Butterbase

AI-native, open-source backend-as-a-service with a built-in Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. Postgres data plane, auth, storage, serverless functions, AI gateway, RAG, realtime, and durable objects — all drivable by an AI agent via MCP tools.

This repo ships the open-source runtime. The managed offering at butterbase.ai adds multi-region orchestration, billing, and ops.

What the MCP server can do

Nearly 40 tools across the platform's surface area, including:

• Apps & regions — init_app, manage_app (actions: list/delete/pause/get_config/update_access_mode/secure/update_cors/set_visibility/preview_clone_env_vars/clone/get_clone_job/find_templates/set_clone_webhook/link_substrate/unlink_substrate/move/move_status/teardown_source_replica), list_regions
• Schema — manage_schema (declarative DSL, dry-run diffs), manage_migrations
• Auth — manage_auth_config, manage_auth_users, manage_oauth
• Data — select_rows, insert_row, seed_database
• Functions — deploy_function, invoke_function, manage_function
• Storage — manage_storage (presigned URLs, ACLs)
• Frontends — create_frontend_deployment, manage_frontend, manage_edge_ssr
• RAG — manage_rag_content, rag_query
• Realtime & Durable Objects — manage_realtime, manage_durable_objects
• AI gateway — manage_ai (chat, embeddings, BYOK)
• Row-Level Security — manage_rls
• Integrations — manage_integrations (Composio: email, Slack, GitHub, Notion, Linear, CRM)
• Billing — manage_billing (Stripe Connect)
• KV, API keys, audit logs, and more

Install

Option 1 — Claude Code plugin (recommended)

claude plugin marketplace add https://github.com/butterbase-ai/butterbase-skills
claude plugin install butterbase-skills@butterbase-skills

Plugin includes 39 guided skills and 34 slash commands (/butterbase-skills:journey, /butterbase-skills:build-app, …) and auto-configures the MCP server.

Option 2 — Hosted MCP (any client)

Add to your MCP config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "butterbase": {
      "url": "https://api.butterbase.ai/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${BUTTERBASE_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 3 — Local stdio MCP

npx @butterbase/mcp

Or wire it up in your MCP config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "butterbase": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@butterbase/mcp"],
      "env": { "BUTTERBASE_API_KEY": "bb_sk_..." }
    }
  }
}

Option 4 — Self-host the whole stack

See the Quickstart in README.md. Requires Docker + Node 22+.

Get an API key

Sign up at butterbase.ai and generate a key, or self-host and use the CLI:

butterbase keys generate

Keys are prefixed bb_sk_….

Supported AI assistants

Any MCP-capable client works. Tested with: Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Codex CLI.

Related

• @butterbase/mcp — stdio MCP server (this repo, installable from npm)
• butterbase-skills — Claude Code plugin with 39 guided skills and 34 slash commands
• @butterbase/sdk — TypeScript SDK
• @butterbase/cli — local dev / scaffolding CLI

License

Apache-2.0

Optional video reference preparation

For explicitly declared AI-generated fictional characters, follow bundled AI command guidance. Use reference_declarations only when supplied or established by the caller, and choose prepare_references: "on_rejection" (default) or "upfront". Keep the same job ID through preparation and settlement. Do not infer consent or retry an uncertain paid submission. Preparation sends image bytes to a provider for storage; explain the retention behavior in the linked guide.