Google Cloud NetApp Volumes MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for managing Google Cloud NetApp Volumes (GCNV) resources through AI assistants such as Gemini CLI, Cursor, and other MCP-compatible clients.

Supported Resources

Resource	Operations
Storage Pools	create, get, list, update, delete, validate directory service
Volumes	create, get, list, update, delete
Snapshots	create, get, list, update, delete, revert
Backup Vaults	create, get, list, update, delete
Backups	create, get, list, update, delete, restore, restore files
Backup Policies	create, get, list, update, delete
Replications	create, get, list, update, delete, stop, resume, reverse direction, sync, establish peering
Active Directory	create, get, list, update, delete
KMS Configs	create, get, list, update, delete, verify, encrypt volumes
Quota Rules	create, get, list, update, delete
Host Groups	create, get, list, update, delete
Operations	get, list, cancel
ONTAP Expert Mode	discover and execute supported ONTAP REST operations for ONTAP-mode pools

Prerequisites

Node.js 18 or higher
A Google Cloud project with the NetApp Volumes API enabled
Google Cloud authentication credentials (see Authentication)

Quick Start

Run the published package directly (no local build required):

npx gcnv-mcp-server@latest --transport stdio

Or install via the Gemini CLI extension workflow:

# 1. Authenticate
gcloud auth login
gcloud auth application-default login

# 2. Install the extension
gemini extension install <repository-url>

# 3. Verify
gemini mcp list

Gemini automatically starts the MCP server when a linked extension needs it. No manual npm start is required for normal usage.

Authentication

The server uses Google Cloud credentials to authenticate API requests. Configure one of the following before invoking any tool:

Application Default Credentials (recommended)

gcloud auth application-default login

Service account key file

export GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS=/path/to/key.json

Transport Modes

The server supports stdio (default) and HTTP/SSE transports.

Stdio (default)

Used automatically by Gemini CLI and other stdio-based MCP clients.

npm start                          # default stdio
npm run start:stdio                # explicit

HTTP/SSE

For web-based MCP clients or remote access.

npm run start:http                 # port 3000
npm start -- -t http -p 8080       # custom port

Option	Description	Default
`--transport`, `-t`	`stdio` or `http`	`stdio`
`--port`, `-p`	HTTP listen port	`3000`

HTTP endpoint: http://localhost:<port>/message

Security note: The HTTP/SSE transport does not provide built-in TLS. If you expose it beyond a local trusted client, use customer-managed TLS and network access controls, such as a reverse proxy, VPN, service mesh, or SSH tunnel. Do not expose the MCP HTTP endpoint directly to the public internet.

Tool Reference

Storage Pool Tools

Tool	Description
`gcnv_storage_pool_create`	Create a storage pool (FLEX / STANDARD / PREMIUM / EXTREME)
`gcnv_storage_pool_get`	Get storage pool details
`gcnv_storage_pool_list`	List storage pools (supports pagination and filtering)
`gcnv_storage_pool_update`	Update pool capacity, description, labels, QoS, or type
`gcnv_storage_pool_delete`	Delete a storage pool
`gcnv_storage_pool_validate_directory_service`	Validate attached directory service

Service level guidance:

FLEX -- Smaller minimums, broader region availability, independent performance scaling. Minimum: 1024 GiB (FILE/UNIFIED) or 6144 GiB (UNIFIED large capacity).
STANDARD / PREMIUM / EXTREME -- Classic tiers with fixed performance-to-capacity ratio. Minimum: 2048 GiB.
serviceLevel is accepted case-insensitively (e.g. flex or FLEX).
FLEX pools in a region-level location require both zone and replicaZone; zone-level locations satisfy this automatically.
storagePoolType accepts FILE or UNIFIED; UNIFIED is only available for FLEX.
scaleType: only set to SCALE_TYPE_SCALEOUT when creating a large capacity FLEX UNIFIED pool. Omit for all other pools (defaults to SCALE_TYPE_DEFAULT).
mode: defaults to DEFAULT for a standard pool, or set to ONTAP to create an ONTAP-mode pool that exposes advanced ONTAP features (SnapMirror, QoS policies, direct ONTAP REST access) via the ONTAP Expert Mode Tools. ONTAP mode requires serviceLevel: FLEX and storagePoolType: UNIFIED.

