get-mcp-keys
by StuMason
get-mcp-keys is a utility to prevent accidental committing of API keys to your repositories when using MCP servers with AI coding assistants. It loads API keys from a secure file in your home directory, keeping them out of your Git history.
Last updated: N/A
🔐 get-mcp-keys
Stop accidentally committing API keys to your repos!
The Problem
When using Cursor AI (and other AI coding assistants) with MCP servers, you need API keys in your ./cursor/mcp.json
file:
{
"mcpServers": {
"firecrawl": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"firecrawl-mcp"
],
"env": {
"FIRECRAWL_API_KEY": "sk_live_ohno-this-should-NOT-be-in-git" // 💀
}
}
}
}
This is a security nightmare waiting to happen. One accidental commit and your keys are exposed in your Git history.
💯 The Solution
get-mcp-keys
loads your API keys from a secure file in your home directory, keeping them out of your repositories entirely.
⚡ Quick Start
1. Create a .mcprc
file in your home directory
touch ~/.mcprc
chmod 600 ~/.mcprc # Make it readable only by you
3. Add your API keys to the file
# ~/.mcprc
FIRECRAWL_API_KEY="your_actual_api_key_here"
BRAVE_API_KEY="another_secret_key_here"
# Add any other MCP server keys you use
4. Update your MCP configuration to use get-mcp-keys
{
"mcpServers": {
"firecrawl": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"@masonator/get-mcp-keys", // 🔐
"npx",
"-y",
"firecrawl-mcp"
]
}
}
}
That's it! The get-mcp-keys
utility will:
- Load your API keys from
~/.mcprc
- Inject them as environment variables
- Run your MCP server command with the keys available
🛡️ Security
- Your API keys stay in your home directory
- Keys are never committed to repositories
- Keys are loaded only when needed
- Debug output shows only first/last few characters of keys
🧰 Supported MCP Servers
Works with any MCP server that needs environment variables, including:
- FireCrawl
- Brave Search
- Supabase
- And any other MCP servers you configure!
🔍 How It Works
get-mcp-keys
reads your .mcprc
file, adds those environment variables to the current environment, and then executes whatever command you specify after it in the args list. It's simple yet effective!

get-mcp-keys in action
📋 License
MIT
⭐ If this saved you from committing your keys, star the repo!