MCP Security Framework
     
A secure-by-default MCP server built on the official SDK with 5-layer validation. Provides defense-in-depth against traditional attacks and AI-driven threats.
This framework implements defense-in-depth security with zero configuration required, protecting MCP servers from path traversal, command injection, SQL injection, XSS, prototype pollution, SSRF, and 20+ additional attack vectors.
Quick Start
Installation
npm install mcp-secure-server
Basic Usage
import { SecureMcpServer } from 'mcp-secure-server';
import { StdioServerTransport } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/stdio.js';
import { z } from 'zod';
// Create secure server with a security preset
const server = new SecureMcpServer(
{ name: 'my-server', version: '1.0.0' },
{ securityLevel: 'standard' } // 'basic' | 'standard' | 'paranoid' | 'custom'
);
// Register tools exactly like McpServer
server.tool('calculator', 'Basic calculator', {
expression: z.string()
}, async ({ expression }) => {
// Security framework automatically blocks malicious inputs
// NOTE: eval() used for demo only - use a safe math parser in production
return { content: [{ type: 'text', text: `Result: ${eval(expression)}` }] };
});
// Connect - transport is automatically wrapped with security
const transport = new StdioServerTransport();
await server.connect(transport);
Security Presets
Choose your security level with a single option:
// Development: relaxed limits, minimal validation
const devServer = new SecureMcpServer(
{ name: 'dev', version: '1.0.0' },
{ securityLevel: 'basic' }
);
// Production: balanced security (default)
const prodServer = new SecureMcpServer(
{ name: 'prod', version: '1.0.0' },
{ securityLevel: 'standard' }
);
// High-security: maximum protection
const secureServer = new SecureMcpServer(
{ name: 'secure', version: '1.0.0' },
{ securityLevel: 'paranoid' }
);
// Custom: override specific values within a preset
const customServer = new SecureMcpServer(
{ name: 'custom', version: '1.0.0' },
{
securityLevel: 'standard',
maxRequestsPerMinute: 60 // Override just this value
}
);
| Preset | Use Case | Message Size | Rate Limit | Burst | Automation Detection | |--------|----------|--------------|------------|-------|---------------------| | basic | Development, testing | 100KB | 120/min | 30/10s | Disabled | | standard | Production (default) | 50KB | 30/min | 10/10s | Enabled | | paranoid | High-risk, compliance | 25KB | 15/min | 5/5s | Enabled (strict) | | custom | Full control | You decide | You decide | You decide | You decide |
Programmatic Preset Access
Access preset configurations programmatically for dynamic configuration, validation, or custom tooling:
import {
SECURITY_PRESETS,
resolvePreset,
getDefaultPreset,
isValidPreset
} from 'mcp-secure-server';
// Get the default preset name
const defaultName = getDefaultPreset(); // 'standard'
// Validate user input
const userInput = 'paranoid';
if (isValidPreset(userInput)) {
const config = resolvePreset(userInput);
console.log(config.maxMessageSize); // 25600
console.log(config.maxRequestsPerMinute); // 15
}
// Iterate all presets for documentation or UI
for (const [name, config] of Object.entries(SECURITY_PRESETS)) {
console.log(`${name}: ${config.maxRequestsPerMinute} req/min`);
}
// Build dynamic configuration
function createServer(env: string) {
const level = env === 'production' ? 'paranoid' : 'basic';
return new SecureMcpServer(
{ name: 'dynamic', version: '1.0.0' },
{ securityLevel: level }
);
}
With Logging (Opt-in)
const server = new SecureMcpServer(
{ name: 'my-server', version: '1.0.0' },
{
securityLevel: 'standard',
enableLogging: true,
verboseLogging: true,
logPerformanceMetrics: true,
logLevel: 'debug'
}
);
Full TypeScript support with exported types for all parameters, configurations, and responses.
Table of Contents
- Overview
- Architecture
- Security Layers
- Installation
- TypeScript Support
- Quick Start
- Configuration
- Tool Policies Configuration
- API Reference
- HTTP Transport
- Layer 5 Customization
- Security Features
- Attack Coverage
- Error Handling
- Claude Desktop Integration
- Development
- Troubleshooting
- Cookbook Examples
Cookbook Examples
Example MCP servers demonstrating the security framework. Each server includes input validation and attack prevention.
| Server | Description | Tools | Auth | |--------|-------------|-------|------| | advanced-validation-server | Layer 5 custom validators (PII detection, geofencing, business hours, egress tracking) | Financial query, batch process, export data, API call | None | | api-wrapper-server | Safe REST API wrapping with domain restrictions and rate limiting | Weather, currency conversion, news headlines | None | | cli-wrapper-server | Safe CLI tool wrapping with command injection prevention | Git status, image resize, PDF metadata, video encode | None | | database-server | Secure database operations with SQL injection prevention | User queries, order creation, report generation | None | | filesystem-server | Protected file system access with path traversal prevention | Read files, list directories, search files | None | | http-server | Simple HTTP transport with createHttpServer() | Calculator, echo | None | | image-gen-server | Unified image generation across 5 providers (BFL, Google, Ideogram, OpenAI, Stability) | Generate, edit, upscale, describe images | API keys | | kenpom-server | College basketball analytics and efficiency ratings | Ratings, schedules, scouting reports, player stats | KenPom login | | monitoring-server | Observability with metrics, audit logging, and alerts | Security metrics, audit log, alerts, Prometheus export | None | | multi-endpoint-server | Multiple HTTP endpoints with createSecureHttpHandler() | Admin (list-users, system-stats), Public (health, status) | None | | nba-server | NBA stats, live scores, and player data | Player stats, box scores, live scoreboard | None | | transaction-server | Method chaining enforcement for secure transaction workflows | Session, accounts, prepare/confirm/execute transactions | None |
See the cookbook README for setup instructions and detailed documentation.
