Same pattern as the ENABLE_LOGIN_FLOW removal in the previous commit:
the deployment mode (MCP_DEPLOYMENT_MODE) is the single source of truth
for selecting an auth flow. The ENABLE_MULTI_USER_BASIC_AUTH env-var
alias is redundant with `MCP_DEPLOYMENT_MODE=multi_user_basic`.
Unlike the ENABLE_LOGIN_FLOW removal — where silent removal was safe
because Login Flow v2 is the auto-detection default — silent removal
here would be a surprise: a user with only ENABLE_MULTI_USER_BASIC_AUTH=true
in their .env would auto-detect into LOGIN_FLOW after upgrade (wrong
runtime mode). Mitigation: detect_auth_mode now reads os.environ
directly for both legacy aliases and raises ValueError with a one-line
migration message if either is set. Applied retroactively to
ENABLE_LOGIN_FLOW as well — loud is better than silent.
- nextcloud_mcp_server/config.py:
- Drop the dynaconf env-var alias entry for ENABLE_MULTI_USER_BASIC_AUTH.
- Update the `enable_multi_user_basic_auth` field docstring to mark it
as derived / not user-settable.
- `_is_multi_user_mode()` (early-config helper, runs before Settings
is built) switched to checking MCP_DEPLOYMENT_MODE directly. Now
consistent with the canonical detection in detect_auth_mode.
- nextcloud_mcp_server/config_validators.py:
- Drop the auto-detection branch (`if settings.enable_multi_user_basic_auth`).
Selection of MULTI_USER_BASIC is now exclusively via the explicit
MCP_DEPLOYMENT_MODE branch.
- Add `enable_multi_user_basic_auth` to `_sync_derived_flags` alongside
`enable_login_flow` — both flags are now derived from the resolved mode.
- Drop `enable_multi_user_basic_auth` from
`MODE_REQUIREMENTS[MULTI_USER_BASIC].required` and from the
`forbidden` lists of SINGLE_USER_BASIC and LOGIN_FLOW (no longer
user input → no meaningful forbidden check).
- Add loud-deprecation `ValueError` block at the top of detect_auth_mode
that errors with a clear migration message when ENABLE_MULTI_USER_BASIC_AUTH
or ENABLE_LOGIN_FLOW is found in os.environ.
- tests/unit/test_config_validators.py:
- Switch ~10 fixtures from `enable_multi_user_basic_auth=True` to
`deployment_mode="multi_user_basic"` (mirrors `enable_login_flow`
treatment from the previous commit).
- Switch two `patch.dict(os.environ, {"ENABLE_MULTI_USER_BASIC_AUTH": "true"})`
blocks to use MCP_DEPLOYMENT_MODE.
- Rename `test_forbidden_multi_user_basic_auth` to
`test_forbidden_multi_user_basic_when_credentials_present` — the
scenario is now an explicit-mode + credentials conflict, not an
env-var-flag conflict.
- Add `test_legacy_enable_multi_user_basic_auth_env_var_errors` and
`test_legacy_enable_login_flow_env_var_errors` to exercise the new
loud-deprecation ValueError path.
- docker-compose.yml: mcp-multi-user-basic profile switched to
`MCP_DEPLOYMENT_MODE=multi_user_basic`.
- env.sample: replaced `#ENABLE_MULTI_USER_BASIC_AUTH=true` example with
`#MCP_DEPLOYMENT_MODE=multi_user_basic`.
- docs/authentication.md, configuration.md, troubleshooting.md,
auth-flows.md, webhook-management-guide.md,
configuration-migration-v2.md, ADR-025: replaced env-var examples
with the canonical MCP_DEPLOYMENT_MODE form.
- docs/ADR-020: marked partly superseded by ADR-022.
- CLAUDE.md: Multi-User BasicAuth section updated to set
MCP_DEPLOYMENT_MODE.
- nextcloud_mcp_server/vector/oauth_sync.py: module docstring updated.
BREAKING CHANGE: ENABLE_MULTI_USER_BASIC_AUTH is no longer read from
the environment, and setting it now raises a startup ValueError with
a migration message. Replace `ENABLE_MULTI_USER_BASIC_AUTH=true` with
`MCP_DEPLOYMENT_MODE=multi_user_basic`. The same loud-deprecation
check is also applied to the recently-removed ENABLE_LOGIN_FLOW —
replace with `MCP_DEPLOYMENT_MODE=login_flow` (or drop both;
`login_flow` is the auto-detect default when no other auth env vars
are set).
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Nextcloud MCP Server
A production-ready MCP server that connects AI assistants to your Nextcloud instance.
Enable Large Language Models like Claude, GPT, and Gemini to interact with your Nextcloud data through a secure API. Create notes, manage calendars, organize contacts, work with files, and more - all through natural language conversations.
This is a dedicated standalone MCP server designed for external MCP clients like Claude Code and IDEs. It runs independently of Nextcloud (Docker, VM, Kubernetes, or local) and provides deep CRUD operations across Nextcloud apps.
Note
Looking for AI features inside Nextcloud? Nextcloud also provides Context Agent, which powers the Assistant app and runs as an ExApp inside Nextcloud. See docs/comparison-context-agent.md for a detailed comparison of use cases.
Tip
Don't want to self-host? Astrolabe Cloud is a managed hosting service for this MCP server, aimed at users and teams who want advanced features like background sync and semantic search without operating the infrastructure themselves. The service is currently under development — sign up on the landing page to join the early-adopter list.
