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Databases - official Chroma server

Chroma MCP server

Self-hosted MCP server that lets agents create and manage Chroma collections and add, query, update and delete documents. It supports vector search, full-text search and metadata filtering against ephemeral, persistent, self-hosted HTTP or Chroma Cloud clients. It runs locally from chroma-mcp (pypi); the notes below cover how it authenticates.

Last verified 12 tools7 sources

Install

Generic

JSON
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chroma": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "chroma-mcp",
        "--client-type",
        "persistent",
        "--data-dir",
        "/path/to/your/data/directory"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Tools

chroma_list_collections
List all collections with pagination support.
chroma_create_collection
Create a new collection with optional HNSW configuration.
chroma_peek_collection
View a sample of documents in a collection.
chroma_get_collection_info
Get detailed information about a collection.
chroma_get_collection_count
Get the number of documents in a collection.
chroma_modify_collection
Update a collection's name or metadata.
chroma_delete_collection
Delete a collection.
chroma_add_documents
Add documents with optional metadata and custom IDs.
chroma_query_documents
Query documents using semantic search with advanced filtering.
chroma_get_documents
Retrieve documents by IDs or filters with pagination.
chroma_update_documents
Update existing documents' content, metadata, or embeddings.
chroma_delete_documents
Delete specific documents from a collection.

As documented on October 17, 2026. A running server reports its current list through tools/list.

Notes and caveats

  • Auth depends on the client type.
  • Ephemeral and persistent local clients need none.
  • Chroma Cloud takes --tenant, --database and --api-key.
  • Self-hosted HTTP takes --custom-auth-credentials.
  • Settings can also come from env vars or a .env file via --dotenv-path.
  • The docs give only Claude Desktop-style JSON, with no client-specific snippets for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or VS Code.
  • Latest release v0.2.6 (2025-08-14).
  • No beta/GA label.

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Related reading

FAQ

What does the Chroma MCP server do?

Self-hosted MCP server that lets agents create and manage Chroma collections and add, query, update and delete documents. It supports vector search, full-text search and metadata filtering against ephemeral, persistent, self-hosted HTTP or Chroma Cloud clients. The vendor documents 12 tools, including chroma_list_collections, chroma_create_collection, chroma_peek_collection and chroma_get_collection_info.

How do I add the Chroma MCP server to an MCP client?

Chroma documents a Generic config; copy it from the Generic section of this page.

Does the Chroma MCP server need authentication?

It uses a scheme other than OAuth or an API key, such as the session of the app or instance it runs in; the notes on this page describe it. Transport: stdio. Status: Unlabelled, last checked October 17, 2026.

Sources

Last verified against 7 Chroma pages, then re-checked independently.

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