MCP ZAP Server
Safe, self-hosted OWASP ZAP operator for guided AI security scans, findings, and reports. Requires a separately running OWASP ZAP daemon.
What is MCP ZAP Server?
MCP ZAP Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to safe, self-hosted owasp zap operator for guided ai security scans, findings, and reports. requires a separately running owasp zap daemon.
Safe, self-hosted OWASP ZAP operator for guided AI security scans, findings, and reports. Requires a separately running OWASP ZAP daemon.
This server falls under the Security category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- Safe, self-hosted OWASP ZAP operator for guided AI security
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx mcp-zap-serverConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use MCP ZAP Server
MCP ZAP Server is a self-hosted Model Context Protocol server that exposes OWASP ZAP web security scanning capabilities to AI agents through a safe, operator-controlled interface. Built on Spring Boot and Spring AI, it wraps ZAP's spider, active scanner, passive scanner, and report generation behind intent-driven MCP tools with API-key or JWT authentication, rate limiting, and audit logging. Security engineers and DevOps teams use it to trigger guided vulnerability scans, retrieve findings, and generate reports directly from an AI assistant without writing brittle glue scripts.
Prerequisites
- Docker 20.10+ and Docker Compose v2 installed
- OWASP ZAP running as a daemon (included in the Compose stack)
- Git to clone the repository
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop or Cursor
- Basic familiarity with Docker Compose networking
Clone the repository
Clone the mcp-zap-server repository to your local machine. The Compose stack includes ZAP, the MCP server, a Postgres state store, and an Open WebUI client.
git clone https://github.com/dtkmn/mcp-zap-server.git
cd mcp-zap-serverBootstrap the local environment
Run the bootstrap script to create the .env file, generate API keys, and prepare the ZAP workspace directory. Review the generated .env before proceeding.
./bin/bootstrap-local.shStart the Docker Compose stack
Use the provided dev script to start the full stack with the faster JVM image. This brings up ZAP, the MCP server, Postgres, and Open WebUI.
./dev.shVerify the stack with the doctor script
Run the self-serve doctor to confirm Docker auth, MCP initialization, tools/list, and a test tool call all succeed.
./bin/self-serve-doctor.shConfigure your MCP client
Point your MCP client to the running server's HTTP endpoint. The MCP endpoint is available at http://localhost:7456/mcp. Add the API key generated during bootstrap.
{
"mcpServers": {
"zap": {
"command": "curl",
"url": "http://localhost:7456/mcp",
"headers": {
"X-Api-Key": "your_generated_api_key"
}
}
}
}Run a guided security scan
Use the bundled demo targets (Juice Shop and Petstore) to validate the full scan-to-report workflow before pointing ZAP at your own applications.
MCP ZAP Server Examples
Client configuration
Cursor mcp.json configuration for connecting to the locally running MCP ZAP Server over streamable HTTP.
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-zap": {
"url": "http://localhost:7456/mcp",
"headers": {
"X-Api-Key": "your_generated_api_key"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Sample prompts that exercise the guided scan tools once the stack is running.
- "Run a spider scan on http://juice-shop:3000 and show me the discovered URLs."
- "Start a passive scan on http://petstore:8080 and list the findings by severity."
- "Generate an HTML security report for the last active scan."
- "What high-severity vulnerabilities were found in the most recent scan?"
- "Import the Petstore OpenAPI spec and run an active scan against its endpoints."Troubleshooting MCP ZAP Server
bootstrap-local.sh fails or .env is missing variables
Ensure Docker is running and you have write permission in the project directory. Re-run the script and inspect the generated .env for missing MCP_ZAP_API_KEY or ZAP_API_KEY values.
MCP client gets 401 Unauthorized from the server
Confirm the X-Api-Key header value matches MCP_ZAP_API_KEY in your .env file. If using JWT mode, obtain a token from the auth endpoint first.
ZAP cannot reach the scan target URL
When scanning containerized apps, use the Docker Compose service hostnames (e.g. http://juice-shop:3000) instead of localhost, because ZAP runs inside the Compose network and cannot reach host ports via 127.0.0.1.
Frequently Asked Questions about MCP ZAP Server
What is MCP ZAP Server?
MCP ZAP Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that safe, self-hosted owasp zap operator for guided ai security scans, findings, and reports. requires a separately running owasp zap daemon. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install MCP ZAP Server?
Follow the installation instructions on the MCP ZAP Server GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with MCP ZAP Server?
MCP ZAP Server works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is MCP ZAP Server free to use?
Yes, MCP ZAP Server is open source and available under the Apache 2.0 license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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