dbx-mcp-server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides integration with Dropbox, allowing MCP-compatible clients to interact with Dropbox through a set of powerful tools.

Important Disclaimer: This project is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Dropbox. It is an independent integration that works with Dropbox's public API.

Table of Contents

• Quick Start
• Installation
• Authentication
• Available Tools
• Required Dropbox Permissions
• Usage Examples
• Development
• License

Quick Start

1. Clone the repository
2. Run npm install to install dependencies
3. Run npm run build to build the project
4. Run npm run setup
5. Configure your MCP client to use the server

Prerequisites

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, for example:
  • files.metadata.read
  • files.content.read
  • files.content.write
  • sharing.write
  • account_info.read
• Add http://localhost as your redirect URI
• Note your App key and App secret

Installation

1. Clone the repository

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

2. Install dependencies and build

   npm install
   npm run build
   

3. Run the setup script

   npm run setup
   

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.

Environment Variables

Required:

• 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:

• 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 (permissions) 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

Additional Scopes (if needed):

• sharing.read: View sharing settings and collaborators
• file_requests.read / file_requests.write: For file request features
• contacts.read / contacts.write: For accessing Dropbox contacts

For more details on Dropbox scopes, see the Dropbox Permissions Documentation.

Usage Examples

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

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

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

Development

Built with:

• TypeScript
• Model Context Protocol SDK
• Dropbox SDK v10.34.0
• Dropbox API v2

License

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2025 MCP Server Contributors

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.