--- title: Secure MCP servers description: Secure MCP servers with Cloudflare Access. image: https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/zt-preview.png --- > Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/cloudflare-one/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. [Skip to content](#%5Ftop) # Secure MCP servers You can secure [Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers ↗](https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/ai/what-is-model-context-protocol-mcp/) with Cloudflare Access. Choose an approach based on who manages the MCP server code and hostname: | Approach | Best for | Auth handled by | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | | [Customer-managed third-party MCP server](#customer-managed-third-party-mcp-server) | Third-party MCP server code running on a hostname you control in Cloudflare | The third-party MCP server | | [SaaS-managed third-party MCP server](#saas-managed-third-party-mcp-server) | Third-party MCP servers hosted by the provider that support customer-provided OAuth or OIDC identity settings | Third-party MCP server, with Access as the OIDC provider | ## Customer-managed third-party MCP server Use this setup when the MCP server runs on a hostname you control in Cloudflare, but the server code is managed by a third party and already handles its own OAuth flow. In this setup, do not enable Access Managed OAuth. You also do not need to add the MCP server hostname as a public hostname on the generated Access application. 1. Ensure the MCP server hostname has **Proxy status** turned on in Cloudflare DNS. 2. In the [Cloudflare dashboard ↗](https://dash.cloudflare.com/), go to **Zero Trust** \> **Access controls** \> **AI controls**. 3. Go to the **MCP servers** tab. 4. Select **Add an MCP server**. 5. Enter a name for the server. 6. In **HTTP URL**, enter the MCP server URL, including the MCP path. For example, `https://mcp.example.com/mcp`. 7. Configure [Access policies](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/cloudflare-one/access-controls/policies/) to define the users who can use the MCP server. 8. Configure how users will authenticate: 1. Select the [identity providers](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/cloudflare-one/integrations/identity-providers/) you want to enable for your application. 2. (Recommended) If you plan to only allow access via a single IdP, turn on **Apply instant authentication**. End users will not be shown the [Cloudflare Access login page](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/cloudflare-one/reusable-components/custom-pages/access-login-page/). Instead, Cloudflare will redirect users directly to your SSO login event. 3. (Optional) Turn on **Authenticate with Cloudflare One Client** to allow users to authenticate to the application using their [ Cloudflare One Client session identity](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/cloudflare-one/team-and-resources/devices/cloudflare-one-client/configure/client-sessions/). 9. Select **Save and connect server**. 10. If the MCP server prompts you to authenticate, complete the third-party OAuth flow. Note Only enable Managed OAuth for MCP servers that validate the Access JWT sent by Cloudflare. For third-party MCP server code that you cannot update, use the server's existing OAuth flow instead. ## SaaS-managed third-party MCP server Use this setup when a third-party provider hosts the MCP server and lets you configure a custom OAuth or OIDC identity provider. In this setup, the MCP server implements the OAuth authorization code flow against Cloudflare Access and receives an `access_token` that it can use to call downstream services. The following guide uses a remote MCP server on [Cloudflare Workers](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/workers/) to show the Access for SaaS setup. For a SaaS-managed server, follow your provider's setup instructions and use the Access for SaaS values created in [Step 2](#2-create-an-access-for-saas-app). When users connect to the MCP server using an MCP client, they will be prompted to log in to your [identity provider](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/cloudflare-one/integrations/identity-providers/) and are only granted access if they pass your [Access policies](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/cloudflare-one/access-controls/policies/#selectors). ### Prerequisites * Create a [Zero Trust organization](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/cloudflare-one/setup/#2-create-a-zero-trust-organization). * Configure [One-time PIN](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/cloudflare-one/integrations/identity-providers/one-time-pin/) or connect a third-party [identity provider](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/cloudflare-one/integrations/identity-providers/). ### 1\. Deploy an example MCP server To deploy our [example MCP server ↗](https://github.com/cloudflare/ai/tree/main/demos/remote-mcp-cf-access) to your Cloudflare account: * [ Dashboard ](#tab-panel-7747) * [ CLI ](#tab-panel-7748) 1. Select the following button to launch the quickstart flow: [![Deploy to Workers](https://deploy.workers.cloudflare.com/button)](https://deploy.workers.cloudflare.com/?url=https://github.com/cloudflare/ai/tree/main/demos/remote-mcp-cf-access) 2. Select the account that contains your Zero Trust organization. 