Robusta MCP server: cross-cluster investigation tools
Robusta exposes a Platform MCP API while Holmes can consume other MCP servers. These are separate routes.
Checked 3 October 2026 · from Robusta's Platform MCP API documentation and HolmesGPT's remote MCP server documentation
One of 91 guides to monitoring and developer tools. Each covers what an AI coding agent can get out of the tool through MCP, the protocol that lets the agent query the tool directly.
Summary
Platform MCP API lets external MCP clients investigate clusters connected to a Robusta account. It is available with the SaaS platform and self-hosted commercial plans, not the open-source edition.
The endpoint uses the account ID and API key together in its bearer header. The key needs the documented Robusta AI: Write permission, and platform RBAC still applies.
An API key reaches only the cross-cluster remote_* tools, such as listing clusters and dispatching a tool call to one. The Slack, Teams and incident-triage tools stay reserved for Holmes.
How Robusta works with MCP
Robusta Platform MCP exposes account-connected investigation data to external clients. Holmes integrates tools into its own investigation agent and can consume other MCP servers.
The two roles run side by side. Use Platform MCP when Claude Code or Cursor should investigate your clusters, and Holmes toolsets when Holmes should reach another system.
Platform access versus agent integrations
| Surface | Direction | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Platform MCP API | External client queries Robusta | Commercial account, external-access setting and RBAC |
| Holmes MCP integrations | Holmes consumes configured external tools | Each configured toolset and its credentials |
Every vendor here gets the same four checks: official, maintained, distributed and usable. Robusta passes 2 of them.
| Check | Result | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Official | Pass | Robusta documents a Platform MCP API for external clients. |
| Maintained | Unknown | HolmesGPT has documented the cross-cluster tools since 3 August 2026, and Robusta added its Platform MCP API page on 28 September 2026. |
| Distributed | Pass | Robusta documents the hosted /api/platform-mcp Streamable HTTP endpoint. |
| Usable | Unknown | Calls need a commercial Robusta account, the MCP Server Enabled setting switched on, and a key with Robusta AI: Write permission. |
| Part of the work | What Robusta has here | Can an agent reach it |
|---|---|---|
| Production observability | Connected Kubernetes clusters | External investigation tools allowed by the account |
| Agent observability & evals | Holmes tool integrations | Holmes-side configuration; it does not expose traces to external clients |
Platform MCP gives an outside agent the same cross-cluster reach Holmes has, minus the Slack, Teams and triage tools Holmes keeps for itself.
What can an AI agent do with Robusta?
An internal triage tool is unavailable to an API key
Robusta treats an API key as an external caller. It cannot call the static Slack, Teams or incident-triage tools, which Holmes uses internally on the same endpoint.
Guard: Read tools/list for the key, and route triage through Holmes inside Robusta.
Do you need the MCP server at all?
Use platform investigation workflows or documented APIs for direct access. Use Platform MCP when an external agent should discover the allowed investigation tools.
Configure Holmes’ external toolsets when the goal is to give Holmes access to another system. That configuration is not the external Platform API.
Robusta integration setup
External access is off by default. Turn on Robusta MCP Server Enabled under Settings > AI Assistant > MCP Server Settings.
Then create a key under Settings > API Keys, choosing the Robusta AI resource with Write permission.
Cursor HTTP configuration
Configure the Streamable HTTP endpoint. The bearer value contains both account ID and key, separated by a space. Verify the exact key permission in the platform before connecting.
{"mcpServers":{"robusta-platform":{"url":"https://api.robusta.dev/api/platform-mcp","headers":{"Authorization":"Bearer ${env:ROBUSTA_ACCOUNT_ID} ${env:ROBUSTA_API_KEY}"}}}}Verify access
Ask the agent to list clusters first. A 401 means a malformed header, an invalid key or a key without Robusta AI: Write.
Read-only access, permissions and security
The documented key requires Robusta AI: Write permission. Do not infer a lower-privilege requirement from a read-like tool name.
Review account-owner controls and cluster RBAC before sharing the endpoint.
Keep account keys in a supported secret mechanism and separate production investigation from write-capable workflows.
Troubleshooting
- Authentication fails
- Check that the bearer value holds the account ID, a space, then the key, and that the key has Robusta AI: Write. Confirm MCP Server Enabled is on.
- Tool or cluster is missing
- Check the key creator's RBAC. A key only reaches clusters and namespaces its owner can already access, and narrows if that user is demoted.
What the vendor documents
Robusta's docs say calls "run with the RBAC of the user who created the API key, not as an account-wide superuser". Each tool call counts against a rate limit, and a 429 response carries a Retry-After header.
Should you connect an agent to Robusta?
Yes, on a commercial Robusta plan, once an account owner enables the MCP server. Best for robusta SaaS or commercial self-hosted teams who want Claude Code or Cursor to investigate clusters.
- Strongest fit
- Yes, on a commercial Robusta plan, once an account owner enables the MCP server.
- Main advantage
- Exposes investigation across account-connected clusters.
- Main weakness
- Commercial availability and external-access controls apply.
- Operational risk
- The key needs Robusta AI: Write permission, so a read-looking investigation still runs on a write-capable credential.
From Oodle
One platform for agent traces and infrastructure
Agent traces usually sit in a different product from the rest of your telemetry, so when a slow database makes an agent slow the symptom is in one tool and the cause is in another. Oodle keeps both in one query surface.
See agent observabilityFrequently asked questions
Does Robusta expose an MCP server?
Yes. The commercial Platform MCP API is a documented external server. Holmes consuming other servers is a separate role.
Is it included in open-source Robusta?
No. The Platform MCP API is available on the Robusta SaaS platform and self-hosted commercial plans only.
Can an API key use every internal triage tool?
No. A key reaches only the remote_* cross-cluster tools, and only within its creator's cluster and namespace access.
