LABSCO SUMMARY

The help passthrough means this tool set is not the ceiling on what you can reach.

ddev_help returns exactly what ddev help would, so a flag the bridge does not expose — --remove-data on stop, --latest on a snapshot restore — is discoverable without leaving the session, and several tools point at it by name. The mapping between arguments and the CLI is stated rather than hidden: import and export both spell out which argument becomes which ddev flag. ddev_stop is explicitly called out as non-destructive, leaving the database and code intact, which is the distinction that decides whether an agent can be trusted with it unattended.

What it is

A DDEV command bridge: project lifecycle, database import, export and snapshots, container exec, service logs, and a help passthrough for the flags this surface does not expose.

What you get

Project lifecycle: ddev_start to initialise and configure the web and database containers, ddev_stop, which is non-destructive and leaves the database and code intact, ddev_restart, and ddev_poweroff for every project and container at once.
ddev_list for projects and their status with an active-only filter, and ddev_describe for a running project's name, location, URL, status, MySQL connection details and Mailpit.
Databases: ddev_import_db accepting .sql, .sql.gz, .sql.bz2, .sql.xz, .mysql, .zip, .tgz and .tar.gz with an extract path for archives, and ddev_export_db with gzip, bzip2 or xz compression, both taking a target database.
ddev_snapshot, which creates, lists, restores and cleans up database snapshots stored in .ddev/db_snapshots.
ddev_exec, which runs a shell command inside a named service container — web by default, or db, redis, solr — with an execution directory.
ddev_logs from a chosen service with follow and tail, and ddev_version for the DDEV binary and its components.
ddev_help, which returns the same output as ddev help for a command or a subcommand, so exact flags and examples stay reachable from inside the session.
message_complete_notification, which raises an OS notification with a title and message.

Requirements

DDEV installed on the host, since these tools drive the ddev binary rather than reimplementing it. A project directory or a project name, since the project-scoped tools take a projectPath rather than assuming where you are.

Setup effort

One command — npx -y ddev-mcp

See installation options

USE CASES

01

Bringing a project up and finding where it is served

Starting initialises and configures the web and database containers, and the describe call then returns the project's URL, status, MySQL connection details and Mailpit together, so nothing has to be looked up separately.

ddev_startddev_describeddev_list

02

Loading a database dump into a local environment

The importer accepts plain SQL and every common archive form with a path inside the archive, and a snapshot taken first means the previous state can be restored if the import turns out to be the wrong dump.

ddev_snapshotddev_import_dbddev_export_db

03

Running a site command inside the container

The command runs in a named service — web by default, or db, redis or solr — with its own execution directory, and the service logs are readable from the same session when it does not behave.

ddev_execddev_logs

04

Finding the flag this bridge does not expose

The help passthrough returns the same output as ddev help, so an option outside this tool set — a destructive stop flag, a latest-snapshot restore — is discoverable without leaving the conversation.

ddev_helpddev_version

05

Shutting the environment down at the end of the day

Stopping a project removes its containers while leaving the database and code intact, and powering off does the same across every project at once, including the Mutagen daemon.

ddev_stopddev_poweroffddev_restart

14 tools

Counted once with only startup setup. Other versions, modes or optional credentials may expose a different list.

`ddev_describe`

Get a detailed description of a running DDEV project (name, location, URL, status, MySQL connection details, Mailpit, etc.). Aliases: describe, status, st. Usage: ddev describe [projectname] [flags] For full options: ddev help describe

`ddev_exec`

Execute a shell command in the container for a DDEV service. Default: web service; use service (e.g. db, redis, solr) to run in another. workdir maps to ddev --dir. Usage: ddev exec [flags] [command] [command-flags] Flags: -s/--service (default web), -d/--dir (execution directory) For full options: ddev help exec

COMMON USE CASES:

Drupal (Drush):

"drush status" - Site status
"drush cr" - Clear cache
"drush uli" - Generate login link
"drush cex" - Export config
"drush cim" - Import config
"drush pm:install module_name" - Install module
"drush updb -y" - Run database updates

WordPress (WP-CLI):

