Atomic Red Team MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that provides access to Atomic Red Team tests.

Available Tools and Resources

The server provides the following MCP tools:

• query_atomics - Search atomics by technique ID, name, description, or platform

• refresh_atomics - Download latest atomics from GitHub

• validate_atomic - Validate atomic test YAML

• get_validation_schema - Get the atomic test schema

• execute_atomic - Execute atomic tests (requires ART_EXECUTION_ENABLED=true)

And resources:

• file://documents/{technique_id} - Read atomic test files by technique ID

Usage Examples

• "Search mshta atomics for windows"

• "Show me all the atomic tests for T1059.002"

• "Find all the applescript atomics for macOS"

• "Validate this atomic test YAML "

Installation

The Atomic Red Team MCP server can be installed in various development tools and AI assistants. Choose your platform below for detailed installation instructions:

Quick Start

Recommended: Using uvx

uvx atomic-red-team-mcp

Using Docker

docker run --rm -i ghcr.io/cyberbuff/atomic-red-team-mcp:latest

Platform-Specific Guides

• VSCode - Installation guide for VSCode

• Claude Desktop & Claude Code - Installation guide for Anthropic's Claude Desktop app and Claude Code CLI

• Cursor - Installation guide for Cursor IDE

• Windsurf - Installation guide for Windsurf editor

• Google AI Studio / Gemini - Installation guide for Google's AI tools

• Other Tools - Cline, Zed, and generic MCP clients

Installation Methods

Each platform supports multiple installation methods:

1. uvx (Recommended) - Easiest setup, automatic updates

2. Docker - Isolated environment, consistent across systems

3. Remote Server ⚠️ - Hosted on Railway (free tier, may have limits)

Configuration

Environment Variables

Check the .env.example file for a list of environment variables and their default values.

Server Configuration

• ART_MCP_TRANSPORT - Transport protocol (stdio, sse, streamable-http)

• ART_MCP_HOST - Server host address (default: 0.0.0.0)

• ART_MCP_PORT - Server port number (default: 8000)

Repository Configuration

• ART_GITHUB_URL - GitHub URL for atomics repository (default: https://github.com)

• ART_GITHUB_USER - GitHub user/org (default: redcanaryco)

• ART_GITHUB_REPO - Repository name (default: atomic-red-team)

• ART_DATA_DIR - Local directory path where atomic test files are stored (default: ./atomics)

Security Configuration

• ART_EXECUTION_ENABLED - Enable the execute_atomic tool (default: false). Set to true, 1, or yes to enable. ⚠️ WARNING: Only enable in controlled environments as this allows executing potentially dangerous security tests.

• Enable Authentication if you are hosting a remote MCP server

Authentication Configuration

• ART_AUTH_TOKEN - Static bearer token for authentication (optional, authentication disabled if not set)

• ART_AUTH_CLIENT_ID - Client identifier for authenticated requests (default: authorized-client)

Enabling Atomic Test Execution

By default, the execute_atomic tool is disabled for safety reasons. To enable it:

# Using uvx
ART_EXECUTION_ENABLED=true uvx atomic-red-team-mcp

⚠️ Security Warning: Only enable atomic test execution in controlled, isolated environments (like test VMs or sandboxes). These tests can modify system state, create files, execute commands, and perform actions that may be flagged as malicious by security tools.

Authentication

The server supports static token authentication for securing access to the MCP tools and resources. When enabled, clients must include a bearer token in the Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer <your-token>

To enable authentication:

1. Set the ART_AUTH_TOKEN environment variable:

   export ART_AUTH_TOKEN="your-secure-token-here"

2. Start the server (authentication is automatically enabled)

3. Clients authenticate by including the token in requests:

   curl -H "Authorization: Bearer your-secure-token-here" http://localhost:8000

Security Notes:

• Authentication is disabled by default (no token required)

• When ART_AUTH_TOKEN is set, all requests must include a valid bearer token

• Use strong, randomly generated tokens in production

• Never commit tokens to version control

• For development/testing, use a simple token. For production, use a cryptographically secure token

Example with Docker:

docker run --rm -i \
  -e ART_AUTH_TOKEN="my-secure-token" \
  -e ART_AUTH_CLIENT_ID="my-client" \
  ghcr.io/cyberbuff/atomic-red-team-mcp:latest

Built With

• atomic-red-team

• atomic-operator