Nora — Claude Code MCP server: features and setup
Nora connects Claude Code to a self-hosted agent control plane. Use MCP tools to manage agent lifecycles and inspect fleet status, metrics, and costs.
claude mcp add --env NORA_API_URL=<NORA_API_URL> --env NORA_API_KEY=<NORA_API_KEY> --env NORA_MCP_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE=<NORA_MCP_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE> --transport stdio mcp-server -- npx -y @noraai/mcp-serverWhat Nora does
The server lets a client manage agents through Nora: deploy them, start or stop them, and restart them. Read tools return agent versions, monitoring events, metrics, and costs. Results come back as Nora REST API JSON.
Set NORA_API_URL and NORA_API_KEY to connect. Workspace key scopes govern access: reads need agents:read and monitoring:read, while write operations need agents:write. Agent deletion is gated by NORA_MCP_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE=true; without that setting, delete_agent is not registered. The server runs as a local API client and keeps no state.
What it helps with
- deploy an agent through Nora
- restart an agent that has stopped
- check the status of the agent fleet
- retrieve agent metrics and costs
- inspect monitoring events
Example prompts for the agent
- List the Nora agents and show their current status.
- Restart
worker-1and retrieve its metrics. - Show the costs for
worker-1and recent monitoring events.
How to install Nora
Platform CLI
claude mcp add --env NORA_API_URL=<NORA_API_URL> --env NORA_API_KEY=<NORA_API_KEY> --env NORA_MCP_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE=<NORA_MCP_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE> --transport stdio mcp-server -- npx -y @noraai/mcp-serverReplace <…> with your own values
Platform CLI
codex mcp add mcp-server --env NORA_API_URL=<NORA_API_URL> --env NORA_API_KEY=<NORA_API_KEY> --env NORA_MCP_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE=<NORA_MCP_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE> -- npx -y @noraai/mcp-serverReplace <…> with your own values
Config file
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@noraai/mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"NORA_API_URL": "<NORA_API_URL>",
"NORA_API_KEY": "<NORA_API_KEY>",
"NORA_MCP_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE": "<NORA_MCP_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values
Config file
{
"servers": {
"mcp-server": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@noraai/mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"NORA_API_URL": "<NORA_API_URL>",
"NORA_API_KEY": "<NORA_API_KEY>",
"NORA_MCP_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE": "<NORA_MCP_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values
Platform CLI
gemini mcp add -e NORA_API_URL=<NORA_API_URL> -e NORA_API_KEY=<NORA_API_KEY> -e NORA_MCP_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE=<NORA_MCP_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE> mcp-server npx -y @noraai/mcp-serverReplace <…> with your own values
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to add an MCP server to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and more
Questions about Nora
How do I install Nora in Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add nora -e NORA_API_URL=<NORA_API_URL> -e NORA_API_KEY=<NORA_API_KEY> -- npx -y @noraai/mcp-server. Replace the placeholders with the Nora address and workspace API key.
What does Nora do?
Nora connects an MCP client to its control plane so you can deploy and manage agents. It also provides fleet status, monitoring events, metrics, and agent costs.
How can I enable agent deletion in Nora?
Set NORA_MCP_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE=true. The server registers delete_agent only when this setting is enabled.
