• PROTECTED
  • LIVE
  • INFO
  • HUMAN

How to toggle maintenance mode with your AI

Connect Heroku to your AI client to manage app states through chat. You can flip the maintenance switch or check app details without using the CLI.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

How do I put my Heroku app in maintenance mode using AI?

Tell your AI to toggle maintenance mode for a specific app name. It will use the Heroku connection to switch the state and confirm when the app is protected. You'll see the specific outcomes below.

The outcomes.

Where your request lands.

Depending on what you ask, your AI performs one of these actions.

PROTECTED

App is in maintenance

The AI uses the toggle tool to block incoming traffic. Your app stays safe while you run migrations.

LIVE

App is back online

The AI flips the switch back to normal. Traffic flows to your application again immediately.

INFO

App details retrieved

The AI pulls current configuration and status data. You get a clear picture of your app's current state.

HUMAN

Manual intervention needed

If the app name is wrong or permissions fail, the AI tells you exactly what went wrong. You'll need to check your Heroku dashboard to fix it.

The workflow

What your AI does when the command arrives.

The AI handles the heavy lifting of communicating with the Heroku API.

  1. Identify the app

    The AI looks up the specific application you mentioned to ensure it targets the right resource.

    get_app_info

  2. Check current status

    It verifies if the app is already in maintenance mode to avoid redundant commands.

    get_app_info

  3. Execute the switch

    The AI sends the command to change the maintenance state based on your request.

    toggle_maintenance_mode

  4. Confirm completion

    The AI reports back that the app is now protected or live.

    get_app_info

Try it

Copy these to start.

Use these prompts to trigger the Heroku tools.

Starting points

Replace the app names in these examples with your actual Heroku app identifiers.

Heroku Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_HWnMOgL2zYPCutqVNumPjbm95CPIrkddpZrkVKOV/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — Heroku capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "heroku-paas-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_HWnMOgL2zYPCutqVNumPjbm95CPIrkddpZrkVKOV/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Copy into chat04

  • Put my app 'production-web-api' into maintenance mode.

  • Turn off maintenance mode for 'staging-frontend'.

  • Check the current status of my app 'data-processor-service'.

  • Is 'customer-portal-app' currently in maintenance mode?

  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Windsurf
  • Claude Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cline

Start here

Connect Heroku once, then ask.

Link your Heroku account to Vinkius in one click. Your credentials stay encrypted, and you can start managing apps from any MCP-compatible client immediately.

Connect Heroku to your AI

FAQ

How this task behaves.

  • 01

    Can the AI deploy new code to Heroku?

    No. This MCP only handles maintenance mode and app information.

  • 02

    Will the AI delete my Heroku apps?

    No. There are no tools provided to delete applications or resources.

  • 03

    Do I need to use the Heroku CLI?

    No. Once connected, you can perform these tasks entirely through your AI client.

  • 04

    Can the AI change my environment variables?

    No. The available tools are limited to maintenance toggling and retrieving app info.

  • 05

    How does the AI know which app I mean?

    It uses the app name you provide in your prompt to look up the correct resource.

  • More questions about Heroku? The Connector page answers them. See everything the Heroku Connector can do

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