Volume Tools

Tool	Description
`gcnv_volume_create`	Create a volume (NFS, SMB, or iSCSI)
`gcnv_volume_get`	Get volume details including mount points
`gcnv_volume_list`	List volumes with pagination and filtering
`gcnv_volume_update`	Update capacity, description, labels, export policy, tiering, backup config
`gcnv_volume_delete`	Delete a volume

iSCSI notes: Protocols must be ["ISCSI"] only (no mixing). Requires hostGroup or hostGroups. Optional blockDevice object with identifier, osType (LINUX / WINDOWS / ESXI), and sizeGib.

Large capacity volumes: Some workloads require larger volumes and higher throughput, which can be achieved by using the large capacity volume option for these service levels. Large capacity volumes provide six storage endpoints (IP addresses) to load-balance client traffic to the volume and deliver higher performance.

FLEX Unified: Large capacity volumes can be sized between 4.8 TiB and 2.48 PiB, or up to 20 PiB with auto-tiering, in increments of 1 GiB, and deliver throughput performance of up to 22 GiBps. The FLEX storage pool must be created with scaleType: SCALE_TYPE_SCALEOUT; non-scale-out FLEX pools cannot host large capacity volumes. When largeCapacityConstituentCount is explicitly set, the minimum drops to 2.4 TiB (2,400 GiB) — FLEX Unified only. When largeCapacityConstituentCount is omitted, the 4.8 TiB (4,916 GiB) floor applies.
Premium and Extreme: Large capacity volumes can be sized between 15 TiB and 3 PiB in increments of 1 GiB, and deliver throughput performance of up to 30 GiBps.

A large capacity volume is internally composed of several constituent volumes (FlexVols) distributed across the pool's storage aggregates. On gcnv_volume_create you can optionally pass largeCapacityConstituentCount to control how many constituents the volume is built from:

Minimum: 2.
Default (when omitted): chosen by the backend based on the active deployment layout.
The constituent count must be chosen at create time and cannot be changed later.

SMB attributes: When protocols includes SMB, gcnv_volume_create accepts optional SMB feature flags that map to the smbSettings field on the volume:

smbEncryptData: true → ENCRYPT_DATA (require SMB encryption in flight)
smbHideShare: true → NON_BROWSABLE (hide the share from browse lists)
smbAccessBasedEnumeration: true → ACCESS_BASED_ENUMERATION (ABE) — controls the visibility of files and folders based on the permissions assigned to the user
smbContinuouslyAvailable: true → CONTINUOUSLY_AVAILABLE (CA share for SQL Server / FSLogix; choice is permanent on the volume)
smbSettings: ["OPLOCKS", ...] — additional API enum values; merged with the booleans above. Do not pass SMB_SETTINGS_UNSPECIFIED; BROWSABLE and NON_BROWSABLE (or BROWSABLE together with smbHideShare) are rejected. NON_BROWSABLE and CONTINUOUSLY_AVAILABLE together (or smbHideShare with smbContinuouslyAvailable) are also rejected — CA shares must be browsable.

These flags require protocols to include SMB. CONTINUOUSLY_AVAILABLE is not supported on FLEX storage pools — the request is rejected before reaching the API. Use STANDARD, PREMIUM, or EXTREME for CA shares.

Snapshot Tools

Tool	Description
`gcnv_snapshot_create`	Create a snapshot of a volume
`gcnv_snapshot_get`	Get snapshot details
`gcnv_snapshot_list`	List snapshots for a volume
`gcnv_snapshot_update`	Update snapshot description or labels
`gcnv_snapshot_delete`	Delete a snapshot
`gcnv_snapshot_revert`	Revert a volume to a snapshot

Backup Vault Tools

Tool	Description
`gcnv_backup_vault_create`	Create a backup vault (with optional retention policy)
`gcnv_backup_vault_get`	Get backup vault details
`gcnv_backup_vault_list`	List backup vaults
`gcnv_backup_vault_update`	Update description, labels, or retention policy
`gcnv_backup_vault_delete`	Delete a backup vault

Backup Tools

Tool	Description
`gcnv_backup_create`	Create a backup from a volume or snapshot
`gcnv_backup_get`	Get backup details
`gcnv_backup_list`	List backups in a vault
`gcnv_backup_update`	Update backup description or labels
`gcnv_backup_delete`	Delete a backup
`gcnv_backup_restore`	Restore a backup to a volume
`gcnv_backup_restore_files`	Restore specific files from a backup

Backup Policy Tools

Tool	Description
`gcnv_backup_policy_create`	Create a backup policy with daily/weekly/monthly limits
`gcnv_backup_policy_get`	Get backup policy details
`gcnv_backup_policy_list`	List backup policies
`gcnv_backup_policy_update`	Update backup policy settings
`gcnv_backup_policy_delete`	Delete a backup policy

Replication Tools

Tool	Description
`gcnv_replication_create`	Create a volume replication
`gcnv_replication_get`	Get replication details
`gcnv_replication_list`	List replications
`gcnv_replication_update`	Update replication settings
`gcnv_replication_delete`	Delete a replication
`gcnv_replication_stop`	Stop an active replication
`gcnv_replication_resume`	Resume a stopped replication
`gcnv_replication_reverse_direction`	Reverse replication direction
`gcnv_replication_sync`	Trigger an on-demand replication sync
`gcnv_replication_establish_peering`	Establish peering for cross-region replication

Replication is supported between specific region pairs (Standard/Premium/Extreme) or within the same region group (Flex). See the replication guide.

Active Directory Tools

Tool	Description
`gcnv_active_directory_create`	Create an Active Directory configuration
`gcnv_active_directory_get`	Get Active Directory details
`gcnv_active_directory_list`	List Active Directory configurations
`gcnv_active_directory_update`	Update Active Directory settings
`gcnv_active_directory_delete`	Delete an Active Directory configuration

KMS Config Tools

Tool	Description
`gcnv_kms_config_create`	Create a KMS configuration
`gcnv_kms_config_get`	Get KMS config details
`gcnv_kms_config_list`	List KMS configurations
`gcnv_kms_config_update`	Update KMS config settings
`gcnv_kms_config_delete`	Delete a KMS configuration
`gcnv_kms_config_verify`	Verify a KMS configuration
`gcnv_kms_config_encrypt_volumes`	Encrypt volumes with a KMS config

Quota Rule Tools

Tool	Description
`gcnv_quota_rule_create`	Create a quota rule for a volume
`gcnv_quota_rule_get`	Get quota rule details
`gcnv_quota_rule_list`	List quota rules
`gcnv_quota_rule_update`	Update a quota rule
`gcnv_quota_rule_delete`	Delete a quota rule

Host Group Tools

Tool	Description
`gcnv_host_group_create`	Create a host group (iSCSI initiator group)
`gcnv_host_group_get`	Get host group details
`gcnv_host_group_list`	List host groups
`gcnv_host_group_update`	Update a host group
`gcnv_host_group_delete`	Delete a host group

Operation Tools

Tool	Description
`gcnv_operation_get`	Get details of a long-running operation
`gcnv_operation_list`	List operations with filtering and pagination
`gcnv_operation_cancel`	Cancel an in-progress operation

ONTAP Expert Mode Tools

ONTAP Expert Mode is available for storage pools created with mode: ONTAP. It exposes supported ONTAP REST operations through the MCP server while still using Google Cloud authentication and the GCNV control plane proxy. No separate ONTAP credentials or direct ONTAP endpoint configuration are required.

Tool	Description
`ontap_discover`	Search the bundled ONTAP REST index by resource or intent
`ontap_execute`	Execute a discovered ONTAP REST endpoint
`ontap_audit_log`	Enable or disable local Markdown audit logging for ONTAP tool calls
`ontap_job_get`	Poll an ONTAP async job until success or failure
`ontap_svm_list`	List ONTAP SVM details for a pool
`ontap_volume_*`	Convenience tools for common ONTAP volume operations
`ontap_snapshot_*`	Convenience tools for common ONTAP snapshot operations
`ontap_lun_*`	Convenience tools for common ONTAP LUN operations

For advanced resources such as QoS policies, SnapMirror, export policies, CIFS services, igroups, snapshot policies, SnapLock, Event Based Retention, schedules, and cluster/SVM peering, use ontap_discover first and then call ontap_execute with the discovered method, path, and body template.

ontap_discover responses include descriptions, hints, example body templates, and generated requiredBody metadata when ONTAP swagger marks body fields as required. ontap_execute preflight-validates requests against the bundled API index (method, path, and required body fields) before calling ONTAP. Unlisted paths — including GET — are rejected with a scope_denied envelope; use ontap_discover to find supported endpoints. For POST/PATCH calls, pass the body as a JSON string.

ONTAP mutating operations commonly return async jobs. After create, update, delete, or replication actions, poll the returned job UUID with ontap_job_get; a returned job reference does not by itself mean the operation is complete.

