What is Vault?
Vault is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to mcp server for vault
MCP server for vault
This server falls under the Security category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- MCP server for vault
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx vaultConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Vault
The HashiCorp Vault MCP Server bridges AI assistants directly to a running Vault instance, enabling secret management, PKI operations, and KV engine interactions through natural language. It supports both stdio and HTTP transport modes and exposes mount management, secret read/write/delete, and full PKI certificate workflows. Developers use it to let AI agents securely retrieve and manage credentials without exposing raw Vault tokens in application code.
Prerequisites
- A running HashiCorp Vault instance (self-hosted or HCP Vault) accessible from your machine
- A valid Vault token with appropriate policies for the operations you intend to perform
- Go toolchain installed (to build from source) or Docker for the container image
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop, VS Code, or Claude Code CLI
Clone and build the server
Clone the official repository and compile the binary using the provided Makefile. The build produces a single `vault-mcp-server` binary.
git clone https://github.com/hashicorp/vault-mcp-server.git
cd vault-mcp-server
make buildSet required environment variables
Export your Vault address and token before starting the server. VAULT_ADDR defaults to http://127.0.0.1:8200 if omitted. Set VAULT_NAMESPACE if you use Vault Enterprise namespaces.
export VAULT_ADDR=http://127.0.0.1:8200
export VAULT_TOKEN=<your-vault-token>Start the server in stdio mode
For Claude Desktop and other stdio-based MCP clients, run the server in stdio mode. This is the default and requires no additional flags.
./vault-mcp-server stdioAlternatively, start in HTTP mode
For VS Code or other HTTP-transport clients, start the server on a local port. You can then point the client at the MCP endpoint URL.
./vault-mcp-server http --transport-port 8080Configure your MCP client
Add the server entry to your client configuration file. For stdio mode use the command/args form; for HTTP mode provide the URL and pass the Vault token as a request header.
Verify connectivity
Use the MCP Inspector to confirm the server is reachable and all tools are listed correctly before connecting your AI client.
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector http://localhost:8080/mcpVault Examples
Client configuration (stdio mode)
Add this block to claude_desktop_config.json to connect Claude Desktop to the Vault MCP server in stdio mode.
{
"mcpServers": {
"vault": {
"command": "/path/to/vault-mcp-server",
"args": ["stdio"],
"env": {
"VAULT_ADDR": "http://127.0.0.1:8200",
"VAULT_TOKEN": "<your-vault-token>"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Once connected, use natural language to interact with Vault secrets and PKI.
- "List all secret mounts in my Vault instance"
- "Read the secret at secret/data/myapp/config"
- "Write a new secret at secret/data/myapp/db with key=password value=s3cret"
- "Create a PKI secrets engine and issue a certificate for example.com"
- "Delete the secret at secret/data/myapp/old-config"Troubleshooting Vault
Server starts but returns 403 Forbidden when accessing secrets
Your VAULT_TOKEN lacks the required policies. Attach a policy granting read/write/list on the target paths (e.g., `path "secret/data/*" { capabilities = ["read","create","update","list","delete"] }`) and export the updated token.
Cannot connect to Vault — connection refused on 127.0.0.1:8200
Ensure your Vault server is running (`vault server -dev` for local dev) and that VAULT_ADDR points to the correct host and port. For Docker-based Vault, use the container's exposed port.
HTTP mode returns CORS errors from the MCP client
Set MCP_CORS_MODE=development or add your client's origin to MCP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS (comma-separated). For production, use strict mode with explicit origins.
Frequently Asked Questions about Vault
What is Vault?
Vault is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that mcp server for vault It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Vault?
Follow the installation instructions on the Vault GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with Vault?
Vault works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Vault free to use?
Yes, Vault is open source and available under the MPL-2.0 license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
Vault Alternatives — Similar Security Servers
Looking for alternatives to Vault? Here are other popular security servers you can use with Claude, Cursor, and VS Code.
Casdoor
★ 13.6kAn open-source Agent-first Identity and Access Management (IAM) /LLM MCP & agent gateway and auth server with web UI supporting OpenClaw, MCP, OAuth, OIDC, SAML, CAS, LDAP, SCIM, WebAuthn, TOTP, MFA, Face ID, Google Workspace, Azure AD
ghidraMCP
★ 9.0kAn Model Context Protocol server that enables LLMs to autonomously reverse engineer applications by exposing Ghidra's decompilation and analysis tools. It allows AI agents to list code structures, rename methods, and analyze binaries directly through
HexStrike AI
★ 8.9kHexStrike AI MCP Agents is an advanced MCP server that lets AI agents (Claude, GPT, Copilot, etc.) autonomously run 150+ cybersecurity tools for automated pentesting, vulnerability discovery, bug bounty automation, and security research. Seamlessly b
IDA Pro MCP
★ 8.7kEnables AI-assisted reverse engineering in IDA Pro by providing tools to analyze binaries, decompile functions, manage comments, search patterns, and interact with the IDA database through natural language.
Anthropic Cybersecurity Skills
★ 6.6k754 structured cybersecurity skills for AI agents · Mapped to 5 frameworks: MITRE ATT&CK, NIST CSF 2.0, MITRE ATLAS, D3FEND & NIST AI RMF · agentskills.io standard · Works with Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Codex CLI, Cursor, Gemini CLI & 20+ platform
Hooker
★ 5.1k🔥🔥 hooker is a Frida-based reverse engineering toolkit for Android. It offers a user-friendly CLI, universal scripts, auto hook generation, memory roaming to detect activities/services, one-click SOCKS5 proxy setup, Frida JustTrustMe, and BoringSSL u
Browse More Security MCP Servers
Explore all security servers available in the MCPgee directory. Each server includes setup guides for Claude, Cursor, and VS Code.
Set Up Vault in Your Editor
Choose your AI client for step-by-step setup instructions.
Quick Config Preview
Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json
Ready to use Vault?
Browse our complete directory of 33,000+ MCP servers, read setup guides for your editor, and start building with the Model Context Protocol.