Trello

You have a dedicated MCP server that lets you interact with Trello boards through a robust, type-safe API. It handles Trello’s rate limits automatically, validates inputs, and provides clear error messages so you can build reliable integrations with cards, lists, and board activity.

How to use

Connect to the Trello MCP server from your MCP client and begin performing actions against your Trello board. You can fetch lists and cards, create and update cards, archive items, and retrieve recent board activity. Each operation is exposed as a tool you invoke with a structured argument object. The server enforces rate limits and validates inputs, so you can build flows with confidence that requests will be retried or rejected with informative messages when issues occur.

How to install

npm install @modelcontextprotocol/mcp-server-trello

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "trello": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-trello"],
      "env": {
        "TRELLO_API_KEY": "your-api-key",
        "TRELLO_TOKEN": "your-token",
        "TRELLO_BOARD_ID": "your-board-id"
      }
    }
  }
}

• Prerequisites: Ensure you have Node.js 16 or higher installed on your system.
• Install the MCP server package using the command above.
• Add the MCP server configuration to your MCP settings with the JSON block shown. Replace the placeholder values with your actual Trello API key, token, and board ID.
• Start or initialize your MCP environment so the Trello server becomes available to your MCP clients.

## Configuration and usage notes

Required environment variables must be provided for successful operation. Include the following in your MCP settings or environment:
- TRELLO\_API\_KEY: Your Trello API key
- TRELLO\_TOKEN: Your Trello token
- TRELLO\_BOARD\_ID: The ID of the Trello board you want to work with
The server will expose tools to interact with cards, lists, and board activity as described in the Tools section.

## Rate limiting and errors

The server uses a token bucket algorithm to enforce Trello’s API limits. It enforces:
- 300 requests per 10 seconds per API key
- 100 requests per 10 seconds per token
Requests that hit the limits are queued automatically until they can be processed. If input validation fails or authentication is incorrect, the server returns informative error messages to help you diagnose and fix issues quickly.

## Security considerations

Keep your Trello API key and token secure. Do not expose them in client-side code or publicly accessible configurations. Use environment variables and secure storage in your MCP deployment to protect credentials.

## Troubleshooting tips

- If a request fails due to invalid IDs (board/list/card), verify you are using the correct IDs from Trello.
- If you encounter rate limit errors, adjust your workflow to respect the limits or retry after cooldown periods.
- For authentication errors, re-check your API key and token, and ensure they have access to the target board.

## Available tools

### get\_cards\_by\_list\_id

Fetch all cards from a specific Trello list by its ID.

### get\_lists

Retrieve all lists from the configured Trello board.

### get\_recent\_activity

Fetch recent activity on the board with an optional limit.

### add\_card\_to\_list

Add a new card to a specified list with optional description, due date, and labels.

### update\_card\_details

Update an existing card's name, description, due date, and labels.

### archive\_card

Archive a specific card by its ID.

### add\_list\_to\_board

Add a new list to the board by name.

### archive\_list

Archive a specific list by its ID.

### get\_my\_cards

Fetch all cards assigned to the current user.