A Box model context protocol server to search, read and access files
Configuration
View docs{
"mcpServers": {
"hmk-box-mcp-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"box-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"BOX_USER_ID": "123456",
"BOX_DEV_TOKEN": "YOUR_DEV_TOKEN_GOES_HERE",
"BOX_JWT_BASE64": "YOUR_BASE64_ENCODED_JWT"
}
}
}
}You run an MCP server that connects to Box to search and read files using a persistent or token-based authorization flow. This guide walks you through using the server, installing prerequisites, and configuring how you connect from an MCP client.
To use the Box MCP server, start it via your MCP client using the standard stdio approach. You run the server as a local process and pass the appropriate environment credentials to authorize with Box. You can choose either a JWT-based authorization (recommended for persistent access) or a Box Developer Token (simplest, but expiring after 60 minutes). Once the server is running, your MCP client can issue commands to search for files and read file contents from Box.
Typical usage pattern: launch the Box MCP server with the required credentials, then query for files or read their contents as part of your MCP workflow. The server exposes capabilities like searching files and reading file contents, including common formats such as PDFs and Word documents.
Prerequisites you need installed on your machine before running the server:
- Node.js (version 22 or higher recommended) and npm
- git
- dotenv (for loading environment variables) when developing or running locally
Install and start the Box MCP server using the standard runtime command shown in the configuration examples below.
If you are configuring the Box MCP server in a development or desktop environment, you will typically create a small JSON configuration snippet and run it through your MCP launcher. The following two examples demonstrate how to authorize with Box using either a JWT-based config or a Developer Token.
Prerequisites ready? Proceed with these concrete steps to run the Box MCP server using stdio configuration.
Environment variables in use differ by authorization method. The JWT-based approach uses BOX_JWT_BASE64 and BOX_USER_ID, while the Developer Token approach uses BOX_DEV_TOKEN. You can select the method that best fits your workflow and security model.
{
"mcpServers": {
"box_jwt": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["box-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"BOX_JWT_BASE64": "YOUR_BASE64_ENCODED_JWT",
"BOX_USER_ID": "123456"
}
}
}
}{
"mcpServers": {
"box_dev": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["box-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"BOX_DEV_TOKEN": "YOUR_DEV_TOKEN_GOES_HERE"
}
}
}
}Search Box for files matching a query across your Box workspace.
Read the contents of a file from Box, returning its data for further processing or display.