Safety guardrails:

ONTAP DELETE operations are preview-first. The first call returns a delete preview with the target resourceName (resolved via read-only GET). After explicit user approval, call again with confirmDelete=true and confirmedResourceName set to the exact name from the preview. Applies to ontap_execute DELETE and dedicated delete tools (ontap_volume_delete, ontap_snapshot_delete, ontap_lun_delete).
Some endpoints are out of scope for this MCP server or blocked by the proxy/RBAC policy. These return a scope_denied envelope and should not be retried with sibling paths or private CLI variants.
/api/private/cli subpaths are intentionally blocked at preflight. Use public /api/... endpoints from ontap_discover or dedicated tools instead.
User-facing clients should redact sensitive fields before displaying tool output.

Architecture

src/
  index.ts                          # Entry point (stdio + HTTP/SSE transports)
  logger.ts                         # Structured logging (pino)
  registry/
    register-tools.ts               # Tool registration
  resources/
    ontap-api-index.json            # Static ONTAP REST API catalog (powers ontap_discover)
  tools/
    *-tools.ts                      # Tool definitions (Zod schemas)
    ontap-*-tool.ts                 # ONTAP Expert Mode tool schemas
    handlers/
      *-handler.ts                  # Tool implementations
  types/
    tool.ts                         # Shared TypeScript interfaces
  utils/
    netapp-client-factory.ts        # NetApp client factory with caching
    ontap-http-client.ts            # ONTAP REST client (auth, body envelope, response unwrapping)
    ontap-index-loader.ts           # Loads and indexes the ONTAP API catalog
    ontap-preflight-validator.ts    # Pre-execution validation (index allowlist, CLI block, required body)
    ontap-delete-preview.ts         # DELETE preview / confirmation guardrail
    ontap-response-utils.ts         # ONTAP response shaping and error helpers
    ontap-audit-logger.ts           # Optional Markdown audit log for ONTAP tool calls
    scope-denied-envelope.ts        # Proxy/RBAC scope denial envelope

Troubleshooting

ontap_execute returns scope_denied: ONTAP API index could not be loaded ... — the bundled API index file is missing or unreadable, usually from an incomplete install. Re-add gcnv-mcp-server in your MCP client to trigger a fresh npx download; if that doesn't help, run npm cache clean --force and re-add. Persistent failures: file an issue at https://github.com/NetApp/gcnv-mcp-server with the server log.

Development

Build and test

npm install
npm run build          # lint + format + compile
npm test               # run all tests
npm run test:coverage  # with coverage report
npm run sbom           # print an SPDX SBOM

Dev mode

npm run dev            # stdio via tsx
npm run dev:http       # HTTP via tsx

Adding a new tool

Define the tool schema in src/tools/<resource>-tools.ts
Implement the handler in src/tools/handlers/<resource>-handler.ts
Register the tool in src/registry/register-tools.ts

Pre-commit hook

npm run githooks:install   # enables lint + test on commit

Billing

Pricing is based on provisioned pool capacity, not consumed capacity. Some features (e.g. auto-tiering) add usage-based I/O charges. See the pricing page or use the Google Cloud Pricing Calculator for estimates.

License

Apache-2.0

Feedback

We'd love to hear from you. Share feedback, feature requests, or bug reports at ng-gcnv-mcp-feedback@netapp.com.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Please open an issue or submit a pull request.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 18 Commits
.githooks		.githooks
.github		.github
src		src
.gitignore		.gitignore
.prettierignore		.prettierignore
.prettierrc		.prettierrc
GEMINI.md		GEMINI.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
eslint.config.mjs		eslint.config.mjs
gemini-extension.json		gemini-extension.json
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
tsconfig.eslint.json		tsconfig.eslint.json
tsconfig.json		tsconfig.json
vitest.config.ts		vitest.config.ts

Folders and files

Latest commit

History

Repository files navigation

Google Cloud NetApp Volumes MCP Server

Supported Resources

Prerequisites

Quick Start

Authentication

Transport Modes

Stdio (default)

HTTP/SSE

Tool Reference

Storage Pool Tools

Volume Tools

Snapshot Tools

Backup Vault Tools

Backup Tools

Backup Policy Tools

Replication Tools

Active Directory Tools

KMS Config Tools

Quota Rule Tools

Host Group Tools

Operation Tools

ONTAP Expert Mode Tools

Architecture

Troubleshooting

Development

Build and test

Dev mode

Adding a new tool

Pre-commit hook

Billing

License

Feedback

Contributing

About

Resources

License

Uh oh!

Stars

Watchers

Forks

Releases 4

Packages 0

Uh oh!

Contributors

Uh oh!

Languages

Packages