only": don't connect it to a production database. Read-only can be chosen when connecting. The docs set no separate plan requirement for MCP; there's also no explicit sentence saying it works on the Free plan. Setup: from Claude's connector list, or `npx neon@latest init`.
- What it does
- Lets the assistant manage a Neon Postgres database
- Type
- Connector (remote MCP server hosted by Neon)
- Where
- Claude, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, ChatGPT and more
- Read-only
- Yes; chosen when connecting
- Production
- Neon's own docs advise against it
- Turkish
- Not stated in the official documentation
- Cost
- No separate charge for MCP; your Neon plan applies
What does Neon MCP do?
MCP is the standard for AI programs to connect to external tools. With Neon MCP, your assistant sees the Postgres projects in your Neon account: it lists projects and branches, reads the schema and tables, inspects slow queries and query plans, runs 15 ready-made diagnostic checks, and reads logs and the Neon docs. With write access on, it creates projects and branches, runs SQL and migrations, creates roles and databases, and takes snapshots.
With write access on, there are delete tools too; read-only is chosen when connecting. Neon doesn't recommend it for production.
The tool count changes quickly: the catalog and the Claude directory say 35, while on October 14, 2026 Neon's sign-in-free tool list endpoint returned 114 tools unfiltered and 50 with the read-only filter. That's why no single number is given.
Who it's for: people who use development and test databases on Neon and want to speed up schema work with an assistant. For a production database, read the warning below.
How do you connect Neon MCP?
What you need: a Neon account (OAuth, or an API key generated in account settings) and a client that supports MCP. The commands are exactly as given in the Neon docs and README. Since Neon CLI 6.0, npx neon@latest init is used instead of npx neonctl init.
- According to the Neon docs, open Settings from the profile menu and choose Connectors (on some screens, Customize then Connectors).
- Click "Browse connectors" at the top right, find Neon and add it.
- Authorize access to your Neon account. For read-only, uncheck the "Allow writes" box on the authorization screen; a single project and tool categories can also be chosen on this screen.
The address in the Claude directory is https://mcp.neon.tech/mcp. A "+ › Connect" path is not in the Neon docs.
› npx neon@latest initAccording to the Neon docs, the command sets up the folder you're in: it installs the agent plugin (or the skill and MCP) and links a Neon project. For MCP only:
› npx neon@latest mcpFlags: --read-only, --category, --project-id, --oauth.
› npx add-mcp https://mcp.neon.tech/mcp -a claude-code› claude mcp add --transport http neon https://mcp.neon.tech/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_NEON_API_KEY>"For Cursor, -a cursor. Restart the client and click Authorize in the browser window that opens.
According to the Neon docs, in ChatGPT you turn on Settings then Connectors then Advanced Settings then Developer mode, then add a custom connector; in OAuth you confirm "I trust this application", and the connector is turned on per chat with +. An open GitHub issue reports that authentication gets stuck in a loop in ChatGPT (#371).
If IP Allow is on in your project, add mcp.neon.tech's static addresses (34.192.103.46 and 23.22.233.166) to the allowlist. With OAuth, by default only projects in your personal account are visible; for organization projects, give org_id or project_id in your prompt.
How do you use Neon MCP?
Once connected, you write requests normally. Start with read tasks, and try tasks that need writes on a development branch.
!Its own docs warn: MCP is for development and testing only. Don't connect it to a production database, don't expose personal data, use anonymized data, and review the operations the LLM requests before running them.
Which clients does Neon MCP work with?
| Claude (claude.ai and Desktop)Yes | Official connector; no need to enter a custom address. |
|---|---|
| Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (Copilot)Yes | add-mcp or manual config; VS Code requires Agent mode. |
| ChatGPTPartly | Custom connector via Developer mode; an authentication loop has been reported. |
| Cline, Windsurf, Zed, Kiro, Codex, Gemini CLI and othersYes | The Neon docs have a section for each. |
| Local npm packageNo | @neondatabase/mcp-server-neon is deprecated in the Neon docs; the remote server is recommended. |
The old /sse address was announced to shut down from October 1, 2026. Change the address to /mcp.
What does Neon MCP access, and how does read-only work?
Neon projects, branches, schemas, tables and SQL query results (including table data), slow queries and query plans, logs and the Neon docs.
With write access on: creating projects and branches, SQL and migrations, creating Postgres roles and databases, resetting role passwords, Neon Auth and Data API settings, snapshots, deploying functions, creating storage buckets.
