rdl-mcp

RDL MCP Server

mcp-name: io.github.bethmaloney/rdl-mcp

Edit SSRS reports using AI assistants instead of wrestling with 2000+ lines of XML. This Model Context Protocol (MCP) server gives Claude, Copilot, and other AI tools simple commands to read and modify RDL files.

What It Does

Read reports:

• describe_rdl_report - Get report structure overview
• get_rdl_datasets - View datasets, fields, and stored procedures (supports field limiting and filtering)
• get_rdl_parameters - List all report parameters
• get_rdl_columns - See column headers, widths, and bindings

Modify reports:

• update_column_header / update_column_width - Change columns
• add_column / remove_column - Add or remove columns
• update_column_format - Change number/date formatting
• update_stored_procedure - Swap stored procedures
• add_dataset_field / remove_dataset_field - Manage dataset fields
• add_parameter / update_parameter - Manage parameters
• validate_rdl - Validate XML after changes

Why it's better than editing XML:

• AI sees clean JSON instead of verbose XML namespaces
• One-line commands instead of error-prone string manipulation
• Automatic validation catches errors before they break reports
• No dependencies - just Python 3.8+ standard library

Installation

1. Get the server:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/rdl-mcp.git
cd rdl-mcp

2. Configure your MCP client:

Claude Desktop

Edit config file (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS, %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows, ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on Linux):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rdl-mcp": {
      "command": "python3",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/rdl_mcp_server.py"]
    }
  }
}

GitHub Copilot (VSCode)

Add to VSCode settings (.vscode/settings.json in your workspace or user settings):

{
  "github.copilot.chat.mcp.servers": {
    "rdl-mcp": {
      "command": "python3",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/rdl_mcp_server.py"]
    }
  }
}

Note: MCP support in GitHub Copilot requires VSCode with Copilot Chat extension installed.

3. Restart your AI assistant and try: "Describe the structure of my report.rdl file"

Requirements: Python 3.8+ (no other dependencies)

Optional: Enable debug logging

Set environment variables:

• RDL_MCP_LOG_LEVEL: DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, or ERROR
• RDL_MCP_LOG_FILE: Path to log file

Usage

Just ask your AI assistant in natural language:

• "What datasets does this report use?"
• "Make the Account Number column 2 inches wide"
• "Format the Amount column as currency with 2 decimals"
• "Add a new Amount column that shows the sum in the footer"
• "Add a Status column but leave the footer blank"
• "Update the main dataset to use the V2 stored procedure and add the TaxAmount field"
• "Remove the obsolete Status column"
• "Add a Year parameter to filter the report"

The AI assistant will use the appropriate MCP tools automatically.

Example: Editing vs. XML

Without MCP (manually editing XML):

<!-- Find this in 2000+ lines -->
<TablixCell><CellContents><Textbox><Paragraphs>
  <Paragraph><TextRuns><TextRun>
    <Value>Old Header</Value>
  </TextRun></TextRuns></Paragraph>
</Paragraphs></Textbox></CellContents></TablixCell>

With MCP (one command):

update_column_header(filepath="report.rdl",
                     old_header="Old Header",
                     new_header="New Header")

API Reference

View all available tools

Reading Tools

• describe_rdl_report(filepath) - Report structure summary
• get_rdl_datasets(filepath, field_limit?, field_pattern?) - Datasets with fields and stored procedures
  • field_limit: 0 = counts only (default), -1 = all fields, N = limit to N fields
  • field_pattern: Optional regex to filter field names
• get_rdl_parameters(filepath) - All parameters with configurations
• get_rdl_columns(filepath) - Column headers, widths, bindings

Editing Tools

• update_column_header(filepath, old_header, new_header) - Change column text
• update_column_width(filepath, column_index, new_width) - Modify width (e.g. "2.5in")
• update_column_format(filepath, column_index, format_string) - Change format (e.g. "#,0.00", "dd/MM/yyyy", "C2")
• add_column(filepath, column_index, header_text, field_binding, width?, format_string?, footer_expression?) - Add column
  • footer_expression: Optional expression for footer/total row - e.g. "=Sum(Fields!Amount.Value)", "=Count(Fields!ID.Value)", "Total:", or leave empty
• remove_column(filepath, column_index) - Remove column
• update_stored_procedure(filepath, dataset_name, new_sproc) - Change dataset sproc
• add_dataset_field(filepath, dataset_name, field_name, data_field, type_name) - Add field to dataset
• remove_dataset_field(filepath, dataset_name, field_name) - Remove field from dataset
• add_parameter(filepath, name, data_type, prompt) - Add new parameter
• update_parameter(filepath, name, prompt?, default_value?) - Update parameter
• validate_rdl(filepath) - Validate XML structure

All tools return {success: bool, message?: string, error?: string} or structured data.

Limitations & Roadmap

Current limitations:

• Tablix (table) controls only - no Matrix or Chart support yet
• Works best with standard report layouts
• Some complex RDL features may still need manual XML editing

Planned features:

• Column reordering, grouping, and sorting configuration
• Expression builder helpers
• Dataset field management

Troubleshooting

Server not appearing?

• Check absolute path in config is correct
• Verify Python 3.8+: python3 --version
• Restart your MCP client

Permission errors?

• Make script executable: chmod +x rdl_mcp_server.py
• Check RDL file read/write permissions

Releasing a New Version

This server is published to the MCP Registry. To release a new version:

• Update version number in server.json:

  {
    "version": "0.2.0"
  }
  

• Commit your changes:

  git add .
  git commit -m "Release v0.2.0: Add feature description"
  

• Create and push a git tag:

  git tag v0.2.0
  git push origin main --tags
  

• Automated publishing: The GitHub Actions workflow automatically:

  • Validates server.json against the MCP schema
  • Authenticates with GitHub
  • Publishes to the MCP Registry
  • Updates downstream registries (like GitHub's)

Contributing

PRs welcome! Priority areas:

• Better column detection for complex layouts
• More editing operations (reordering, grouping, etc.)

Requirements: Python standard library only

• Fork repo
• Create feature branch
• Make changes + tests
• Submit PR

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

This means you're free to use, modify, and distribute this software for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial.