Azure Managed Instance for Apache Cassandra uses GateRook’s Apache Cassandra connector. Over TLS with a database user and password.
The screenshots show GateRook 2.0.0: the Azure Managed Instance for Apache Cassandra form, the endpoint selector, and this connector’s actual tool preview. The form and preview have not been saved. Select a screenshot to open it at full size.
1. Create a connection and enter the settings
In GateRook, open Connections, select Add connection, search for Azure Managed Instance for Apache Cassandra, choose its card and select Continue to configure. GateRook downloads the official Apache Cassandra connector module when you choose it. Wait for the download and verification to finish before configuring the connection.
Get the managed Cassandra cluster's private node addresses, CQL credentials and exact data-center name. Azure Managed Instance for Apache Cassandra is accessed through its virtual network.
Arrange private network reachability from the GateRook computer and obtain the cluster CA and certificate naming requirements. A certificate-valid endpoint is needed in addition to a reachable private IP.
Enter a Name, for example azure-cassandra-demo. Your AI app uses this name to choose the connection.
Add the private CQL endpoints to Contact points, normally with port 9042, and enter the cluster's Local data center. Fill User and Password with Cassandra credentials.
Choose TLS for Connection type. In Advanced, provide the required CA certificate (PEM). Use TLS server name only when the administrator confirms that the supplied name is valid for every discovered node's certificate.
Set Keyspace and restrict Keyspaces to the required application data. Keep Allow ALLOW FILTERING off; queries should identify a suitable partition.
Choose Development, Staging or Production to match the service. Review the connector’s limit and access settings before continuing.
2. Test the connection and add it to an endpoint
Select Continue to test. GateRook checks the settings from your computer. Review the result and resolve any connection, certificate or permission error before continuing.
For timeouts, check private routing and CQL network rules. For hostname-verification errors, obtain certificate-consistent DNS or TLS naming from the cluster administrator. A successful Azure portal login does not establish Cassandra authentication or table permissions.
After the test passes, select Continue to add to an endpoint. Choose the endpoint your AI app uses, review its tool modes, then select Save connection. GateRook offers default as the starter endpoint.
3. Use the connection from your AI IDE
After saving Azure Managed Instance for Apache Cassandra on the endpoint and passing its connection test, ask your AI app to use azure-cassandra-demo, or the name you chose. If its tools are missing, confirm the endpoint assignment and refresh the MCP connection or start a new chat.
The preview below shows this connector’s default tools before saving. The table explains what each tool can do; connection settings, credentials and endpoint policies can restrict access further.
Start with a small read request. Replace example resource names with existing resources your connection may access. Open Activity after the call to inspect its connection, tool, arguments, policy decision and result metadata.
Ask your AI, for example
- “List the permitted keyspaces and tables.”
- “Describe the primary key and columns of the orders table, if present.”
- “Read at most 10 rows from orders for one known partition key; do not use ALLOW FILTERING.”
| Tool | What it does | Starts as |
|---|---|---|
cassandra_list_keyspaces | Keyspaces agents may use, with their replication, tables and materialized views, from system_schema. | Read only |
cassandra_describe_table | Columns of one table or view with their kinds (partition key, clustering, static, regular), types and clustering order, its secondary indexes and views, default TTL and compaction. | Read only |
cassandra_query | One CQL SELECT with ? or :name values, at the connection's read consistency. Pages with nextCursor. ALLOW FILTERING scans the cluster and is refused unless a dev connection allows it. | Read only |
cassandra_execute | One INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE or TRUNCATE, or CREATE, ALTER or DROP of a table, index, type or materialized view. You approve the exact statement and its values; it runs once, never retried. | Approval |
You can change each tool’s mode on the endpoint. Every call your AI makes appears in Activity.