How to connect the remote Dropbox MCP server

Updated Nov 21, 2025

In this article

person icon

This article applies to customers in a closed beta and is not generally available. Betas are subject to additional terms. Learn more here.

The Dropbox MCP remote server, now in beta, makes it easy to connect Dropbox directly within your favorite apps, so you can stay focused without switching tabs or interrupting your workflow.

 

Built on the open-source Model Context Protocol (MCP) standard, this integration lets you securely access and use Dropbox inside LLM-based environments.

 

You can use the Dropbox MCP Server if you’re:

  • A developer who wants to browse or query Dropbox files inside your IDE (for example, Cursor).
  • An AI agent builder connecting Dropbox as a data source for retrieval, reasoning, or workflow automation.
  • A professional enhancing Dropbox workflows with AI assistants for document processing or content analysis.
  • Using MCP-compatible tools (such as Cursor, Claude, or LLM client) to browse, inspect, or extract text from Dropbox files.

Available Tools

Tools Description
ListFolder
  • Browse directory contents (up to 100 items per call).
  • Get basic file info: name, size, modification date, file ID.
  • Navigate with pagination using cursors.
  • Handle paths with spaces and special characters.
GetFileMetadata
  • Get detailed file properties: size, dates, MIME type.
  • Works with either file paths or file IDs.  
  • Human-readable formatting (for example, "2.71 MB").
GetFileContent
  • Extract text from PDFs, Word documents, and other text representable files.
  • Support files up to 5 MB.
  • Content Links: Provides Dropbox links for all files (even when text extraction fails).
GetUsageAndQuota
  • Retrieve the current storage usage in units of bytes (total space used).
  • Retrieve the current storage quota in units of bytes (total space available).
  • Supports team users and individual users, for users that are on a team, the tool will retrieve the usage and quota for the entire team.

Before you begin

Before connecting to the MCP server, you need a Dropbox app to obtain API credentials.

highlighter icon

Note: Your Dropbox admin may control whether you can register or connect apps. If you don’t see the option to create an app or connect Dropbox to another service, contact your team admin. Learn more about admin controls for app integrations.

Create a Dropbox app

  1. Go to the Dropbox App Console.
  2. Click Create app.
  3. Configure your app:
    • API: Scoped access
    • Access type: Full Dropbox
    • App name: Choose a unique name
  4. Click Permissions and enable:
    • files.metadata.read
    • files.content.read
  5. Add OAuth 2 Redirect URIs for your MCP Client:
  6. Collect your credentials:
    • Click Settings.
    • Click “Generate access token”.
    • Copy your Access token (This is short-lived, regenerate one when it expires).
    • Copy the App key.
    • Copy the App secret.
  7. Customize your app in Branding with a name, icon, and description (Optional).

How to connect to the Dropbox MCP remote server

Dropbox MCP server location: https://mcp.dropbox.com/mcp

The setup steps vary depending on your MCP client.
 

Connect with Cursor

Prerequisites


To set up the connector

  1. Copy your Access token.
  2. In Cursor, go to Settings → Cursor Settings → Tools and MCP from the left-hand panel.
  3. Click New MCP Server and add the configuration below:
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "Dropbox MCP": {
      "url": "https://mcp.dropbox.com/mcp"
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <your-access-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Connect with Claude Web/Desktop

Prerequisites

  • App key and App secret from your Dropbox app setup
  • Access to the Claude Connector (available on select Claude plans)

 

To set up the connector

  1. Copy your App key and App secret.
  2. In Claude, go to Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector.
  3. Enter the following:
  4. Click Advanced settings.
    • OAuth Client ID: Enter the App key.
    • OAuth Client Secret: Enter the App secret.
  5. Click Add.

 

Connect with Claude Code (CLI)

Prerequisites


To set up the connector

  1. Store your token in an environment variable:

macOS / Linux

export DROPBOX_MCP_TOKEN="<your-access-token>"

Windows (PowerShell)

setx DROPBOX_MCP_TOKEN "<your-access-token>"

  1. Add the connector using the environment variable:

macOS / Linux

claude mcp add dropbox-mcp \

--transport http https://mcp.dropbox.com/mcp \

--header "Authorization: Bearer ${DROPBOX_MCP_TOKEN}"

Windows (PowerShell)

claude mcp add dropbox-mcp `

--transport http https://mcp.dropbox.com/mcp `

--header "Authorization: Bearer $env:DROPBOX_MCP_TOKEN"

  1. Update your OAuth token.

You have two options:

Option A (recommended): Change the environment variable

macOS / Linux

export DROPBOX_MCP_TOKEN="<your-new-access-token>"

Windows

setx DROPBOX_MCP_TOKEN "<your-new-access-token>"

Rerun Claude Code after updating the value.

 

Option B: Manually edit .claude.json

  1. Modify the token in:

/Users/{username}/.claude.json

  1. Find the header that contains "Authorization: Bearer ..." and update the token value.
  2. Save the file and restart Claude Code.

 

Connect with ChatGPT Web

Prerequisites

  • App key and App secret from your Dropbox app setup
  • Access to ChatGPT Developer Mode (available on certain plans)

 

To enable Developer Mode

  1. In ChatGPT, go to Settings → Apps & Connectors → Advanced settings.
  2. Toggle Developer mode to ON.
  3. Confirm the following warning message about unverified connectors:
Allows you to add unverified connectors that could modify or erase data permanently.

To set up the connector

  1. Copy your App key and App secret.
  2. In ChatGPT, go to Settings → Apps & Connectors → Create.
  3. Enter the following:
  4. Paste your App key into OAuth Client ID.
  5. Paste your App secret into OAuth Client Secret.
  6. Check I understand and want to continue.
  7. Click Create.

Connect with ChatGPT Codex (CLI)

Prerequisites

 

To set up the connector

  1. Set the environment variable:

macOS / Linux

export DROPBOX_MCP_TOKEN="<your-access-token>"

Windows (PowerShell)

setx DROPBOX_MCP_TOKEN "<your-access-token>"

  1. Add the connector:

codex mcp add dropbox-mcp \

--url https://mcp.dropbox.com/mcp \

--bearer-token-env-var DROPBOX_MCP_TOKEN

  1. Update the OAuth token.

Update the environment variable and restart Codex or your terminal:

macOS / Linux

export DROPBOX_MCP_TOKEN="<your-new-access-token>"

Windows

setx DROPBOX_MCP_TOKEN "<your-new-access-token>"


Currently unsupported

OAuth Dynamic Client Registration: Currently, Dropbox does not support Dynamic Client Registration, requiring users to create a Dropbox app and manually copying the App key and App secret. Registration currently requires users to create a Dropbox app and manually copy the App key and App secret. This process may change in the future to simplify setup.

FAQs

Which apps are supported?

Dropbox MCP currently works with MCP clients that support remote MCP servers, including Cursor (IDE), Claude Desktop, and ChatGPT.

 

How secure is the connection?

Dropbox MCP uses Dropbox OAuth for secure authentication. Your data stays protected under Dropbox’s existing privacy and security standards.

Was this article helpful?

Let us know how why it didn't help:

Thanks for letting us know!

Thanks for your feedback!

Related Articles

Adobe + Dropbox

Manage third-party apps

What is the Dropbox App Center?

What is the Dropbox Business API, and what apps are available for my team?

Community answers

Other ways to get help

Icon depicting two people
Community
Icon depicting a speech bubble
Contact support
Twitter Icon
Social media support