graphiti/mcp_server/DEPLOY_RAILWAY.md

Deploying Graphiti MCP Server on Railway

This guide captures the minimum configuration needed to deploy the Graphiti MCP server on Railway without encountering the cd: mcp_server: No such file or directory error.

Root cause

Railway's "Root Directory" setting was already pointed at mcp_server/. The start command attempted to run cd mcp_server && ..., so the service tried to change into mcp_server/mcp_server/ at runtime and failed, resulting in a 502 error.

Recommended configuration (Root Directory = mcp_server)

1. In Railway → Settings → Root Directory, set the value to mcp_server.

2. Set the Start Command to:

   bash start.sh
   

Railway will execute the launcher inside the mcp_server directory, respect the $PORT value it injects, and the server will bind to 0.0.0.0:$PORT.

Alternative configuration (Root Directory = repo root /)

If you prefer to keep the root directory at the repository root, update the start command instead:

cd mcp_server && bash start.sh

This mirrors the local workflow while continuing to honor the $PORT value supplied by Railway.

Local verification

Install dependencies with uv sync, then run:

cd mcp_server
PORT=8080 bash start.sh

You should see the log line:

Graphiti MCP Server listening on 0.0.0.0:8080 (transport=sse)

Remote validation with MCP Inspector

After deploying to Railway, validate the endpoint with MCP Inspector:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector \
  --transport sse \
  --url https://<railway-app>.railway.app/sse \
  --headers "Authorization: Bearer <KEY-if-configured>"

Replace <railway-app> with your Railway subdomain and include the authorization header only if your deployment requires it.