"wp cli version" - WP-CLI version
"wp plugin list" - List plugins
"wp plugin install akismet --activate" - Install & activate plugin
"wp theme list" - List themes
"wp user list" - List users
"wp core update" - Update WordPress
"wp cache flush" - Clear cache
"wp search-replace old.com new.com" - Search/replace URLs

Composer:

"composer install" - Install dependencies
"composer update" - Update packages
"composer require vendor/package" - Add package
"composer show" - List installed packages

Redis:

"redis-cli INFO" - Server info
"redis-cli PING" - Test connection
"redis-cli KEYS *" - List keys
"redis-cli FLUSHALL" - Clear all caches

Solr:

"curl http://solr:8983/solr/admin/cores?action=STATUS" - Check cores
"curl http://solr:8983/solr/corename/select?q=*:*" - Query Solr

MySQL/MariaDB:

"mysql -e 'SHOW DATABASES'" - List databases
"mysql -e 'SHOW TABLES' db" - List tables
"mysql -e 'SELECT VERSION()'" - Database version

Platform.sh CLI:

"platform environment:list" - List environments
"platform db:dump" - Export database

Node.js/npm:

"npm install" - Install packages
"npm run build" - Build assets
"npm run test" - Run tests
"node --version" - Node version

Testing Frameworks:

"playwright test" - Run Playwright tests
"cypress run" - Run Cypress tests
"phpunit" - Run PHP unit tests

Other:

"php -v" - PHP version
"ls -la" - List files
"cat config/sync/system.site.yml" - Read file
"env" - Show environment variables

Dangerous commands blocked unless ALLOW_DANGEROUS_COMMANDS=true.

BEFORE YOU INSTALL

What to know first

Tools you get

14 tools when we connected. npm publishing is disabled, so npx -y ddev-mcp likely fetches an older version with different tools; install the GitHub-release .tgz for the current documented set.

Requires

npx on PATH
Node.js 20+

CONTEXT COST

Light Standing cost

Rated by the size of the 14 tool definitions that ride along on every turn, not by how many there are

INSTALLATION

Connect your client

Add the block to your client, or run the command directly.

Server setup

Configuration file

JSON

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ddev-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "ddev-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

npx

TERMINAL

npx -y ddev-mcp

DDEV MCP Server

The help passthrough means this tool set is not the ceiling on what you can reach.

What it is

What you get

Requirements

Setup effort

Bringing a project up and finding where it is served

Loading a database dump into a local environment

Running a site command inside the container

Finding the flag this bridge does not expose

Shutting the environment down at the end of the day

14 tools

`ddev_describe`

`ddev_exec`

`ddev_export_db`

`ddev_help`

`ddev_import_db`

`ddev_list`

`ddev_logs`

`ddev_poweroff`

`ddev_restart`

`ddev_snapshot`

`ddev_start`

`ddev_stop`

`ddev_version`

`message_complete_notification`

What to know first

Tools you get

Requires

Light Standing cost

Connect your client

Server setup

Configuration file

npx

DDEV MCP Server

The help passthrough means this tool set is not the ceiling on what you can reach.

What it is

What you get

Requirements

Setup effort

Bringing a project up and finding where it is served

Loading a database dump into a local environment

Running a site command inside the container

Finding the flag this bridge does not expose

Shutting the environment down at the end of the day

14 tools

ddev_describe

ddev_exec

ddev_export_db

ddev_help

ddev_import_db

ddev_list

ddev_logs

ddev_poweroff

ddev_restart

ddev_snapshot

ddev_start

ddev_stop

ddev_version

message_complete_notification

What to know first

Tools you get

Requires

Light Standing cost

Connect your client

Server setup

Configuration file

npx

Same category

kubectl MCP Plugin

Argo CD

MKP

Dev/Infra

`ddev_describe`

`ddev_exec`

`ddev_export_db`

`ddev_help`

`ddev_import_db`

`ddev_list`

`ddev_logs`

`ddev_poweroff`

`ddev_restart`

`ddev_snapshot`

`ddev_start`

`ddev_stop`

`ddev_version`

`message_complete_notification`