What is the TestRail MCP Server?
The TestRail MCP Server is a free, open-source Model Context Protocol server that gives AI assistants direct, structured access to a TestRail instance through the TestRail API v2. Once configured, an assistant such as Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, or GitHub Copilot in VS Code can search test cases, draft new ones, start test runs, record results, and upload attachments on your behalf — without you leaving the chat window.
It exposes 35 tools, runs locally on Node.js 18+ over the MCP stdio transport, and is licensed under Apache 2.0. There is nothing to host or deploy: your MCP client launches it on demand with npx.
No context switching. No tedious copy-pasting. Just ask your AI.
[!NOTE] Compatibility baseline: tested and validated against TestRail 10.6.2 (API v2). Older TestRail instances (including pre-7.x pagination) are also supported via built-in backward compatibility. TestRail Cloud and self-hosted TestRail Server both work.
Table of contents
- Key features
- Quick start
- Command line interface & CI/CD
- Environment variables
- Available tools
- FAQ
- Documentation
- Contributing
✨ Key Features & Capabilities
🚀 Quick Start Guide
1. Obtain your TestRail API key
Navigate to My Settings → API Keys in TestRail and generate a new key. Copy it immediately — TestRail shows it only once. The API must also be enabled instance-wide under Administration → Site Settings → API.
2. Configure your MCP client
Add the server to your MCP client configuration. The Claude Desktop example is shown below; Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code use the same pattern (see the collapsible sections).
🤖 Claude Desktop
Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"testrail": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@uarlouski/testrail-mcp-server@latest"],
"env": {
"TESTRAIL_INSTANCE_URL": "https://your-instance.testrail.io",
"TESTRAIL_USERNAME": "[email protected]",
"TESTRAIL_API_KEY": "your-api-key",
"TESTRAIL_ENABLE_SHARED_STEPS": "true"
}
}
}
}
Open Settings → MCP → Add new MCP server, or edit .cursor/mcp.json in your project (~/.cursor/mcp.json for all projects):
{
"mcpServers": {
"testrail": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@uarlouski/testrail-mcp-server@latest"],
"env": {
"TESTRAIL_INSTANCE_URL": "https://your-instance.testrail.io",
"TESTRAIL_USERNAME": "[email protected]",
"TESTRAIL_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
}
}
}
}
Edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"testrail": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@uarlouski/testrail-mcp-server@latest"],
"env": {
"TESTRAIL_INSTANCE_URL": "https://your-instance.testrail.io",
"TESTRAIL_USERNAME": "[email protected]",
"TESTRAIL_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
}
}
}
}
Add to .vscode/mcp.json. The inputs block keeps your API key out of the file:
{
"inputs": [
{
"id": "testrail-api-key",
"type": "promptString",
"description": "TestRail API key",
"password": true
}
],
"servers": {
"testrail": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@uarlouski/testrail-mcp-server@latest"],
"env": {
"TESTRAIL_INSTANCE_URL": "https://your-instance.testrail.io",
"TESTRAIL_USERNAME": "[email protected]",
"TESTRAIL_API_KEY": "${input:testrail-api-key}"
}
}
}
}
Any MCP-compliant client can use this server, because it speaks the standard MCP stdio transport. Point your client at the npx command with the required environment variables — no port, URL, or transport configuration needed.
3. See it in action
Restart your client completely, then turbo-charge your QA workflow by asking your AI assistant:
- "List all projects in TestRail to find the latest active project."
- "Show me all active users in the project to find the right assignee."
- "Show me all test cases in section 5 of project 3."
- "Create a comprehensive test case for 'Login Validation' with detailed steps."
- "Start a new test run containing cases from section 5."
- "Mark test case C1042 as passed with the comment 'verified on staging'."
Full per-client setup instructions, including troubleshooting, are in the Getting Started guide.
🖥️ Command Line Interface (CLI) & CI/CD Automation
In addition to interacting via AI assistants, you can invoke any TestRail tool directly from shell scripts, terminal environments, and automated CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins) using testrail-cli or npx — with zero LLM overhead.
- Deterministic Execution: Returns standard Unix exit codes (
0on success,1on error). - Pipeline-Native Output: Emits clean JSON to
stdoutfor piping into tools likejq, while diagnostics and errors go tostderr. - Zero Duplication: Reuses the exact same API client, retry logic, and validation schemas as the MCP server.