Overview
The MCP Security Framework acts as a universal wrapper for any MCP server, providing comprehensive security validation through a multi-layered architecture. It implements:
- 5-Layer Defense Pipeline - Structure, Content, Behavior, Semantics, and Contextual validation
- Zero Configuration - Security enabled by default with sensible defaults
- Universal Compatibility - Works with any MCP server using @modelcontextprotocol/sdk
- Extensible Layer 5 - Add custom validators, domain restrictions, OAuth validation
- Tested - 1134 tests with 86% coverage
- Opt-in Logging - Quiet by default for production use
- Performance Optimized - Content caching and efficient pattern detection
- Full TypeScript Support - Complete type definitions with strict mode
Architecture
Request → Layer 1 → Layer 2 → Layer 3 → Layer 4 → Layer 5 → MCP Server
│ │ │ │ │
Structure Content Behavior Semantics Contextual
Validation Validation Validation Validation Validation
Visual Overview
MCP Security Framework (5 Layers by Default)
│
┌─────────────┬─────────────┬─────────────┬─────────────┬─────────────┐
│ │ │ │ │ │
┌───▼────┐ ┌─────▼─────┐ ┌────▼────┐ ┌────▼─────┐ ┌─────▼──────┐
│ Layer 1│ │ Layer 2 │ │ Layer 3 │ │ Layer 4 │ │ Layer 5 │
│ Struct.│ │ Content │ │ Behavior│ │ Semantics│ │ Contextual │
└────────┘ └───────────┘ └─────────┘ └──────────┘ └────────────┘
│JSON-RPC│ │Injection │ │Rate │ │Tool │ │Custom │
│Format │ │Detection │ │Limiting │ │Contracts │ │Validators │
│Size │ │XSS/SQLi │ │Burst │ │Quotas │ │Domain/OAuth│
│Encoding│ │Path Trav. │ │Patterns │ │Policies │ │Response Val│
└────────┘ └───────────┘ └─────────┘ └──────────┘ └────────────┘
Security Layers
Layer 1 - Structure Validation
Validates the fundamental structure of incoming JSON-RPC messages.
Protections:
- JSON-RPC 2.0 format validation
- Request size limits (default: 50KB)
- Message encoding validation
- Parameter count limits
- Per-string parameter length limits (default: 5,000 chars)
- Method name length limits
Configuration: ``typescript { maxMessageSize: 50000, // Maximum message size in bytes maxParamCount: 100, // Maximum recursive parameter count (set to Infinity to disable) maxStringLength: 5000, // Maximum length of any single string parameter value (chars) maxMethodLength: 256 // Maximum method name length } ``
Note:
maxMessageSizemust leave headroom abovemaxStringLength— the message envelope is larger than the string it carries, and the message-size check fires first.
Layer 2 - Content Validation
Detects and blocks malicious content patterns in request parameters.
Protections: Path traversal, command injection, SQL/NoSQL injection, XSS, prototype pollution, XML entity attacks (XXE), CRLF injection, SSRF, CSV injection, LOLBins, GraphQL introspection, deserialization attacks, JNDI/Log4Shell, buffer overflow patterns, and more.
See SECURITY.md for the complete list of 200+ attack patterns with examples.
Configuration: ``typescript { contentValidation: { enabled: true, debugMode: false // Enable for detailed pattern match info } } ``
Layer 3 - Behavior Validation
Rate limiting and request pattern analysis to prevent abuse.
Protections:
- Requests per minute rate limiting
- Requests per hour rate limiting
- Burst detection (configurable time window)
- Automation detection via timing analysis
- Large message flagging
Configuration: ``typescript { maxRequestsPerMinute: 30, // Rate limit per minute maxRequestsPerHour: 500, // Rate limit per hour burstThreshold: 10, // Max requests in burst window burstWindowMs: 10000, // Burst detection window in ms (default: 10s) suspiciousMessageSize: 20000, // Flag messages larger than this (bytes) automationDetection: { enabled: true, // Enable timing-based automation detection sampleSize: 5, // Number of requests to analyze maxVariance: 50, // Max timing variance (ms) before flagging minInterval: 100, // Min avg interval (ms) to flag as automation maxInterval: 2000 // Max avg interval (ms) to flag as automation } } ``
Automation Detection: Analyzes request timing patterns to detect automated scripts. When enabled, it monitors the variance in request intervals - suspiciously consistent timing (low variance) indicates automation rather than human interaction.
Layer 4 - Semantic Validation
Tool contract enforcement and resource access policies.
Protections:
- Tool argument validation against schemas
- Response size limits (egress control)
- Per-tool quota enforcement
- Side effect declarations
- Filesystem access control via resource policies
- Session management
- Method chaining enforcement (opt-in)
Configuration: ``typescript { toolRegistry: [ { name: 'my-database-tool', sideEffects: 'write', // 'none' | 'read' | 'write' | 'network' maxArgsSize: 5000, // Max argument size in bytes maxEgressBytes: 100000, // Max response size quotaPerMinute: 30, quotaPerHour: 500, argsShape: { // Expected argument schema query: { type: 'string' }, limit: { type: 'number' } } } ], resourcePolicy: { allowedSchemes: ['file'], rootDirs: ['./data', './public'], denyGlobs: ['/etc/', '/.key', '*/.env'], maxPathLength: 4096, maxReadBytes: 2000000 // 2MB max file read }, maxSessions: 5000, sessionTtlMs: 1800000 // 30 minutes } ``
Method Chaining Enforcement
Layer 4 can enforce valid method call sequences to prevent abuse patterns like calling dangerous tools without proper initialization.
Enable chaining enforcement: ``typescript { enforceChaining: true, // Enable method chaining (default: false) chainingDefaultAction: 'deny', // 'allow' | 'deny' when no rule matches chainingRules: [ // Allow any method to call initialize { from: '*', to: 'initialize' }, // After initialize, can list tools or resources { from: 'initialize', to: 'tools/list' }, { from: 'initialize', to: 'resources/list' }, // After listing tools, can call them { from: 'tools/list', to: 'tools/call' }, // Tool-to-tool calls allowed { from: 'tools/call', to: 'tools/call' }, ] } ``
ChainingRule type: ``typescript interface ChainingRule { from: string; // Method to transition from ('' for any) to: string; // Method to transition to ('' for any) fromTool?: string; // Tool name glob pattern (e.g., 'file-', '-http*') toTool?: string; // Tool name glob pattern fromSideEffect?: SideEffects; // 'none' | 'read' | 'write' | 'network' toSideEffect?: SideEffects; action?: 'allow' | 'deny'; // Default: 'allow' id?: string; // Rule identifier for logging description?: string; // Human-readable description } ``
Advanced example - block dangerous transitions: ``typescript { enforceChaining: true, chainingDefaultAction: 'allow', // Allow by default chainingRules: [ // Block read tools from calling write tools directly { from: 'tools/call', to: 'tools/call', fromSideEffect: 'read', toSideEffect: 'write', action: 'deny', id: 'no-read-to-write' }, // Block file- tools from calling -http tools { from: 'tools/call', to: 'tools/call', fromTool: 'file-', toTool: '-http', action: 'deny', id: 'no-file-to-http' } ] } ``
Rules are evaluated first-match-wins. Tool patterns use simple glob matching (* = any chars, ? = single char).
