How is NRQL different from PromQL?

NRQL reads like SQL (SELECT ... FROM ... WHERE ... FACET ... SINCE) over New Relic's stored events, while PromQL is a functional expression language over Prometheus's in-memory time series. They aren't interchangeable syntax.

What permissions does the API key need?

A User API key with at least data-read access to the target account is enough for query-only tools.

Can one query span multiple accounts?

A single NRQL call is scoped to one account ID. Querying multiple accounts means multiple calls, one per account.

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Query New Relic with NRQL from an MCP Server

Run NRQL queries against New Relic's NerdGraph API from an MCP tool, for APM and infrastructure telemetry.

Quick Answer / TL;DR

A New Relic MCP server sends NRQL queries through NerdGraph, New Relic's GraphQL API, authenticated with a User API key and scoped to a specific account ID.

Key Takeaways

NRQL is SQL-like but specific to New Relic's event data model - FACET for grouping and SINCE/UNTIL for time windows are the two clauses used most often.
All access goes through one GraphQL endpoint (NerdGraph), not a REST API with multiple paths.
Every query needs an account ID - a single API key can have access to multiple accounts.

Sending an NRQL query through NerdGraph

There's no dedicated New Relic Node SDK for this - NerdGraph is just GraphQL over HTTPS, so a plain fetch with the query embedded in the GraphQL body is the standard approach.

typescript

async function runNrql(accountId: number, nrql: string) {
  const response = await fetch("https://api.newrelic.com/graphql", {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      "Api-Key": process.env.NEW_RELIC_API_KEY!,
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      query: `query($accountId: Int!, $nrql: Nrql!) {
        actor {
          account(id: $accountId) {
            nrql(query: $nrql) { results }
          }
        }
      }`,
      variables: { accountId, nrql },
    }),
  });

  const { data, errors } = await response.json();
  if (errors?.length) throw new Error(errors[0].message);
  return data.actor.account.nrql.results;
}

// Example: average transaction duration, last hour
await runNrql(accountId, "SELECT average(duration) FROM Transaction SINCE 1 hour ago");