box-mcp-server
Usage
You will need:
- `BOX_USER_ID`
and one of the following:
- `BOX_JWT_BASE64` (recommended)
- `BOX_JWT_CONFIG_PATH`
- `BOX_JWT`
Auth
JSON Web Token (JWT) Authorization (recommended)
How to get a JWT
Using a JWT Config allows persistent connection to Box.
You will need a paid Box enterprise account, or you can sign up for a [free developer account](https://account.box.com/signup/n/developer) (make sure you are signed out of Box before clicking that link).
Visit the [Box Developer Console](https://app.box.com/developers/console) and create a new application. Make sure the authorization type is JSON Web Token.
Go to `Configuration > Add and Manage Public Keys` and Generate a Public/Private Keypair.
If you have not already, Box prompt you to set up 2 factor authentication and Authorize the application as an administrator in your box account. You will need to:
- give the application `App + Enterprise Access`, and
- enable the `make API calls using the as-user header` option
via the Box Application's Configuration page. **Make sure to reauthorize the application if you are modifying these settings**.
Base64 encoding JWT
To encode your JWT in Base64, you can use the following command in your terminal:
Replace `/path/to/your/box-jwt-config.json` with the actual path to your JWT configuration file. This will output the Base64 encoded JWT which you can then use in your environment variables.
Claude Desktop Configuration
Developer Token Authorization (easiest)
Using a developer token is the easiest way to integrate with Box, but will only last 60 minutes.
To get started, set the `BOX_DEV_TOKEN` to a [Box Developer Token](https://developer.box.com/guides/authentication/tokens/developer-tokens/).
Begin by visiting the [Box Developer Console](https://app.box.com/developers/console) and create a new application. The authorization type does not currently matter, as all support Box Developer Token.
Once your application is created, navigate to its configuration setings and click `Generate Developer Token`.
Claude Desktop Configuration
Capabilities
- Searching files
- Reading files
- Word
- Others
Development
Prerequisites
Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:
- Node.js (recommended v22 or higher)
- npm
- git
- dotenv
Setting up Development Environment
To set up the development environment, follow these steps:
- Fork the repository - Click the "Fork" button in the top-right corner of this repository - This creates your own copy of the repository under your Github acocunt
- Clone Your Fork: ```sh git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/box-mcp-server.git cd box-mcp-server ```
- Add Upstream Remote ```sh git remote add upstream https://github.com/hmk/box-mcp-server.git ```
- Copy the dotenv file ```sh cp .env.template .env ```
- Install dependencies: ```sh npm install ```
- Run watch to keep index.js updated: ```sh npm run watch ```
- Start the model context protocol development server: ```sh dotenv npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node PATH_TO_YOUR_CLONED_REPO/dist/index.js ```
- If the development server did not load the environment variable correctly, set the `BOX_DEV_TOKEN` on the left-hand side of the mcp inspector.