With write access on, there are delete_project, delete_branch, role, database and endpoint deletion, and snapshot and storage object deletion tools; data can also be deleted with SQL. A tool that resets a branch to its parent's current state discards the writes in between.
According to the README, if you're signed in, your account ID, name and email go to Segment; for every tool call the tool name and client are logged, but tool arguments and query results are not; errors go to Sentry. Query results sent to the assistant also go to the AI service you use.
| How to turn on read-only | What happens |
|---|---|
| Uncheck the "Allow writes" box on the OAuth screen | Project and branch creation, migration and delete tools are turned off. |
Add ?readonly=true to the address (the only way with an API key) | run_sql stays visible but runs inside a READ ONLY transaction; run_sql_transaction, migration, connection string retrieval and delete tools are turned off. |
Single-project scope (?projectId=) | The delete_project tool is hidden. |
!No advisories are listed in GitHub Security Advisories; that doesn't mean "safe". Since table data is read by the assistant, don't connect databases containing personal data; Neon also recommends using anonymized data.
Is Neon MCP free? Does it work on the Free plan?
The docs state no separate fee or plan requirement for the MCP server; a Neon account is enough. The projects you use are subject to your Neon plan's quotas. There's no explicit sentence in the docs saying it "works on the Free plan"; the Free plan's quotas apply. Prices are in US dollars; no local-currency (Turkish lira) price is published.
- 100 projects, 10 branches per project
- 100 CU-hours per project per month
- 1 GB storage per project, 20 GB total per account
- Scales to zero after 5 minutes
- $0.106/CU-hour
- $0.35/GB-month
- 10 branches per project included, extra $1.50/branch-month
- $0.222/CU-hour
- 25 branches per project included
- SLA and compliance features
Source: Neon plans page and MCP docs. For the hosted service's terms of use, see Neon's terms page. This is not legal or financial advice.
Official pricing page last checked on .
Common problems and fixes
| What happens | What to do |
|---|---|
| "invalid redirect uri" in OAuth | Clear the cache with rm -rf ~/.mcp-auth, restart the client and redo OAuth from scratch. |
| A client using the old /sse address doesn't work | Change the address to https://mcp.neon.tech/mcp. |
| Can't connect to a project with IP Allow on | Add Neon's static addresses to the allowlist. |
| You don't see organization projects | Give org_id or project_id in your prompt, or use an organization API key. |
| Reported by users Authentication loops in ChatGPT; tool schema mismatch with project-scoped use | Open GitHub issues (#371, #339, #362); no official fix has been published. |
How do you disconnect Neon MCP?
- In the client: Delete the
Neonentry from the MCP settings (in Claude, remove the connector). The docs don't describe this step separately. - If you used an API key: Revoke the key in Neon Console › Settings.
- Config file: Delete the entry in the file written by add-mcp (e.g. .cursor/mcp.json).
The docs don't specify where to revoke OAuth authorization on Neon's side; check your Neon account settings.
Frequently asked questions
Should I connect Neon MCP to my production database?
Neon's own docs say no: MCP is for development and testing only; don't connect it to a production database, don't expose personal data, use anonymized data, and review the operations the LLM requests before running them.
Is there a read-only mode?
Yes. Uncheck the Allow writes box on the OAuth authorization screen, or add ?readonly=true to the address; in the API key flow, ?readonly=true is the only way. In read-only mode, tools that write are turned off and run_sql runs in a READ ONLY transaction.
Does it work on the Neon Free plan?
The MCP docs state no plan requirement; a Neon account is enough and the Free plan's quotas apply. There's no explicit sentence in the docs saying it works on Free.
Is a local install still available?
According to Neon, the local stdio package is deprecated. For clients that can only run locally, the mcp-remote bridge is recommended.
Can the assistant delete all my projects?
With write access on, the delete_project and delete_branch tools are available. Single-project scope hides delete_project; in read-only mode all delete tools are turned off. Deleting data with SQL is also possible with write access.
What does Neon collect?
When you're signed in, your account ID, name and email go to Segment; on tool calls, the tool name and client; errors go to Sentry. Tool arguments and query results are stated not to be written to analytics.
Related guides
Sources
Not clear in the official sources: Whether MCP works on the Free plan (no explicit sentence) · How to revoke OAuth authorization from the Neon Console · Whether the /sse shutdown actually happened · Current tool count (it changes) · Terms of the hosted service · Turkish language and Turkish lira pricing. Each is covered in its section.