Layer 5 - Contextual Validation
Custom validators, domain restrictions, and response filtering. Fully extensible.
Protections:
- Custom validator registration with priorities
- Domain blocklist/allowlist enforcement
- OAuth URL validation
- Response content validation (PII detection, etc.)
- Cross-request state via context store
- Global rules that run before validators
Configuration: ``typescript { contextual: { enabled: true, // Set false to disable Layer 5 domainRestrictions: { enabled: true, blockedDomains: ['evil.com', 'malicious.net'], allowedDomains: [] // Empty = allow all except blocked }, oauthValidation: { enabled: true, allowedDomains: ['oauth.example.com'], blockDangerousSchemes: true }, rateLimiting: { enabled: true, limit: 20, windowMs: 60000 } } } ``
Installation
From npm
# Install in your project
npm install mcp-secure-server
# Or install globally
npm install -g mcp-secure-server
From Source
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/aself101/mcp-secure-server.git
cd mcp-secure-server
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Build TypeScript
npm run build
Dependencies:
@modelcontextprotocol/sdk- MCP SDK (peer dependency)zod- Schema validation (peer dependency)
TypeScript Support
This package is written in TypeScript with strict mode enabled (noUncheckedIndexedAccess, strictNullChecks). All exports include complete type definitions.
Exported Types
import {
// Main classes
SecureMcpServer,
SecureTransport,
ContextualValidationLayer,
ContextualConfigBuilder,
// Factory functions
createContextualLayer,
// Type guards
isSeverity,
isViolationType,
isError,
getErrorMessage,
// Types
SecurityOptions,
ValidationResult,
Severity,
ViolationType,
ToolSpec,
ResourcePolicy,
ValidationContext
} from 'mcp-secure-server';
Type-Safe Configuration
import { SecureMcpServer, SecurityOptions } from 'mcp-secure-server';
const options: SecurityOptions = {
maxMessageSize: 50000,
maxParamCount: 100, // Recursive key count limit (Infinity to disable)
maxStringLength: 5000, // Per-string parameter length limit (chars)
maxRequestsPerMinute: 30,
enableLogging: true,
contextual: {
enabled: true,
domainRestrictions: {
enabled: true,
blockedDomains: ['evil.com']
}
}
};
const server = new SecureMcpServer(
{ name: 'my-server', version: '1.0.0' },
options // TypeScript validates all options
);
Validation Results
interface ValidationResult {
passed: boolean;
allowed?: boolean;
severity?: Severity; // 'LOW' | 'MEDIUM' | 'HIGH' | 'CRITICAL'
reason?: string;
violationType?: ViolationType; // 'PATH_TRAVERSAL' | 'SQL_INJECTION' | ...
layerName?: string;
}
Building from Source
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Build TypeScript to JavaScript
npm run build
# Output is in dist/
ls dist/
# index.js, index.d.ts, security/*.js, security/*.d.ts, types/*.d.ts
Configuration
Full Configuration Reference
const server = new SecureMcpServer(
{ name: 'my-server', version: '1.0.0' },
{
// ═══════════════════════════════════════════
// Layer 1 & 2 - Structure & Content Validation
// ═══════════════════════════════════════════
maxMessageSize: 50000, // Max message size (bytes)
maxParamCount: 100, // Max recursive parameters (Infinity to disable)
maxStringLength: 5000, // Max length of any single string parameter (chars)
maxMethodLength: 256, // Max method name length
// ═══════════════════════════════════════════
// Layer 2 - Content Validation
// ═══════════════════════════════════════════
// Enabled by default with all pattern detection
// ═══════════════════════════════════════════
// Layer 3 - Behavior Validation
// ═══════════════════════════════════════════
maxRequestsPerMinute: 30, // Rate limit per minute
maxRequestsPerHour: 500, // Rate limit per hour
burstThreshold: 10, // Max requests in burst window
burstWindowMs: 10000, // Burst window duration (ms)
suspiciousMessageSize: 20000, // Flag large messages (bytes)
automationDetection: { // Timing-based automation detection
enabled: true, // Enable/disable detection
sampleSize: 5, // Requests to analyze
maxVariance: 50, // Max timing variance (ms)
minInterval: 100, // Min interval to flag (ms)
maxInterval: 2000 // Max interval to flag (ms)
},
// ═══════════════════════════════════════════
// Layer 4 - Semantic Validation
// ═══════════════════════════════════════════
toolRegistry: [ // Tool constraints
{
name: 'my-tool',
sideEffects: 'write',
maxArgsSize: 5000,
maxEgressBytes: 100000,
quotaPerMinute: 30
}
],
resourcePolicy: { // Filesystem access control
allowedSchemes: ['file'],
rootDirs: ['./data'],
denyGlobs: ['/etc/**', '**/*.key'],
maxReadBytes: 2000000
},
maxSessions: 5000,
sessionTtlMs: 1800000,
enforceChaining: false, // Enable method chaining (default: false)
chainingDefaultAction: 'deny', // 'allow' | 'deny' when no rule matches
chainingRules: [ // Method transition rules
{ from: '*', to: 'initialize' },
{ from: 'initialize', to: 'tools/list' },
{ from: 'tools/list', to: 'tools/call' },
{ from: 'tools/call', to: 'tools/call' },
// Advanced: tool patterns and side effects
// { from: 'tools/call', to: 'tools/call', fromTool: 'read-*', toTool: 'write-*', action: 'deny' }
],
// ═══════════════════════════════════════════
// Layer 5 - Contextual Validation
// ═══════════════════════════════════════════
contextual: {
enabled: true, // false to disable Layer 5
domainRestrictions: {
enabled: true,
blockedDomains: ['evil.com'],
allowedDomains: [] // Empty = allow all except blocked
},
oauthValidation: {
enabled: true,
allowedDomains: ['oauth.example.com'],
blockDangerousSchemes: true
},
rateLimiting: {
enabled: true,
limit: 20,
windowMs: 60000
}
},
// ═══════════════════════════════════════════
// Logging (all disabled by default)
// ═══════════════════════════════════════════
enableLogging: false, // Enable security logging
verboseLogging: false, // Detailed decision logs
logPerformanceMetrics: false, // Timing statistics
logLevel: 'info', // 'debug' | 'info' | 'warn' | 'error'
logDir: './logs' // Log directory; also settable via LOG_DIR env
}
);
Log Directory Resolution
The log directory is resolved in this order:
logDiroption passed to the constructorLOG_DIRenvironment variable<cwd>/logs(default)
A relative value is resolved against the current working directory. Set logDir explicitly when the process may run with a non-writable working directory — for example, MCP hosts (such as Claude Desktop) that launch servers with cwd="/", where the default would resolve to the unwritable /logs.
