Neo4j MCP Skill

Neo4j MCP Skill

Installs and configures the official Neo4j MCP server so AI agents can connect to Neo4j via any MCP-compatible client.

When to Use

• Connecting Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, Kiro, or another editor to Neo4j via MCP
• Installing neo4j-mcp-server and writing the correct config for a specific editor
• Switching between stdio and HTTP transport
• Enabling or disabling write access (NEO4J_READ_ONLY)
• Troubleshooting "MCP server not found" or connection errors

When NOT to Use

• Writing or optimizing Cypher queries → use neo4j-cypher-skill
• Provisioning a new Neo4j Aura instance → use neo4j-aura-provisioning-skill
• Agent long-term memory → use neo4j-agent-memory-skill
• neo4j-admin / cypher-shell / aura-cli → use neo4j-cli-tools-skill

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Available MCP Tools

Tool	Type	What it does
get-schema	read	Returns labels, relationship types, property keys, and indexes
read-cypher	read	Executes read-only Cypher (MATCH, RETURN, SHOW)
write-cypher	write	Executes write Cypher (MERGE, CREATE, SET, DELETE) — disabled when NEO4J_READ_ONLY=true
list-gds-procedures	read	Lists available Graph Data Science procedures (requires GDS plugin)

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Installation

Step 1 — Install and find the absolute path

# Option A: pip (recommended)
pip install neo4j-mcp-server

# Option B: Download binary
# https://github.com/neo4j/mcp/releases -- macOS, Linux, Windows binaries

# Option C: Docker
docker pull neo4j/mcp

Get the absolute path — you will need this in Step 3:

which neo4j-mcp          # e.g. /usr/local/bin/neo4j-mcp
                         # or:  /Users/you/project/.venv/bin/neo4j-mcp  (if installed in venv)

neo4j-mcp --version      # confirm it runs

Why absolute path matters: editors (Claude Code, Cursor, Claude Desktop) spawn the MCP server as a subprocess using their own restricted PATH — not your shell's PATH. On macOS, GUI apps do not inherit .zshrc or .zprofile. Using neo4j-mcp as the command will silently fail; using /full/path/to/neo4j-mcp always works. Always use the output of which neo4j-mcp in the command field below.

Step 2 — Prepare credentials

# .env (gitignored)
NEO4J_URI=neo4j+s://<instance>.databases.neo4j.io   # Aura
# or bolt://localhost:7687                           # local
NEO4J_USERNAME=neo4j
NEO4J_PASSWORD=<password>
NEO4J_DATABASE=neo4j

Verify connectivity before configuring the editor:

source .env
cypher-shell -a "$NEO4J_URI" -u "$NEO4J_USERNAME" -p "$NEO4J_PASSWORD" \
  "RETURN 'connected' AS status"
# If cypher-shell not available: python3 -c "
# from neo4j import GraphDatabase, __version__
# d = GraphDatabase.driver('$NEO4J_URI', auth=('$NEO4J_USERNAME','$NEO4J_PASSWORD'))
# d.verify_connectivity(); print('connected'); d.close()"

Step 3 — Configure your editor

Pick the config block for your editor. All use STDIO transport (the MCP server runs as a subprocess of the editor).

Claude Code — add to ~/.claude/settings.json. If the file already exists, merge the neo4j block into the existing mcpServers object — do not replace the whole file.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "neo4j": {
      "command": "/full/path/to/neo4j-mcp",
      "env": {
        "NEO4J_URI": "neo4j+s://<host>",
        "NEO4J_USERNAME": "neo4j",
        "NEO4J_PASSWORD": "<password>",
        "NEO4J_DATABASE": "neo4j",
        "NEO4J_READ_ONLY": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

CLI alternative (sets command only — you still need to add env vars to the file):

claude mcp add neo4j /full/path/to/neo4j-mcp

Claude Desktop

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "neo4j": {
      "command": "/full/path/to/neo4j-mcp",
      "env": {
        "NEO4J_URI": "neo4j+s://<host>",
        "NEO4J_USERNAME": "neo4j",
        "NEO4J_PASSWORD": "<password>",
        "NEO4J_DATABASE": "neo4j",
        "NEO4J_READ_ONLY": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code — .vscode/mcp.json (note: uses servers, not mcpServers — different from all other editors):

{
  "servers": {
    "neo4j": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "/full/path/to/neo4j-mcp",
      "env": {
        "NEO4J_URI": "bolt://localhost:7687",
        "NEO4J_USERNAME": "neo4j",
        "NEO4J_PASSWORD": "password",
        "NEO4J_DATABASE": "neo4j",
        "NEO4J_READ_ONLY": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor — global: ~/.cursor/mcp.json / project: .cursor/mcp.json (same structure as Claude Code, uses mcpServers).

Windsurf — global: ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json / project: .windsurf/mcp_config.json (same structure as Claude Code, uses mcpServers).

