mcp-nextcloud/docs/running.md

Running the Server

This guide covers different ways to start and run the Nextcloud MCP server.

Prerequisites

Before running the server:

1. Install the server - See Installation Guide
2. Configure environment - See Configuration Guide
3. Set up authentication - See Authentication (multi-user deployments: see Login Flow v2)

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Quick Start

Start the server using Docker:

# OAuth mode (--oauth, recommended for multi-user; required by Login Flow v2)
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8000:8000 --env-file .env --rm \
  ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest --oauth

# BasicAuth mode (single-user or multi-user pass-through)
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8000:8000 --env-file .env --rm \
  ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest

Note: Under --oauth the MCP server is an OIDC relying party of a configurable IdP (Nextcloud's built-in OIDC by default; Keycloak, AWS Cognito, etc. via OIDC_DISCOVERY_URL) and exposes an OAuth facade for MCP clients. Bearer tokens are validated against the IdP's JWKS. The MCP server does not forward client OAuth tokens to Nextcloud — Nextcloud is always reached via per-user app passwords (Login Flow v2) or Basic Auth credentials.

The server will start on http://127.0.0.1:8000 by default.

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Running with Docker

Basic Docker Run

OAuth Mode (--oauth, recommended for multi-user)

The --oauth flag turns on the OAuth/OIDC layer. In this mode the MCP server is an OIDC relying party of a configurable IdP — Nextcloud's built-in OIDC by default, or any OIDC-compliant provider (Keycloak, AWS Cognito, Auth0, etc.) selected via OIDC_DISCOVERY_URL. The MCP server validates Bearer tokens against that IdP's JWKS and exposes an OAuth facade for MCP clients. Login Flow v2 is layered on top to acquire and store per-user Nextcloud app passwords for the data leg.

The MCP server registers itself with the IdP in one of two ways:

• Static client (preferred) — set NEXTCLOUD_OIDC_CLIENT_ID and NEXTCLOUD_OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET in .env (matching a client you registered in your IdP — Nextcloud admin → OIDC, Keycloak realm → Clients, etc.). These env-var names predate multi-IdP support; they hold generic OIDC client credentials.
• Dynamic Client Registration (fallback) — if the static creds aren't set and the IdP advertises a registration_endpoint, the server self-registers via RFC 7591.

# OAuth with static (pre-registered) client — preferred
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8000:8000 --env-file .env --rm \
  -e NEXTCLOUD_OIDC_CLIENT_ID=abc123 \
  -e NEXTCLOUD_OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET=xyz789 \
  ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest --oauth

# OAuth with auto-registration (DCR) — used when static creds are absent
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8000:8000 --env-file .env --rm \
  ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest --oauth

# OAuth on a custom port
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8080:8000 --env-file .env --rm \
  ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest --oauth

# OAuth with specific apps only
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8000:8000 --env-file .env --rm \
  ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest --oauth \
  --enable-app notes --enable-app calendar

BasicAuth Mode

# BasicAuth (requires NEXTCLOUD_USERNAME/PASSWORD in .env)
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8000:8000 --env-file .env --rm \
  ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest

# BasicAuth with specific apps
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8000:8000 --env-file .env --rm \
  ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest \
  --enable-app notes --enable-app webdav

Docker with Persistent Token Storage

# Mount volume for persistent OAuth token storage
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8000:8000 --env-file .env \
  -v $(pwd)/data:/app/data \
  --rm ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest --oauth

Docker Compose

Create docker-compose.yml:

services:
  mcp:
    image: ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest
    command: --oauth --enable-app notes --enable-app calendar
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:8000:8000"
    env_file:
      - .env
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data  # Persistent token storage
    restart: unless-stopped

Start the service:

# Start in foreground
docker-compose up

# Start in background
docker-compose up -d

# View logs
docker-compose logs -f

# Stop the service
docker-compose down

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Server Options

Host and Port

# Bind to all interfaces (accessible from network)
docker run -p 0.0.0.0:8000:8000 --env-file .env --rm \
  ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest --oauth

# Bind to localhost only (default, more secure)
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8000:8000 --env-file .env --rm \
  ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest --oauth

# Use a different port (map host port 8080 to container port 8000)
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8080:8000 --env-file .env --rm \
  ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest --oauth

Security Note: Binding to 0.0.0.0 exposes the server to your network. Only use this if you understand the security implications.

Transport Protocols

The server supports multiple MCP transport protocols:

# Streamable HTTP (default, recommended)
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8000:8000 --env-file .env --rm \
  ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest --oauth \
  --transport streamable-http

# SSE - Server-Sent Events (deprecated)
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8000:8000 --env-file .env --rm \
  ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest --oauth \
  --transport sse

# HTTP
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8000:8000 --env-file .env --rm \
  ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest --oauth \
  --transport http

Warning

SSE transport is deprecated and will be removed in a future version of the MCP spec. Please migrate to streamable-http.

