Built on the MCP, DataWorks Agent connects to DataWorks MCP server and other big data MCP Servers (such as Hologres MCP Server). It enables data development, task operation, and data integration capabilities in DataWorks through natural language interaction.
This feature requires third-party clients. For a more integrated Agent experience, see DataWorks Agent.
Overview
DataWorks Agent supports big data development via natural language interaction in an intelligent chat window. DataWorks Agent uses LLMs to parse requirements and calls MCP Server capabilities to execute tasks.
For example, enter "How many workspaces do I have" in the DataWorks Agent chat window. The Agent uses the LLM to parse the request, calls the ListProjects tool provided by DataWorks MCP Server (which uses the built-in DataWorks OpenAPI), and returns the results. When a task is complex, the LLM will interact with the MCP Server multiple times.
DataWorks Agent integrates DataWorks MCP Server and connects to other MCP Servers. You can also choose your own LLM (such as Qwen, DeepSeek, OpenAI, etc.).
Use the following prompts to explore more DataWorks Agent scenarios.
Scope | Sample prompts |
Data Studio | [Query tasks] Find all paused |
[Rename tasks] Rename the nodes mentioned above to: InvalidNode_ToDelete. Suffix node names with serial numbers. | |
[Create tasks] Create 5 | |
Task Operation | [Rerun failed tasks] Check tasks that failed on |
[Query failed instances] Check instances with the status "failed" on | |
[Analyze rerun properties] Analyze the rerun properties of these tasks to see if they can be rerun. If yes, rerun the tasks. | |
Data Integration | [Sync a single MySQL table to MaxCompute] Create an offline synchronization task named |
[Sales analysis] Analyze the sales trend of the top 10 best-selling products in the "order" table for this month. |
Limitations
This feature is supported only in the personal development environment.
ImportantAfter the personal development environment is restarted, you need to reinstall the MCP Server function. Proceed with caution.
This feature is supported only in workspaces in Use Data Studio (New Version).
Billing
DataWorks Agent usage incurs OpenAPI billing and model token billing costs.
Quick start with DataWorks Agent
After configuring DataWorks Agent, click the
icon in the upper-right corner of the Cline page to open the chat interface. Example: Create ODPS SQL tasks.

Enter the prompt: Create 5 odps_sql nodes in the project directory of the current workspace. The names should start with MCP_Demo, be connected by underscores, and end with an auto-incrementing number starting from 01.
The Agent breaks down the steps and runs them:
Identifies that the
CreateNodeAPI is needed but the workspace ID is missing, and prompts for input.Calls the
CreateNodeAPI to create 5 ODPS_SQL nodes.The
CreateNodeAPI is called successfully, returning a request ID and node IDs.Calls the
ListNodesAPI to list nodes in the workspace to confirm successful creation.NoteThe system prompts for confirmation. Click Approve to proceed or Reject to cancel.
The disassembly process for key steps may vary slightly with each run, and different LLMs may parse it differently. Please refer to the actual situation.
After completion, you will get 5 ODPS_SQL nodes starting with MCP_Demo.

