Query and Analyze Grafana Loki Logs

Loki MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides AI assistants with the ability to query and analyze logs from Grafana Loki. This server enables seamless integration between AI assistants and Loki, allowing for intelligent log analysis, troubleshooting, and monitoring workflows.

Architecture

┌─────────────────┐    MCP Protocol    ┌─────────────────┐    HTTP/API    ┌─────────────────┐
│   AI Assistant │ ◄─────────────────► │ Loki MCP Server │ ◄─────────────►│  Grafana Loki   │
│   (Claude et al)│                    │                 │                │   Log System    │
└─────────────────┘                    └─────────────────┘                └─────────────────┘

Features

• 🔍 Query Logs: Execute LogQL queries against Loki with support for range and instant queries
• 🔎 Search Logs: Keyword-based log searching with advanced filtering and pattern matching
• 🏷️ Label Discovery: Retrieve available log labels and label values for stream exploration
• 🤖 MCP Protocol: Fully compatible with Model Context Protocol for AI assistant integration
• ⚡ Performance: Built-in caching and optimized query execution
• 🛡️ Security: Support for multiple authentication methods (basic auth, bearer tokens)
• 📊 Rich Results: Structured output with timestamps, labels, and context information

Installation

From Source

1. Clone the repository:

git clone <repository-url>
cd loki-mcp-server

2. Install the package:

pip install -e .

Development Installation

For development work, install with development dependencies:

pip install -e ".[dev]"

Requirements

• Python 3.8 or higher
• Access to a Grafana Loki instance
• Network connectivity to your Loki server

Configuration

Environment Variables

Configure the server using these environment variables:

Variable	Required	Description	Example
LOKI_URL	Yes	URL of your Loki instance	http://localhost:3100
LOKI_USERNAME	No	Username for basic authentication	admin
LOKI_PASSWORD	No	Password for basic authentication	password123
LOKI_BEARER_TOKEN	No	Bearer token for authentication	your-token-here

Configuration Examples

Local Development

export LOKI_URL="http://localhost:3100"

Production with Basic Auth

export LOKI_URL="https://loki.example.com"
export LOKI_USERNAME="service-account"
export LOKI_PASSWORD="secure-password"

Production with Bearer Token

export LOKI_URL="https://loki.example.com"
export LOKI_BEARER_TOKEN="your-api-token"

Configuration File (Optional)

You can also use a .env file in your project directory:

LOKI_URL=http://localhost:3100
LOKI_USERNAME=admin
LOKI_PASSWORD=password123

Usage

Starting the Server

Start the MCP server using the command line:

loki-mcp-server

The server will start and listen for MCP protocol messages via stdio.

Integration with AI Assistants

Add the server to your AI assistant's MCP configuration. Example for Claude Desktop:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "loki": {
      "command": "loki-mcp-server",
      "env": {
        "LOKI_URL": "http://localhost:3100"
      }
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

The server provides three main tools for log analysis:

1. query_logs

Execute LogQL queries directly against Loki.

Parameters:

• query (required): LogQL query string
• start (optional): Start time for range queries
• end (optional): End time for range queries
• limit (optional): Maximum entries to return (default: 100)
• direction (optional): Query direction ('forward' or 'backward')

2. search_logs

Search logs using keywords with advanced filtering.

Parameters:

• keywords (required): List of keywords to search for
• labels (optional): Label filters as key-value pairs
• start (optional): Start time for search range
• end (optional): End time for search range
• limit (optional): Maximum entries to return (default: 100)
• case_sensitive (optional): Case-sensitive search (default: false)
• operator (optional): Logical operator ('AND' or 'OR')

3. get_labels

Discover available labels and their values.

Parameters:

• label_name (optional): Specific label to get values for
• start (optional): Start time for label query
• end (optional): End time for label query
• use_cache (optional): Use cached results (default: true)

Development

Setup Development Environment

1. Clone and install:

git clone <repository-url>
cd loki-mcp-server
pip install -e ".[dev]"

2. Run tests:

pytest

3. Run specific test suites:

# Unit tests only
pytest tests/unit/

# Integration tests only  
pytest tests/integration/

# Performance tests
pytest tests/performance/

Code Quality

Run linting and formatting:

# Format code
black .
isort .

# Type checking
mypy app/

# Linting
ruff check .

Project Structure

loki-mcp-server/
├── app/          # Main package
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── main.py               # CLI entry point
│   ├── server.py             # MCP server implementation
│   ├── config.py             # Configuration management
│   ├── loki_client.py        # Basic Loki client
│   ├── enhanced_client.py    # Enhanced client with features
│   ├── query_builder.py      # LogQL query building
│   ├── error_handler.py      # Error classification and handling
│   ├── logging_config.py     # Logging setup
│   └── tools/                # MCP tools
│       ├── query_logs.py     # LogQL query tool
│       ├── search_logs.py    # Keyword search tool
│       └── get_labels.py     # Label discovery tool
├── tests/                    # Test suite
├── pyproject.toml           # Project configuration
└── README.md               # This file

Testing

The project includes comprehensive tests:

• Unit Tests: Test individual components in isolation
• Integration Tests: Test MCP protocol and Loki integration
• Performance Tests: Benchmark query performance
• Mock Tests: Test with simulated Loki responses

Run all tests:

pytest

Run with coverage:

pytest --cov=app --cov-report=html

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Connection Errors

• Verify LOKI_URL is correct and accessible
• Check firewall and network connectivity
• Ensure Loki is running and healthy

Authentication Errors

• Verify credentials are correct
• Check if Loki requires authentication
• Ensure bearer token is valid and not expired

Query Errors

• Validate LogQL syntax
• Check label names and values exist
• Verify time range is reasonable

Debug Mode

Enable debug logging by setting:

export PYTHONPATH=.
python -m app.main --debug

Getting Help

1. Check the troubleshooting guide in docs/troubleshooting.md
2. Review example configurations in examples/
3. Run the test suite to verify your setup
4. Check Loki server logs for additional context