Loki MCP servers: which one to use
No Loki-only official server exists. If you run Grafana, use Grafana's own server; if you only run Loki, pick a small community one.
- Servers
- 1
- active
- Local
- 1
- runs on your machine
Grafana Labs does not ship a Loki-only MCP server; its Grafana server reads Loki logs through a Grafana data source. If you have Grafana 9 or later with Loki connected, use that one. If you run Loki without Grafana, the community servers connect to Loki directly, and the read-only Java server is the cautious pick. Skip the old loki-mcp project: it moved out of Grafana's account and is archived.
Good for
- On-call engineers who want Claude or Cursor to search logs while an alert is firing
- Teams that already query Loki through Grafana
- Developers running Loki on its own, without Grafana in front
- Teams that want the assistant to read logs but never change anything
Which Grafana Loki MCP server to use
Use Grafana's server if your Loki sits behind Grafana; it is the only one Grafana Labs maintains. Without Grafana, simple-loki-mcp is the most installed but has not changed since May 2025, so igorolv's read-only server is the safer pick.
| Server | Official | Needs Grafana | Runs | Read-only | GitHub stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For Grafana Loki | |||||
| Loki MCP Server (igorolv) | Community | No | Local | Always | 0 |
| loki-mcp, archived | Community | No | Local | – | 176 |
| Other tools for the same job | |||||
| Grafana MCPFor Grafana | Official | Yes | HostedLocal | With flag | 3.6K |
| loki-mcp (elad12390) | Community | No | Local | – | 0 |
| simple-loki-mcp | Community | No | Local | – | 6 |
All Grafana Loki MCP servers
1 active · official first, then by GitHub stars
Questions
Is there an official Loki MCP server?
Not a Loki-only one. Grafana Labs' Grafana MCP server reads Loki logs through a Grafana data source. The older loki-mcp project moved out of Grafana's GitHub account and is archived.
Do I need Grafana to connect Loki to Claude?
Only for Grafana's own server, which needs Grafana 9.0 or later with a Loki data source. Community servers such as igorolv's and elad12390's talk to Loki directly with its address and login.
Which Loki MCP server do most people use without Grafana?
simple-loki-mcp, at about 900 npm downloads a week in late October 2026, against about 120 for elad12390's loki-mcp. It uses Loki's logcli tool when installed, but its code has not been updated since May 2025.
Which Loki MCP server is read-only?
igorolv's Loki MCP Server only reads from Loki; its one write is a local export file. Grafana's server only reads logs too, but its other Grafana tools can make changes unless you start it in read-only mode.
Can a log query get expensive?
Yes. Grafana's README warns that a broad query over a long time range can scan terabytes. Its Loki guardrail caps the time range and the bytes a query may read; it is off by default.
Can I limit which logs the assistant can see?
Yes. With Grafana's server, give the service account access to one Loki data source only, or force a label filter onto every query. Direct servers see whatever their Loki login can see.
Does it work with multi-tenant Loki or Grafana Cloud logs?
Direct servers accept a tenant or org ID, and igorolv's sets tenant headers per connection. For Grafana Cloud, Grafana's server works against your stack's Loki data source.
Should I still use loki-mcp?
No. It is archived, so it gets no fixes. Move to Grafana's server if you have Grafana, or to a maintained direct server if you do not.