Platform MCP Server

The Platform MCP Server is a fully managed MCP server that connects AI agents and copilots to the NetBox Labs platform via the industry-standard Model Context Protocol. One MCP connection gives your AI tools complete operational access to the NetBox Labs platform.

Public Preview - The Platform MCP Server is available now on NetBox Cloud. Contact NetBox Labs support to enable it for your instance. NetBox Enterprise support is planned for later this year.

What It Does

• One connection, full access - a single MCP endpoint gives AI agents the ability to work with NetBox and other NetBox Labs products
• Broad coverage - search, CRUD, bulk operations, IP address management, cable tracing, branching, GraphQL, and more
• Dynamic model discovery - the server discovers all object types at startup, including those added by installed plugins
• Growing tool surface - new capabilities are added as the platform expands

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• A NetBox Cloud account with the Platform MCP Server enabled (contact support to activate)
• A NetBox API token (v2 format, starting with nbt_)
• An MCP-compatible AI client

Connection Details

Endpoint	https://<instance>.cloud.netboxapp.com/mcp
Protocol	MCP over streamable HTTP
Auth	Authorization: Bearer nbt_<your-token>

Replace <instance> with your NetBox Cloud instance name.

Client Configuration

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http netbox \
  https://<instance>.cloud.netboxapp.com/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer nbt_<your-token>"

Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "netbox": {
      "url": "https://<instance>.cloud.netboxapp.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer nbt_<your-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Add to .cursor/mcp.json in your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "netbox": {
      "url": "https://<instance>.cloud.netboxapp.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer nbt_<your-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code (Copilot)

Add to .vscode/mcp.json in your project root:

{
  "servers": {
    "netbox": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://<instance>.cloud.netboxapp.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer nbt_<your-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}

ChatGPT

Requires ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Team, or Enterprise. Go to Settings > Connectors > Developer Mode > Create, enter the URL https://<instance>.cloud.netboxapp.com/mcp, and add your Authorization: Bearer nbt_<your-token> header.

Other MCP Clients

Any client that supports MCP over streamable HTTP can connect. Point it at the endpoint URL and set the Authorization header with your Bearer token.

Capabilities

Capability	What agents can do	Plan
Query & Search	Query any object type by filters, full-text search, changelogs	All plans
Model Discovery	Discover all object types, including installed plugins	All plans
GraphQL	Cross-domain queries for complex data retrieval	Starter+
Create, Update & Delete	Create, modify, and delete objects individually or in bulk	Starter+
Code Mode	Execute multi-step workflows in a secure sandbox (details below)	Professional+
IP Address Management	Find available prefixes, IPs, VLANs, ASNs; allocate next-available	Professional+
Advanced NetBox Tools	Cable tracing, rack elevations, config rendering, script execution	Professional+
Branching & Change Management	Isolated branches, review diffs, merge; change request workflows	Professional+
Custom Objects	Discover and work with user-defined object types	Professional+
NetBox Labs Platform	Tools for additional NetBox Labs products, aligned with plan entitlements	Professional+

Capabilities are mapped to NetBox Cloud plan tiers.

Code Mode

Code Mode provides three tools - one to explore the NetBox schema, one to execute code in a secure sandbox with pre-injected API helpers, and one to refresh the server's model discovery. Instead of making many sequential tool calls, an agent writes a single block of code that handles an entire workflow: conditional logic, loops, aggregation, and multi-step operations.

Benefits:

• 85% less context overhead - fewer round-trips means agents use far less of their context window
• 2-3x faster end-to-end - one tool call replaces a chain of discrete calls
• Full programming flexibility - supports conditional logic, loops, error handling, and data transformation

Model requirements: Code Mode works best with capable models (Opus or Sonnet class). Simpler models should use the discrete tools, which require no code generation.

Code Mode is enabled by default on Professional and Premium plans.

Safety & Permissions

Per-user authentication - The agent operates with the permissions of the API token used to connect. Every API call is subject to NetBox role-based access control (RBAC), so the agent can never access more than the token allows.

Branching - Agents can work in isolated branches. Changes stay contained until a human reviews the diff and merges.

Read-only mode - Restricts the server to query-only operations. Contact NetBox Labs support to enable read-only mode for your instance.

Structured errors - Error responses include actionable context that helps agents self-correct rather than retry blindly.

Limitations

• Public preview - Full-featured, but no SLA. Capabilities by plan and the tool surface may adjust before GA.
• Contact support to enable - During the preview period, reach out to NetBox Labs support to activate the Platform MCP Server on your instance.
• Code Mode requires capable models - Opus or Sonnet class models produce the best results. Simpler models should use discrete tools.
• MCP client quality varies - MCP is a new protocol and client implementations differ in maturity. If you experience disconnections or timeouts, check your client's MCP documentation for configuration options.
• Not a replacement for the NetBox UI or REST API - The MCP server is designed for AI agent access, not direct human use.
• Tool surface is growing - New capabilities are added as the platform expands.

FAQ

What is MCP? The Model Context Protocol is an open standard for connecting AI models to external tools and data sources. It defines how agents discover available tools, call them, and process results - without custom integration code.

Which AI clients work with the Platform MCP Server? Any client that supports MCP over streamable HTTP. This includes Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code (Copilot), ChatGPT (Plus/Pro/Team/Enterprise), and many others. See Client Configuration above.

How do I get access? Contact NetBox Labs support to enable the Platform MCP Server on your NetBox Cloud instance. You'll need a v2 API token (starting with nbt_) to authenticate.

Is it safe to let an AI agent modify my NetBox data? The agent operates under your NetBox permissions - it can never access or modify anything beyond what your account allows. For additional safety, you can use branching (changes are isolated until a human merges) or read-only mode (restricts to queries only). We also recommend enabling tool approval prompts in your MCP client so you can review each action before it executes.

Does it work with NetBox plugins? Yes. The server dynamically discovers all installed object types at startup, including those added by plugins. Agents can query, create, and manage plugin-provided objects just like core NetBox types.

Is there a community or self-hosted version? The Platform MCP Server is a managed service included with NetBox Cloud. It is not available as a standalone download. The netbox-mcp-server community project is a lightweight MCP server with several tools, and is an easy way to get started experimenting and learning with MCP and NetBox.

How does this relate to NetBox Copilot? NetBox Copilot is a purpose-built AI assistant from NetBox Labs that you can use directly in the NetBox Labs platform. The Platform MCP Server enables any external AI agent to connect to NetBox.

What does "public preview" mean? The Platform MCP Server is fully functional and available for production use, but it does not yet carry an SLA. The tool surface, capabilities by plan tier, and configuration options may adjust before general availability.

Will it be available on NetBox Enterprise? Yes. NetBox Enterprise support is planned for later this year.

Is the MCP server managed, or do I need to run it myself? Fully managed. The Platform MCP Server runs as part of your NetBox Cloud infrastructure. There is nothing to install, configure, or maintain on your side - just point your AI client at the endpoint and authenticate.