If the resolved directory cannot be created or written, the logger degrades to no-op logging rather than crashing the host (logging must never crash the application). When this happens it emits a one-time warning to stderr, and getSecurityStats().logger.fileLoggingAvailable reports false (with writeErrors/lastWriteError for late failures) so the degraded state is observable rather than silent.
Tool Policies Configuration
Tool policies allow you to define security levels for individual MCP tools, enabling context-aware content validation. Tools that store documentation can have relaxed pattern detection, while tools that execute commands use full validation.
Security Levels
| Level | Description | Use Case | |-------|-------------|----------| | EXECUTION | Full validation - all attack patterns checked | Command execution, file writes, system operations | | QUERY | Standard validation - SQL/NoSQL patterns added | Database queries, API calls, search operations | | STORAGE | Relaxed validation - critical patterns only | Issue trackers, notes, documentation storage | | DISPLAY | Minimal validation - XSS and deserialization only | Read-only queries, help output, status displays |
Configuration File
Create a tool-policies.json file in your project root or specify a path via the TOOL_POLICIES_PATH environment variable.
File resolution order:
TOOL_POLICIES_PATHenvironment variable./tool-policies.json(current working directory)~/.config/mcp-secure-server/tool-policies.json(user config)
Basic Example
{
"version": "2.0",
"tools": {
"save_note": {
"level": "STORAGE",
"relaxedFields": ["content", "title"],
"description": "Stores user notes"
},
"get_status": {
"level": "DISPLAY",
"description": "Read-only status query"
},
"execute_command": {
"level": "EXECUTION",
"description": "Runs shell commands"
}
},
"defaultLevel": "EXECUTION"
}
Full Schema
{
"version": "2.0",
"basePolicies": {
"storage-content": {
"level": "STORAGE",
"relaxedFields": ["content", "description", "title"],
"description": "Base policy for content storage tools"
},
"display-readonly": {
"level": "DISPLAY",
"description": "Base policy for read-only tools"
}
},
"patterns": [
{ "match": "get_*", "policy": "display-readonly" },
{ "match": "list_*", "policy": "display-readonly" },
{ "match": "search_*", "policy": "display-readonly" },
{ "match": "{save,create,update}_*", "policy": "storage-content" }
],
"tools": {
"execute_sql": {
"level": "QUERY",
"description": "Database queries with SQL injection checks"
},
"save_document": "storage-content",
"dangerous_operation": {
"level": "EXECUTION",
"description": "High-risk operation requiring full validation"
}
},
"defaultLevel": "EXECUTION"
}
Schema Reference
| Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | version | "2.0" | Required. Schema version (must be "2.0") | | basePolicies | object | Optional. Reusable policy definitions | | patterns | array | Optional. Glob patterns for tool matching | | tools | object | Optional. Explicit tool policy definitions | | defaultLevel | string | Optional. Fallback level for unknown tools |
Policy Object
{
level: 'EXECUTION' | 'QUERY' | 'STORAGE' | 'DISPLAY', // Security level
relaxedFields?: string[], // Fields with relaxed validation
skipPatterns?: string[], // Pattern categories to skip
description?: string, // Documentation
extends?: string // Inherit from base policy
}
Pattern Matching
Patterns use minimatch glob syntax:
| Pattern | Matches | |---------|---------| | get_ | get_users, get_status, get_config | | _issues | query_issues, search_issues, list_issues | | {get,list}_ | get_users, list_users, get_config, list_items | | file- | file-read, file-write, file-delete | | v?_tool | v1_tool, v2_tool |
Resolution order:
- Explicit tool definitions (highest priority)
- Pattern matching (first match wins)
defaultLevelfrom configEXECUTIONlevel (secure default)
Inheritance with extends
Policies can inherit from base policies and add/override fields:
{
"version": "2.0",
"basePolicies": {
"base-storage": {
"level": "STORAGE",
"relaxedFields": ["content"]
}
},
"tools": {
"save_note": {
"extends": "base-storage",
"relaxedFields": ["extra_field"],
"description": "Inherits STORAGE level, merges relaxedFields"
}
}
}
The result for save_note:
level:STORAGE(inherited)relaxedFields:["content", "extra_field"](merged and deduplicated)
Relaxed Fields
The relaxedFields array specifies parameter names that should use STORAGE-level validation regardless of the tool's overall level. Useful for tools that have both sensitive and content parameters:
{
"tools": {
"create_issue": {
"level": "QUERY",
"relaxedFields": ["description", "title"],
"description": "QUERY level for project/priority, STORAGE for text content"
}
}
}
Runtime Registration
You can also register tool policies programmatically:
import { registerToolPolicy } from 'mcp-secure-server';
registerToolPolicy('my_custom_tool', {
level: 'STORAGE',
relaxedFields: ['content', 'notes'],
description: 'Custom documentation tool'
});
Loading Configuration Programmatically
import { initializeToolPolicies, resetToolPolicies } from 'mcp-secure-server';
// Load from object
initializeToolPolicies({
version: '2.0',
patterns: [
{ match: 'get_*', policy: { level: 'DISPLAY' } }
],
defaultLevel: 'QUERY'
});
// Reset to defaults
resetToolPolicies();
Validation Behavior by Level
| Level | Checks SQL/NoSQL | Checks Command Injection | Checks Path Traversal | Checks XSS | |-------|-----------------|-------------------------|----------------------|------------| | EXECUTION | ✅ All | ✅ All (6 sub-categories) | ✅ | ✅ All | | QUERY | ✅ All | ⚠️ Critical only (shellAccess, executionWrappers) | ✅ | ✅ All | | STORAGE | ❌ | ⚠️ Critical only (shellAccess, executionWrappers) | ❌ | ✅ Critical | | DISPLAY | ❌ | ⚠️ Critical only (shellAccess, executionWrappers) | ❌ | ✅ Critical |
All levels check critical sub-categories (shell access, execution wrappers, XSS basic/advanced vectors, deserialization). EXECUTION_ONLY sub-categories (systemInfo, fileOperations, networkOperations, basicInjection) run only at EXECUTION level to avoid false positives on common words like "top", "curl", "grep" in documentation content.
