Dropbox MCP server for AI agents

The dbx-mcp-server provides integration with Dropbox, allowing MCP-compatible clients to interact with Dropbox through a set of powerful tools. This server acts as a bridge between Model Context Protocol clients and Dropbox's public API, enabling file operations, metadata retrieval, and account management.

Prerequisites

Before installing the server, you need to register a Dropbox app at Dropbox App Console:

Choose "Scoped access" API
Choose the access type your app needs
Name your app and click "Create app"
Under "Permissions", select the desired permissions for the actions you will be using
Add http://localhost as your redirect URI
Note your App key and App secret

Installation

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/your-username/dbx-mcp-server.git
cd dbx-mcp-server

Step 2: Install Dependencies and Build

npm install
npm run build

Step 3: Run the Setup Script

npm run setup

Step 4: Add to MCP Settings

Add the following to your MCP settings file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dbx": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/dbx-mcp-server/build/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Authentication

The server uses OAuth 2.0 with PKCE for secure authentication with Dropbox.

Required Environment Variables

DROPBOX_APP_KEY: Your Dropbox app's key
DROPBOX_APP_SECRET: Your Dropbox app's secret
DROPBOX_REDIRECT_URI: OAuth redirect URI
TOKEN_ENCRYPTION_KEY: 32+ character key for token encryption

Optional Environment Variables

TOKEN_REFRESH_THRESHOLD_MINUTES: Minutes before expiration to refresh token (default: 5)
MAX_TOKEN_REFRESH_RETRIES: Maximum number of refresh attempts (default: 3)
TOKEN_REFRESH_RETRY_DELAY_MS: Delay between refresh attempts in ms (default: 1000)

Available Tools

File Operations

list_files: List files in a directory
upload_file: Upload a file
download_file: Download a file
safe_delete_item: Safely delete with recycle bin support
create_folder: Create a new folder
copy_item: Copy a file or folder
move_item: Move or rename a file/folder

Metadata and Search

get_file_metadata: Get file/folder metadata
search_file_db: Search files and folders
get_sharing_link: Create sharing links
get_file_content: Get file contents

Account Operations

get_account_info: Get account information

Required Dropbox Permissions

Below is a mapping of server actions to the minimum Dropbox OAuth scopes required:

Server Action	Required Dropbox Scopes
list_files	`files.metadata.read`
upload_file	`files.content.write`, `files.metadata.write`
download_file	`files.content.read`
safe_delete_item	`files.metadata.write`
create_folder	`files.metadata.write`
copy_item	`files.content.write`, `files.metadata.write`
move_item	`files.content.write`, `files.metadata.write`
get_file_metadata	`files.metadata.read`
search_file_db	`files.metadata.read`
get_sharing_link	`sharing.write`
get_file_content	`files.content.read`
get_account_info	`account_info.read`

Usage Examples

Here are some examples of how to use the server with an MCP client:

Listing Files

// List files in root directory
await mcp.useTool("dbx-mcp-server", "list_files", { path: "" });

Uploading Files

// Upload a file
await mcp.useTool("dbx-mcp-server", "upload_file", {
  path: "/test.txt",
  content: Buffer.from("Hello World").toString("base64"),
});

Searching Files

// Search for files
await mcp.useTool("dbx-mcp-server", "search_file_db", {
  query: "report",
  path: "/Documents",
  max_results: 10,
});

Downloading Files

// Download a file
const result = await mcp.useTool("dbx-mcp-server", "download_file", {
  path: "/Documents/important.pdf"
});

Creating Folders

// Create a new folder
await mcp.useTool("dbx-mcp-server", "create_folder", {
  path: "/Documents/NewFolder"
});

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "dbx" '{"command":"node","args":["/path/to/dbx-mcp-server/build/index.js"]}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "dbx": {
            "command": "node",
            "args": [
                "/path/to/dbx-mcp-server/build/index.js"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "dbx": {
            "command": "node",
            "args": [
                "/path/to/dbx-mcp-server/build/index.js"
            ]
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect