Section 1
What to inspect first
Start with launch method, id uniqueness, transport, and environment handling. If the config hides risk there, nothing later in the workflow gets safer.
- check whether the launcher is reviewed, pinned, or ephemeral
- check whether credentials appear in the URL or file directly
- check whether blanket environment inheritance is enabled
- check whether the server reaches broader paths or remotes than expected
Section 2
Safer defaults
- prefer reviewed local installs over floating or opaque launch paths
- move auth into env-backed fields or headers rather than embedding secrets in config
- pass only the variables the server needs
- keep filesystem scope as narrow as the real task allows
Section 3
What MCP Preflight helps with
The scanner is strongest at surfacing broad scope, token passthrough, launcher risk, and transport/auth issues while the config is still easy to change.
mcp-preflight scan . --format text --no-exit-code