Advanced Tool Policy Helpers
Additional utilities for programmatic tool policy management:
import {
getToolsByLevel,
isRelaxedField,
isValidSecurityLevel,
defaultToolPolicies
} from 'mcp-secure-server';
// Get all tools configured at a specific security level
const storageLevelTools = getToolsByLevel('STORAGE');
// Returns: ['save_note', 'create_document', ...]
// Check if a field has relaxed validation for a tool
if (isRelaxedField('save_note', 'content')) {
// 'content' field uses STORAGE-level validation
}
// Validate security level strings
if (isValidSecurityLevel(userInput)) {
// userInput is 'EXECUTION' | 'QUERY' | 'STORAGE' | 'DISPLAY'
}
// Access default policies (useful for extending)
const defaults = defaultToolPolicies;
Use cases:
- Auditing: List all tools at each security level
- Debugging: Check if a specific field is relaxed
- Dynamic configuration: Validate user-provided security levels
- Testing: Access defaults for baseline comparison
API Reference
SecureMcpServer
Drop-in replacement for McpServer with built-in 5-layer security.
import { SecureMcpServer } from 'mcp-secure-server';
const server = new SecureMcpServer(serverInfo, options);
MCP SDK Passthrough Methods
SecureMcpServer delegates to the underlying McpServer for most operations. Some methods add security enhancements.
Enhanced Methods (security added):
| Method | Enhancement | |--------|-------------| | tool() | Response validation via Layer 5 | | registerTool() | Response validation via Layer 5 | | connect() | Wraps transport with SecureTransport |
Pure Passthrough Methods (direct delegation to McpServer):
// Resource and prompt registration
server.resource(name, uri, handler);
server.prompt(name, description, handler);
// Connection management
await server.close();
server.isConnected();
// Notification methods (MCP SDK passthrough)
server.sendResourceListChanged();
server.sendToolListChanged();
server.sendPromptListChanged();
Example with all registration types:
const server = new SecureMcpServer({ name: 'demo', version: '1.0.0' });
// Tool registration (response validation enabled)
server.tool('add', 'Add numbers', { a: z.number(), b: z.number() },
async ({ a, b }) => ({ content: [{ type: 'text', text: `${a + b}` }] })
);
// Resource registration (passthrough)
server.resource('config', 'config://app', async () => ({
contents: [{ uri: 'config://app', text: JSON.stringify(config) }]
}));
// Prompt registration (passthrough)
server.prompt('greeting', 'Generate greeting', async () => ({
messages: [{ role: 'user', content: { type: 'text', text: 'Hello!' } }]
}));
await server.connect(new StdioServerTransport());
Security Methods
// Get security statistics
const stats = server.getSecurityStats();
// { totalRequests, blockedRequests, allowedRequests, byLayer: {...} }
// Get detailed security report (requires enableLogging: true)
const report = server.getVerboseSecurityReport();
// Generate full report to file (requires enableLogging: true)
await server.generateSecurityReport();
// Graceful shutdown with final report
await server.shutdown();
Property Accessors
server.mcpServer; // Access underlying McpServer
server.server; // Access underlying Server
server.validationPipeline; // Access validation pipeline
SecureTransport
Low-level transport wrapper for custom implementations.
import { SecureTransport } from 'mcp-secure-server';
const secureTransport = new SecureTransport(
transport, // Original transport
validator, // Validation function
{
errorSanitizer // Optional error sanitizer
}
);
HTTP Transport
For remote MCP servers, use the built-in HTTP transport with security validation. Zero external dependencies - uses node:http directly.
import { SecureMcpServer } from 'mcp-secure-server';
import { z } from 'zod';
const server = new SecureMcpServer(
{ name: 'my-server', version: '1.0.0' },
{ enableLogging: true }
);
server.tool('add', 'Add two numbers', {
a: z.number(),
b: z.number()
}, async ({ a, b }) => ({
content: [{ type: 'text', text: `${a + b}` }]
}));
// Create HTTP server with security validation
const httpServer = server.createHttpServer({ endpoint: '/mcp' });
httpServer.listen(3000, () => {
console.log('MCP server listening on http://localhost:3000/mcp');
});
Configuration options:
interface HttpServerOptions {
endpoint?: string; // MCP endpoint path (default: '/mcp')
maxBodySize?: number; // Max body size in bytes (default: 51200 = 50KB)
}
Session ID handling:
| Source | Value | Used By | |--------|-------|---------| | Mcp-Session-Id header | Client-provided | Layer 3 rate limiting, Layer 4 quotas | | Missing header | 'stateless' | Shared limits across all requests |
Standalone function:
import { SecureMcpServer, createSecureHttpServer } from 'mcp-secure-server';
const server = new SecureMcpServer({ name: 'x', version: '1.0' });
const httpServer = createSecureHttpServer(server, { endpoint: '/api/mcp' });
httpServer.listen(8080);
Multiple endpoints:
For services exposing multiple MCP servers on different paths, use createSecureHttpHandler to compose your own routing:
import { SecureMcpServer, createSecureHttpHandler } from 'mcp-secure-server';
import { createServer } from 'node:http';
// Create separate MCP servers with different tools/permissions
const adminServer = new SecureMcpServer({ name: 'admin', version: '1.0' });
const publicServer = new SecureMcpServer({ name: 'public', version: '1.0' });
// Register tools on each server
adminServer.tool('delete-user', ...);
publicServer.tool('get-status', ...);
// Create handlers (validates requests, forwards to MCP SDK transport)
const adminHandler = createSecureHttpHandler(adminServer);
const publicHandler = createSecureHttpHandler(publicServer);
// Compose with custom routing
const httpServer = createServer(async (req, res) => {
if (req.url?.startsWith('/api/admin')) return adminHandler(req, res);
if (req.url?.startsWith('/api/public')) return publicHandler(req, res);
res.writeHead(404).end(JSON.stringify({ error: 'Not found' }));
});
httpServer.listen(3000);
| Function | Purpose | |----------|---------| | createSecureHttpServer | Single endpoint, includes routing | | createSecureHttpHandler | Request handler only, you provide routing |
CORS: Add headers manually or wrap with a CORS middleware.
