read
Read the content of a Box file directly
LABSCO SUMMARY
Company documents become answerable without anyone leaving the assistant.
The pairing is the point: search returns URIs and read takes them, so finding and quoting a document is two calls with nothing in between. The surface stops there — this reads Box, it does not upload, move or delete, which also means an agent wired to it cannot damage the drive.
What it is
A two-tool bridge to Box: account-wide search that returns URIs, and direct reading of a file's content
What you get
- Search across all of Box rather than one folder, returning URIs that resource commands accept (search).
- Direct reading of a Box file's content by URI, so the document enters the conversation instead of the download folder (read).
Requirements
A Box account and an application in the Box Developer Console. Then either a developer token in BOX_DEV_TOKEN, which lasts 60 minutes, or BOX_USER_ID plus the app's JWT config in one of BOX_JWT_BASE64 (recommended), BOX_JWT_CONFIG_PATH or BOX_JWT.
Setup effort
One command plus credentials — npx box-mcp-server, then supply credentials
USE CASES
01
Finding the document nobody remembers the folder for
Search covers the whole account rather than one folder and returns URIs, so the file that matches can be read straight away instead of located by hand.
02
Quoting from a file you already have the URI for
The content comes back into the conversation directly, so a policy or spec can be cited without a download and a re-upload.
2 tools
Counted once with only startup setup. Other versions, modes or optional credentials may expose a different list.
search
Search for files and folders across all of Box (not limited to root folder). Returns URIs that can be used with resource commands.
BEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
2 tools when we connected. read handles PDF and Word; other file types are not marked as supported. Nothing uploads, moves, renames or deletes files.
Requires
- npx on PATH
- Node.js
- A Box account with an application created in the Box Developer Console
- Either BOX_DEV_TOKEN (a developer token, which lasts 60 minutes), or BOX_USER_ID plus one of BOX_JWT_BASE64 (recommended), BOX_JWT_CONFIG_PATH or BOX_JWT
Where it runs
Both documented setups run the server on your machine.
CONTEXT COST
Light Standing cost
Rated by the size of the 2 tool definitions that ride along on every turn, not by how many there are
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
Server setup
TERMINAL
npx box-mcp-serverMCP Clients
Claude Desktop — JWT
CLAUDE DESKTOP — JWT · JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"box": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"box-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"BOX_JWT_BASE64": "<YOUR_BOX_JWT_BASE64>",
"BOX_USER_ID": "123456"
}
}
}
}Claude Desktop — developer token
CLAUDE DESKTOP — DEVELOPER TOKEN · JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"box": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"box-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"BOX_DEV_TOKEN": "<YOUR_BOX_DEV_TOKEN>"
}
}
}
}