Invocation methods
# Method 1: Direct npx subcommand (Recommended)
npx @uarlouski/testrail-mcp-server cli <command> [flags]
# Method 2: Global or local binary
testrail-cli <command> [flags]
# Method 3: Via package runner
npx -p @uarlouski/testrail-mcp-server testrail-cli <command> [flags]
Examples
Query projects (query_project)
# List all active projects
npx @uarlouski/testrail-mcp-server cli query_project --action many
# Query a single project by ID
npx @uarlouski/testrail-mcp-server cli query_project --action one --project_id 1
Report automated test results (add_results_for_cases)
# Submit results by case_id — what your test framework already knows
npx @uarlouski/testrail-mcp-server cli add_results_for_cases \
--run_id 88 \
--results '[{"case_id":1042,"status_id":1,"comment":"Passed in CI"}]'
Export cases for knowledge base / RAG (export_cases_for_rag)
# Export all cases for a project into Markdown & metadata sidecars
npx @uarlouski/testrail-mcp-server cli export_cases_for_rag \
--project_id 1 \
--output_dir ./rag_exports
# Export specific cases by ID (comma-separated list)
npx @uarlouski/testrail-mcp-server cli export_cases_for_rag \
--case_ids C101,C102,103 \
--output_dir ./rag_exports
Command discovery & flag documentation
# List all available commands
npx @uarlouski/testrail-mcp-server cli --help
# Show parameter options for a specific tool
npx @uarlouski/testrail-mcp-server cli query_project --help
See the CLI & CI/CD guide for complete GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, and Jenkins workflows.
⚙️ Environment Variables & Security Controls
With only the three required credentials, 27 of the 35 tools are registered. Ready-made read-only and least-privilege configurations are in the Configuration guide.
🧰 Available Tools
All 35 tools, grouped by area. Each declares a read, write, or delete mode, which the server surfaces to clients as MCP annotations (readOnlyHint, destructiveHint, idempotentHint, openWorldHint).
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Any MCP-compliant client, because the server uses the standard MCP stdio transport. Setup is verified with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code. Other clients follow the same pattern: run npx -y @uarlouski/testrail-mcp-server@latest with three environment variables.
The server targets TestRail API v2 and is tested against TestRail 10.6.2. Older instances work too — the client detects whether an endpoint returns a modern paginated response or a legacy bare array, so pre-7.x instances need no configuration. Both TestRail Cloud and self-hosted TestRail Server are supported.
Access is layered rather than all-or-nothing. Every tool declares a read, write, or delete mode; deletes are disabled unless you explicitly set TESTRAIL_ALLOW_DELETE_OPERATIONS=true. You can disable all writes with TESTRAIL_ALLOW_WRITE_OPERATIONS=false, or block individual tools by name with TESTRAIL_DISABLED_TOOLS. The server runs locally and talks only to your TestRail instance — there is no telemetry and no third-party service in the middle.
Yes — Apache 2.0 licensed, with no paid tier, licence key, or usage limit. You need your own TestRail subscription, and whatever your AI assistant costs. The CLI has no LLM cost at all.
Yes. The package ships a testrail-cli binary exposing every tool as a subcommand, reusing the same API client, retry logic, and validation schemas. JSON on stdout, diagnostics on stderr, exit code 0 or 1 — see the CLI guide.
It can't. Before add_case or update_case sends anything, the server validates every field key against your instance's real schema (fetched via get_case_fields) and rejects unknown keys. Templates, priorities, statuses, and configurations are all exposed as tools too, so the model looks up correct IDs instead of guessing them.
Pass output_file to get_cases (or output_dir to export_cases_for_rag). The server paginates the full result set, writes raw JSON to disk, and returns only a short summary to the model.
More answers in the full FAQ.
📚 Documentation & Complete Tool Reference
For a comprehensive guide, detailed configuration options, and a complete breakdown of all available tools, visit the official documentation site:
👉 TestRail MCP Server Documentation
- 🚀 Getting Started: Per-client setup for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.
- ⚙️ Configuration: Every environment variable, permission, and feature flag.
- 🧰 All Tools: All 35 tools with modes and feature flags in one table.
- 🔭 Discovery & Navigation: Exploring projects, suites, and sections.
- 📋 Test Case Management: Fetching, creating, and bulk-updating test cases.
- ▶️ Execution & Tracking: Managing test runs and submitting test results.
- 📎 Attachments: Automatically zipping and uploading files or directories.
- 🔗 Shared Steps: Managing reusable step definitions.
- 🖥️ CLI & CI/CD: Pipeline automation without an LLM.
🤝 Contributing
Open-source contributions are actively welcomed! Please feel free to open an issue for feature requests or submit a pull request for improvements.
📜 License
This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0.