3. On the **Create an application** page, configure the following fields: * **Git account**: Select an existing account or connect a new GitHub or GitLab account. * **Create private Git repository**: Choose whether the project repository should be public or private. * **Project name**: `mcp-server-cf-access` * **Select KV namespace**: _Create new_ * **Name your KV namespace**: `OAUTH_KV` We will configure `ACCESS_CLIENT_ID` and the other secret values in a later step. 4. Select **Create and deploy**. The MCP server will be deployed to your `*.workers.dev` subdomain at `mcp-server-cf-access..workers.dev`. A new git repository will be set up on your GitHub or GitLab account for your MCP server, configured to automatically deploy to Cloudflare each time you push a change or merge a pull request to the main branch of the repository. You can use the [Wrangler CLI](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/workers/wrangler) to create the MCP server on your local machine and deploy it to Cloudflare. Prerequisites * Install [npm ↗](https://docs.npmjs.com/getting-started) * Install [Node.js ↗](https://nodejs.org/en/) 1. Open a terminal and clone our example project: ```sh npm create cloudflare@latest -- mcp-server-cf-access --template=cloudflare/ai/demos/remote-mcp-cf-access ``` During setup, select the following options: - For _Do you want to add an AGENTS.md file to help AI coding tools understand Cloudflare APIs?_, choose `No`. - For _Do you want to use git for version control?_, choose `No`. - For _Do you want to deploy your application?_, choose `No` (we will be making some changes before deploying). 2. Go to the project directory: ```sh cd mcp-server-cf-access ``` 3. Create a [Workers KV namespace](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/kv/concepts/kv-namespaces/) to store the key. The binding name should be `OAUTH_KV` if you want to run the example as written. ```sh npx wrangler kv namespace create "OAUTH_KV" ``` The command will output the binding name and KV namespace ID: ```sh { "kv_namespaces": [ { "binding": "OAUTH_KV", "id": "" } ] } ``` 4. Open `wrangler.jsonc` in an editor and insert your `OAUTH_KV` namespace ID: **JSONC** ```jsonc "kv_namespaces": [ { "binding": "OAUTH_KV", "id": "" } ], ``` 5. You can now deploy the Worker to Cloudflare's global network: ```sh npx wrangler deploy ``` The Worker will be deployed to your `*.workers.dev` subdomain at `mcp-server-cf-access..workers.dev`. ### 2\. Create an Access for SaaS app * [ Dashboard ](#tab-panel-7751) * [ API ](#tab-panel-7752) 1. In the [Cloudflare dashboard ↗](https://dash.cloudflare.com/), go to **Zero Trust** \> **Access controls** \> **Applications**. 2. Select **Create new application**. 3. Select **SaaS application**. 4. In **Application**, enter a custom name (for example, `MCP server`) and select the textbox that appears below. 5. Select **OIDC** as the authentication protocol. 6. Select **Add application**. 7. In **Redirect URLs**, enter the authorization callback URL for your MCP server. The callback URL for our [example MCP server](#1-deploy-an-example-mcp-server) is `https://mcp-server-cf-access..workers.dev/callback`. 8. Copy the following values to input into our example MCP server. Other MCP servers may require different sets of input values. * **Client secret** * **Client ID** * **Token endpoint** * **Authorization endpoint** * **Key endpoint** 9. (Optional) Under **Advanced settings**, turn on [**Refresh tokens**](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/cloudflare-one/access-controls/applications/http-apps/saas-apps/generic-oidc-saas/#advanced-settings) if you want to reduce the number of times a user needs to log in to the identity provider. 10. Configure [Access policies](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/cloudflare-one/access-controls/policies/) to define the users who can access the MCP server. 11. Configure how users will authenticate: 1. Select the [identity providers](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/cloudflare-one/integrations/identity-providers/) you want to enable for your application. 2. (Recommended) If you plan to only allow access via a single IdP, turn on **Apply instant authentication**. End users will not be shown the [Cloudflare Access login page](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/cloudflare-one/reusable-components/custom-pages/access-login-page/). Instead, Cloudflare will redirect users directly to your SSO login event. 3. (Optional) Turn on **Authenticate with Cloudflare One Client** to allow users to authenticate to the application using their [ Cloudflare One Client session identity](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/cloudflare-one/team-and-resources/devices/cloudflare-one-client/configure/client-sessions/). 12. Select **Create**. 