Box MCP Server: AI-Powered Document Access

Stop context-switching between your AI assistant and Box when you need to analyze documents. This MCP server gives Claude (and other MCP clients) direct access to your Box files, turning your document repository into searchable, AI-readable context.

Why This Matters

If you're building AI workflows that need to reference enterprise documents, you know the friction: download files, copy-paste content, explain context, repeat. This server eliminates that friction by letting your AI assistant search and read directly from Box.

Instead of manually feeding documents to Claude, you can ask: "What are the key risks mentioned in our Q3 compliance reports?" and get answers pulled directly from your Box folders.

What You Get

Instant Document Search: Full-text search across your entire Box account. No more hunting through folders or remembering exact file names.

Smart Content Extraction: Native PDF and Word document parsing that preserves formatting and structure. Your AI gets clean, readable text instead of garbled exports.

Enterprise Authentication: JWT-based auth that works with Box's enterprise security model. Set it up once and forget about token refreshes.

Zero-Friction Integration: Drop it into Claude Desktop with a simple JSON config. No complex setup or middleware required.

Real-World Use Cases

Document Analysis: "Compare the budget projections in our Q1 and Q2 planning docs" - Claude searches Box, finds the files, and analyzes them side-by-side.

Compliance Reviews: "Find all contracts mentioning data retention policies" - Search across hundreds of legal documents instantly.

Research Synthesis: "Summarize the key findings from our user research files in the UX folder" - Claude accesses multiple research reports and creates a unified summary.

Meeting Prep: "What decisions were made in the last three board meeting minutes?" - Pull context from meeting notes without manual file hunting.

Quick Start

You'll need Box credentials (JWT recommended for persistent access) and a few environment variables:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "box": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["box-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "BOX_JWT_BASE64": "YOUR_BASE64_ENCODED_JWT",
        "BOX_USER_ID": "123456"
      }
    }
  }
}

The server supports both JWT auth (for enterprise setups) and developer tokens (for quick testing). JWT gives you persistent access, while dev tokens are perfect for prototyping but expire after 60 minutes.

Technical Implementation

Built on the official Box TypeScript SDK with proper error handling and rate limiting. The server exposes two core capabilities through the MCP protocol:

• File Search: Query Box's search API with natural language queries
• Content Reading: Extract text from PDFs and Word docs using dedicated parsers

Currently supports PDF and Word documents, with additional format support coming soon.

Perfect For

• Enterprise teams with document-heavy workflows
• Legal and compliance professionals who need to query large document sets
• Research teams synthesizing information from multiple sources
• Anyone tired of manual document management in AI workflows

The server bridges the gap between your structured document storage and AI-powered analysis, making your Box account a first-class citizen in your AI toolkit.