Logging

# Set log level (critical, error, warning, info, debug, trace)
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8000:8000 --env-file .env --rm \
  ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest --oauth \
  --log-level debug

# Production: use warning or error
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8000:8000 --env-file .env --rm \
  ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest --oauth \
  --log-level warning

Selective App Enablement

By default, all supported Nextcloud apps are enabled. You can enable specific apps only:

# Available apps: notes, tables, webdav, calendar, contacts, cookbook, deck

# Enable all apps (default)
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8000:8000 --env-file .env --rm \
  ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest --oauth

# Enable only Notes
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8000:8000 --env-file .env --rm \
  ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest --oauth \
  --enable-app notes

# Enable multiple apps
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8000:8000 --env-file .env --rm \
  ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest --oauth \
  --enable-app notes --enable-app calendar --enable-app contacts

# Enable only WebDAV for file operations
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8000:8000 --env-file .env --rm \
  ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest --oauth \
  --enable-app webdav

Use cases:

• Reduce memory usage and startup time
• Limit functionality for security/organizational reasons
• Test specific app integrations
• Run lightweight instances with only needed features

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Development Mode

Running for Development

For active development with auto-reload, mount your source code as a volume:

# Development mode with source code mounted
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8000:8000 --env-file .env --rm \
  -v $(pwd):/app \
  -v $(pwd)/data:/app/data \
  ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest --oauth \
  --log-level debug

For local development without Docker:

# Load environment variables
export $(grep -v '^#' .env | xargs)

# Run the server with auto-reload
uv run nextcloud-mcp-server run --oauth --log-level debug

CLI Subcommands

The nextcloud-mcp-server CLI has two main subcommands:

1. run - Start the MCP server (default command in Docker)

   uv run nextcloud-mcp-server run --oauth --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000
   

2. db - Database migration management (Alembic)

   # Show current migration revision
   uv run nextcloud-mcp-server db current
   
   # Upgrade to latest migration
   uv run nextcloud-mcp-server db upgrade
   
   # Show migration history
   uv run nextcloud-mcp-server db history
   
   # Create new migration (developers only)
   uv run nextcloud-mcp-server db migrate "description of changes"
   

Database Migrations

Token storage uses Alembic for schema management:

• Automatic migrations: Database is upgraded automatically on server startup
• Backward compatibility: Pre-Alembic databases are automatically stamped with the initial revision
• Migration files: Located in alembic/versions/
• For developers: When changing the schema:
  1. Create a migration: uv run nextcloud-mcp-server db migrate "add new column"
  2. Edit the generated file in alembic/versions/ to add SQL statements
  3. Test upgrade: uv run nextcloud-mcp-server db upgrade
  4. Test downgrade: uv run nextcloud-mcp-server db downgrade

See Database Migrations Guide for detailed information.

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Connecting to the Server

Using MCP Inspector

MCP Inspector is a browser-based tool for testing MCP servers:

1. Start your MCP server using Docker (see above)
2. Start MCP Inspector:

   npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector
   

3. In the browser:
   • Enter server URL: http://localhost:8000
   • Complete OAuth flow (if using OAuth)
   • Explore tools and resources

Using MCP Clients

MCP clients (like Claude Desktop, LLM IDEs) can connect to your server:

1. Configure the client with your server URL
2. Complete OAuth authentication (if enabled)
3. Start interacting with Nextcloud through the LLM

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Verifying Server Status

Check Server Health

# Test if server is responding
curl http://localhost:8000/health

# Expected response: HTTP 200 OK

Check OAuth Configuration

Look for these log messages on startup:

OAuth mode:

INFO     OAuth mode detected (NEXTCLOUD_USERNAME/PASSWORD not set)
INFO     Configuring MCP server for OAuth mode
INFO     OIDC discovery successful
INFO     OAuth client ready: <client-id>...
INFO     OAuth initialization complete

BasicAuth mode:

INFO     BasicAuth mode detected (NEXTCLOUD_USERNAME/PASSWORD set)
INFO     Initializing Nextcloud client with BasicAuth

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Process Management

Running as a Background Service

Use Docker Compose with restart: unless-stopped (see Docker Compose section above).

Monitoring Logs

# Docker (find container name first)
docker ps
docker logs -f <container-name>

# Docker Compose
docker-compose logs -f mcp

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Performance Tuning

Production Settings

For production deployments, use Docker Compose with the recommended settings:

services:
  mcp:
    image: ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest
    command: --oauth --log-level warning --transport streamable-http
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:8000:8000"
    env_file:
      - .env
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped
    deploy:
      resources:
        limits:
          cpus: '2'
          memory: 1G
        reservations:
          cpus: '0.5'
          memory: 512M

Scaling with Multiple Replicas

For higher load, use Docker Swarm or Kubernetes. See the Helm chart for Kubernetes deployments.

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Troubleshooting

Server won't start

Check logs for errors:

# View container logs
docker logs <container-name>

# Or run with debug logging
docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8000:8000 --env-file .env --rm \
  ghcr.io/cbcoutinho/nextcloud-mcp-server:latest --oauth \
  --log-level debug

Common issues:

• Environment variables not loaded - Check your .env file
• Port already in use - Use a different host port (e.g., -p 127.0.0.1:8080:8000)
• OAuth configuration errors - See Troubleshooting

Can't connect to server

1. Verify server is running: curl http://localhost:8000/health
2. Check firewall settings
3. Verify host binding (use 0.0.0.0 to allow network access)
4. Check OAuth authentication if enabled

OAuth authentication fails

See Troubleshooting OAuth for detailed OAuth troubleshooting.

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See Also

• Configuration Guide - Environment variables
• Authentication - Authentication modes
• Login Flow v2 - Recommended multi-user setup
• Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions
• Installation - Installing the server