# Configuration
This document details the configuration options for the Cribl MCP server, primarily managed through environment variables.
See [`overview.md`](./overview.md) for an overview of the server's capabilities and tool details.
See [`usage.md`](./usage.md) for how to run the server using these configurations.
## Environment Variables
Create a `.env` file in the project root (by copying `.env.example`) and populate the following variables based on your Cribl deployment and chosen authentication method.
### Required
* `CRIBL_BASE_URL`: The base URL of your Cribl API deployment (e.g., `https://your-instance.cribl.cloud` or `https://leader-hostname:9000`).
* `CRIBL_AUTH_TYPE`: The authentication mode to use. Must be either `cloud` or `local`.
### Authentication Specific
**If `CRIBL_AUTH_TYPE=cloud`:**
* `CRIBL_CLIENT_ID`: Your Cribl.Cloud Organization Client ID for API access.
* `CRIBL_CLIENT_SECRET`: Your Cribl.Cloud Organization Client Secret for API access.
**If `CRIBL_AUTH_TYPE=local`:**
* `CRIBL_USERNAME`: The username for a local Cribl user with API access permissions.
* `CRIBL_PASSWORD`: The password for the specified local Cribl user.
## Authentication Modes
* **`cloud`**: Uses Client ID and Client Secret credentials, typically for Cribl.Cloud deployments. The server will automatically handle fetching and refreshing bearer tokens.
* **`local`**: Uses Username and Password credentials, typically for self-hosted Cribl Stream/Edge deployments. The server will automatically handle fetching and refreshing login tokens.
## Example `.env` File
```dotenv
# Base URL for Cribl API
CRIBL_BASE_URL=https://<your-instance>.cribl.cloud
# Choose authentication type: 'cloud' or 'local'
CRIBL_AUTH_TYPE=cloud
# Cloud Auth Credentials (only needed if CRIBL_AUTH_TYPE=cloud)
CRIBL_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
CRIBL_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret
# Local Auth Credentials (only needed if CRIBL_AUTH_TYPE=local)
CRIBL_USERNAME=
CRIBL_PASSWORD=
```
### Optional: MCP_DOTENV_PATH (custom `.env` location)
In some workflows—especially when your MCP server is launched **by** a desktop client (Claude, Cursor, AnythingLLM, etc.)—it is convenient to keep your sensitive credentials in a separate file and simply _point_ the server at it.
Set the environment variable `MCP_DOTENV_PATH` to the absolute path of the desired file and the Model‑Context‑Protocol SDK will load **that** file first, _before_ our own configuration code runs. There are two common ways to do this:
1. **Inside an MCP client config** (recommended)
```jsonc
{
"mcpServers": {
"cribl": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["@pebbletek/cribl-mcp"],
"env": {
"MCP_DOTENV_PATH": "/full/path/to/cribl.env"
}
}
}
}
```
2. **Via your shell** (if you run the server manually)
```bash
MCP_DOTENV_PATH=/full/path/to/cribl.env npx @pebbletek/cribl-mcp
# OR, in *sh* shells
export MCP_DOTENV_PATH=/full/path/to/cribl.env
npm run dev
```
If `MCP_DOTENV_PATH` is **not** set, the server falls back to loading a `.env` file from the project root (as described above).
