home / mcp / dbx mcp server

Dbx MCP Server

working Dropbox MCP server for cursor .47 using simple variable and a simple wrapper

Installation

Add the following to your MCP client configuration file.

Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "albiemark-dbx-mcp-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/path/to/dbx-mcp-server/build/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DROPBOX_APP_KEY": "YOUR_APP_KEY",
        "DROPBOX_APP_SECRET": "YOUR_APP_SECRET",
        "DROPBOX_REDIRECT_URI": "YOUR_REDIRECT_URI",
        "TOKEN_ENCRYPTION_KEY": "YOUR_32_CHAR_KEY",
        "MAX_TOKEN_REFRESH_RETRIES": "3",
        "TOKEN_REFRESH_RETRY_DELAY_MS": "1000",
        "TOKEN_REFRESH_THRESHOLD_MINUTES": "5"
      }
    }
  }
}

You can run this MCP server to bridge Dropbox capabilities with MCP-compatible clients. It authenticates via OAuth 2.0 with PKCE, exposes a set of file, metadata, and account operations, and runs locally as a standard MCP backend you can connect to from your MCP client.

How to use

Start by ensuring you have a Dropbox app set up with the required permissions and a local MCP client ready to connect. Once the server is running, you can invoke its features through your MCP client by calling the available tools such as listing files, uploading content, retrieving metadata, and creating sharing links. This server handles authentication, token management, and communication with Dropbox so your client can focus on higher-level workflows.

How to install

Prerequisites: You need Node.js (LTS version recommended) and npm installed on your system.

Step by step commands to set up and run locally:

# Clone the project
git clone https://github.com/your-username/dbx-mcp-server.git
cd dbx-mcp-server

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

# Run the setup script
npm run setup

Configuration and environment

Prepare a Dropbox app and define the necessary environment variables to enable OAuth2 PKCE flow and token management.

Required environment variables:

DROPBOX_APP_KEY=YOUR_APP_KEY
DROPBOX_APP_SECRET=YOUR_APP_SECRET
DROPBOX_REDIRECT_URI=YOUR_REDIRECT_URI
TOKEN_ENCRYPTION_KEY=YOUR_32_CHAR_RANDOM_KEY

Start command (MCP server)

The server runs locally as a standard MCP backend. Use the following command configuration to start it from your MCP settings.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dbx": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/dbx-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": [
        {"name": "DROPBOX_APP_KEY", "value": "YOUR_APP_KEY"},
        {"name": "DROPBOX_APP_SECRET", "value": "YOUR_APP_SECRET"},
        {"name": "DROPBOX_REDIRECT_URI", "value": "YOUR_REDIRECT_URI"},
        {"name": "TOKEN_ENCRYPTION_KEY", "value": "YOUR_32_CHAR_KEY"}
      ]
    }
  }
}

Available tools

list_files

List files in a directory on Dropbox, enabling navigation through folders and selection for further actions.

upload_file

Upload a file to a specified path in Dropbox, with content provided as base64 or binary data.

download_file

Download a file from Dropbox to your local environment or to another destination within the MCP workflow.

safe_delete_item

Safely delete a file or folder with recycle bin support to allow recovery if needed.

create_folder

Create a new folder in a Dropbox path to organize items.

copy_item

Copy a file or folder from one path to another within Dropbox.

move_item

Move or rename a file or folder within Dropbox.

get_file_metadata

Fetch metadata for a file or folder, including size, modification time, and type.

search_file_db

Search files and folders in Dropbox by query and path constraints.

get_sharing_link

Create sharing links for files or folders to enable external access.

get_file_content

Retrieve the contents of a file for reading or processing.

get_account_info

Obtain information about the connected Dropbox account.