AppViewX MCP Server (TechPreview)

Overview

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that allows AI assistants to connect with enterprise tools through a common interface. It helps AI assistants access approved tools and data sources without requiring separate custom integrations for each assistant.

The AppViewX MCP Server enables MCP-compatible AI assistants to query certificate information from the AppViewX Platform using approved read-only tools.

This Tech Preview release supports natural language access to certificate visibility use cases such as certificate inventory search, expiry checks, cryptographic algorithm review, and certificate compliance insights.

Note: The AppViewX MCP Server is available as a Tech Preview release and currently runs in stdio mode. It is intended for controlled evaluation with supported MCP-compatible AI assistants. Always verify important certificate information in the AppViewX Platform before taking operational action.

How It Works

The AppViewX MCP Server runs locally on your machine in stdio mode and acts as a bridge between your AI assistant and the AppViewX Platform.The request flow works as follows:

You ask a certificate-related question in an MCP-compatible AI assistant.
The AI assistant converts the request into an MCP tool call and sends it to the AppViewX MCP Server over stdio.
The MCP Server translates the tool call into an authenticated HTTPS request to the AppViewX Platform.
The AppViewX Platform returns the requested certificate data.
The MCP Server sends the response back to the AI assistant in a human-readable format.

Because the MCP Server runs in stdio mode, the communication between the AI assistant and the local MCP Server does not require opening an additional network port.

What's Available Today

This release supports read-only certificate visibility. You can query, search, and retrieve certificate data. Both tools require the Certificates: Collections: Read permission on your AppViewX service account.


Tool	Input / Lookup by	Returns
`get_certificate` Retrieve full details for a specific certificate.	Lookup by: certificate common name, certificate ID, or UUID.	Full certificate record, including SANs, key algorithm, validity dates, issuer, owner, CA source, PEM content, metadata, and validation status.
`get_certificates_by_criteria` Search and filter your certificate inventory. The AI assistant maps your natural language query to the appropriate filter criteria automatically.	Filter by: expiry date range, common name (exact or partial), key algorithm (RSA/EC/DSA), key size, issuer CA, or certificate status (revoked/expired). The AI maps natural language to the correct filters automatically.	Matching certificate list with key metadata, including name, expiry, algorithm, status, and owner.

Getting Started

Before you begin, ensure that the prerequisites listed in this section are in place.

To set up the AppViewX MCP Server, complete the following steps:

Create a service account in AppViewX.
Download and extract the MCP Server.
Configure your AI client.
Verify the connection.

Prerequisites


Requirement	Version	Notes
AppViewX CLM	2026.2.0+	Reachable over HTTPS from your local machine.
Java Runtime Environment	Java 21	Must be on your system PATH. Verify with `java -version`.
AI Client	Latest	Claude Desktop or VS Code with GitHub Copilot configuration is required.
AppViewX Service Account	—	Provides the Client ID and Client Secret used to authenticate with AppViewX CLM. See Step 1: Create a Service Account in AppViewX.

Important: Use an enterprise-approved AI client to access organizational certificate data. Do not use personal, unmanaged, or free-tier AI accounts unless your organization's security and data governance policies explicitly permit it.

Step 1: Create a Service Account in AppViewX

The MCP Server authenticates every request to AppViewX CLM using a service account Client ID and Client Secret. Create a dedicated account, assign the built-in MCP role, and scope it to the certificate resources it needs to access.

Login to your AppViewX instance.
Navigate to Platform > Service Account.
Click Create New Service Account.
Enter a descriptive name for the account.

Example: mcp-copilot-integration
Under Role, assign the MCP_Certificate_RO.
This is the built-in read-only role for MCP integrations and grants the minimum permissions required.
Map the service account to the appropriate usergroup that has the CLM permissions your team requires.
Under Resources, attach the certificate collections that this service account needs to access. Limit the scope to only the collections that the MCP Server needs to query.
Copy and securely store the generated Client ID and Client Secret.

You now have a Client ID and Client Secret to use when configuring the MCP Server.

