About mcp-bruno
mcp-bruno is a Python MCP server for teams and agents that run and validate Bruno API collections. It combines collection discovery, filter scenarios, and normalized results, with secret injection that keeps values out of model-visible inputs.
Key features
- 01Discover collections and environments
- 02Run Bruno collections via bru
- 03Inject secrets without exposing values
- 04Inspect and test query filters
- 05Run baseline and filter validation
Use cases
- 01Run an API collection in a chosen environment
- 02Check documented filters without changing source files
- 03Validate endpoints and filters in one run
- 04Review structured results from collection tests
MCP support
The server communicates over stdio and exposes tools for discovering, running, and inspecting Bruno collections to MCP clients.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
uvx mcp-brunoBRUNO_AUTH_TOKENSecretBearer token or auth token passed securely to Bruno collectionsLocal servers need a runtime on your machine (e.g. Node.js 18+). Config file locations differ by client; see your client’s docs.
Tools
7Saved tool list · updated 3w ago
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| variables | any | No | Optional Bruno environment variables passed as repeated `--env-var` values. Use KEY=value strings. |
| collection | string | Yes | Path to the Bruno collection directory, a .bru/.vru request file, or an opencollection.yml file. When opencollection.yml is provided, the server runs its parent collection directory. |
| environment | any | No | Optional Bruno environment name or environment file accepted by `bru run --env`. |
| inherited_variables | any | No | Optional names of environment variables to read from the MCP server process and pass to Bruno as `--env-var`. Use this for secrets so the LLM only provides variable names, never values. |
Details
From the project README🔌 Bruno MCP Server for Python
Python MCP server for running Bruno collections. It exposes a Model Context Protocol server over
stdiowith tools that run collections through thebruCLI and return normalized JSON results.
Note: All examples in this repository use placeholder names (project1, /home/user/project/bruno, example.test). Replace them with your own paths and collection names.
✨ Features
- Run Bruno collections natively using the Bruno CLI.
- Discover collections and sibling environment files automatically.
- Support environment files and dynamic environment variables.
- Secure Secret Injection: Pass secrets to Bruno without exposing values to the LLM via
inherited_variables. Secret values are injected through a temporary, owner-only--env-fileand the child process environment — they never appear in CLI arguments (psoutput) or logs. - Filter Inspection: Inspect documented query filters and run temporary filter scenarios without modifying the source collection.
- Two-Phase Full Validation: Execute baseline tests + all documented filters in a single tool call.
- Normalized Outputs: Return structured execution results containing
success,summary,failures, andtimings.
📦 Requirements
- Python: 3.10 or newer
- Package Manager:
uv - Node Package Manager:
npm(only if the Bruno CLI is not already installed)
The installer checks whether the Bruno CLI command bru is available. If it is missing, the server fails with an explicit error instead of silently installing packages. To install the pinned version manually:
npm install -g @usebruno/[email protected]
Runtime auto-install is available but opt-in: set BRUNO_MCP_AUTO_INSTALL_BRU=1 (or auto_install = true under [bruno] in the config file) and the server installs exactly the pinned version from cli_version / BRUNO_MCP_BRU_VERSION.
🚀 Installation & Running
1. Installation
Install dependencies using uv:
uv sync
(If your configured package index does not mirror the MCP Python SDK, point uv at PyPI for the sync: UV_DEFAULT_INDEX=https://pypi.org/simple uv sync)
2. Running the Server
You can run the server directly using uv:
uv run bruno-mcp
Alternatively, run the module directly inside the uv environment: uv run python -m bruno_mcp
⚙️ Configuration
MCP Configuration
Example MCP stdio configuration from this workspace root:
{
"mcpServers": {
"bruno-runner": {
"command": "uv",
"args": ["run", "bruno-mcp"]
}
}
}
Configuration File (bruno-mcp.toml)
Default roots and auth aliases can be configured in bruno-mcp.toml in the current working directory, or globally in ~/.config/bruno-mcp/config.toml.
