Trello Desktop MCP

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides comprehensive Trello integration for Claude Desktop. This server enables Claude to interact with Trello boards, cards, lists, and more through a secure local connection.

Features

🔍 Search & Discovery

Universal Search: Search across all Trello content (boards, cards, members, organizations)
User Boards: Get all boards accessible to the current user
Board Details: Retrieve detailed information about boards including lists and cards

📝 Card Management

Create Cards: Add new cards to any list with descriptions, due dates, and assignments
Update Cards: Modify card properties like name, description, due dates, and status
Move Cards: Transfer cards between lists to update workflow status
Get Card Details: Fetch comprehensive card information including members, labels, and checklists

💬 Collaboration

Add Comments: Post comments on cards for team communication
Member Management: View board members and member details
Activity History: Track card actions and changes

📋 Organization

List Management: Create new lists and get cards within specific lists
Labels: View and manage board labels for categorization
Checklists: Access card checklists and checklist items
Attachments: View card attachments and linked files

Installation

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+ installed
Claude Desktop application
Trello account with API credentials

Setup Steps

Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/kocakli/trello-desktop-mcp.git
cd trello-desktop-mcp

Install dependencies
```
npm install
```
Build the project
```
npm run build
```
Get Trello API credentials
- Visit https://trello.com/app-key
- Copy your API Key
- Generate a Token (never expires, read/write access)

Configure Claude Desktop

Edit your Claude Desktop configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Add the Trello MCP server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "trello": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/trello-desktop-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "TRELLO_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here",
        "TRELLO_TOKEN": "your-token-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop

Available Tools

The MCP server provides 19 tools organized into three phases:

Phase 1: Essential Tools

trello_search - Universal search across all Trello content
trello_get_user_boards - Get all boards accessible to the current user
get_board_details - Get detailed board information with lists and cards
get_card - Get comprehensive card details
create_card - Create new cards in any list

Phase 2: Core Operations

update_card - Update card properties
move_card - Move cards between lists
trello_add_comment - Add comments to cards
trello_get_list_cards - Get all cards in a specific list
trello_create_list - Create new lists on boards

Phase 3: Advanced Features

trello_get_board_cards - Get all cards from a board with filtering
trello_get_card_actions - Get card activity history
trello_get_card_attachments - Get card attachments
trello_get_card_checklists - Get card checklists
trello_get_board_members - Get board members
trello_get_board_labels - Get board labels
trello_get_member - Get member details

Legacy Tools (Backward Compatibility)

list_boards - List user's boards
get_lists - Get lists in a board

Usage Examples

Once configured, you can use natural language with Claude to interact with Trello:

"Show me all my Trello boards"
"Create a new card called 'Update documentation' in the To Do list"
"Move card X from In Progress to Done"
"Add a comment to card Y saying 'This is ready for review'"
"Search for all cards with 'bug' in the title"
"Show me all cards assigned to me"

Architecture

MCP Protocol

The server implements the Model Context Protocol (MCP), which provides:

Standardized tool discovery and invocation
Type-safe parameter validation
Structured error handling
Automatic credential management

Security

API credentials are stored locally in Claude Desktop's config
No credentials are transmitted over the network
All Trello API calls use HTTPS
Rate limiting is respected with automatic retry logic

Technical Stack

TypeScript for type safety
MCP SDK for protocol implementation
Zod for schema validation
Fetch API for HTTP requests

Development

Project Structure

├── src/
│   ├── index.ts          # Main entry point for Claude Desktop
│   ├── server.ts         # Alternative server implementation
│   ├── tools/            # Tool implementations
│   │   ├── boards.ts     # Board-related tools
│   │   ├── cards.ts      # Card-related tools
│   │   ├── lists.ts      # List-related tools
│   │   ├── members.ts    # Member-related tools
│   │   ├── search.ts     # Search functionality
│   │   └── advanced.ts   # Advanced features
│   ├── trello/           # Trello API client
│   │   └── client.ts     # API client with retry logic
│   ├── types/            # TypeScript type definitions
│   └── utils/            # Utility functions
├── dist/                 # Compiled JavaScript
└── package.json          # Project configuration

Building from Source

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

# Run type checking
npm run type-check

Testing

The server includes comprehensive error handling and validation. Test your setup by:

Checking Claude Desktop's MCP connection status
Running a simple command like "Show me my Trello boards"
Verifying the response includes your board data

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"No Trello tools available"
- Ensure Claude Desktop is fully restarted after configuration
- Check that the path in config points to dist/index.js
- Verify the file exists and is built
"Invalid credentials"
- Double-check your API key and token
- Ensure token has read/write permissions
- Regenerate token if needed
"Rate limit exceeded"
- The server includes automatic retry logic
- Wait a few minutes if you hit limits
- Consider reducing request frequency

Debug Logging

Check MCP logs at:

macOS: ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp-server-trello.log
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\Logs\mcp-server-trello.log

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch
Add tests for new functionality
Submit a pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Acknowledgments

Built with the Model Context Protocol SDK
Uses the Trello REST API
Designed for Claude Desktop