Step 2: Download and Extract the MCP Server

Download the AppViewX MCP Server plugin from the AppViewX Agents and Downloads page and extract it to a stable location on your machine.

Login to AppViewX and click (?) icon in the top-right corner.
Select Agents and Downloads.
Locate the AppViewX MCP Server widget and click Download.
The file avx-mcp-<version>.zip is saved to your Downloads folder.
Extract the ZIP to a permanent location.
Tip: Choose a stable path for example, C:\mcp. The full path to avx-mcp.jar will be referenced in the configuration step and must not change after setup.

After extraction, the folder contains:
```
avx-mcp-26.2.0.0/
 ├── lib/
 │    └── avx-mcp.jar    ← the server executable
 ├── mcp.json            ← sample client configuration
 └── README.md
```
Note the full absolute path to avx-mcp.jar.
Example (Windows):
```
C:\mcp\avx-mcp-26.2.0.0\lib\avx-mcp.jar
```
You will need this path in the next step.

Proceed to configure your AI client. Choose the section that matches your tool: Configure Claude Desktop or Configure VS Code.

Step 3a: Configure Claude Desktop

Register the AppViewX MCP Server with Claude Desktop so that Claude can discover and invoke certificate management tools. Have your Client ID, Client Secret, and AppViewX base URL ready.

Open Claude Desktop.
Navigate to Claude > Settings > Developer > Edit Config.
The file claude_desktop_config.json opens in your default text editor.

Add the avx-mcp-server block inside the mcpServers object:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "avx-mcp-server": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "java",
      "args": [
        "-jar",
        "C:\\mcp\\avx-mcp-26.2.0.0\\lib\\avx-mcp.jar"
      ],
      "env": {
        "AVX_BASE_URL": "https://your-appviewx.example.com:31443",
        "CLIENT_ID": "your-client-id",
        "CLIENT_SECRET": "your-client-secret"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace the placeholder values:

JAR path: The absolute path to avx-mcp.jar on your machine. Use double backslashes \\ on Windows.
AVX_BASE_URL: Your AppViewX instance URL including port.
CLIENT_ID: From your AppViewX Service Account.
CLIENT_SECRET: From your AppViewX Service Account.

Save the file and fully restart Claude Desktop.
Claude Desktop spawns the MCP Server process automatically on startup. AppViewX is now natively available inside Claude.

Proceed to verify the connection. See Step 4: Verify the Connection.

Step 3b: Configure VS Code (GitHub Copilot)

Add the AppViewX MCP Server to VS Code so that GitHub Copilot can discover and invoke certificate management tools. Have your Client ID, Client Secret, and AppViewX base URL ready.

Open VS Code.
Press Ctrl+Shift+P to open the Command Palette.
Type and select MCP: Open User MCP Configuration.

Tip: To limit this server to a single project, select MCP: Open Workspace Folder MCP Configuration instead. This creates .vscode/mcp.json in your current workspace folder only.

Open the sample configuration file included in your extracted distribution: avx-mcp-<version>/mcp.json. Add the avx-mcp-server entry from it into the servers object in your MCP config, or use the sample below:

{
  "servers": {
    "avx-mcp-server": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "java",
      "args": [
        "-jar",
        "C:\\mcp\\avx-mcp-26.2.0.0\\lib\\avx-mcp.jar"
      ],
      "env": {
        "AVX_BASE_URL": "https://your-appviewx.example.com:31443",
        "CLIENT_ID": "your-client-id",
        "CLIENT_SECRET": "your-client-secret"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace JAR path, AVX_BASE_URL, CLIENT_ID, and CLIENT_SECRET with your actual values.

Save the file (Ctrl+S).
VS Code detects the configuration and automatically starts the MCP Server process.
Remember: Always use absolute paths do not rely on working directory resolution. Ensure Java is available in PATH before starting VS Code. Avoid wrapping the JAR in shell scripts unless strictly necessary.

Proceed to verify the connection. See Step 4: Verify the Connection.

Step 4: Verify the Connection

Confirm the AppViewX MCP Server is running and tools are available to your AI assistant.