See bruno-mcp.example.toml for a commented template:
[workspace]
roots = [
"/home/user/project/bruno"
]
[bruno]
cli_version = "4.2.0" # pinned Bruno CLI version
auto_install = false # never install bru silently at runtime
[limits]
run_timeout_seconds = 300
max_output_bytes = 8388608
max_concurrent_runs = 2
[artifacts]
ttl_hours = 24 # raw reports are auto-deleted after this
max_files = 50
[security]
enforce_root_confinement = true # reject collection paths outside workspace roots
[auth]
inherited_variables = [
"BRUNO_AUTH_TOKEN",
"BRUNO_API_KEY"
]
[defaults]
environment = "dev"
Every setting can also be set via environment variables (BRUNO_MCP_BRU_VERSION, BRUNO_MCP_AUTO_INSTALL_BRU, BRUNO_MCP_RUN_TIMEOUT, BRUNO_MCP_MAX_OUTPUT_BYTES, BRUNO_MCP_MAX_CONCURRENT_RUNS, BRUNO_MCP_ARTIFACTS_DIR, BRUNO_MCP_ARTIFACT_TTL_HOURS, BRUNO_MCP_ARTIFACT_MAX_FILES, BRUNO_MCP_ENFORCE_ROOT_CONFINEMENT, BRUNO_MCP_LOG_LEVEL), which take precedence over the file.
Note: The installer creates
~/.config/bruno-mcp/config.tomlwith a dummy root. Localbruno-mcp.tomlfiles are git-ignored so real paths and environment names are never committed.
💻 Local VS Code Installation
From the project root, install dependencies with uv:
UV_DEFAULT_INDEX=[https://pypi.org/simple](https://pypi.org/simple) uv sync
Ensure the Bruno CLI is available (bru --version). This repository includes .vscode/mcp.json, allowing VS Code to discover the local MCP server from the workspace:
{
"servers": {
"bruno-runner": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "uv",
"args": ["run", "bruno-mcp"]
}
}
}
Reload the VS Code window after syncing dependencies. The bruno-runner server should now be available in the MCP servers list.
Global Installation
To install the MCP server in the VS Code user profile so it is available from any workspace:
uv run python scripts/install_vscode.py
(To also install the reusable Copilot prompt and agent globally, append --with-copilot-customizations to the command above).
To install it manually in another local VS Code workspace, change the command args to include --directory:
"args": ["--directory", "/home/user/mcp-bruno", "run", "bruno-mcp"]
🧰 Available Tools
🔍 list-collections
Lists Bruno collections below a root directory or configured roots. Use it when the user provides a partial collection name instead of a full path.
root(optional): Bruno root directory (usually containscollections/andenvironments/).query(optional): Case-insensitive text used to filter collection names and paths.
▶️ run-collection
Runs a Bruno collection and returns normalized execution results.
collection(required): Path to the Bruno collection.environment(optional): Path to an environment file.variables(optional): Environment variables asKEY=valuestrings.inherited_variables(optional): Names of environment variables to read from the MCP server process and inject into Bruno without exposing values to the LLM. Values travel via a temporary owner-only--env-fileand the child process environment ({{process.env.NAME}}also works) — never in CLI arguments.
View detailed authentication & path behavior
Auth Handling:
For secrets, prefer inherited_variables instead of writing values in chat. By default, the secure MCP input BRUNO_AUTH_TOKEN can satisfy Bruno variables named bearerToken, BEARER_TOKEN, AUTH_TOKEN, TOKEN, accessToken, or access_token. Secrets are injected via a temporary private --env-file; if the selected --env environment file declares the same variable (which would take precedence inside bru), the run transparently switches to a temporary sanitized copy of the collection with the conflicting entry removed, so the injected secret always wins and source files are never modified.
Workspace confinement:
When [workspace] roots are configured (and at least one exists on disk), collection paths outside those roots are rejected with a clear error. Set enforce_root_confinement = false to disable.
Execution limits:
Each bru run has a configurable timeout (run_timeout_seconds, default 300s), bounded stdout/stderr capture (max_output_bytes), and a concurrency cap (max_concurrent_runs). Raw JSON reports are stored as artifacts with owner-only (0600) permissions and expire automatically (ttl_hours / max_files). Structured logs go to stderr (BRUNO_MCP_LOG_LEVEL).
Supported Collection Inputs:
- Collection directory:
/path/to/bruno/collections/project1 - Bruno request file:
/path/to/bruno/collections/project1/request.bru - Internal
.vrurequest file:/path/to/bruno/collections/project1/request.vru - Open collection descriptor:
/path/to/bruno/collections/project1/opencollection.yml
When Bruno failures look like authentication problems, the response includes auth_failure: true and an auth_message.
Example with inherited secrets:
{
"collection": "/home/user/project/bruno/collections/project1",
"environment": "dev",
"inherited_variables": ["BRUNO_AUTH_TOKEN"]
}
🌍 discover-environments
Inspects the folder structure around a Bruno collection and returns the sibling environments directory, available environment names, and variable names (without returning secret values).
