How to connect the Dropbox remote MCP server

Q: How secure is the connection?

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

Updated Mar 18, 2026

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.
Search	Search files and folders by name or content. Filter by folder, file type, or last updated date, and more. Sort results by relevance or most recent changes. Display more search results.

Supported MCP clients

Dropbox MCP server supports Dynamic Client Registration for the following MCP clients:

ChatGPT
Claude Code
Claude Web / Desktop
Cursor

Notes:

If you're connecting from other MCP clients, go to Connecting from other MCP clients.
To request Dynamic Client Registration support for a specific MCP client, contact us via Get Help.

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.

Important: If you change your Dropbox app settings, such as adding a new scope, you must reconnect to the Dropbox MCP server.

Connect with Cursor

To set up the connector

In Cursor, click Settings, then Cursor Settings.
Click Tools and MCP, then New MCP Server.
Copy the configuration below:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "Dropbox MCP": {
      "url": "https://mcp.dropbox.com/mcp"
    }
   }
}

Connect with Claude Web/Desktop

Prerequisites

Access to the Claude Custom Connector (available on select Claude plans)

To set up the connector

In Claude, click Settings, then Connectors.
Click Add custom connector.
Enter the following:
- Name: Dropbox MCP
- Dropbox MCP server URL: https://mcp.dropbox.com/mcp
Click Add.

Connect with Claude Code (CLI)

Prerequisites

Claude Code CLI installed

To set up the connector

claude mcp add --transport http DropboxMCP https://mcp.dropbox.com/mcp

Connect with ChatGPT Web

Prerequisites

Access to ChatGPT Developer Mode (available on certain plans)

To enable Developer Mode

In ChatGPT, click Settings, then Apps & Connectors.
Click Advanced settings.
Toggle Developer mode to ON.
Review the prompt about unverified connectors, then click Confirm.

To set up the connector

In ChatGPT, click Settings, then Apps.
Click Create app.
Enter the following:
- Name: Dropbox MCP
- MCP Server URL: https://mcp.dropbox.com/mcp
- Authentication: OAuth
Check I understand and want to continue.
Click Create.

Connect with ChatGPT Codex (CLI)

Prerequisites

Access token from your Dropbox app setup
Codex installed locally

To set up the connector

Set the environment variable:

macOS / Linux

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

Windows (PowerShell)

setx DROPBOX_MCP_TOKEN "<your-access-token>"

2. Add the connector:

codex mcp add dropbox-mcp \

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

--bearer-token-env-var DROPBOX_MCP_TOKEN

3. 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>"

Connecting from other MCP clients

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

Dropbox app setup

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.

Go to the Dropbox App Console.
Click Create app.
Configure your app:
- API: Scoped access
- Access type: Full Dropbox
- App name: Choose a unique name
Click Permissions, then enable:
- account_info.read
- files.metadata.read
- files.content.read
Add OAuth 2 Redirect URIs for your MCP Client:
- Check their documentation for specific OAuth2 redirect URIs.
- This is sometimes obtained during the setup flow of connecting to MCP servers.
Collect your credentials:
- Click Settings.
- Click Generate access token.
- Copy your Access token.
  - Note: The access token is short-lived, so you’ll need to regenerate it when it expires.
- Copy the App key.
- Copy the App secret.
Customize your app in Branding with a name, icon, and description (Optional).