HTTPS: Use node:https with the same pattern, or deploy behind a reverse proxy.
Available Exports
import {
SecureMcpServer, // Main secure server class
SecureTransport, // Transport wrapper
createSecureHttpServer, // HTTP server factory (single endpoint)
createSecureHttpHandler, // HTTP handler factory (multi-endpoint)
createSecureHttpsServer, // HTTPS server factory with TLS
ErrorRateLimiter, // Rate limiter for error responses
getClientIp, // Extract client IP from request
ContextualValidationLayer, // Layer 5 class
ContextualConfigBuilder, // Builder for Layer 5 config
createContextualLayer, // Factory for Layer 5
// Tool policy configuration
initializeToolPolicies, // Load config from object
resetToolPolicies, // Reset to defaults
registerToolPolicy, // Register policy at runtime
getToolPolicy, // Get policy for a tool
isRelaxedField, // Check if field has relaxed validation
getToolsByLevel, // List tools by security level
isValidSecurityLevel, // Validate security level string
defaultToolPolicies, // Default policy definitions
getToolPoliciesConfig, // Get current policies config
loadToolPoliciesConfig, // Load from file
matchesPattern, // Check if tool matches pattern
resolvePolicy, // Resolve policy for tool
ToolPolicyError, // Config error class
// Security presets
SECURITY_PRESETS, // All preset definitions
resolvePreset, // Get preset by name
getDefaultPreset, // Get default preset name
isValidPreset, // Validate preset name
// Type guards
isSeverity, // Type guard for Severity
isViolationType, // Type guard for ViolationType
isError, // Type guard for Error objects
getErrorMessage // Safe error message extraction
} from 'mcp-secure-server';
| Export | Description | |--------|-------------| | SecureMcpServer | Drop-in replacement for McpServer with 5-layer security | | SecureTransport | Transport wrapper for message-level validation | | createSecureHttpServer | HTTP server factory with security validation | | createSecureHttpHandler | HTTP handler for composing multi-endpoint servers | | createSecureHttpsServer | HTTPS server factory with TLS certificates | | ErrorRateLimiter | Rate limiter for clients generating excessive errors | | getClientIp | Extract client IP from request (X-Forwarded-For aware) | | ContextualValidationLayer | Layer 5 class for advanced customization | | ContextualConfigBuilder | Builder for Layer 5 configuration | | createContextualLayer | Factory function for Layer 5 with defaults | | initializeToolPolicies | Load tool policies from config object | | resetToolPolicies | Reset to default (empty) policies | | registerToolPolicy | Register single tool policy at runtime | | getToolPolicy | Get resolved policy for a tool name | | isRelaxedField | Check if a field has relaxed validation for a tool | | getToolsByLevel | List tools registered at a specific security level | | isValidSecurityLevel | Validate if a string is a valid security level | | defaultToolPolicies | Default policy definitions for tools | | getToolPoliciesConfig | Get current tool policies configuration | | loadToolPoliciesConfig | Load policies from JSON file | | matchesPattern | Check if tool name matches a pattern (glob-style) | | resolvePolicy | Resolve merged policy for a tool from config | | ToolPolicyError | Error class for config validation failures | | SECURITY_PRESETS | Object containing all preset definitions (basic, standard, paranoid) | | resolvePreset | Get preset configuration by name | | getDefaultPreset | Get the default preset name ('standard') | | isValidPreset | Validate if a string is a valid preset name | | isSeverity | Type guard to check if value is a valid Severity | | isViolationType | Type guard to check if value is a valid ViolationType | | isError | Type guard to check if value is an Error object | | getErrorMessage | Safely extract error message from unknown value |
Layer 5 Customization
Layer 5 is enabled by default. You can add custom validators at runtime for application-specific security rules.
Adding Custom Validators
import { SecureMcpServer } from 'mcp-secure-server';
const server = new SecureMcpServer(
{ name: 'my-server', version: '1.0.0' },
{
contextual: {
domainRestrictions: {
enabled: true,
blockedDomains: ['evil.com']
}
}
}
);
// Access Layer 5
const layer5 = server.validationPipeline.layers[4];
// Add custom validator with priority (lower = runs first)
layer5.addValidator('sensitive-data-check', (message, context) => {
if (message.params?.arguments?.creditCard) {
return {
passed: false,
reason: 'Credit card data not allowed in requests',
severity: 'HIGH',
violationType: 'SENSITIVE_DATA'
};
}
return { passed: true };
}, { priority: 50, failOnError: true });
Adding Global Rules
Global rules run before validators and can short-circuit validation.
layer5.addGlobalRule((message) => {
// Block specific operations
if (message.method === 'admin/delete-all') {
return {
passed: false,
reason: 'Operation not permitted',
severity: 'CRITICAL',
violationType: 'POLICY_VIOLATION'
};
}
return null; // null = pass, continue to validators
});
Adding Response Validators
Validate responses before they're sent to clients.
layer5.addResponseValidator('pii-filter', (response) => {
const content = JSON.stringify(response);
// Check for SSN pattern
if (/\d{3}-\d{2}-\d{4}/.test(content)) {
return {
passed: false,
reason: 'PII detected in response',
severity: 'HIGH',
violationType: 'DATA_LEAK'
};
}
return { passed: true };
});
Using Context Store
Cross-request state management with TTL support.
