How do I use env-mcp?

1. Click on "Install Server". 2. Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state. 3. In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@env-mcp get the database host variable" That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed. Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

🔐 env-mcp - Environment Variable MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for secure environment variable and configuration management with Claude Code integration

License: MIT MCP Built by BuildAppolis

Features

Secure Storage: Store environment variables with optional sensitive data protection
Categories: Organize variables by category for better management
Search & Filter: Find variables quickly with search functionality
Multiple Formats: Export/import support for .env, JSON, and YAML formats
MCP Integration: Seamlessly integrates with Claude Code for AI-assisted configuration management
CLI Tool: Powerful command-line interface for manual management

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/buildappolis/env-mcp.git
cd env-mcp

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Build the project
pnpm run build

Configuration

Add to Claude Code

The server is already configured with Claude Code. To verify:

claude mcp list

You should see:

env-mcp: node /home/cory-ubuntu/coding/env-mcp/dist/index.js - ✓ Connected

Manual Configuration

If you need to reconfigure:

claude mcp add env-mcp "node" "/path/to/env-mcp/dist/index.js"

CLI Usage

Basic Commands

# Set a variable
./env-mcp-cli set KEY "value" --description "Description" --category "category"

# Set a sensitive variable (will be redacted in output)
./env-mcp-cli set API_KEY "secret" --sensitive --category "secrets"

# Get a variable
./env-mcp-cli get KEY

# List all variables
./env-mcp-cli list

# List by category
./env-mcp-cli list --category "secrets"

# Search variables
./env-mcp-cli search "api"

# Delete a variable
./env-mcp-cli delete KEY

# List categories
./env-mcp-cli categories

Import/Export

# Export to .env format
./env-mcp-cli export --format env --output .env

# Export to JSON
./env-mcp-cli export --format json --output config.json

# Export to YAML
./env-mcp-cli export --format yaml --output config.yaml

# Import from .env file
./env-mcp-cli import .env

MCP Tools (Available in Claude)

When using Claude Code, the following tools are available:

env_get - Get an environment variable value
env_set - Set an environment variable with optional metadata
env_delete - Delete an environment variable
env_search - Search for variables by query
env_list - List all variables or filter by category
env_export - Export variables in different formats
env_import - Import variables from a file

Data Storage

Configuration is stored in: ~/.env-mcp/config.yaml

The storage format includes:

Variable key/value pairs
Optional descriptions
Categories for organization
Sensitive data flags
Creation/update timestamps

Examples

Setting up a development environment

# Database configuration
./env-mcp-cli set DB_HOST "localhost" --category "database"
./env-mcp-cli set DB_PORT "5432" --category "database"
./env-mcp-cli set DB_NAME "myapp" --category "database"
./env-mcp-cli set DB_USER "admin" --category "database"
./env-mcp-cli set DB_PASS "secret" --sensitive --category "database"

# API Keys
./env-mcp-cli set OPENAI_API_KEY "sk-..." --sensitive --category "api-keys"
./env-mcp-cli set STRIPE_API_KEY "sk_test_..." --sensitive --category "api-keys"

# Application settings
./env-mcp-cli set NODE_ENV "development" --category "app"
./env-mcp-cli set PORT "3000" --category "app"
./env-mcp-cli set LOG_LEVEL "debug" --category "app"

# Export for use in application
./env-mcp-cli export --format env --output .env

Searching and filtering

# Find all database-related variables
./env-mcp-cli search "db"

# List all API keys
./env-mcp-cli list --category "api-keys"

# Show all categories
./env-mcp-cli categories

JSON output for scripting

# Get JSON output for parsing
./env-mcp-cli list --json | jq '.[] | select(.category == "database")'

# Export specific category to JSON
./env-mcp-cli list --category "app" --json > app-config.json

Security

Variables marked as --sensitive are redacted in normal output
Use --show-sensitive flag with get command to view sensitive values
Sensitive values are still exported normally (be careful with exports)
Configuration file permissions should be restricted (chmod 600)

Development

Project Structure

env-mcp/
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts       # MCP server implementation
│   ├── cli.ts         # CLI tool implementation
│   ├── store.ts       # Storage layer
│   └── types.ts       # TypeScript type definitions
├── dist/              # Compiled JavaScript
├── package.json       # Dependencies and scripts
└── tsconfig.json      # TypeScript configuration

Scripts

# Build the project
pnpm run build

# Run in development mode
pnpm run dev

# Run CLI in development
pnpm run cli

Troubleshooting

MCP Server won't connect

Check if the server is built:
```
pnpm run build
```

Test the server manually:

echo '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":"2024-11-05","capabilities":{},"clientInfo":{"name":"test","version":"1.0.0"}},"id":1}' | node dist/index.js

Reconnect with Claude:
```
claude mcp list  # Check status
```

Variables not persisting

Check the configuration file:

cat ~/.env-mcp/config.yaml

Ensure write permissions:

mkdir -p ~/.env-mcp
chmod 755 ~/.env-mcp

License

MIT

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues and pull requests to improve the env-mcp server.

env-mcp