Balena Connector for AI agents.
10 live capabilities
Manage IoT fleets and edge devices using natural language commands.
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Why people use Balena
Balena for solving manual IoT dashboard fatigue
With Balena MCP, that manual labor disappears. You can ask your AI agent to find a device, check its status, or update its configuration using plain English. You get the results you need in seconds without ever leaving your chat interface.
What Vinkius changes
You get a command-line-like experience for your entire IoT infrastructure using only natural language.
Use it from Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or another AI client you already have.
One account · 6,100+ Connectors
- Real-world use case 01
Troubleshooting a disconnected sensor
An engineer asks the agent to find a specific sensor by its UUID and check its status to see if it's actually online.
- Real-world use case 02
Mass environment updates
A DevOps lead needs to update a location variable for 50 devices and asks the agent to apply the change to the whole group.
- Real-world use case 03
Firmware research
A developer wants to know what's available for a Raspberry Pi 4 and asks the agent to list versions and provide download links.
Complete set · 10capabilities
The complete Balena capability set.
These are the exact actions your AI can choose when you ask it to work with Balena.
01—04
4 capabilities in this set.
Part of 10 available through Balena.
- 01 Capability
List devices
The list_devices capability queries your devices using OData filters like UUID or status. This lets you find exactly what you need in a massive fleet.
- 02 Capability
List fleets
The list_fleets capability views all your Balena fleets and applications. Use this to get a bird's-eye view of your active projects.
- 03 Capability
Get os download url
The get_os_download_url capability grabs the direct download link for a balenaOS image. This is perfect for rapid prototyping and manual testing.
- 04 Capability
List os versions
The list_os_versions capability shows which balenaOS versions are available for specific hardware. This helps you pick the right firmware for your device type.
05—07
3 capabilities in this set.
Part of 10 available through Balena.
- 05 Capability
List organizations
The list_organizations capability lists all organizations associated with your account. Use this to manage multi-tenant access across different projects.
- 06 Capability
List releases
The list_releases capability filters and views deployment releases across your fleets. This ensures you know exactly what software is running where.
- 07 Capability
Whoami
The whoami capability checks your current user profile and active permissions. Use this to verify your account status and organization access.
08—10
3 capabilities in this set.
Part of 10 available through Balena.
- 08 Capability
List api keys
The list_api_keys capability lists your Balena API keys. This helps you manage access and keep your credentials organized.
- 09 Capability
Create device env var
The create_device_env_var capability creates a new environment variable for a specific device. This lets you change how your edge software behaves without a full redeploy.
- 10 Capability
Create device tag
The create_device_tag capability creates a custom tag for a device. This makes it easier to group and find specific hardware in large fleets.
Set up in minutes
One URL. Then ask Balena to work.
Claude and ChatGPT only need the Connector URL. Copy it once, add it in settings, and use Balena from the conversation.
Choose your client
Live previewAdvanced clients IDE · CLI
Claude · Web + desktop
Connector URL · ready to paste
Streamable HTTPhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_HaDxWZjxy0KnKuRGaidiaMAMaJh5YZgXdeQzTr9y/mcp - Step 01
Open Connectors
In Claude Web or Claude Desktop, open Settings and choose Connectors.
- Step 02
Add the URL
Choose Add custom connector, name it Balena, and paste the URL above.
- Step 03
Turn it on in chat
Select +, open Connectors, and enable Balena for the conversation.
ChatGPT · Web + desktop
Connector URL · ready to paste
Streamable HTTPhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_HaDxWZjxy0KnKuRGaidiaMAMaJh5YZgXdeQzTr9y/mcp - Step 01
Open MCP settings
On desktop, open Settings and MCP servers. On web, open your workspace app or connector settings.
- Step 02
Add the URL
Choose Add server with Streamable HTTP, or create a custom MCP app, then paste the Balena URL.
- Step 03
Save and start
Save the connection and enable Balena in your conversation. Desktop may ask you to restart once.
