Modal MCP Server: Effortless Deployment & Seamless Scaling

Master your Modal apps effortlessly: the Modal MCP Server streamlines workflows, simplifies deployment, and handles scaling with ease. Keep innovation flowing, no headaches included.

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About Modal MCP Server

What is Modal MCP Server: Effortless Deployment & Seamless Scaling?

Modal MCP Server is a specialized interface designed to simplify interaction with Modal volumes and streamline the deployment of Modal applications within development environments like Cursor. This server acts as a bridge between local workflows and cloud-native Modal resources, enabling developers to manage distributed data and applications with minimal overhead. Its architecture emphasizes ease of setup and dynamic scaling capabilities, making it ideal for teams seeking to automate DevOps processes while maintaining operational efficiency.

How to use Modal MCP Server: Effortless Deployment & Seamless Scaling?

Adoption follows three core steps: installation, configuration, and execution. Begin by cloning the repository via Git and synchronizing dependencies using the uv package manager. Configuration requires specifying the server path in Cursor's mcp.json file, ensuring absolute paths align with your local setup. Once operational, the server exposes standardized API endpoints for volume management and application deployment, accessible through Cursor's tooling framework. Developers can trigger operations like volume inspection or app deployment directly from their IDE workflows.

Modal MCP Server Features

Key Features of Modal MCP Server: Effortless Deployment & Seamless Scaling?

Modal Volume Mastery: Full lifecycle control over distributed volumes including content listing, file manipulation, and secure deletion with recursive options
Zero-Overhead Deployments: One-step app deployments requiring only the target file path, with automated dependency resolution via uv
Structured Output: Consistent JSON responses with success/error states, enabling seamless integration into CI/CD pipelines
Environment Agnosticism: Works across local development and cloud environments while maintaining Modal's native scaling benefits

Use Cases for Modal MCP Server: Effortless Deployment & Seamless Scaling?

Primary applications include:
- Rapid prototyping of distributed systems through quick volume setups
- Automated staging environments for testing cloud-native applications
- Data orchestration in multi-node development clusters

Modal MCP Server FAQ

FAQ: Modal MCP Server: Effortless Deployment & Seamless Scaling?

Q: Does this require specific Python versions?
A: Yes, Python 3.8+ is mandatory to maintain compatibility with Modal's cloud execution environment.

Q: Can deployments be triggered programmatically?
A: Absolutely - all server operations expose RESTful endpoints for scripting and automation.

Q: How are errors handled during volume operations?
A: The server returns detailed error objects in JSON format, including Modal-specific status codes for troubleshooting.

Content

Modal MCP Server

An MCP server implementation for interacting with Modal volumes and deploying Modal applications from within Cursor.

Installation

Clone this repository:

git clone https://github.com/smehmood/modal-mcp-server.git
cd modal-mcp-server

Install dependencies using uv:

uv sync

Configuration

To use this MCP server in Cursor, add the following configuration to your ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "modal-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "--project", "/path/to/modal-mcp-server",
        "run", "/path/to/modal-mcp-server/src/modal_mcp/server.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace /path/to/modal-mcp-server with the absolute path to your cloned repository.

Requirements

Python 3.11 or higher
uv package manager
Modal CLI configured with valid credentials
For Modal deploy support:
- Project being deployed must use uv for dependency management
- Modal must be installed in the project's virtual environment

Supported Tools

Modal Volume Operations

List Modal Volumes (list_modal_volumes)

* Lists all Modal volumes in your environment
* Returns JSON-formatted volume information
* Parameters: None

List Volume Contents (list_modal_volume_contents)

* Lists files and directories in a Modal volume
* Parameters: 
  * `volume_name`: Name of the Modal volume
  * `path`: Path within volume (default: "/")

Copy Files (copy_modal_volume_files)

* Copies files within a Modal volume
* Parameters: 
  * `volume_name`: Name of the Modal volume
  * `paths`: List of paths where last path is destination
* Example: `["source.txt", "dest.txt"]` or `["file1.txt", "file2.txt", "dest_dir/"]`

Remove Files (remove_modal_volume_file)

* Deletes a file or directory from a Modal volume
* Parameters: 
  * `volume_name`: Name of the Modal volume
  * `remote_path`: Path to file/directory to delete
  * `recursive`: Boolean flag for recursive deletion (default: false)

Modal Deployment

Deploy Modal App (deploy_modal_app)
* Deploys a Modal application
* Parameters:
- absolute_path_to_app: Absolute path to the Modal application file
  - Note: The project containing the Modal app must:
- Use uv for dependency management
- Have the modal CLI installed in its virtual environment

Response Format

All tools return responses in a standardized format:

# Success case:
{
    "success": True,
    "message": "Operation successful message",  # For non-JSON operations
    "data": {...}  # For JSON operations (volumes/contents)
}

# Error case:
{
    "success": False,
    "error": "Error message describing what went wrong"
}

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

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