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envmcp

envmcp

Local
github.com/griffithsbsDeveloper Tools32Updated 71w ago
Repository

About envmcp

envmcp is a lightweight command line tool for using environment variables in Cursor MCP server definitions. It keeps secrets out of client configuration files and suits Cursor users who manage credentials. It is distributed as an npm package.

Key features

  1. 01Substitutes $VARIABLE references in command arguments
  2. 02Supports a custom environment file path
  3. 03Searches current, parent and home directories for .env.mcp
  4. 04Runs through npx or a global npm install

Use cases

  1. 01Avoiding plaintext database URLs in Cursor MCP configuration
  2. 02Sharing API keys across several MCP server definitions

MCP support

This tool wraps the startup command of an MCP server so that Cursor passes it substituted arguments. It does not expose MCP tools itself.

#config#credentials#mcp#configuration#secret-management#secrets#environment-variables#env#cursor#cursor-ide#cursor-ai#mcp-server

Configuration

Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.

mcp.json · Universal config
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "envmcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "envmcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
Run commandnpx -y envmcp

Local servers need a runtime on your machine (e.g. Node.js 18+). Config file locations differ by client; see your client’s docs.

Packages
npmenvmcp

Tools

No tool list yet

Local servers expose tools only once running on your machine, and the maintainer has not provided a tool list.

Details

From the project README

envmcp

npm version total downloads

Use environment variables in your Cursor MCP server definitions.

💡 Looking for more features? Consider mcpipe (npm) which includes envmcp's functionality as well as debugging tools and other capabilities.

Quick Start

# Use default ~/.env.mcp file
npx envmcp your-mcp-server $DATABASE_URL

# Specify custom env file
npx envmcp --env-file .env your-mcp-server $API_KEY $DATABASE_URL

# Short flag version
npx envmcp -e /path/to/secrets.env your-mcp-server $MY_SECRET

Usage in MCP Clients

Prefix your server command with envmcp.

Before (secrets exposed in config):

{
  "my_database": {
    "command": "my-mcp-server",
    "args": ["postgresql://user:password@hostname/db"]
  }
}

After (secrets in ~/.env.mcp):

{
  "my_database": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["envmcp", "my-mcp-server", "$DATABASE_URL"]
  }
}

How It Works

  1. Looks for .env.mcp in current directory, then parent directories, finally ~/.env.mcp
  2. If --env-file is specified, uses that file instead
  3. Loads environment variables from the file
  4. Replaces $VARIABLE_NAME references in your command arguments
  5. Executes the command with substituted values

Installation

npm install -g envmcp

Options

  • --env-file <path>, -e <path>: Specify custom environment file path

Environment File Format

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@localhost/db
API_KEY=your-secret-api-key
# This is a comment
QUOTED_VALUE="value with spaces"

See sample.env.mcp for more examples.

License

MIT

Comments

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