Kiro — global: ~/.kiro/settings/mcp.json / project: .kiro/settings/mcp.json. Supports ${VARIABLE} to pull from the shell environment exported before the editor launched:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "neo4j": {
      "command": "/full/path/to/neo4j-mcp",
      "env": {
        "NEO4J_URI": "${NEO4J_URI}",
        "NEO4J_USERNAME": "${NEO4J_USERNAME}",
        "NEO4J_PASSWORD": "${NEO4J_PASSWORD}",
        "NEO4J_DATABASE": "neo4j",
        "NEO4J_READ_ONLY": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cline — ~/.vscode/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json (same structure as Claude Code, uses mcpServers). Or add via VS Code settings → Cline extension → MCP Servers panel.

Antigravity — mcp_config.json at project root (same structure as Claude Code, uses mcpServers).

Step 4 — Restart the editor

After editing the config file, restart the editor (or reload the MCP server if the editor supports hot-reload). Verify the server appears in the editor's MCP panel or tool list.

Step 5 — Smoke test

Run get-schema via the agent or directly via MCP. Do not use "does it return labels?" as the test — an empty database returns no labels and looks identical to a broken connection.

Use this instead — it succeeds even on an empty DB:

read-cypher: RETURN 'connected' AS status

Expected: { "status": "connected" }. Any result confirms the server is alive and the credentials are valid.

If the database has data, also run:

get-schema

and confirm it returns the node labels and relationship types you expect.

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HTTP Transport

HTTP transport runs the MCP server as a persistent network service — useful for shared servers, containers, or multiple clients.

# With credentials baked in (simpler — server authenticates all clients as the same user)
neo4j-mcp \
  --neo4j-transport-mode http \
  --neo4j-http-host 127.0.0.1 \
  --neo4j-http-port 8080 \
  --neo4j-uri bolt://localhost:7687 \
  --neo4j-username neo4j \
  --neo4j-password <password> \
  --neo4j-database neo4j

Editor config for HTTP (no credentials in config — server holds them):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "neo4j-http": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:8080/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Per-request auth (omit --neo4j-username/--neo4j-password from the server command): each client request must include an Authorization: Basic <base64(username:password)> header. Generate the value with:

echo -n "neo4j:<password>" | base64

Then add to the editor config:

{
  "headers": { "Authorization": "Basic bmVvNGo6cGFzc3dvcmQ=" }
}

Security: bind to 127.0.0.1, not 0.0.0.0. Only change to a broader interface if you need remote access and have TLS + auth in front of it.

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Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Default	Notes
NEO4J_URI	yes	—	neo4j+s:// for Aura; bolt:// for local
NEO4J_USERNAME	yes	—
NEO4J_PASSWORD	yes	—
NEO4J_DATABASE	no	server default	Specify explicitly to avoid routing to wrong DB
NEO4J_READ_ONLY	no	false	Set true to hide write-cypher (safe default for exploration)

When to set NEO4J_READ_ONLY=false (or remove the variable): any use case that needs to write data — imports, MERGE, schema changes, GDS write-back. Without write access, the agent will see only three tools (get-schema, read-cypher, list-gds-procedures) and write-cypher calls will fail.

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APOC Requirement

The MCP server uses APOC for schema introspection (get-schema). On Aura, APOC is included automatically. On self-managed Neo4j, install the APOC plugin and whitelist it:

# neo4j.conf
dbms.security.procedures.unrestricted=apoc.*

Verify: read-cypher: RETURN apoc.version() AS v — if this fails, get-schema will return incomplete results.

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Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Server not listed in editor	Config file path wrong, JSON malformed, or editor not restarted	Validate JSON (python3 -m json.tool settings.json); confirm correct file for your editor; restart editor
neo4j-mcp: command not found	Editor PATH doesn't include the binary location	Use absolute path in command: run which neo4j-mcp in terminal and paste the result
Server starts then immediately exits	Python not found (pip install) or wrong binary for OS (binary install)	Run the command manually in terminal to see the error: /full/path/neo4j-mcp --version
AuthenticationException	Wrong credentials	Verify URI + credentials with cypher-shell or driver before editing config
write-cypher tool missing	NEO4J_READ_ONLY=true	Remove or set to false if writes are needed
ServiceUnavailable	DB not reachable from editor process	Check firewall, VPN, or whether Aura instance is paused
list-gds-procedures returns empty	GDS not installed or Aura Free	GDS requires Aura Professional/Enterprise or self-managed with plugin

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Checklist

• which neo4j-mcp run and absolute path noted — this goes in command, not neo4j-mcp
• Connectivity verified (RETURN 'connected') before editing editor config
• Credentials not committed to git; .env in .gitignore
• NEO4J_READ_ONLY set intentionally — true for exploration, false/absent for write use cases
• NEO4J_DATABASE specified explicitly
• Correct config file used for the target editor (VS Code uses servers; all others use mcpServers)
• Config is valid JSON (validate with python3 -m json.tool <file> before saving)
• Editor restarted after config change
• Smoke test passed: read-cypher: RETURN 'connected' AS status returns a result
• APOC available on self-managed: read-cypher: RETURN apoc.version()

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References

• MCP Server Docs
• MCP GitHub
• All Neo4j MCP Servers
• GraphAcademy: Developing with Neo4j MCP Tools