Advanced Airbyte MCP configuration
The Airbyte MCP is in private beta. Features and tools may change. It's available to Airbyte Cloud organizations enrolled in the beta.
The hosted Airbyte MCP works without any extra configuration. These optional request headers let you narrow which tools your agent can see and use, or set a default workspace. They apply to the hosted server at https://mcp.airbyte.com/mcp.
Your MCP client still controls tool approval. Most clients can require your approval before tools that change data, using each tool's read-only, destructive, and open-world annotations.
Add headers to your client
Add headers to your client's MCP configuration. Configuration syntax can vary by client, so check your client's documentation for the required JSON syntax.
{
"mcpServers": {
"airbyte": {
"url": "https://mcp.airbyte.com/mcp",
"headers": {
"X-MCP-Allow-External-Access": "0",
"X-MCP-Allow-Destructive-Tools": "0"
}
}
}
}
Headers can only hide tools. They can't give your agent permissions your Airbyte role doesn't have.
Tool restrictions
| Header | Allowed values | Effect |
|---|---|---|
X-MCP-Allow-Pipeline-Changes | 1 (enabled), 0 (disabled) | Enabled by default. When set to 0, hides tools that create, update, rename, or delete sources, destinations, and connections. Running and cancelling syncs stay available. |
X-MCP-Allow-External-Access | 1 (enabled), 0 (disabled) | Enabled by default. When set to 0, hides tools that read data directly from sources and destinations, like SQL and API passthrough queries. |
X-MCP-Readonly-Mode | 1 (enabled), 0 (disabled) | Disabled by default. When set to 1, shows only read-only tools. In addition to restricting pipeline edits, this setting also hides tools for running and cancelling syncs. |
X-MCP-Allow-Destructive-Tools | 1 (enabled), 0 (disabled) | Enabled by default. When set to 0, hides destructive tools, like deleting a source, destination, or connection. |
X-MCP-Exclude-Tools | Comma-separated tool names | When set, hides the named tools. For tool names, see Airbyte MCP tools. |
X-MCP-Include-Modules | Comma-separated modules | When set, shows only tools from these modules: cloud, registry, guidance, interactive. Can't be combined with X-MCP-Exclude-Modules. |
X-MCP-Exclude-Modules | Comma-separated modules | When set, hides tools from these modules. Can't be combined with X-MCP-Include-Modules. |
X-MCP-Allow-Pipeline-Changes, X-MCP-Allow-External-Access, and X-MCP-Allow-Destructive-Tools also accept true or yes for 1, and false or no for 0. X-MCP-Readonly-Mode also accepts true for 1.
Default workspace and organization
| Header | Value | Effect |
|---|---|---|
X-Airbyte-Workspace-Id | Workspace ID | Workspace to use when your agent doesn't name one. |
X-Airbyte-Organization-Id | Organization ID | Organization to use for organization-level tools when your agent doesn't name one. |
Application name
| Header | Value | Effect |
|---|---|---|
X-Airbyte-Application-Name | Your app's name, like support-agent | Identifies your agent or app in Airbyte's usage telemetry. |