# Environment Variables Reference
fedramp-docs-mcp can be configured using environment variables.
## Available Variables
### FEDRAMP_DOCS_PATH
**Description:** Path to an existing FedRAMP/docs checkout. If not set, the server automatically clones the repository to the default cache location.
**Default:** `~/.cache/fedramp-docs`
**Usage:**
```bash
export FEDRAMP_DOCS_PATH=/path/to/fedramp/docs
```
**Use cases:**
- Use a pre-cloned repository
- Share a repository across multiple instances
- Point to a read-only mount in air-gapped environments
**Example configurations:**
```json
// Claude Desktop config
{
"mcpServers": {
"fedramp-docs": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "fedramp-docs-mcp"],
"env": {
"FEDRAMP_DOCS_PATH": "/opt/fedramp/docs"
}
}
}
}
```
```bash
# Docker with mounted volume
docker run -it \
-v /host/fedramp-docs:/data/fedramp:ro \
-e FEDRAMP_DOCS_PATH=/data/fedramp \
fedramp-docs-mcp
```
---
### FEDRAMP_DOCS_AUTO_UPDATE
**Description:** Automatically check for and fetch repository updates on server startup.
**Default:** `true`
**Values:** `true` or `false`
**Usage:**
```bash
export FEDRAMP_DOCS_AUTO_UPDATE=false
```
**Use cases:**
- Disable in air-gapped environments
- Disable during development for consistent testing
- Disable in production for controlled updates
**Example:**
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"fedramp-docs": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "fedramp-docs-mcp"],
"env": {
"FEDRAMP_DOCS_AUTO_UPDATE": "false"
}
}
}
}
```
---
### FEDRAMP_DOCS_UPDATE_CHECK_HOURS
**Description:** Hours between automatic update checks. Only applies when `FEDRAMP_DOCS_AUTO_UPDATE` is `true`.
**Default:** `24`
**Values:** Positive integer (hours)
**Usage:**
```bash
export FEDRAMP_DOCS_UPDATE_CHECK_HOURS=12
```
**Use cases:**
- More frequent updates in development
- Less frequent updates to reduce network traffic
- Daily updates in production
**Example:**
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"fedramp-docs": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "fedramp-docs-mcp"],
"env": {
"FEDRAMP_DOCS_AUTO_UPDATE": "true",
"FEDRAMP_DOCS_UPDATE_CHECK_HOURS": "6"
}
}
}
}
```
---
## Node.js Environment Variables
These standard Node.js variables can also affect the server:
### DEBUG
**Description:** Enable debug logging for troubleshooting.
**Usage:**
```bash
# All debug output
DEBUG=* npx fedramp-docs-mcp
# FedRAMP-specific debugging
DEBUG=fedramp:* npx fedramp-docs-mcp
```
---
### NODE_OPTIONS
**Description:** Pass options to the Node.js runtime.
**Usage:**
```bash
# Increase memory limit
NODE_OPTIONS="--max-old-space-size=4096" npx fedramp-docs-mcp
# Enable inspector for debugging
NODE_OPTIONS="--inspect" npx fedramp-docs-mcp
```
---
## Configuration Examples
### Development Setup
Frequent updates, debug logging enabled:
```bash
export FEDRAMP_DOCS_AUTO_UPDATE=true
export FEDRAMP_DOCS_UPDATE_CHECK_HOURS=1
export DEBUG=fedramp:*
npx fedramp-docs-mcp
```
### Production Setup
Controlled updates, minimal logging:
```bash
export FEDRAMP_DOCS_AUTO_UPDATE=false
export FEDRAMP_DOCS_PATH=/opt/fedramp/docs
npx fedramp-docs-mcp
```
### Air-Gapped Setup
No network access, pre-cloned repository:
```bash
export FEDRAMP_DOCS_AUTO_UPDATE=false
export FEDRAMP_DOCS_PATH=/mnt/secure/fedramp-docs
npx fedramp-docs-mcp
```
### Docker Setup
```bash
docker run -it \
-e FEDRAMP_DOCS_AUTO_UPDATE=true \
-e FEDRAMP_DOCS_UPDATE_CHECK_HOURS=24 \
-v fedramp-cache:/root/.cache/fedramp-docs \
ghcr.io/ethanolivertroy/fedramp-docs-mcp:latest
```
### Claude Desktop Complete Config
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"fedramp-docs": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "fedramp-docs-mcp"],
"env": {
"FEDRAMP_DOCS_PATH": "",
"FEDRAMP_DOCS_AUTO_UPDATE": "true",
"FEDRAMP_DOCS_UPDATE_CHECK_HOURS": "24"
}
}
}
}
```
Note: Empty string for `FEDRAMP_DOCS_PATH` uses the default cache location.
## Precedence
Environment variables take precedence in this order:
1. Explicitly set environment variables
2. MCP client configuration (`env` block)
3. Default values
Variables set in the shell override those in MCP client configs.
