Documentation

Akeyless MCP Plugin for JetBrains IDEs

Integrate Akeyless secrets management directly into JetBrains IDEs with MCP

Integrate Akeyless secrets management directly into your JetBrains IDE through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Browse, create, and manage secrets, keys, certificates, and other Akeyless resources without leaving your IDE.

See also: .

Source repository: https://github.com/akeyless-community/akeyless-mcp-plugin.

This plugin is currently installed by building it from source and loading the generated ZIP file into your JetBrains IDE.

Features

  • Hierarchical Tree View: Browse Akeyless items in a folder tree structure
  • Item Details: View full details and metadata for any selected item
  • Create Secrets: Create new secrets directly from the IDE
  • Query Interface: Use natural language queries (for example, "List all secrets")
  • MCP Tools: Access 17+ Akeyless MCP tools directly from the IDE
  • Real-time Refresh: Refresh the items list with one click
  • Secure Authentication: Supports Akeyless CLI profiles, including SAML and other authentication methods

Requirements

  • JetBrains IDE (IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, and others) version 2023.2 or higher
  • Akeyless CLI installed and configured
  • Node.js installed (if using npx to run the MCP server)
  • JDK 17 or higher to build the plugin from source
  • A valid Akeyless account

Getting Started

Step 1: Install the Akeyless CLI

Using package managers (recommended):

brew install akeylesslabs/tap/akeyless
apt-get install -y akeyless
yum install -y akeyless
# or
dnf install -y akeyless

Direct download options:

curl -o akeyless https://akeyless-cli.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/cli/latest/production/cli-darwin-amd64
curl -o akeyless https://akeyless-cli.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/cli/latest/cli-darwin-arm64
curl -o akeyless https://akeyless-cli.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/cli/latest/production/cli-linux-amd64
curl -o akeyless https://akeyless-cli.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/cli/latest/production/cli-linux-arm64
curl -o akeyless.exe https://akeyless-cli.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/cli/latest/production/cli-windows-amd64.exe

After downloading:

chmod +x akeyless
./akeyless
.\akeyless.exe

For complete installation details, see Akeyless CLI documentation.

Step 2: Configure Your Akeyless Profile

The Akeyless CLI supports multiple authentication methods, including:

access_key, saml, oidc, aws_iam, azure_ad, gcp, ldap, k8s, cert, and more.

Examples:

akeyless configure --profile default --access-id <access-id> --access-key <access-key> --access-type access_key
akeyless configure --profile saml --access-id <access-id> --access-type saml

For profile details and advanced options, see CLI Profiles.

Step 3: Install the Plugin

  1. Clone the source repository.
  2. Open the project in IntelliJ IDEA.
  3. Build the plugin ZIP:
./gradlew buildPlugin

Note that the project uses a JDK 17 compile toolchain. If the Gradle wrapper fails to start because the default Java version is too new, set org.gradle.java.home in gradle.properties to a JDK 17 or JDK 21 installation.

Install the generated plugin from disk:

  1. In your JetBrains IDE, go to Settings → Plugins.
  2. Select the gear icon, and then select Install Plugin from Disk....
  3. Select the generated ZIP file from the build/distributions/ directory.
  4. Restart the IDE when prompted.

Step 4: Configure the Plugin

Navigate to Settings → Tools → Akeyless MCP.

Configuration fields:

  • Server Command

    Enter the command that starts the Akeyless MCP server. For example:

    npx -y @akeyless/cli-mcp

  • Working Directory

    Optional. If empty, the plugin uses the current project directory.

  • Akeyless Profile

    Optional. Enter the Akeyless CLI profile name to use for authentication. If this field is empty, the plugin uses the default profile.

  • Auto-connect on IDE startup

    Automatically connects to the MCP server when the IDE starts.

Connection notes:

  • The plugin connects to the Akeyless MCP server by using stdio transport.
  • Authentication is handled through the Akeyless CLI profile that you configure in the plugin.
  • If you need broader MCP setup guidance, see .

Step 5: Use the Plugin

Open View → Tool Windows → Akeyless MCP.

Tabs:

  • Secrets Tab: Browse secrets, keys, and certificates in a hierarchical tree
  • Query MCP Tab: Run natural language queries
  • MCP Tools Tab: Access and execute Akeyless MCP tools

Toolbar options:

  • Refresh items list
  • Create new secret
  • Open settings

Troubleshooting

Connection issues

  • Verify that the Server Command starts the Akeyless MCP server successfully.
  • Verify that the Akeyless CLI is installed and authenticated.
  • Verify that the configured Akeyless Profile exists and can authenticate successfully.
  • Check the JetBrains IDE logs under Help > Show Log in Explorer or Help > Show Log in Finder.

Items do not load

  • Verify that the authenticated profile has permission to list items in the required paths.
  • Verify that the MCP server process starts without local environment or path errors.
  • Use the refresh action in the plugin toolbar after updating authentication or permissions.

MCP Server Details

The plugin connects to the Akeyless MCP server using stdio transport.

Communication uses JSON-RPC over stdio.

Authentication is handled by the Akeyless CLI using configured profiles or environment variables.

Support

Updated 2 days ago

Footer Section