Claude Desktop:

Check that AppViewX tools appear in the available tools panel.
Send the test prompt: Show me available tools in AppViewX MCP.
Claude lists the available AppViewX tools if the connection is successful.

VS Code:

Press Ctrl+Shift+P and select MCP: Show Installed Servers.
The server avx-mcp-server appears with a status of Running or Started, and the list of discovered tools is visible beneath it.

The AppViewX MCP Server is now ready. You can query your certificate inventory, check certificate expiry, inspect algorithms, and more through natural language conversation.

Using the AppViewX MCP Server

With the server running, interact with your certificate inventory using natural language directly inside your AI assistant. The AI reaches out to AppViewX in real time, pulling live data and surfacing it as structured, actionable results.

The following examples show what you can ask from the moment the server is connected.

Find Certificates Expiring Soon

Show me certificates expiring in the next 30 days.

The AI queries AppViewX and surfaces all certificates expiring within the window, with a summary. The data is live — pulled directly from your inventory at the time of the request.

Inspect a Specific Certificate

Get the details of the certificate for api.example.com.

The AI fetches the full certificate profile from AppViewX: validity period, issuer, key algorithm, compliance status, and auto-renewal settings all surfaced in a single view.

Identify Weak Cryptographic Algorithms

Identify certificates with weak algorithms.

The AI can analyze the certificate data returned by AppViewX MCP tools and help highlight potential risks such as weak algorithms, weak key sizes, expiry exposure, or compliance gaps. Always verify critical findings in AppViewX CLM before acting.

More things you can ask


Natural Language Prompt	What It Returns
Show me all certificates issued by DigiCert.	Filtered inventory by issuer CA.
Find RSA 2048 certificates expiring this quarter.	Certificates matching algorithm and expiry criteria.
Which certificates have auto-renewal disabled?	Inventory filtered by auto-renewal setting.

Troubleshooting

Common issues when setting up or running the AppViewX MCP Server, with resolution steps.

Unable to access jarfile

Cause: The path to avx-mcp.jar in the configuration is incorrect.

Resolution:

Double-check the absolute path in your configuration file.
On Windows, verify the file exists:
```
Test-Path "C:\mcp\avx-mcp-26.2.0.0\lib\avx-mcp.jar"
```
The command must return True.
Use double backslashes \\ or forward slashes / in the path string inside the JSON.

java: command not found

Cause: Java is not installed or is not on the system PATH.

Resolution:

Install Java 21.
Restart your terminal or AI client after installation.
Verify: java -version

Server starts but exits immediately

Cause: A startup error commonly an incorrect AppViewX URL or invalid credentials.

Resolution: Run the JAR manually to see the error in the console:

java -jar "C:\mcp\avx-mcp-26.2.0.0\lib\avx-mcp.jar"

Connection refused verify AVX_BASE_URL is correct and reachable from your machine.
Unauthorized / 401 verify CLIENT_ID and CLIENT_SECRET are correct and the service account is active.

Tools are not visible in the AI assistant


Check	Resolution
Server status is not Running	Verify the JAR path is correct and restart the AI client.
JSON syntax error in configuration file	Validate the JSON with a linter or paste it into a JSON validator before saving.
Service account has no CLM permissions	In AppViewX, verify the service account is mapped to a group with the required permissions.

No response from server

Cause: The MCP client is not communicating with the server, often due to a configuration error or a stale client state.

Resolution:

Verify the MCP client configuration file has no JSON syntax errors — paste it into a JSON validator if unsure.
Fully restart the AI client (Claude Desktop or VS Code) to force a fresh server spawn.
Run the JAR manually to confirm it starts without errors:
```
java -jar "C:\mcp\avx-mcp-26.2.0.0\lib\avx-mcp.jar"
```

Authentication fails or returns Unauthorized

Cause: The Client ID or Client Secret is incorrect or has expired.

Resolution:

Log in to AppViewX and navigate to Platform > Service Account.
Regenerate or confirm the credentials for your service account.
Update CLIENT_ID and CLIENT_SECRET in your configuration file and restart the MCP Server.