📖 read-result-artifact
Reads a bounded, redacted summary from the raw Bruno JSON artifact path returned by run-collection.
path(required): Theartifact.pathvalue returned by a previous run.max_items(optional): Number of response items to sample per request (default 3, max 20).
🧪 list-request-filters & run-filter-scenarios
list-request-filters: Inspects YAML request files and returns query params split into enabled and disabled groups.run-filter-scenarios: Runs temporary request variants with selected disabled query params enabled without modifying the source files.
🛡️ run-full-validation
Two-phase orchestration in a single tool call:
- Baseline: Runs the collection once and checks every endpoint responds without errors (no
4xx/5xx). - Filters: Only runs if the baseline is green. Automatically discovers and tests every disabled query filter across every endpoint.
Agent Skills & Copilot Integration
These workflows use the MCP server configured as bruno-runner; installing a skill or prompt does not install or configure the server. Configure the server in your client first using the MCP configuration above.
VS Code GitHub Copilot
The repository includes a custom agent and a slash-command prompt. From this repository root, copy them into the target workspace:
mkdir -p /path/to/workspace/.github/agents /path/to/workspace/.github/prompts
cp copilot/agents/bruno-runner.agent.md /path/to/workspace/.github/agents/
cp copilot/prompts/run-bruno-collection.prompt.md /path/to/workspace/.github/prompts/
Select the bruno-runner custom agent in Copilot Chat's agent picker (@bruno-runner where supported), or run /run-bruno-collection <collection or path> [environment] in Chat. The slash command works independently of selecting the custom agent.
Alternatively, install both globally with:
uv run python scripts/install_vscode.py --with-copilot-customizations
Claude Code / Cursor / Windsurf
The universal Bruno Runner skill consolidates collection discovery, environment selection, standard runs, targeted filter scenarios, full two-phase validation, secret safety, and reporting rules.
For Claude Code, copy it into the target project's skill directory:
mkdir -p /path/to/workspace/.claude/skills/bruno-runner
cp skills/bruno-runner/SKILL.md /path/to/workspace/.claude/skills/bruno-runner/SKILL.md
Or symlink the skill directory using an absolute source path:
mkdir -p /path/to/workspace/.claude/skills
ln -s /absolute/path/to/mcp-bruno/skills/bruno-runner /path/to/workspace/.claude/skills/bruno-runner
For Cursor, copy or symlink the same directory to .cursor/skills/bruno-runner/; for Windsurf, use .windsurf/skills/bruno-runner/ in the target workspace. Skill discovery depends on your client's version and configuration. For clients using rules instead, adapt the skill body into their native rule format (for example, a .cursor/rules/bruno-runner.mdc file with Cursor rule frontmatter); merely copying SKILL.md into a rules directory does not guarantee activation.
Ask to run a collection, validate a specific filter, or test all endpoints and filters. The workflows resolve secrets locally through inherited_variables; never paste credentials into chat. The server's local token fallback is ~/.config/bruno-mcp/.bearer_token (raw token), not ~/.config/mcp-bruno/.bearer_token. After updating it, restart the MCP server.
Repository Assets
Skills and Copilot templates remain organized under skills/ and copilot/ at the repository root, separately from the Python packages discovered under src/ in pyproject.toml. They are repository assets, not installed wheel resources; use a repository checkout for the copy, symlink, and installer commands above. Installing the Python package alone does not register agent workflows with a client.
Execution results retain the server's normalized output contract:
{
"success": true,
"summary": {
"total": 5,
"failed": 0,
"passed": 5
},
"failures": [],
"auth_failure": false,
"auth_message": null,
"timings": {
"started": "2024-03-14T10:00:00.000000Z",
"completed": "2024-03-14T10:00:01.000000Z",
"duration": 1000
}
}
🐳 Docker
The Docker image installs both this Python server and the Bruno CLI:
docker build -t bruno-mcp-python .
docker run --rm -i bruno-mcp-python
🛠️ Development & Project Structure
Commands:
- Compile-check the sources:
uv run python -m compileall src - Run the test suite:
uv run python -m unittest discover -s tests -v
Structure:
.
├── src/bruno_mcp/ # MCP server, runner, config, and types
├── scripts/ # VS Code installer script
├── copilot/ # Reusable Copilot prompt and agent templates
├── skills/bruno-runner/ # Universal Agent Skill (SKILL.md)
├── tests/ # Unit tests
├── .vscode/mcp.json # Workspace MCP server entry
└── bruno-mcp.example.toml # Commented configuration template
mcp-name: io.github.kta41/mcp-bruno
📄 License
Released under the MIT License.
Comments
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