// Set context with 5-minute TTL
layer5.setContext('user:session:abc123', {
authenticated: true,
roles: ['admin']
}, 300000);
// Get context
const session = layer5.getContext('user:session:abc123');
// Use in validators
layer5.addValidator('auth-check', (message, context) => {
const session = layer5.getContext(`user:session:${context.sessionId}`);
if (!session?.authenticated) {
return {
passed: false,
reason: 'Authentication required',
severity: 'HIGH',
violationType: 'AUTH_REQUIRED'
};
}
return { passed: true };
});
Disabling Layer 5
const server = new SecureMcpServer(
{ name: 'my-server', version: '1.0.0' },
{ contextual: { enabled: false } }
);
Security Features
See SECURITY.md for full security documentation including:
- Attack detection coverage (injection, XSS, SSRF, deserialization, etc.)
- Security best practices applied
- SSRF protection details
- Error sanitization
- Reporting vulnerabilities
Attack Coverage
The framework detects and blocks 200+ attack patterns across 19 categories including injection attacks, path traversal, SSRF, deserialization, and more.
See SECURITY.md for the complete threat model with:
- Attack vectors and examples
- Severity levels and detection layers
- Mitigation strategies
- Violation type reference
Error Handling
Error Message Behavior
Error messages are deterministic and type-specific — each violation type maps to a consistent, descriptive message. This makes errors diagnosable from logs, MCP clients, and LLM tool-use contexts.
| enableDetailedErrors | error.message | data.reason | |------------------------|-----------------|---------------| | false (default) | Type-specific (e.g. "Request validation failed") | Redacted internal reason | | true | Type-specific + redacted reason appended | Redacted internal reason |
When enableDetailedErrors is true, the error.message field includes the redacted reason so the full diagnostic is visible without digging into the data envelope:
{
"error": {
"code": -32602,
"message": "Request validation failed: Content validation — path traversal pattern detected in parameter 'file_path'",
"data": {
"reason": "Content validation — path traversal pattern detected in parameter 'file_path'",
"layer": "VALIDATION_ERROR"
}
}
}
When enableDetailedErrors is false, the top-level message is the category only — the detailed reason is still available in data.reason:
{
"error": {
"code": -32602,
"message": "Request validation failed",
"data": {
"reason": "Content validation — path traversal pattern detected in parameter 'file_path'",
"layer": "VALIDATION_ERROR"
}
}
}
Validation Error Structure
When the security pipeline blocks a request, the framework returns a JSON-RPC error with diagnostic context in the data field:
| Field | Description | |-------|-------------| | timestamp | When the error occurred (ISO 8601) | | token | Unique error token for log correlation | | reason | Redacted validation reason describing what failed and why | | layer | Which validation layer or violation type triggered the block | | retryAfterMs | Present only for RATE_LIMIT_EXCEEDED — milliseconds to wait |
The reason field is sanitized through the same credential/PII redaction pipeline used for logging, so it is safe to surface to clients while still providing actionable diagnostics.
Error Codes
| Code | Violation Type | Meaning | |------|---------------|---------| | -32602 | VALIDATION_ERROR, POLICY_VIOLATION, CONTEXT_VIOLATION | Invalid input or policy block | | -32000 | RATE_LIMIT_EXCEEDED | Too many requests — check retryAfterMs | | -32603 | INTERNAL_ERROR | Internal validation error |
Severity Levels
| Severity | Description | Action | |----------|-------------|--------| | CRITICAL | Active exploit attempt (command injection, deserialization) | Block + Alert | | HIGH | Serious attack (SQL injection, path traversal) | Block | | MEDIUM | Suspicious activity (rate limit, size exceeded) | Block | | LOW | Minor policy violation | Block or Warn |
Outgoing Response Sanitization
The framework sanitizes outgoing JSON-RPC error responses that contain Zod validation patterns, with one important exception: -32602 (Invalid params) errors are preserved. These errors describe the caller's input mistakes — field paths, expected types, and size limits — which are the input contract, not internal implementation details. Preserving them lets callers diagnose and fix their requests.
For non--32602 errors that contain Zod patterns (e.g., internal -32603 errors), the framework replaces the response with a safe generic message:
{
"error": {
"code": -32602,
"message": "Invalid input parameters",
"data": {
"reason": "Input failed schema validation (Zod). Check parameter types and required fields.",
"layer": "OUTGOING_SANITIZER"
}
}
}
This prevents internal Zod schema structures from leaking to clients while preserving actionable validation feedback on input errors.
