trello_add_card
Adds a card to the specified list.
LABSCO SUMMARY
Board id per call, so one install covers every board.
Servers that pin a board in configuration force a second install the moment you have two projects; here the board is an argument, and cross-board search plus "my cards" work over the whole workspace. Rate limiting is handled with a token bucket against Trello's stated limits — 300 requests per 10 seconds per API key and 100 per 10 seconds per token — so a burst of calls queues rather than erroring out. Attachment download returns base64 content only for files uploaded to Trello; an external link comes back as a URL you still have to fetch.
What it is
An MCP server over the Trello REST API that covers the full card lifecycle rather than read-only lookup. Board ids are arguments on each tool rather than fixed configuration, so one installation reaches every board your token can see. Requests are queued against Trello's published rate limits instead of failing when you hit them.
What you get
- The lists on a board, and the cards inside a given list —
trello_get_lists,trello_get_cards_by_list - A card created with title, description, due date and labels, then edited in place —
trello_add_card,trello_update_card - Cards and lists archived when they are done —
trello_archive_card,trello_archive_list - New lists added to a board —
trello_add_list - Everything assigned to you across boards, and a keyword search over every board in the workspace —
trello_get_my_cards,trello_search_all_boards - A board's recent activity feed, with the number of entries you ask for —
trello_get_recent_activity - Attachments on a card listed with name, size in bytes, MIME type and URL, then downloaded — Trello uploads come back base64-encoded, external links come back as the URL —
trello_get_card_attachments,trello_download_attachment
Requirements
A Trello API key and token, supplied as TRELLO_API_KEY and TRELLO_TOKEN. Node.js 16 or higher. The project documents no published package: install from a clone with npm install and npm run build, then point your client at the built index.js. Cross-board search reaches the whole workspace, so its results depend on your Trello plan and permissions.
Setup effort
Build from source
USE CASES
01
Turning a conversation into cards
Read the board's lists to find the right one, then create cards with descriptions, due dates and labels already filled in.
02
Clearing your own queue
Pull every card assigned to you across boards, update the ones whose scope changed, and archive what is finished.
03
Finding where something was discussed
Search by keyword across every board in the workspace instead of guessing which project it landed in.
04
Reading a spec that was attached to a card
List the card's attachments to see what is there and how big it is, then download the one you need — Trello uploads arrive as content, external links as a URL.
05
Writing a status update from what actually happened
Fetch the board's recent activity and let the model summarise the movement since the last update, instead of reading the feed by hand.
12 tools
Counted once with only startup setup. Other versions, modes or optional credentials may expose a different list.
trello_add_list
Adds a new list to the specified board.
trello_archive_card
Archives (closes) the specified card.
trello_archive_list
Archives (closes) the specified list.
trello_download_attachment
Downloads a specific attachment from a Trello card. For files uploaded directly to Trello, returns the content as base64-encoded data. For external links, returns the URL. Use trello_get_card_attachments first to get the attachment ID.
trello_get_card_attachments
Retrieves all attachments from a specified card. Returns attachment metadata including name, file size, MIME type, and URL. Use this to discover what attachments exist on a card before downloading.
trello_get_cards_by_list
Retrieves a list of cards contained in the specified list ID.
trello_get_lists
Retrieves all lists in the specified board.
trello_get_my_cards
Retrieves all cards related to your account.
trello_get_recent_activity
Retrieves the most recent activity for a specified board. The 'limit' argument can specify how many to retrieve.
trello_search_all_boards
Performs a cross-board search across all boards in the workspace (organization) (depending on plan/permissions).
trello_update_card
Updates the content of a card.
BEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
12 tools when we connected. trello_add_card, trello_update_card, trello_add_list, trello_archive_card and trello_archive_list change boards; trello_search_all_boards is limited by your plan and permissions.
Requires
- Node.js 16 or later
- npm or yarn, to build it from the clone
- TRELLO_API_KEY in your environment
- TRELLO_TOKEN in your environment
CONTEXT COST
Light Standing cost
Rated by the size of the 12 tool definitions that ride along on every turn, not by how many there are
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
MCP Clients
Claude Desktop
CLAUDE DESKTOP · TERMINAL
git clone https://github.com/hrs-asano/claude-mcp-trello.git
cd claude-mcp-trello
npm install
npm run buildAdd the server to Claude Desktop with the block below
CLAUDE DESKTOP · JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"trello": {
"command": "<YOUR_NODE_PATH>",
"args": [
"<YOUR_PATH>/claude-mcp-trello/build/index.js"
],
"env": {
"TRELLO_API_KEY": "<YOUR_TRELLO_API_KEY>",
"TRELLO_TOKEN": "<YOUR_TRELLO_TOKEN>"
}
}
}
}<YOUR_NODE_PATH> is the full path of your node binary (the README's example is /opt/homebrew/bin/node), and <YOUR_PATH> is the folder you cloned into.