Configure DataWorks Agent
DataWorks Agent uses the MCP Client extension (such as Cline) as the chat interface and connects to DataWorks MCP Server and other Alibaba Cloud MCP Servers via MCP Server configuration.
You can connect to more open source MCP Servers as needed to enhance the capabilities of DataWorks Agent.
Prerequisites
You have created a workspace and selected Use Data Studio (New Version).
(Optional; required for RAM users) You have added the RAM user used for task development to the corresponding workspace and granted the Development or Workspace Manager (high privilege, add with caution) role. For details on adding members, see Add members to a workspace.
NoteIf you are using an Alibaba Cloud account (root account), you can skip this addition operation.
A personal development environment instance is enabled.
NoteWhen creating a personal development environment instance, if you select the image
dataworks-mcp:py3.11-ubuntu22.04, you do not need to upgrade the program engine and install Cline extension in Step 2: Configure Agent.If your personal development environment needs to be bound to a VPC, you need to configure settings to access the internet from a personal development environment.
Step 1: Prepare personal development environment
To enable and enter the personal development environment:
Go to the Workspaces page in the DataWorks console. In the top navigation bar, select a desired region. Find the desired workspace and choose in the Actions column.
Click the
icon next to Personal Development Environment in the top navigation bar to check the status of your personal development environment instance and enter the environment.If the status is In operation: Click the running personal development environment to enter the Welcome Page of the personal development environment.
Status is other: Click Management Environment in the pop-up window. Find your instance on the Personal Development Environment Instances page, click Start in the Actions column, and wait for the instance status to change to In operation. Click the personal development environment to enter the Welcome Page of the personal development environment.
NoteThe
icon indicates you have entered the personal development environment.
Step 2: Configure Agent
After entering the personal development environment, you can configure DataWorks Agent by following these steps. This article uses Cline as an example.
(Optional) Upgrade program engine
If you are using a previous personal development environment or have already installed the Cline extension in the environment, you need to upgrade the existing underlying engine to use the extension features. You can skip this step if you have already upgraded.
One-click upgrade: After entering the personal development environment, if you encounter a pop-up prompting for underlying engine upgrade adaptation, click One-click Upgrade to complete the adaptation upgrade.
Command upgrade: Click the
icon on the left side of the bottom toolbar to enter the terminal command bar. Enter the following upgrade commands in the command bar and press Enter to upgrade.
wget https://nodejs.org/dist/v20.19.0/node-v20.19.0-linux-x64.tar.xz
tar xf node-v20.19.0-linux-x64.tar.xz
mv /etc/dsw/node /etc/dsw/node14
mv node-v20.19.0-linux-x64 /etc/dsw/node
bash <(curl -s https://dataworks-notebook-${REGION}.oss-${REGION}.aliyuncs.com/public-datasets/aone-release/dwcode-server/scripts/update.sh) 0.2.169After the upgrade is complete, click Reload to apply the latest changes.
Install Cline extension
To install the Cline extension:
Click the
icon on the left navigation bar of the personal development environment Welcome Page to enter the Extensions page.Enter
Clinein the search box on the Extensions page.Locate the Cline extension.
Click Install at the bottom right of the Cline extension and wait for the installation to complete.
After installing the Cline extension, you can right-click the
icon on the left navigation bar to Configure Keybindings, or select or according to your preference.
Configure LLM API key
After installing the Cline extension, follow these steps to configure the API Key information. This example uses the OpenAI Compatible mode to connect to the Alibaba Cloud Model Studio (Bailian) API.
For other connection modes, please configure relevant parameters according to the actual interface.
Currently, only the Use your own API key configuration method is supported. The Get Started for Free configuration method is not supported.
Click the
icon on the left navigation bar of the personal development environment Welcome Page to enter the Cline page.Click Use your own API key in the Cline page and configure it according to the parameter descriptions in the table below.
Parameter
Description
API Provider
Specify the API service provider you want to use. Select
OpenAI Compatible. This connects to the Alibaba Cloud Model Studio API via an OpenAI-compatible interface.Base URL
The base URL of the API service, used to specify the root address of API requests.
For example, the API endpoint address compatible with OpenAI provided by Alibaba Cloud Model Studio:
https://dashscope-intl.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1.API Key
The key used for identity authentication to ensure your request is legitimate.
Obtain the API Key from the Alibaba Cloud Model Studio console.
Model ID
Specify the specific model you want to use. Different models may have different functions and performance.
Select
qwen-coder-plusorqwen-plus. These two options represent different pre-trained models:qwen-coder-plus: Suitable for code generation and programming tasks.qwen-plus: Suitable for general text generation and processing tasks.
Click the Let's go! button below to complete the API Key configuration.
Access MCP Server
After configuring the API Key, you can follow these steps to complete the relevant configuration for the MCP Server.
Click the
icon in the upper-right corner of the Cline page to enter the Marketplace tab of MCP Server.Click to switch to the Installed tab.
Click Configure MCP Servers. Add the following JSON to the configuration file on the right.
NoteIf you need to use Hologres capabilities in DataWorks Agent, please access Hologres MCP Server.
{ "mcpServers": { "alibabacloud-dataworks-mcp-server": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "alibabacloud-dataworks-mcp-server" ], "env": { "REGION":"cn-beijing", "ALIBABA_CLOUD_CREDENTIALS_URI":"http://localhost:7002/api/v1/credentials/0" }, "disabled": false, "autoApprove": [], "timeout": 60 } } }Parameter
Description
command
Enter npx here, indicating the command method provided by dataworks-mcp-server.
args
Enter the npm package name alibabacloud-dataworks-mcp-server here, indicating the command argument for dataworks-mcp-server.
env
REGION
Set this to your region ID.
ALIBABA_CLOUD_CREDENTIALS_URI
Specify the URI for Alibaba Cloud credentials.
ImportantThis parameter is only effective in the DataWorks personal development environment and is used to obtain Alibaba Cloud user identity authentication.
TOOL_CATEGORIES
Configure the whitelist for
Toolcategories. Please enter the OpenAPI categories here, separated by half-width commas.For example:
"TOOL_CATEGORIES":"Data Source,Workspace Management,Resource Group Management,Data Map,Data Integration,Data Development (New),Operation Center,DataService,Open Platform,Data Quality,Label Management,Security Center,SERVER_IDE_DEFAULT".NoteSERVER_IDE_DEFAULTis the defaultToolson the personal development environment. Other business categories can be viewed in the left directory tree of the DataWorks - OpenAPI Overview page.TOOL_NAMES
Configure the whitelist for
Toolnames. Please enter the OpenAPI names here, separated by half-width commas.For example:
"TOOL_NAMES":"ListProjects,CreateNode,UpdateNode".NoteTOOL_NAMEScan be viewed in the DataWorks - OpenAPI Overview.After editing the configuration information, press
Ctrl+Sto save and load the MCP Server information you configured.The loaded tools (shown below) confirm that
alibabacloud-dataworks-mcp-serverhas been successfully installed, and you can start using the DataWorks MCP Server function.NoteIf the following information fails to load, please confirm whether you have upgraded the engine.

FAQ
When executing a preset prompt on the MCP server, if an API request hangs, it may be because your program engine version is low and has compatibility issues with the current system. To resolve this, you need to upgrade the program engine.
If the model response is slow, you can reduce the number of enabled MCP Servers, or add
TOOL_CATEGORIESandTOOL_NAMESin theenvparameter of the Access MCP Server configuration file to reduce the number of introducedTools.
Appendix: DataWorks MCP Server
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a standard protocol that provides context for Large Language Models (LLMs). It defines a standard way for large models to connect to different data sources and tools, thereby understanding and processing information more effectively. MCP clients can call the capabilities of various MCP Servers through the MCP protocol.
DataWorks MCP Server, as an MCP Server, encapsulates DataWorks OpenAPI and provides DataWorks big data processing capabilities. You can access DataWorks MCP Server in third-party products, programs, and Agents to quickly call DataWorks capabilities.
When you are not using it in the DataWorks personal development environment, you need to configure ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_ID and ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET (please obtain them here) in the parameter env, and remove the configuration ALIBABA_CLOUD_CREDENTIALS_URI.