---
title: "Run a dashboard panel query | Grafana Cloud documentation"
description: "Use the MCP server to execute a dashboard panel's query with custom time range and variable overrides."
---

# Run a dashboard panel query

Use the Grafana MCP server to run a dashboard panel’s query (the same query the panel uses) with a custom time range and variable overrides. This is useful when you want the assistant to “run what this panel runs” without writing PromQL or LogQL yourself.

## What you’ll achieve

You point the assistant at a dashboard and panel; the assistant uses the server’s run-panel-query tool to execute that panel’s query and return the result (or an error if the query or datasource is invalid).

## Before you begin

- The server [set up](/docs/grafana-cloud/machine-learning/mcp/set-up) and [configured](/docs/grafana-cloud/machine-learning/mcp/configure/authentication) with access to Grafana.
- The run-panel-query tool must be enabled (it’s disabled by default). Add **runpanelquery** to [Enable and disable tools](/docs/grafana-cloud/machine-learning/mcp/configure/enable-and-disable-tools).
- The service account must have `dashboards:read` and `datasources:query` with scope for the dashboard and the datasource the panel uses.

## Run the panel query

Ask the assistant to run the query for a specific panel on a dashboard. Provide (or let the assistant look up) the dashboard UID and panel ID. You can specify a time range (for example, last 1 hour) and variable overrides so the query runs with the same logic as the panel but with your chosen parameters. The assistant calls the server’s run-panel-query tool and returns the result.

## Next steps

- [Query metrics with Prometheus](/docs/grafana-cloud/machine-learning/mcp/guides/query-metrics-with-prometheus) or [Query logs with Loki](/docs/grafana-cloud/machine-learning/mcp/guides/query-logs-with-loki) to run custom PromQL or LogQL.
- [Search and inspect dashboards](/docs/grafana-cloud/machine-learning/mcp/guides/search-and-inspect-dashboards) to find panel IDs and datasources.