content/guides/11.ai/2.mcp/3.tools.md
The Directus remote MCP server provides a set of tools that allow AI assistants to interact with your Directus instance. These tools enable various operations while respecting your existing permissions and security settings.
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Note: The remote MCP server uses unified tools compared to the local MCP server. For example, it has a single items tool that handles all CRUD operations, while the local MCP has separate read-items, create-item, update-item, and delete-item tools.
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The remote MCP server provides the following tools:
| Tool | Description | Use Cases |
|---|---|---|
| system-prompt | Provides context about Directus and your instance | Start of session, understanding capabilities |
| items | Complete CRUD operations on collection items | Content management, data operations |
| schema | Read collection and field schema information | Understanding data structure, exploring collections |
| collections | Manage Directus collections (database tables) | Creating/modifying collections, database structure |
| fields | Manage collection fields and their configuration | Adding/modifying fields, changing data types |
| relations | Create and manage relationships between collections | Setting up relationships, data modeling |
| files | File management and metadata operations | Managing uploads, organizing media |
| assets | Retrieve file content as base64 for AI processing | Image analysis, content processing |
| flows | Automation workflow management | Creating automations, workflow design |
| operations | Manage individual operations within flows | Building automation logic, flow operations |
| trigger-flow | Execute manual flows programmatically | Running automations, bulk operations |
| folders | Manage file organization structure | Organizing files, creating folder structures |
The system-prompt tool provides the AI assistant with specialized knowledge about Directus and your instance configuration. It should typically be called at the beginning of each session.
This tool works like a system prompt for LLMs, but it's delivered as a tool call instead of being built into the conversation. The AI is instructed to call this tool first to load Directus-specific knowledge into the conversation context. It won't override any system prompts or instructions from your MCP client.
::callout{icon="material-symbols:code" color="info" to="https://github.com/directus/directus/blob/main/api/src/mcp/tools/prompts/system-prompt.md"} View the current system prompt on GitHub to see exactly what instructions the AI receives about working with Directus. ::
You can customize the system prompt or disable it entirely in Settings → AI → Model Context Protocol.
When working with the Directus MCP server tools:
my Directus instance or my Directus project to help the AI understand it should use tools.