Installation

There are two ways to use Prowler MCP Server:

Cloud MCP Server (Recommended)

No installation required - Just configuration

Use https://mcp.prowler.com/mcp

Local MCP Server

Local installation - Full control

Install via Docker, PyPI, or source code

For the Cloud MCP Server, go directly to the Configuration Guide to set up your Claude Desktop, Cursor, or other MCP client. This guide is focused on local installation, the Local MCP Server.

Installation Methods

Choose one of the following installation methods:

Docker (Recommended)

Pull from Docker Hub

The easiest way to run locally is using the official Docker image:

docker pull prowlercloud/prowler-mcp

Run the Container

# STDIO mode (for local MCP clients)
docker run --rm -i prowlercloud/prowler-mcp

# HTTP mode (for remote access)
docker run --rm -p 8000:8000 \
  prowlercloud/prowler-mcp \
  --transport http --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

With Environment Variables

docker run --rm -i \
  -e PROWLER_API_KEY="pk_your_api_key" \
  -e API_BASE_URL="https://api.prowler.com/api/v1" \
  prowlercloud/prowler-mcp

Docker Hub: prowlercloud/prowler-mcp

PyPI Package

Install via pip

Coming Soon - PyPI package will be available shortly

From Source (Development)

Install uv

If uv is not installed, install it first. Visit uv documentation for more installation options.

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler.git
cd prowler/mcp_server

Install Dependencies

The MCP server uses uv for dependency management. Install dependencies with:

uv sync

Verify Installation

Test that the server is properly installed:

uv run prowler-mcp --help

The help message with available command-line options should appear.

For Development: This method is recommended if you’re developing or contributing to the MCP server.

Build Docker Image

Prerequisites

Ensure Docker is installed on your system. Visit Docker documentation for more installation options.

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler.git
cd prowler/mcp_server

Build the Docker Image

docker build -t prowler-mcp .

This creates a Docker image named prowler-mcp with all necessary dependencies.

Verify Installation

Test that the Docker image was built successfully:

docker run --rm prowler-mcp --help

The help message with available command-line options should appear.

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Updating Prowler MCP Server

When running the Local MCP Server, upgrade to the latest version using the same method chosen for installation. The Cloud MCP Server (https://mcp.prowler.com/mcp) is always kept up to date by Prowler and requires no action.

Docker

Pull the latest image and restart the container:

docker pull prowlercloud/prowler-mcp

Recreate any running container after pulling the new image so the updated version takes effect.

From Source

Pull the latest changes and sync the dependencies:

cd prowler/mcp_server
git pull
uv sync
uv run prowler-mcp --help

Build Docker Image

Pull the latest source and rebuild the image:

cd prowler/mcp_server
git pull
docker build -t prowler-mcp .

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Command Line Options

The Prowler MCP Server supports the following command-line arguments:

prowler-mcp [--transport {stdio,http}] [--host HOST] [--port PORT]

Argument	Values	Default	Description
--transport	stdio, http	stdio	Transport method for MCP communication
--host	Any valid hostname/IP	127.0.0.1	Host to bind to (HTTP mode only)
--port	Port number	8000	Port to bind to (HTTP mode only)

Examples

# Default STDIO mode for local MCP client integration
prowler-mcp

# Explicit STDIO mode
prowler-mcp --transport stdio

# HTTP mode on default host and port (127.0.0.1:8000)
prowler-mcp --transport http

# HTTP mode accessible from any network interface
prowler-mcp --transport http --host 0.0.0.0

# HTTP mode with custom port
prowler-mcp --transport http --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8080

Environment Variables

Configure the server using environment variables:

Variable	Description	Required	Default
PROWLER_API_KEY	Prowler API key	Only for STDIO mode	-
API_BASE_URL	Custom Prowler API endpoint	No	https://api.prowler.com/api/v1
PROWLER_MCP_TRANSPORT_MODE	Default transport mode (overwritten by --transport argument)	No	stdio

macOS/Linux

export PROWLER_API_KEY="pk_your_api_key_here"
export API_BASE_URL="https://api.prowler.com/api/v1"
export PROWLER_MCP_TRANSPORT_MODE="http"

$env:PROWLER_API_KEY="pk_your_api_key_here"
$env:API_BASE_URL="https://api.prowler.com/api/v1"
$env:PROWLER_MCP_TRANSPORT_MODE="http"

Never commit your API key to version control. Use environment variables or secure secret management solutions.

Using Environment Files

For convenience, create a .env file in the mcp_server directory:

.env

PROWLER_API_KEY=pk_your_api_key_here
API_BASE_URL=https://api.prowler.com/api/v1
PROWLER_MCP_TRANSPORT_MODE=stdio

When using Docker, pass the environment file:

docker run --rm --env-file .env -it prowler-mcp

Running from Any Location

Run the MCP server from anywhere using uvx:

uvx /path/to/prowler/mcp_server/

This is particularly useful when configuring MCP clients that need to launch the server from a specific path.

Production Deployment

For production deployments that require customization, it is recommended to use the ASGI application that can be found in prowler_mcp_server.server. This can be run with uvicorn:

uvicorn prowler_mcp_server.server:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

For more details on production deployment options, see the FastMCP production deployment guide and uvicorn settings.

Entrypoint Script

The source tree includes entrypoint.sh to simplify switching between the standard CLI runner and the ASGI app. The first argument selects the mode and any additional flags are passed straight through:

# Default CLI experience (prowler-mcp console script)
./entrypoint.sh main --transport http --host 0.0.0.0

# ASGI app via uvicorn
./entrypoint.sh uvicorn --host 0.0.0.0 --port 9000

Omitting the mode defaults to main, matching the prowler-mcp console script. When uvicorn mode is selected, the script exports PROWLER_MCP_TRANSPORT_MODE=http automatically.

This is the default entrypoint for the Docker container.

Next Steps

Now that you have the Prowler MCP Server installed, proceed to configure your MCP client:

Configuration

Configure Claude Desktop, Cursor, or other MCP clients

Getting Help

If you encounter issues during installation:

• Search for existing GitHub issues
• Ask for help in our Slack community
• Report a new issue on GitHub