Strapi’s MCP server is now generally available, and the free Cloud tier is going

Two things happened at Strapi in the last fortnight, and they point in opposite directions. One makes the platform more interesting. One makes it more expensive.

MCP is generally available

Strapi’s MCP server reached general availability on 4 August. In plain terms, it gives AI agents a stable, supported way to read and manage content in your Strapi instance, rather than everyone wiring up their own bespoke integration and hoping it holds.

This matters more than it sounds. Most AI-and-CMS talk so far has been features bolted onto an editor: generate a headline, rewrite a paragraph. A supported agent interface is a different thing. It means content operations can be automated properly, with the CMS as the source of truth rather than a text box someone pastes into.

A stable interface for agents is worth more than another button that writes headlines for you.

We take the same view here as everywhere else: this is useful for the repetitive work around content, and it is not a substitute for someone deciding what the content should say.

The free Cloud plan is being removed

Announced 30 July. If you run anything on Strapi Cloud’s free tier, that is now a migration you have to plan rather than a decision you can defer.

It is a reminder of the thing that makes Strapi different in the first place. It is open source, and you can host it yourself. A vendor changing its hosted pricing is an inconvenience if you self-host, and a scramble if you do not.

What to actually do

• On Strapi Cloud free: decide now between a paid tier and self-hosting. Work out the real cost of both, including someone’s time to run it.
• Self-hosted already: nothing urgent, but MCP is worth a look if content operations eat your team’s week.
• Choosing a CMS right now: this is the trade-off in miniature. Own the infrastructure and absorb the operational work, or rent it and accept that the terms are not yours to set.