Cursor · IDE configuration
Advanced setup
{
"mcpServers": {
"balena": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_HaDxWZjxy0KnKuRGaidiaMAMaJh5YZgXdeQzTr9y/mcp"
}
}
}- Step 01
Open MCP Settings
Press Cmd+Shift+P (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) → search "MCP Settings"
- Step 02
Add the server config
Paste the JSON configuration above into the mcp.json file that opens
- Step 03
Save the file
Cursor will automatically detect the new Connector
- Step 04
Start using Balena
Open Agent mode in chat and ask: "Using Balena, help me...". 10 tools available
VS Code Copilot · IDE configuration
Advanced setup
{
"mcpServers": {
"balena": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_HaDxWZjxy0KnKuRGaidiaMAMaJh5YZgXdeQzTr9y/mcp"
}
}
}- Step 01
Create MCP config
Create a .vscode/mcp.json file in your project root
- Step 02
Add the server config
Paste the JSON configuration above
- Step 03
Enable Agent mode
Open GitHub Copilot Chat and switch to Agent mode using the dropdown
- Step 04
Start using Balena
Ask Copilot: "Using Balena, help me...". 10 tools available
Windsurf · IDE configuration
Advanced setup
{
"mcpServers": {
"balena": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_HaDxWZjxy0KnKuRGaidiaMAMaJh5YZgXdeQzTr9y/mcp"
}
}
}- Step 01
Open MCP Settings
Go to Settings → MCP Configuration or press Cmd+Shift+P and search "MCP"
- Step 02
Add the server
Paste the JSON configuration above into mcp_config.json
- Step 03
Save and reload
Windsurf will detect the new server automatically
- Step 04
Start using Balena
Open Cascade and ask: "Using Balena, help me...". 10 tools available
Cline · IDE configuration
Advanced setup
{
"mcpServers": {
"balena": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_HaDxWZjxy0KnKuRGaidiaMAMaJh5YZgXdeQzTr9y/mcp"
}
}
}- Step 01
Open Cline MCP Settings
Click the Connectors icon in the Cline sidebar panel
- Step 02
Add remote server
Click "Add Connector" and paste the configuration above
- Step 03
Enable the server
Toggle the server switch to ON
- Step 04
Start using Balena
Ask Cline: "Using Balena, help me...". 10 tools available
Claude Code · Terminal command
Advanced setup
claude mcp add balena --transport http "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_HaDxWZjxy0KnKuRGaidiaMAMaJh5YZgXdeQzTr9y/mcp"- Step 01
Install Claude Code
Run npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code if not already installed
- Step 02
Add the Connector
Run the command above in your terminal
- Step 03
Verify the connection
Run claude mcp to list connected servers, or type /mcp inside a session
- Step 04
Start using Balena
Ask Claude: "Using Balena, show me...". 10 tools are ready
Where the request belongs
Work Balena can move forward.
This is for the IoT engineer who is tired of clicking through complex dashboards at 2 AM to see why a device went offline, or the DevOps lead who needs to push environment updates to a thousand nodes at once.
IoT Engineer
Checking device logs and statuses during late-night troubleshooting to find hardware failures.
DevOps Specialist
Managing deployment cycles and verifying release versions for edge fleets across multiple locations.
Product Owner
Getting a high-level view of fleet health and organization status across different projects.
Build the capability set
Add more capabilities.
Each Connector adds new actions and data without changing how you work.
Browse ConnectorsGolioth
Manage IoT devices and projects via Golioth. list projects, register hardware, and control LightDB state directly from your AI agent.
myDevices
IoT device management. monitor telemetry and control assets via myDevices Cayenne.
Fly.io
Manage edge compute infrastructure via Fly.io. list apps, control machines (VMs), manage volumes and certificates from any AI agent.
ThingsBoard
Manage your IoT ecosystem via ThingsBoard. monitor telemetry, control devices with RPC, and track alarms directly from your AI agent.
Particle IoT
Access Particle IoT devices via API. read sensor variables, control device functions, manage devices, and publish events from any AI agent.
Railway
Manage cloud deployments via Railway. list projects, inspect services, track deployments and manage variables and volumes from any AI agent.
Bring your own AI
Change the model, client or framework. Keep Balena connected.
-
Claude -
ChatGPT -
Gemini -
Cursor -
VS Code -
Windsurf -
ZCode -
Cline -
Zed -
Continue -
Kiro -
Roo Code -
Zencoder -
Goose -
Void -
Augment Code -
Amp -
Qodo -
Tabnine -
Pieces -
Sourcegraph Cody -
JetBrains -
Warp -
Amazon Q -
Antigravity -
BoltAI -
Raycast -
Jan -
LM Studio -
AnythingLLM -
Open WebUI -
Msty -
Cherry Studio -
LibreChat -
TypingMind -
Chorus -
5ire -
n8n -
LangChain -
LlamaIndex -
CrewAI -
Vercel AI SDK
Before you connect
Questions about Balena.
The practical details behind the request, access and result.
Can I manage my Balena devices with an AI agent?
Yes, the Balena MCP lets you use natural language to query devices, update environment variables, and track releases directly through your AI client.
How do I update environment variables on BalenaCloud using an AI?
You can simply ask your agent to update a specific variable for a device or a group of devices, and it will handle the configuration change for you.
Can the Balena MCP find specific devices by UUID?
Yes, the Connector supports advanced querying, allowing your agent to find specific hardware using its UUID or other OData filters.
How do I check which balenaOS version is on my hardware?
You can ask your agent to list the available OS versions for your specific hardware type to see what is compatible and available.
Can I use this to see my Balena API keys?
Yes, the Connector can list your active API keys, helping you manage your credentials and organization access more easily.
How does Balena MCP help with IoT fleet monitoring?
It provides a direct way to check the health and status of your entire fleet, letting you see which devices are online or offline without manual searching.
How can I find a specific device using its UUID?
You can use the list_devices capability with an OData filter. For example, provide $filter as uuid eq '' to retrieve the exact device metadata.
Is it possible to update a device's environment variables through the AI?
Yes! Use the create_device_env_var capability by providing the Device ID, the variable name, and the desired value. The AI will apply the change to the specific device immediately.
How do I get the download link for a specific balenaOS version?
First, use list_os_versions to find the correct version string for your device type. Then, call get_os_download_url with the device type and version to receive the direct ZIP download URL.
One connection away
Give your agent a direct line to Balena.
Connect Balena once. Keep it beside 6,100+ managed Connectors when the next task needs more.
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