MCP Server

Overview

The Akeyless Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server is a robust integration that enables AI systems to securely interact with your Akeyless Identity Security Platform. It provides a standardized interface for AI models to access, manage, and manipulate secrets, keys, certificates, and other sensitive data stored in Akeyless.

What Is the MCP?

The Model Context Protocol is a standardized protocol that allows AI systems to connect to external data sources and services. It provides a secure, authenticated method for AI models to:

• Access external APIs and services
• Retrieve and manage sensitive data
• Perform operations on behalf of users
• Maintain security boundaries and access controls

Read more about the Model Context Protocol.

Akeyless MCP Server Features

The Akeyless MCP Server provides comprehensive access to Akeyless functionality, including:

Core Capabilities

• Secrets Management: Create, read, update, and delete Static Secrets
• Encryption and Key Management: Generate, rotate, and manage encryption keys
• Certificate Lifecycle Management: Issue, renew, and manage PKI and SSH certificates
• Dynamic Secrets: Generate temporary credentials for databases and cloud services
• Access Control: Manage roles, permissions, and authentication methods
• Analytics: Retrieve usage analytics and audit data

Supported Operations

• List and describe items (such as secrets, keys, certificates)
• Create and update secrets
• Generate Dynamic Secrets
• Manage authentication methods and roles
• Retrieve analytics data
• Handle targets and associations

Configuration

Prerequisites

• The Akeyless CLI must be successfully installed and updated to version 1.130.0 or newer.
  • Read more about the Akeyless CLI.
  • Learn about updating the Akeyless CLI.
• An Akeyless account must be created and a corresponding profile configured with the Akeyless CLI.

Configuration and Setup

Access to the Akeyless MCP server is setup for a MCP client with a configuration file (for example, ~/.cursor/mcp.json for Cursor). A list of some available MCP clients is available here.

Sample Configuration Structure

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "akeyless": {
      "command": "/path/to/akeyless",
      "args": [
        "mcp",
        "--access-id", "your-access-id",
        "--access-key", "your-access-key",
        "--access-type", "access_key",
        "--gateway-url", "https://api.akeyless.io"
      ],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Configuration Parameters

Access type values

Acceptable values for args.--access-type:

• access_key
• aws_iam
• azure_ad
• cert
• gcp
• jwt
• k8s
• kerberos
• ldap
• oci
• oidc
• password
• saml
• universal_identity

Cloud ID values

Acceptable values for args.--cloud-id:

• aws_iam
• azure_id
• gcp
• oci

OCI auth type values

Acceptable values for args.--oci-auth-type:

• apikey
• instance
• resource

Example Authentication Method Configurations

The Akeyless MCP server supports multiple Authentication Methods:

Access Key Authentication (Default)

{
  "args": [
    "mcp",
    "--access-id", "p-xxxxxxxxxxxxx",
    "--access-key", "your-access-key",
    "--access-type", "access_key"
  ]
}

Certificate Authentication

{
  "args": [
    "mcp",
    "--access-type", "cert",
    "--cert-file-name", "/path/to/cert.pem",
    "--key-file-name", "/path/to/key.pem"
  ]
}

Cloud Provider Authentication

{
  "args": [
    "mcp",
    "--access-type", "aws_iam",
    "--cloud-id", "your-aws-role-arn"
  ]
}

{
  "args": [
    "mcp",
    "--access-type", "azure_ad",
    "--cloud-id", "your-azure-client-id"
  ]
}

{
  "args": [
    "mcp",
    "--access-type", "gcp",
    "--cloud-id", "your-gcp-service-account"
  ]
}

Kubernetes Authentication

{
  "args": [
    "mcp",
    "--access-type", "k8s",
    "--k8s-auth-config-name", "your-config-object",
    "--k8s-service-account-token", "your-service-account-token"
  ]
}

LDAP Authentication

{
  "args": [
    "mcp",
    "--access-type", "ldap",
    "--ldap_proxy_url", "ldap://your-ldap-server",
    "--username", "your-username",
    "--password", "your-password"
  ]
}

OIDC/JWT Authentication

{
  "args": [
    "mcp",
    "--access-type", "oidc",
    "--jwt", "your-jwt-token",
    "--gateway-url", "https://your-gateway.com"
  ]
}

Password Authentication

{
  "args": [
    "mcp",
    "--admin-email", "[email protected]",
    "--admin-password", "your-password",
    "--access-type", "password"
  ]
}

SAML Authentication

{
  "args": [
    "mcp",
    "--access-type", "saml",
    "--gateway-url", "https://your-gateway.com"
  ]
}

Best Practices

Security Best Practices

• Use Environment Variables: Store sensitive credentials in environment variables rather than hardcoding them
• Principle of Least Privilege: Create dedicated access keys with minimal required permissions
• Regular Rotation: Rotate access keys regularly
• Secure Storage: Use secure credential storage solutions
• Network Security: Use HTTPS endpoints and consider VPN access

Configuration Management

• Version Control: Keep MCP configuration files in version control (excluding secrets)
• Environment Separation: Use separate configurations for different environments
• Documentation: Document your configuration choices and rationale
• Testing: Test configurations in development before deploying to production

Monitoring and Logging

• Enable Debug Mode: Use the --debug flag for troubleshooting
• Monitor Access: Regularly review access logs and analytics
• Set Up Alerts: Configure alerts for unusual access patterns
• Audit Trail: Maintain audit trails for compliance requirements

Performance Optimization

• Connection Pooling: Reuse connections when possible
• Caching: Implement appropriate caching strategies
• Batch Operations: Use batch operations for multiple items
• Resource Limits: Set appropriate resource limits

Troubleshooting: Common Issues and Solutions

Authentication Failures

Akeyless MCP Server Fails to Authenticate

1. Verify access ID and access key are correct
2. Check if credentials have expired
3. Ensure proper permissions are assigned
4. Verify gateway URL is accessible

# Test authentication manually
akeyless auth --access-id "your-access-id" --access-key "your-access-key"

Connection Issues

Cannot Connect to the Akeyless Gateway

• Check network connectivity
• Verify gateway URL format
• Check firewall settings
• Test with curl or wget:

# Test connectivity
curl -I https://api.akeyless.io

HTTP/2 405 
date: Fri, 03 Oct 2025 20:36:32 GMT
content-type: application/json
content-length: 68
cache-control: no-cache, no-store, must-revalidate, private
content-security-policy: img-src 'self' data:;
cross-origin-opener-policy: same-origin
cross-origin-resource-policy: same-origin
expires: 0
permissions-policy: geolocation=(self), microphone=(self), camera=(self), payment=(self)
pragma: no-cache
referrer-policy: no-referrer-when-downgrade
vary: Origin
x-content-type-options: nosniff
x-frame-options: SAMEORIGIN

Permission Errors

Insufficient Permissions for Operations

• Review role assignments
• Check item-level permissions
• Verify authentication method permissions
• Contact administrator for access

Configuration Errors

MCP Server Fails to Start

• Validate JSON configuration syntax
• Check file paths are correct
• Verify command arguments
• Review environment variables