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MCP authentication

Navi MCP uses the same local configuration as the CLI. You do not need to manage a second credential set for Claude Desktop.

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How authentication works today

Today, the local MCP server can read:
  • NAVI_COOKIE from the environment
  • the saved CLI config at ~/.config/navi/config.json
The most common setup flow is: 
navi auth login --cookie "<your-session-cookie>"
navi mcp install

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What Claude Desktop is actually using

When Claude Desktop launches Navi MCP, the server inherits:
  • your Navi base URL
  • your current session cookie, if one is configured
That means Claude Desktop is acting as you within the scopes available to your current session.

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Security boundary

The local MCP server authenticates only to the public Navi API. It does not need direct access to internal services or private infrastructure.

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Future credential expansion

Navi already reserves future support for:
  • personal access tokens for human users
  • service API keys for server-to-server integrations
Those credentials are not enabled until the public credential service is fully enabled.