Introduction
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI agents call tools and pull data from external systems. The SimpleBackups MCP server exposes your backups, storages, servers, and run history as tools any compatible agent can use — so a model can answer "which backups failed last night?" or run "pause every MySQL backup for an hour" without leaving the chat.
In private beta. Request access through the beta sign-up form. Once enabled, manage your connections from Settings → MCP.
Server URL
The server speaks the streamable-http transport. Point any MCP client at:
https://mcp.simplebackups.ai/mcp
Authentication
The MCP server uses OAuth 2.1 with Dynamic Client Registration — no API keys to copy or paste. On first connection the agent opens your browser, you sign in to SimpleBackups and approve access, and the client receives a short-lived access token scoped to a single team. Subsequent sessions refresh silently.
- Tokens are scoped to one team — switch teams by reconnecting.
- Revoke any connection from Settings → MCP.
- Action tools (
run-backups,pause-backups,resume-backups) prompt the user to confirm before they run.
Setup
Pick the client you use. Every flow ends with an OAuth window — sign in once and you're done.
Claude Desktop & claude.ai
- Open Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector.
- Name it
SimpleBackups. - Paste the server URL below and save.
- Approve the OAuth prompt that opens in your browser.
https://mcp.simplebackups.ai/mcp
Claude Code
Add the server with a single CLI command:
claude mcp add --transport http simplebackups https://mcp.simplebackups.ai/mcp
Then start Claude Code and type /mcp to authenticate the MCP tools and verify the connection.
# Start Claude Code claude # Authenticate the MCP tools by typing /mcp /mcp
Cursor
- Open Settings → MCP → Add new MCP server.
- Choose the HTTP transport.
- Paste the server URL and save.
Or edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json directly:
{
"mcpServers": {
"simplebackups": {
"url": "https://mcp.simplebackups.ai/mcp"
}
}
}OpenAI Codex CLI
Add the server with the Codex CLI:
codex mcp add simplebackups --url https://mcp.simplebackups.ai/mcp
Other MCP clients
Any MCP-compatible client that supports the streamable-http transport and OAuth 2.1 with Dynamic Client Registration can connect — including Windsurf, Zed, VS Code (with MCP extension), and others. Use the standard JSON shape:
{
"mcpServers": {
"simplebackups": {
"url": "https://mcp.simplebackups.ai/mcp"
}
}
}Available tools
The server exposes 13 tools covering inspection, scheduling, and restore prep.
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| whoami | Returns the connected user, team, support id, and dashboard URLs. |
| get-backups-overview | Single-call account health: aggregate counts plus a sample of failing or stale backups. |
| list-backups | Paginated listing with filters on type, status, server, storage, or name. |
| find-failing-backups | Returns only backups whose most recent run failed. |
| get-backup | Full details for one backup, including the latest run status. |
| get-backup-logs | Recent run history for a single backup. |
| get-backup-runs-timeline | Per-day status grid across many backups in a single call. |
| list-storages | Storage destinations with type, usage in GB, and connection status. |
| list-servers | Servers and sources with connection type, host, and latest agent status. |
| run-backups | Triggers on-demand runs for up to 20 backups per call. |
| pause-backups | Pauses one or many backups so they stop running on schedule. |
| resume-backups | Resumes paused backups so they run on schedule again. |
| restore-prep | Prepares a restore and provides type-specific restore instructions. |
Example prompts
Once connected, ask your agent things like:
- ›Any backups failed in the last 7 days?
- ›Draw me a status grid of all my production backups for the last 14 days.
- ›Why did backup #28491 fail last night? Show me the error.
- ›Trigger the staging database backup now — I'm about to deploy.
- ›Pause every MySQL backup for the next hour, I'm doing maintenance.
- ›Give me a restore link for the latest successful run of backup #28491.