Microsoft Planner

You gain a read-only MCP server that exposes live Microsoft Planner data through a simple MCP interface. This lets you ask natural language questions about Planner data and receive up-to-date results, without writing SQL. It’s designed for local use with Claude Desktop or similar MCP clients, enabling safe, read-only queries against Planner data.

How to use

You will connect your MCP client to the local server to read Planner data. Start by ensuring the MCP server is running on the same machine as your client. Use the built-in tools to discover data tables and columns, then run read queries to fetch the information you need. Typical tasks include listing available tables, inspecting table structures, and querying for specific Planner items or calendar data. You can ask questions in natural language like “Show me all tasks due this week” or “What is the status of my open plans?” and the MCP server translates your request into the underlying data queries and returns results.

How to install

# Prerequisites
- Java installed (JRE/JDK 8+)
- Maven for building the server
- Access to the CData JDBC Driver for Microsoft Planner

# 1. Clone the project and build the MCP server
git clone https://github.com/cdatasoftware/microsoft-planner-mcp-server-by-cdata.git
cd microsoft-planner-mcp-server-by-cdata
mvn clean install

# 2. Obtain and license the CData JDBC Driver for Microsoft Planner
# Install the driver from the CData site, then license it using the jar in the lib folder
# Windows example:
#   java -jar cdata.jdbc.msplanner.jar --license
# Mac/Linux example:
#   java -jar cdata.jdbc.msplanner.jar --license

# 3. Configure the JDBC connection and create a .prp file
# Run the connection string utility
java -jar cdata.jdbc.msplanner.jar
# Test the connection and copy the connection string
# Create microsoft-planner.prp with the required properties
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Additional configuration notes

Create a prp file (e.g., microsoft-planner.prp) with the JDBC connection details and a server configuration. You will provide a Prefix, ServerName, ServerVersion, DriverPath, DriverClass, and JdbcUrl. Leave Tables blank to access all data or list specific tables to restrict access. The example below shows the required properties.

Prefix=msplanner
ServerName=CDataMSPlanner
ServerVersion=1.0
DriverPath=PATH\TO\cdata.jdbc.msplanner.jar
DriverClass=cdata.jdbc.msplanner.MSPlannerDriver
JdbcUrl=jdbc:msplanner:InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;
Tables=

Running the server

Start the MCP server on its own process. The server runs locally (stdio), so keep both server and client on the same machine.

java -jar /PATH/TO/CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar /PATH/TO/microsoft-planner.prp

Usage details

After the server is running, your MCP client can read data with the built-in tools. You typically do not need to call individual tools directly; instead, pose questions to the client about Planner data and let it retrieve and present the results. Examples of typical questions include extracting open Planner items, calendar events today, or correlations between completed plans and Planner projects.

Troubleshooting

If you cannot see the MCP Server in your client, ensure you have fully quit and restarted the client so the server appears. If data cannot be retrieved, verify the connection string in the .prp file matches the driver configuration. If you encounter connection issues with the data source, contact CData Support or the CData Community for assistance.

Tools and endpoints

The server exposes read-only tools to interact with Planner data. You can fetch lists of tables and columns and execute read queries against the Planner data store.

Available tools

msplanner_get_tables

Retrieves a list of tables available in the data source. The output is in CSV with headers.

msplanner_get_columns

Retrieves a list of columns for a specified table. The output is in CSV with headers.

msplanner_run_query

Executes a SQL SELECT query against the data source and returns the results.