Box MCP server
Box's hosted MCP server lets agents search, read, organize, and run Box AI over your enterprise content via OAuth.
Box MCP is Box's official hosted server that gives AI agents secure, permission-aware access to the files and folders stored in a Box enterprise. Instead of handing raw file payloads to the model, the server exposes a structured tool surface: agents can search by keyword or SQL-like metadata query, read file and folder details, list and navigate directories, upload new files and versions, move and copy items, and manage metadata templates. On top of plain storage operations it surfaces Box AI tools that answer questions about one file, many files, or an entire Hub, and that extract freeform or structured metadata straight from documents.
The canonical setup is the remote endpoint at https://mcp.box.com/mcp connected over OAuth 2.0, so every user authorizes their own Box access and the agent inherits that user's existing permissions and sharing policies rather than a blanket admin token. Box has deprecated the self-hosted community server (box-community/mcp-server-box) in favor of this managed endpoint, which also covers collaboration (comments, shared links, collaborations), Hubs, and Doc Gen document generation from templates.
Quick install
Copy-paste configs are provided for all 8 supported clients. Pick your client below.
Add to ~/.claude.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"box": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.box.com/mcp"
}
}
}claude mcp add --transport http box https://mcp.box.com/mcpHeads up
- First tool call opens a browser to authorize.
Available tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| who_am_i | Returns detailed information about the currently authenticated Box user. |
| get_file_content | Retrieves the contents of a file from Box storage. |
| get_file_details | Returns detailed file information including metadata, permissions, and version details. |
| get_file_preview | Provides a preview widget for a Box file. |
| get_folder_details | Retrieves detailed folder information including metadata, permissions, and collaboration settings. |
| list_folder_content_by_folder_id | Lists the contents of a folder with pagination. |
| copy_file | Duplicates a file to a destination folder. |
| copy_folder | Duplicates a folder to a new parent location. |
| create_folder | Creates a new Box folder. |
| move_file | Relocates a file to a new folder while preserving its ID. |
| move_folder | Relocates a folder to a new parent. |
| upload_file | Adds a new file to Box. |
| upload_file_version | Updates an existing file with a new version. |
| update_file_properties | Modifies a file's name, description, tags, or collections. |
| update_folder_properties | Modifies a folder's name, description, tags, or collections. |
| set_file_metadata | Creates or updates custom metadata on a file. |
| set_folder_metadata | Creates or updates custom metadata on a folder. |
| search_files_keyword | Finds files using keywords and metadata filters. |
| search_files_metadata | Searches for files using SQL-like metadata queries. |
| search_folders_by_name | Locates folders by name matching. |
| list_metadata_templates | Lists the available metadata templates. |
| get_metadata_template_schema | Returns the schema for a metadata template. |
| create_metadata_template | Creates an enterprise metadata template. |
| update_metadata_template | Modifies a metadata template via schema operations. |
| list_file_comments | Retrieves the comments on a file. |
| list_item_collaborations | Lists the collaborations on an item. |
| list_tasks | Displays a file's tasks with status and due dates. |
| create_file_comment | Adds a comment to a file. |
| add_file_shared_link | Creates or updates a shared link for a file. |
| add_folder_shared_link | Creates or updates a shared link for a folder. |
| create_collaboration | Invites users or groups to collaborate on an item. |
| update_collaboration | Modifies the collaboration settings on an item. |
| ai_qa_single_file | Uses Box AI to answer questions about an individual file. |
| ai_qa_multi_file | Uses Box AI to answer questions across multiple files. |
| ai_qa_hub | Uses Box AI to answer questions about the content of a Hub. |
| ai_extract_freeform | Extracts metadata from a file using a natural-language prompt. |
| ai_extract_structured | Extracts structured metadata from a file with custom fields. |
| ai_extract_structured_from_fields | Extracts metadata using a set of field definitions. |
| ai_extract_structured_from_fields_enhanced | Enhanced metadata extraction using custom field definitions. |
| ai_extract_structured_from_metadata_template | Extracts metadata from a file using a metadata template. |
| ai_extract_structured_from_metadata_template_enhanced | Enhanced template-based metadata extraction. |
| list_hubs | Lists the Hubs accessible to the user. |
| get_hub_details | Retrieves information about a Hub. |
| get_hub_items | Gets the files and folders associated with a Hub. |
| create_hub | Creates a new Hub. |
| copy_hub | Duplicates a Hub with its structure and settings. |
| update_hub | Modifies a Hub's title and description. |
| add_items_to_hub | Adds files, folders, or links to a Hub. |
| list_docgen_templates | Lists the accessible Doc Gen templates. |
| get_docgen_template_by_id | Retrieves the details of a Doc Gen template. |
| create_docgen_template | Marks a file as a Doc Gen template. |
| create_docgen_batch | Generates documents from a Doc Gen template by filling placeholder tags with provided data. |
What you can do with it
Answer questions over enterprise documents
An agent searches the Box account, then uses Box AI to answer a question from one file or across a whole folder or Hub, returning a sourced answer instead of a guess.
Organize and generate documents
The agent files uploads into the right folders, applies metadata templates, and runs Doc Gen to produce contracts or reports from a template with placeholder data filled in.
FAQ
- Is it free?
- The MCP server is free to connect and works within your existing Box plan; Box AI and Doc Gen tools depend on the features enabled for your enterprise.
- Does it support remote/OAuth?
- Yes. The canonical deployment is the remote endpoint at https://mcp.box.com/mcp using OAuth 2.0, so each user authorizes their own access and the agent respects their existing Box permissions.
- Should I use the self-hosted community server?
- No. Box has deprecated the open-source box-community/mcp-server-box project; new work should use the hosted remote endpoint, which carries the full and current tool set.