RDL MCP Server

RDL MCP Server

mcp-name: io.github.bethmaloney/rdl-mcp

Edit SSRS reports using AI assistants instead of wrestling with 2000+ lines of XML. This Model Context Protocol (MCP) server gives Claude, Copilot, and other AI tools simple commands to read and modify RDL files.

What It Does

Read reports:

• describerdlreport - Get report structure overview
• getrdldatasets - View datasets, fields, and stored procedures (supports field limiting and filtering)
• getrdlparameters - List all report parameters
• getrdlcolumns - See column headers, widths, and bindings

Modify reports:

• updatecolumnheader / updatecolumnwidth - Change columns
• addcolumn / removecolumn - Add or remove columns
• updatecolumnformat - Change number/date formatting
• updatestoredprocedure - Swap stored procedures
• adddatasetfield / removedatasetfield - Manage dataset fields
• addparameter / updateparameter - Manage parameters
• validate_rdl - Validate XML after changes

Why it's better than editing XML:

• AI sees clean JSON instead of verbose XML namespaces
• One-line commands instead of error-prone string manipulation
• Automatic validation catches errors before they break reports
• No dependencies - just Python 3.8+ standard library

Installation

Requirements:

• Python 3.8 or higher
• uv (Python package manager and tool runner)

Installing uv:

• macOS/Linux: curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
• Windows: powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"
• Alternative (all platforms): pip install uv or see installation docs

Note: uvx (included with uv) automatically handles the Python environment and dependencies. No manual Python package installation needed!

Quick Start

Claude Desktop

Edit config file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claudedesktopconfig.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claudedesktopconfig.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claudedesktopconfig.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rdl-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["rdl-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

GitHub Copilot (VSCode)

Add to VSCode settings (.vscode/mcp.json in your workspace or user settings):

{
  "servers": {
    "rdlMcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["rdl-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Note: Requires VSCode with Copilot Chat extension installed.

After installation: Restart your AI assistant and try: "Describe the structure of my report.rdl file"

Optional: Enable debug logging

Set environment variables:

• RDLMCPLOG_LEVEL: DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, or ERROR
• RDLMCPLOG_FILE: Path to log file

Usage

Just ask your AI assistant in natural language:

• "What datasets does this report use?"
• "Make the Account Number column 2 inches wide"
• "Format the Amount column as currency with 2 decimals"
• "Add a new Amount column that shows the sum in the footer"
• "Add a Status column but leave the footer blank"
• "Update the main dataset to use the V2 stored procedure and add the TaxAmount field"
• "Remove the obsolete Status column"
• "Add a Year parameter to filter the report"

The AI assistant will use the appropriate MCP tools automatically.

Example: Editing vs. XML

Shortened. The full README is on GitHub.