1. Make a `POST` request to the [Access applications](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/api/resources/zero%5Ftrust/subresources/access/subresources/applications/methods/create/) endpoint: Required API token permissions At least one of the following [token permissions](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/fundamentals/api/reference/permissions/) is required: * `Access: Apps and Policies Write` **Add an Access application** ```bash curl "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/$ACCOUNT_ID/access/apps" \ --request POST \ --header "Authorization: Bearer $CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN" \ --json '{ "name": "MCP server", "type": "saas", "saas_app": { "auth_type": "oidc", "redirect_uris": [ "https://mcp-server-cf-access..workers.dev/callback" ], "grant_type": [ "authorization_code", "refresh_tokens" ], "refresh_token_options": { "lifetime": "90d" } }, "policies": [ "f174e90a-fafe-4643-bbbc-4a0ed4fc8415" ], "allowed_idps": [] }' ``` 2. Copy the `client_id` and `client_secret` returned in the response. 3. Build the OAuth endpoint URLs using your team name and the `client_id` returned in the response: | Endpoint | URL | | ---------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Token endpoint | https://.cloudflareaccess.com/cdn-cgi/access/sso/oidc//token | | Authorization endpoint | https://.cloudflareaccess.com/cdn-cgi/access/sso/oidc//authorization | | Key endpoint | https://.cloudflareaccess.com/cdn-cgi/access/sso/oidc//jwks | ### 3\. Configure your MCP server Your MCP server needs to perform an OAuth 2.0 authorization flow to get an `access_token` from the SaaS app created in [Step 2](#2-create-an-access-for-saas-app). When setting up the OAuth client on your MCP server, you will need to paste in the OAuth endpoints and credentials from the Access for SaaS app. To add OAuth endpoints and credentials to our [example MCP server](#1-deploy-an-example-mcp-server): * [ Dashboard ](#tab-panel-7749) * [ CLI ](#tab-panel-7750) 1. In the [Cloudflare dashboard ↗](https://dash.cloudflare.com/), go to the **Workers & Pages** page. [ Go to **Workers & Pages** ](https://dash.cloudflare.com/?to=/:account/workers-and-pages) 2. Select the `mcp-server-cf-access` Worker. 3. Go to **Settings**. 4. Under **Variables and Secrets**, update each secret with the corresponding value obtained from the [Access for SaaS app](#2-create-an-access-for-saas-app). | Workers secret | SaaS app field | | -------------------------- | ---------------------- | | ACCESS\_CLIENT\_ID | Client ID | | ACCESS\_CLIENT\_SECRET | Client secret | | ACCESS\_TOKEN\_URL | Token endpoint | | ACCESS\_AUTHORIZATION\_URL | Authorization endpoint | | ACCESS\_JWKS\_URL | Key endpoint | Note Use the Client ID, Client secret, and OAuth endpoints copied from the Cloudflare One dashboard. Do not use the OAuth values from your [third-party identity provider](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/cloudflare-one/integrations/identity-providers/generic-oidc/). 5. For `COOKIE_ENCRYPTION_KEY`, you can use the following command to generate a random string: ```sh openssl rand -hex 32 ``` Enter the output of this command into `COOKIE_ENCRYPTION_KEY`. 1. Create the following [Workers secrets](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/workers/configuration/secrets/): ```sh npx wrangler secret put ACCESS_CLIENT_ID npx wrangler secret put ACCESS_CLIENT_SECRET npx wrangler secret put ACCESS_TOKEN_URL npx wrangler secret put ACCESS_AUTHORIZATION_URL npx wrangler secret put ACCESS_JWKS_URL ``` 2. When prompted to enter a secret value, paste the corresponding values obtained from the [Access for SaaS app](#2-create-an-access-for-saas-app). | Workers secret | SaaS app field | | -------------------------- | ---------------------- | | ACCESS\_CLIENT\_ID | Client ID | | ACCESS\_CLIENT\_SECRET | Client secret | | ACCESS\_TOKEN\_URL | Token endpoint | | ACCESS\_AUTHORIZATION\_URL | Authorization endpoint | | ACCESS\_JWKS\_URL | Key endpoint | Note Use the Client ID, Client secret, and OAuth endpoints copied from the Cloudflare One dashboard. Do not use the OAuth values from your [third-party identity provider](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/cloudflare-one/integrations/identity-providers/generic-oidc/). 3. Generate a random string for the cookie encryption key: ```sh openssl rand -hex 32 ``` Store the output of this command in a Workers secret: ```sh npx wrangler secret put COOKIE_ENCRYPTION_KEY ``` ### 4\. Test the connection You can now connect to your MCP server at `https://mcp-server-cf-access..workers.dev/mcp` using [Workers AI Playground ↗](https://playground.ai.cloudflare.com/), [MCP inspector ↗](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/inspector), or [other MCP clients](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/agents/model-context-protocol/guides/remote-mcp-server/#connect-your-mcp-server-to-claude-and-other-mcp-clients) that support remote MCP servers. To test in Workers AI Playground: 1. Go to [Workers AI Playground ↗](https://playground.ai.cloudflare.com/). 2. Under **MCP Servers**, enter `https://mcp-server-cf-access..workers.dev/mcp` for the MCP server URL. 3. Select **Connect**. 4. A popup window will appear requesting access to the MCP server. Select **Approve**. 5. Follow the prompts to log in to your identity provider. Workers AI Playground will show a **Connected** status. The MCP server should successfully obtain an `access_token` from Cloudflare Access. ## Next steps To allow the MCP server to make authenticated requests to other self-hosted applications on behalf of the user, create a [Linked App Token](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/cloudflare-one/access-controls/ai-controls/linked-apps/) policy on the downstream application. 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