Terraform MCP server reference

This page contains reference information about the Terraform MCP server, including configuration options and tools.

Available tools

The Terraform MCP server provides specialized tools that AI models can use to access current Terraform registry information. These tools work automatically when you ask relevant questions—you don't need to invoke them manually.

Provider tools

Access comprehensive provider documentation for resources, data sources, functions, and configuration guides.

Tool	Purpose	What it returns
`search_providers`	Find provider documentation by service name	List of available documentation with IDs, titles, and categories
`get_provider_details`	Retrieve complete documentation for a specific provider component	Full documentation content in markdown format
`get_latest_provider_version`	Retrieve the latest version of a specifc provider	The latest version of a provider

Example prompt: "How do I configure an AWS S3 bucket with versioning enabled?"

Module tools

Discover and explore community and verified modules from the Terraform registry.

Tool	Purpose	What it returns
`search_modules`	Find modules by name or functionality	Module details including names, descriptions, download counts, and verification status
`get_module_details`	Get comprehensive module information	Complete documentation with inputs, outputs, examples, and submodules
`get_latest_module_version`	Retrieve the latest version of a specifc module	The latest version of a module

Example prompt: "Show me modules for deploying a Kubernetes cluster on AWS."

Policy tools

Access Sentinel policies for governance and compliance requirements.

Tool	Purpose	What it returns
`search_policies`	Find Sentinel policies by topic or requirement	Policy listings with IDs, names, and download statistics
`get_policy_details`	Retrieve detailed policy documentation	Policy implementation details and usage instructions

Example prompt: "What Sentinel policies are available for enforcing security best practices?"

Available resources

The Terraform MCP server provides several static read-only guides to the MCP clients to retrieve structured, contextual data. It helps generate standardized Terraform code.

Resource URI	Kind	Description
`/terraform/style-guide`	Resource	Terraform Style Guide - Provides access to the official Terraform style guide documentation in markdown format
`/terraform/module-development`	Resource	Terraform Module Development Guide - Comprehensive guide covering module composition, structure, providers, publishing, and refactoring best practices
`/terraform/providers/{namespace}/name/{name}/version/{version}`	Resource Template	Provider Resource Template - Dynamically retrieves detailed documentation and overview for any Terraform provider by namespace, name, and version

Transport protocols

You can set one of the following transport protocols when starting the MCP server so that it operates correctly for your environment.

Transport	Best for	How it works	Usage
`stdio`	Local development and direct integration with MCP clients	Uses standard input/output for JSON-RPC message communication	Automatically used when no specific transport mode is configured
`streamableHTTP`	Remote deployments, distributed setups, production environments	HTTP-based transport with support for both direct HTTP requests	Enable by setting `TRANSPORT_MODE=streamable-http`

Environment variables

You can set the following environment variables to configure the server behavior.

Variable	Purpose	Default Value	Example	Options
`TRANSPORT_MODE`	Communication protocol	`stdio`	`streamable-http`	`stdio`, `streamable-http`
`TRANSPORT_HOST`	HTTP server binding address	`127.0.0.1`	`0.0.0.0`	Any valid IP address
`TRANSPORT_PORT`	HTTP server port	`8080`	`3000`	Any valid port number
`MCP_ENDPOINT`	HTTP endpoint path	`/mcp`	`/api/mcp`	Any valid endpoint path
`MCP_SESSION_MODE`	Session management	`stateful`	`stateless`	`stateful`, `stateless`
`MCP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS`	CORS allowed origins	`""` (none)	`https://app.terraform.io`	Comma-separated list of origins or `""`
`MCP_CORS_MODE`	CORS policy enforcement	`strict`	`development`	`strict`, `development`, `disabled`