# Render MCP for AI Agents AI Agent Connect > Render MCP lets you manage your PaaS infrastructure through your AI agent. You can list services, trigger deployments, check environment variables, and scale resources without leaving your editor. It turns your AI into a cloud operator that handles the heavy lifting of managing your web services and databases on Render. ## Overview - **Category:** ship-it - **Price:** Free - **Endpoint:** https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_JAYGJZSreVJ9k92xcXeN8HJk32H5UrFmwYZY3SNG/ai-agent-connect - **Tags:** paas, web-hosting, deployment-automation, cdn, serverless, infrastructure-management ## Description Imagine you're in the middle of a deployment and something goes sideways. Instead of jumping between tabs to find the right service ID, checking logs, and trying to remember which environment variables are active, you just tell your AI agent what's wrong. This Connector connects your Render account directly to your workflow, letting you handle the infrastructure as part of the conversation. You can query your entire portfolio of microservices, check your custom domains, or pull hidden environment variables on the fly. If a worker needs to be suspended to save costs or scaled up to handle a traffic spike, you just ask for it. It's about moving from clicking through a dashboard to simply describing the state you want to achieve. By using this through the Vinkius catalog, you get a unified way to keep your production environment in sync with your code without the friction of manual dashboard navigation. ## Tools ### create_deploy Trigger a new deployment for a specific service. You can also use this to clear the cache during a rollout. ### get_service Pull the specific details for a single Render service. This helps you confirm the current status and configuration of an app. ### list_custom_domains See all custom domains linked to a service. Use this to verify your public URLs are correctly mapped. ### list_deploys View the deployment history for a particular service. This lets you track previous builds and their success states. ### list_env_vars Get a list of environment variables for a service. This is perfect for checking secrets without leaving your terminal. ### list_services List every service in your Render account. Use this to get a high-level overview of your entire infrastructure. ### resume_service Bring a suspended service back online. This is useful for restarting workers after a maintenance window. ### scale_service Adjust the horizontal scaling of your services. Use this to handle traffic spikes or reduce costs instantly. ### suspend_service Put a service into a suspended state. Use this to stop billing on workers that aren't currently needed. ## Prompt Examples **Prompt:** ``` Check my Render services and tell me which ones are currently active. ``` **Response:** ``` I've scanned your Render account. You have 4 active services: - **Core-API** (Running) - **Auth-Service** (Running) - **Static-Frontend** (Running) - **Worker-Queue** (Suspended) Would you like me to resume the Worker-Queue? ``` **Prompt:** ``` My staging site is showing old data. Can you redeploy it and clear the cache? ``` **Response:** ``` I've initiated a fresh deployment for your staging service. I've also appended the 'Clear Cache' flag to ensure the old data is wiped. **Deployment Details:** - **Status:** Building - **ID:** dep-99283 - **Service:** Staging-Web ``` **Prompt:** ``` How many instances are running for our main API, and can we scale it up? ``` **Response:** ``` The **Main-API** is currently running on 2 horizontal instances. I can scale this up for you. How many instances would you like to move to? I can also suspend it if you want to save on costs. ``` ## Capabilities ### List all active services See your entire portfolio of web services, static sites, and databases in one glance. ### Trigger new deployments Start a new build or clear the cache for a specific service via a simple command. ### Scale horizontal instances Increase or decrease the number of active instances for your high-traffic services. ### Suspend or resume workers Quickly toggle background workers on or off to manage costs or maintenance. ### Fetch environment variables Retrieve your production or staging secrets without hunting through the dashboard UI. ### Verify custom domains Check which custom domains are mapped to your specific services. ## Use Cases ### Handling a traffic spike An engineer asks the agent to scale the API worker to 10 instances to handle a sudden influx of users. ### Debugging a failed build A developer tells the agent to trigger a fresh deploy and clear the cache after a CI/CD failure. ### Cost saving for weekends A manager asks the agent to suspend all staging workers on Friday evening to stop unnecessary billing. ### Verifying environment secrets A dev asks the agent to list the environment variables for the production database to check a connection string. ## Benefits - Stop clicking through dashboards. Use list_services and list_env_vars to get infrastructure data instantly inside your IDE. - Faster incident response. Use resume_service and list_deploys to diagnose and fix production issues in seconds. - Precise cost management. Use suspend_service and scale_service to turn off resources when you don't need them. - Easier deployment workflows. Use create_deploy to trigger builds and clear caches without opening a browser. - Better secret management. Use list_env_vars to quickly grab the config you need while you're still in the flow of coding. - Unified infrastructure view. Use list_custom_domains to verify your network setup across your entire portfolio of apps. ## How It Works The bottom line is you get a voice-controlled dashboard for your entire Render infrastructure. 1. Subscribe to the Connector and provide your Render API Key. 2. Connect the Connector to your AI client like Claude or Cursor. 3. Command your infrastructure using natural language. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Can I use the Render MCP to manage my production database?** Yes, you can query your database services to check their status and details. This helps you keep an eye on your data layer without switching to the Render dashboard. **How do I use the Render MCP to save on hosting costs?** You can use the Connector to suspend services or background workers when they aren't being used. This allows your AI agent to turn off resources automatically during off-peak hours. **Can the Render MCP handle my custom domains?** It can list all custom domains associated with your services. This makes it easy to verify your public URLs and ensure your traffic is routing correctly. **Will the Render MCP let me see my environment variables?** Yes, you can ask your agent to list the environment variables for any service. This is great for quickly grabbing connection strings or API keys while you're coding. **Is the Render MCP safe for triggering deployments?** It's a secure way to trigger standard and clear-cache deploys. You just need to provide your Render API key, and your agent can handle the rest based on your commands. **Can I scale my Render web services using this Connector?** Yes, the Connector supports horizontal scaling for services that support it. You can ask your agent to increase or decrease instance counts on the fly. **Can I suspend a running worker to save money?** Absolutely. You can execute `suspend_service` passing the specific Service ID (e.g. `srv-xyz`). The target resource will immediately enter the suspended state. **If a deploy fails, can I instruct the agent to re-deploy without using previous cache files?** Yes! The `create_deploy` tool specifically maps a `clearCache` parameter. Telling your agent to 'deploy without cache' will map it appropriately, guaranteeing a clean build layer from your repository. **How do I easily extract the full list of Secrets / Environment variables for local parity?** Run `list_env_vars` for your backend service. It will return all key-value mappings perfectly, allowing you to instantly align your local `.env` with production secrets.