Quick Start
Run the server locally with uvx (no installation required):
NEXTCLOUD_HOST=https://your.nextcloud.instance.com \
NEXTCLOUD_USERNAME=your_username \
NEXTCLOUD_PASSWORD=your_app_password \
uvx nextcloud-mcp-server run --transport stdio
Or add it directly to your MCP client configuration (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or .claude/settings.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"nextcloud": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["nextcloud-mcp-server", "run", "--transport", "stdio"],
"env": {
"NEXTCLOUD_HOST": "https://your.nextcloud.instance.com",
"NEXTCLOUD_USERNAME": "your_username",
"NEXTCLOUD_PASSWORD": "your_app_password"
}
}
}
}
Tip
Generate an app password in Nextcloud under Settings > Security > Devices & sessions instead of using your login password.
Docker
For full features including semantic search, run with Docker:
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8000:8000 --rm \
-e NEXTCLOUD_HOST=https://your.nextcloud.instance.com \
-e NEXTCLOUD_USERNAME=your_username \
-e NEXTCLOUD_PASSWORD=your_app_password \
ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest
Then connect your MCP client (Claude Desktop, IDEs, mcp dev, etc.) to http://127.0.0.1:8000/mcp.
For Kubernetes, see cbcoutinho/helm-charts. For other deployment options and Compose profiles, see docs/installation.md.
Key Features
- 110+ MCP Tools - Comprehensive API coverage across 10 Nextcloud apps
- MCP Resources - Structured data URIs for browsing Nextcloud data
- Semantic Search (Experimental) - Optional vector-powered search for Notes, Files, News items, and Deck cards (requires Qdrant + Ollama)
- Document Processing - OCR and text extraction from PDFs, DOCX, images with progress notifications
- Flexible Deployment - Docker, Kubernetes (Helm chart), VM, or local installation
- Production-Ready Auth - Basic Auth with app passwords; multi-user via Login Flow v2 — MCP clients authenticate via OAuth, the server handles Nextcloud app passwords transparently
- Tag-Based File Exclusion - Hide sensitive files/folders from MCP file tools by tagging them with a configured Nextcloud system tag (
EXCLUDED_TAGS). See docs/configuration.md - Multiple Transports - streamable-http (default) and stdio
Supported Apps
| App | Tools | Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| Notes | 7 | Full CRUD, keyword search, semantic search |
| Calendar | 20+ | Events, todos (tasks), recurring events, attendees, availability |
| Contacts | 8 | Full CardDAV support, address books |
| Files (WebDAV) | 12 | Filesystem access, OCR/document processing |
| Deck | 15 | Boards, stacks, cards, labels, assignments |
| Cookbook | 13 | Recipe management, URL import (schema.org) |
| Tables | 5 | Row operations on Nextcloud Tables |
| Sharing | 10+ | Create and manage shares |
| News | 8 | Feeds, folders, items, feed health monitoring |
| Collectives | 16 | Full CRUD on collectives, pages, and tags |
| Talk (spreed) | 6 | List conversations, read/post messages, mark as read, list participants |
| Semantic Search | 2+ | Vector search for Notes, Files, News items, and Deck cards (experimental, opt-in, requires infrastructure) |
Want to see another Nextcloud app supported? Open an issue or contribute a pull request!
Authentication
The MCP server authenticates to Nextcloud using app-specific passwords (Basic Auth). Three deployment modes are supported:
| Mode | Best for |
|---|---|
| Single-User (BasicAuth) | Personal use, development, single-user deployments |
| Multi-User (BasicAuth pass-through) | Multi-user setups where clients send credentials via Authorization header |
| Multi-User (Login Flow v2) | Multi-user / hosted deployments — clients authenticate to the MCP server via OAuth, and the server obtains a per-user app password from Nextcloud and uses it transparently |
OAuth-direct-to-Nextcloud is no longer supported (it required upstream patches to user_oidc that were never merged). Login Flow v2 replaces it for multi-user deployments and works with stock Nextcloud.
See docs/authentication.md for setup instructions.
Semantic Search
An experimental RAG pipeline that lets MCP clients find Nextcloud content by meaning rather than keywords — a query for "car" also surfaces notes about "vehicle" or "transportation". Disabled by default (ENABLE_SEMANTIC_SEARCH=false); requires a vector database and embedding service. See docs/semantic-search-architecture.md and docs/configuration.md.
Tip
Don't want to run Qdrant and an embedding service? Astrolabe Cloud (under development) provides semantic search and background sync as a managed service.
Documentation
- Installation — Docker, Compose profiles, local, VM
- Configuration — Environment variables, document processing, semantic search setup
- Authentication — Basic Auth, Login Flow v2
- Running the Server — Start, manage, troubleshoot
- App Documentation — Per-app guides (Notes, Calendar, Contacts, WebDAV, Deck, Cookbook, Tables)
- Semantic Search Architecture + Vector Sync UI
- Login Flow v2 — recommended multi-user setup (architecture, env vars, scope reference, troubleshooting)
- Troubleshooting · Comparison with Context Agent
Contributing
Contributions are welcome!
- Report bugs or request features: GitHub Issues
- Submit improvements: Pull Requests
- Development guidelines: CLAUDE.md
Security
Found a security issue? Do not open a public GitHub issue. Use GitHub's private vulnerability reporting, or email security@astrolabecloud.com if you can't use GitHub. See SECURITY.md for details.
License
This project is licensed under the AGPL-3.0 License. See LICENSE for details.
