artifactory-mcp

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that gives AI assistants like Claude Desktop or VS Code Copilot Chat the ability to query Maven artifacts in a JFrog Artifactory.

Reuses the same credentials Maven already uses (~/.m2/settings.xml) — no tokens passed via CLI args, no duplicate config, single source of truth.

Features

• Reads credentials from ~/.m2/settings.xml by default — no --artifactory-token CLI arg, nothing in process listings
• Looks up the latest stable Maven version (excludes SNAPSHOT, alpha, beta, RC, milestone)
• Wraps mvn versions:* for check_dependency_updates — correct parent-chain and BOM resolution, reports plugin and property updates as well as dependency updates
• Uses the JFrog /api/storage/ REST API for directory listings — works even when HTML browsing is disabled
• Works with Claude Desktop, VS Code Copilot, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible client

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18 or higher
• npm
• Maven on PATH (used by check_version_exists, check_dependency_updates, and get_pom when effective: true)
• Either a configured <server id="artifactory"> block in ~/.m2/settings.xml OR the ARTIFACTORY_* environment variables (see below)

Installation

git clone <repo-url> artifactory-mcp
cd artifactory-mcp
npm install

No build step — the server runs directly from src/index.js.

Configuration

The server resolves credentials and the Artifactory URL in this order:

1. Env vars — ARTIFACTORY_URL, ARTIFACTORY_USERNAME, ARTIFACTORY_TOKEN (or ARTIFACTORY_PASSWORD). If all are set, they're used directly.
2. ~/.m2/settings.xml — <server id="artifactory"> for credentials, plus <mirror> or <repository> for the URL.

Override the server id with ARTIFACTORY_SERVER_ID (defaults to artifactory).

Maven-encrypted passwords ({...} syntax) are not supported. Use a plaintext token in settings.xml or set ARTIFACTORY_TOKEN.

Claude Desktop

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit MCP configuration, and add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "artifactory": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/artifactory-mcp/src/index.js"],
      "type": "stdio"
    }
  }
}

Credentials come from ~/.m2/settings.xml — no env vars or args needed.

VS Code (Copilot Chat / MCP extension)

Add to %APPDATA%\Code\User\mcp.json (Windows) or ~/.config/Code/User/mcp.json (Linux/macOS):

{
  "servers": {
    "artifactory": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/artifactory-mcp/src/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Override (optional)

To point at a different Artifactory instance or use a different <server> id:

{
  "servers": {
    "artifactory": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/artifactory-mcp/src/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "ARTIFACTORY_URL": "https://your-artifactory.example.com/artifactory/repo-key",
        "ARTIFACTORY_SERVER_ID": "my-artifactory"
      }
    }
  }
}

Tokens passed via env (not CLI args) stay out of process listings.

Available Tools

get_metadata

Fetch the full maven-metadata.xml for an artifact.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
groupId	string	yes	Maven groupId (e.g. org.apache.commons)
artifactId	string	yes	Maven artifactId (e.g. commons-lang3)

get_latest_stable_version

Return the latest stable version of an artifact — excludes SNAPSHOT, alpha, beta, RC, and milestone builds.

Parameter	Type	Required
groupId	string	yes
artifactId	string	yes

check_version_exists

Verify whether a specific artifact version exists in Artifactory.

Parameter	Type	Required
groupId	string	yes
artifactId	string	yes
version	string	yes

list_artifacts

List artifacts under a Maven groupId. Uses JFrog's /api/storage/ REST endpoint.

Parameter	Type	Required
groupId	string	yes

get_pom

Get the raw POM XML, or the effective POM with parent/BOM resolution applied.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
groupId	string	yes
artifactId	string	yes
version	string	yes
effective	boolean	no	If true, runs mvn help:effective-pom to resolve parent/BOM/property chains

check_dependency_updates

Run a dependency update report. Wraps mvn versions:display-dependency-updates, versions:display-plugin-updates, and versions:display-property-updates.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
groupId	string	yes*	For an Artifactory-hosted artifact
artifactId	string	yes*	For an Artifactory-hosted artifact
version	string	yes*	For an Artifactory-hosted artifact
projectPath	string	yes*	For a local Maven project directory (mutually exclusive with the above)

* Provide either (groupId, artifactId, version) or projectPath.

Usage Examples (with an AI assistant)

What is the latest stable version of org.apache.commons:commons-lang3?

Does version 3.14.0 of commons-lang3 exist in our Artifactory?

List all artifacts under org.apache.logging.log4j

Show me the effective POM for org.apache.commons:commons-lang3:3.14.0

Check for dependency updates in the project at C:/path/to/my-project

Notes & Caveats

• Stable-version filter. get_latest_stable_version excludes pre-release tags like -SNAPSHOT, -alpha, -beta, -RC, -M1, -M2, etc. If you want the absolute latest including pre-releases, use get_metadata and pick from the full list.
• Effective POM is slow. get_pom with effective: true runs Maven, which downloads parent POMs and BOM artifacts. First-time runs against a cold local repo can take 30+ seconds.
• Maven required for check_dependency_updates. This tool spawns mvn — make sure Maven 3.x is on PATH.

Security

• Use a token, not a password. Generate an identity token in Artifactory and put it in ~/.m2/settings.xml <password> (or ARTIFACTORY_TOKEN).
• Don't commit settings.xml. Treat it like a credential file.
• No Maven password encryption. This server does not decrypt {...} encrypted passwords from settings.xml. Use plaintext tokens or env vars.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Fix
Could not find credentials	Set ARTIFACTORY_USERNAME + ARTIFACTORY_TOKEN env vars, or add a <server id="artifactory"> block to ~/.m2/settings.xml
Could not discover Artifactory URL	Set ARTIFACTORY_URL env var or configure a <mirror> / <repository> in settings.xml
Maven-encrypted password not supported	Replace the {...} encrypted password with a plaintext token, or use ARTIFACTORY_TOKEN env var
mvn: command not found	Install Maven 3.x and ensure it's on PATH (needed for check_dependency_updates, check_version_exists, and get_pom effective: true)
Bitbucket API error 401 / Artifactory 401	Token is wrong or expired — regenerate in Artifactory UI

Development

npm start   # runs node src/index.js

Source lives in src/. Tools register themselves into the MCP server via the registerXxx(server, config) pattern.