Convex MCP and Docker containers

[manchuwook]

Is there a way to pass the CONVEX_SELF_HOSTED_URL and CONVEX_SELF_HOSTED_ADMIN_KEY to the MCP as a parameter? I tried using

        "convex": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "convex@latest",
                "mcp",
                "start",
                "--project-dir",
                "${workspaceFolder}",
                "--env-file",
                "${workspaceFolder}/.env.local",
            ],
            "envFile": "${workspaceFolder}/.env.local"
        }

But it still doesn't seem to pick it up or authorize. It keeps asking me to run npx convex dev

I am running convex as a docker image, and I can connect to it through a browser, just not through the MCP.

[nipunn1313]

I was able to repro - and spotted a bug where the MCP status command didn't work with self-hosted. Sending up a fix. 0af2823

Idea would be that you run npx convex mcp start from within your project and then .env.local would take effect.

I was able to repro and debug and solve with the mcp inspector https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/tools/inspector

Can you try it out?

1. Clone https://github.com/get-convex/convex-js
2. npm install
3. npm run build
4. Point cursor/windsurf at ~/src/convex-js/bin/main-dev (instead of npx convex).

I was able to get it working with this.

[manchuwook]

2025-04-29 09:43:26.183 [info] Starting server convex
2025-04-29 09:43:26.184 [info] Connection state: Starting
2025-04-29 09:43:26.186 [info] Starting server from LocalProcess extension host
2025-04-29 09:43:26.187 [info] Connection state: Starting
2025-04-29 09:43:26.188 [info] Connection state: Error spawn X:\dev\convex-js\bin\main-dev ENOENT

        "convex": {
            "command": "X:\\dev\\convex-js\\bin\\main-dev",
            "args": [
                "mcp",
                "start",
                "--project-dir",
                "${workspaceFolder}",
            ],
            "env": {
                "CONVEX_SELF_HOSTED_URL": "http://127.0.0.1:3210",
                "CONVEX_SELF_HOSTED_ADMIN_KEY": "convex-self-hosted|this-is-valid",
                "VITE_CONVEX_URL": "http://127.0.0.1:3210"
            }
        },

Will this work on windows 11?

[nipunn1313]

was working for me

Try opening the directory and poking around to make sure everything is there?
We'll have an NPM release out at some point in the next week or so, but until then - this is how use the unreleased one.

[manchuwook]

It appears you are running it from MING64, I am running it from powershell/javascript debug terminal

[nipunn1313]

There's bin/main.js which is a node app instead of bash - you can use that instead.

Or otherwise just hang tight and wait for an NPM release (some time in the next week or so)

[nipunn1313]

this should be out!