Setting up the Upstash MCP Server

The Upstash MCP Server runs locally via npx and connects directly to the Upstash API; no separate server infrastructure is needed.

Preparing credentials

Two things are needed before setup: your Upstash account email and an API key, created in the Upstash console under Account → API Keys. For a first test, a read-only key is recommended — the server then automatically disables all tools that could modify data.

Setting it up in Claude Code

claude mcp add upstash -- npx -y @upstash/mcp-server@latest --email YOUR_EMAIL --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

Setting it up in Codex

codex mcp add upstash -- npx -y @upstash/mcp-server@latest --email YOUR_EMAIL --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

Setting it up in other clients

Any MCP client with stdio support can be configured with the same base command:

npx -y @upstash/mcp-server@latest --email YOUR_EMAIL --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

Officially documented step-by-step instructions are also available for Cursor, Devin Desktop, OpenCode, VS Code, Google Antigravity, Claude Desktop, Zed, DeepSeek Harness, and Gemini CLI.

Preparing Upstash Box access

Tools around Upstash Box additionally require a separate Box API key. Instead of entering it manually every session, it can be wired permanently into the server configuration — either as an additional CLI flag or as an environment variable.

Free Redis database to try it out

Anyone who just wants to quickly experiment with Redis doesn't even need an account for that: a simple prompt like "start a temporary Redis database for me" calls redis_database_start_free in the background and returns credentials for a free database valid for 72 hours.

Considering the skill instead of the MCP server

For pure command-line tasks, Upstash itself recommends installing the Upstash skill instead of the MCP server, letting the agent drive the upstash CLI. The MCP server is most worthwhile when the agent needs to interact live with running resources, for example searching logs or retrying workflows mid-conversation.

Common setup issues

If the connection fails with an authentication error, it's usually a mistyped API key or an email address that doesn't match the Upstash account. Both values can be viewed again anytime in the Upstash console under Account, and regenerated if needed.

Verifying the setup

After starting, test with a harmless, read-only task, such as "List my Redis databases" or "Show me the details for database X." Only swap the read-only test key for one with full access once this works reliably and write actions are actually needed.

Starting with a read-only key by default is a small habit that catches most accidental misconfigurations before they touch live data.

Source: github.com/upstash/mcp-server and upstash.com/docs/agent-resources/mcp, checked on 2026-09-06.