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The Model Context Protocol (MCP) lets AI clients like Claude Desktop and Cursor talk to your Datum Cloud resources directly, outside the terminal. Datum publishes an official Datum MCP server for this — a standalone binary you point your MCP-aware client at. Where the AI assistant is the interactive, terminal-first experience built into datumctl, the Datum MCP server is the bridge that gives a desktop AI assistant secure, standards-based access to your organizations, projects, domains, proxies, DNS, and more.
The Datum MCP server is distributed as a separate datum-mcp binary, not as a datumctl subcommand. Installation, the full tool catalog, and one-click setup for clients such as Cursor live on the dedicated Datum MCP page and upstream in the Datum MCP repository.

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When to use the MCP server

Reach for the MCP server when you want an AI client that lives outside your terminal to work with Datum Cloud:
  • Claude Desktop — chat with an assistant that can read and change your Datum resources.
  • Cursor and other IDE-embedded assistants — bring Datum context into your editor while you build.
  • Any other MCP-aware client that speaks the standard stdio transport.
If you would rather stay in the terminal, datumctl has a built-in assistant that answers questions in natural language without a separate MCP client — see the AI assistant guide.

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What it exposes

The Datum MCP server gives connected clients tools to inspect and manage your Datum Cloud resources. Clients can understand the current state of your resources, suggest and implement changes, and help diagnose common configuration issues. The catalog currently covers:
  • Organizations and organization memberships
  • Users
  • Projects
  • Domains
  • HTTP proxies, HTTP routes, and gateways
  • Traffic protection policies
  • DNS zones, DNS record sets, and DNS zone classes
  • APIs (list and describe available resource types)
The tool catalog evolves with the server. See the Datum MCP page for the authoritative, up-to-date list and the exact operations each tool supports.

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Connecting a client

Most MCP clients launch the server over stdio. Add an entry like this to your client’s MCP configuration: 
{
  "datum-mcp": {
    "command": "datum-mcp",
    "args": []
  }
}
1

Install the Datum MCP server

Follow the install instructions on the Datum MCP page. Binaries are available for Linux, macOS, and Windows on x86 and arm64.
2

Add the server to your client

Point your MCP client at the datum-mcp binary using a stdio configuration like the one above. Cursor users can use the one-click install link on the Datum MCP page.
3

Sign in on first use

The first tool call triggers a browser-based sign-in (see below). Approve it, and your client is connected.

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Authentication

On first use, the server runs a browser-based OAuth (PKCE) sign-in, then stores credentials — including a refresh token — securely in the system keychain. Subsequent calls reuse and refresh the token automatically, so you sign in once. This is the same security model datumctl uses when you log in: no static API keys. The server implements the latest MCP Authorization specification and supports OAuth 2.1 (PKCE).
The MCP server acts on real Datum Cloud resources with your credentials. Connect it only to AI clients you trust, and review any changes an assistant proposes before approving them.

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Next steps

  • Datum MCP — set up the Datum MCP server: install, one-click client setup, and the full tool catalog.
  • AI assistant — prefer the terminal? Use the built-in datumctl ai assistant instead.
  • Logging in — review how Datum Cloud handles credentials before your first connection.
Last modified on July 2, 2026