Type Guards for Error Handling
import { isError, getErrorMessage, isSeverity } from 'mcp-secure-server';
try {
await server.connect(transport);
} catch (error) {
if (isError(error)) {
console.error('Error:', getErrorMessage(error));
}
}
// Validate severity values
const severity = 'HIGH';
if (isSeverity(severity)) {
// TypeScript knows severity is Severity type
}
Claude Desktop Integration
Add to your Claude Desktop configuration (claude_desktop_config.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"secure-server": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["path/to/your/server.js"],
"cwd": "/path/to/project"
}
}
}
Test Server
Run the included test server to verify the framework:
npm start
The test server includes 7 protected tools:
debug-calculator- Basic math operationsdebug-file-reader- Safe file readingdebug-echo- Text echo servicedebug-database- Database query simulationdebug-http- HTTP request simulationdebug-parser- JSON/XML parsingdebug-image- Image processing simulation
Add to Claude Desktop:
{
"mcpServers": {
"secure-test": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["tsx", "cookbook/minimal-server/minimal-test-server.ts"],
"cwd": "/path/to/mcp-secure-server"
}
}
}
Development
Running Tests
# Run all tests
npm test
# Run specific test suites
npm run test:unit
npm run test:integration
npm run test:performance
# Watch mode for development
npm run test:watch
# Generate coverage report
npm run test:coverage
Test Coverage:
- Overall: 86% lines, 86% branches
- 1134 comprehensive tests
- Mutation tests for severity levels
- Boundary value tests for limits
- Real attack vector validation
Running a Single Test
npx vitest run test/unit/utils/canonical.test.js
Linting
npm run lint
Project Structure
src/
├── index.ts # Main entry point & public exports
├── types/ # TypeScript type definitions
│ ├── index.ts # Type exports & guards
│ ├── layers.ts # Layer type definitions
│ ├── messages.ts # MCP message types
│ ├── policies.ts # Policy type definitions
│ ├── server.ts # Server configuration types
│ └── validation.ts # Validation result types
└── security/
├── index.ts # Security module exports
├── mcp-secure-server.ts # SecureMcpServer class
├── constants.ts # Configuration constants
├── transport/
│ ├── index.ts # Transport exports
│ ├── secure-transport.ts # SecureTransport (stdio)
│ └── http-server.ts # HTTP transport server
├── layers/
│ ├── validation-layer-base.ts # Base class for all layers
│ ├── layer1-structure.ts # JSON-RPC validation
│ ├── layer2-content.ts # Content/injection detection
│ ├── layer2-validators/ # Modular content validators
│ │ ├── index.ts # Validator exports
│ │ ├── pattern-detection.ts # Attack pattern matching
│ │ ├── base64-css.ts # Base64/CSS attack detection
│ │ └── data-semantics.ts # Data format validation
│ ├── layer3-behavior.ts # Rate limiting & burst detection
│ ├── layer4-semantics.ts # Tool contracts & policies
│ ├── layer5-contextual.ts # Custom validators
│ ├── contextual-config-builder.ts # Layer 5 fluent configuration
│ └── layer-utils/
│ ├── content/
│ │ ├── canonicalize.ts # Text normalization
│ │ ├── unicode.ts # Unicode attack normalization
│ │ ├── dangerous-patterns.ts # Pattern configuration
│ │ ├── helper-utils.ts # Content helper functions
│ │ ├── patterns/ # Attack pattern definitions
│ │ │ ├── index.ts # Pattern exports & utilities
│ │ │ ├── injection.ts # SQL/XSS/NoSQL patterns
│ │ │ ├── path-traversal.ts # Path traversal patterns
│ │ │ ├── network.ts # SSRF/network patterns
│ │ │ └── overflow-validation.ts # Buffer/encoding patterns
│ │ └── utils/
│ │ ├── index.ts # Utility exports
│ │ ├── text-decoding.ts # Encoding detection
│ │ ├── hash-utils.ts # Cache key generation
│ │ └── structural-analysis.ts # Deep structure analysis
│ └── semantics/
│ ├── semantic-policies.ts # Tool/resource policies
│ └── semantic-quotas.ts # Quota management
└── utils/
├── validation-pipeline.ts # Multi-layer orchestration
├── security-logger.ts # Security event logging
├── error-sanitizer.ts # Safe error responses
├── request-normalizer.ts # Request normalization
├── response-validator.ts # Response validation
└── tool-registry.ts # Tool management
cookbook/ # Example MCP servers
├── http-server/ # HTTP transport example
├── multi-endpoint-server/ # Multi-endpoint routing
├── image-gen-server/ # Image generation APIs
├── kenpom-server/ # Sports analytics API
├── nba-server/ # NBA statistics API
├── api-wrapper-server/ # Safe external API wrapper
├── database-server/ # SQL injection prevention
├── filesystem-server/ # Path traversal prevention
├── cli-wrapper-server/ # Command injection prevention
├── monitoring-server/ # Security metrics & alerts
├── transaction-server/ # State machine workflows
└── advanced-validation-server/ # Advanced security demos
Troubleshooting
Module Not Found
Error: Cannot find module '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk'
Solution: Install peer dependencies: ``bash npm install @modelcontextprotocol/sdk zod ``
Rate Limit Exceeded
Error: Request blocked: Rate limit exceeded
Solution: Increase rate limits in configuration: ``typescript { maxRequestsPerMinute: 60, maxRequestsPerHour: 1000 } ``
False Positive Detection
Error: Request blocked: Path traversal detected
Solution: If legitimate path contains ../, configure resource policy: ``typescript { resourcePolicy: { rootDirs: ['./allowed-paths'], // Paths are validated relative to rootDirs } } ``
Logging Not Working
getVerboseSecurityReport() returns empty
Solution: Enable logging in configuration: ``typescript { enableLogging: true, verboseLogging: true } ``
Log Files Missing or Empty (logging enabled)
enableLogging: true, but no log files appear / getVerboseSecurityReport is empty
Cause: The logger silently degrades to no-op when the log directory cannot be created or written — e.g. MCP hosts that launch the server with cwd="/", where the default <cwd>/logs resolves to the unwritable /logs.
Diagnose: Check getSecurityStats().logger.fileLoggingAvailable. If false, logging is degraded; a one-time warning was also written to stderr at startup. writeErrors/lastWriteError flag failures that began after a healthy start.
Solution: Point logDir at a writable path (or set the LOG_DIR env var): ``typescript { enableLogging: true, logDir: '/var/log/my-mcp-server' // or set LOG_DIR=/var/log/my-mcp-server } `` If the directory still cannot be created, security events are not recorded but the server continues operating.
Layer 5 Validators Not Running
Solution: Ensure Layer 5 is enabled: ``typescript { contextual: { enabled: true // Must be true (default) } } ``
TypeScript Type Errors
Solution: Ensure you're using TypeScript 5.0+ with strict mode: ``json { "compilerOptions": { "strict": true, "noUncheckedIndexedAccess": true } } ``
SQL Injection Detected (False Positive)
Error: Request blocked: SQL injection detected
Cause: Content contains SQL-like keywords (SELECT, DROP, UNION) in legitimate text.
Solutions:
- Use tool policies to relax validation for content storage tools:
{
"version": "2.0",
"tools": {
"save_document": {
"level": "STORAGE",
"relaxedFields": ["content", "description"]
}
}
}
- Set the tool's security level programmatically:
import { registerToolPolicy } from 'mcp-secure-server';
registerToolPolicy('save_document', {
level: 'STORAGE',
relaxedFields: ['content']
});
Command Injection Detected (False Positive)
Error: Request blocked: Command injection detected
Cause: Content contains shell characters (|, ;, &&, backticks) or common command names (top, env, curl, grep) in legitimate text.
Note: As of v0.0.14, STORAGE-level tools no longer check command.systemInfo, command.basicInjection, command.networkOperations, or command.fileOperations patterns — only command.shellAccess and `command.executionWr






