GitHub - zscaler/zscaler-mcp-server: Zscaler Integration MCP Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server designed for managing Several Zscaler Products using Large Language Models (LLMs).

zscaler-mcp-server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that connects AI agents with the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform. By default, the server operates in read-only mode for security, requiring explicit opt-in to enable write operations.

Support Disclaimer

-> Disclaimer: Please refer to our General Support Statement before proceeding with the use of this provider. You can also refer to our troubleshooting guide for guidance on typical problems.

Important

🚧 Public Preview: This project is currently in public preview and under active development. Features and functionality may change before the stable 1.0 release. While we encourage exploration and testing, please avoid production deployments. We welcome your feedback through GitHub Issues to help shape the final release.

📄 Table of contents

📺 Overview
🔒 Security & Permissions
Supported Tools
Installation & Setup
Usage
Zscaler API Credentials & Authentication
As a Library
Container Usage
- Using Pre-built Image (Recommended)
- Building Locally (Development)
Editor/Assistant Integration
Additional Deployment Options
- Amazon Bedrock AgentCore
Using the MCP Server with Agents
Troubleshooting
License

📺 Overview

The Zscaler Integrations MCP Server brings context to your agents. Try prompts like:

"List my ZPA Application segments"
"List my ZPA Segment Groups"
"List my ZIA Rule Labels"

Warning

🔒 READ-ONLY BY DEFAULT: For security, this MCP server operates in read-only mode by default. Only list_* and get_* operations are available. To enable tools that can CREATE, UPDATE, or DELETE Zscaler resources, you must explicitly enable write mode using the --enable-write-tools flag or by setting ZSCALER_MCP_WRITE_ENABLED=true. See the Security & Permissions section for details.

🔒 Security & Permissions

The Zscaler MCP Server implements a security-first design with granular permission controls and safe defaults:

Read-Only Mode (Default - Always Available)

By default, the server operates in read-only mode, exposing only tools that list or retrieve information:

✅ ALWAYS AVAILABLE - Read-only tools are registered by the server
✅ Safe to use with AI agents autonomously
✅ No risk of accidental resource modification or deletion
✅ All list_* and get_* operations are available (110+ read-only tools)
❌ All create_*, update_*, and delete_* operations are disabled by default
💡 Note: You may need to enable read-only tools in your AI agent's UI settings

# Read-only mode (default - safe)
zscaler-mcp

When the server starts in read-only mode, you'll see:

🔒 Server running in READ-ONLY mode (safe default)
   Only list and get operations are available
   To enable write operations, use --enable-write-tools AND --write-tools flags

💡 Read-only tools are ALWAYS registered by the server regardless of any flags. You never need to enable them server-side. Note: Your AI agent UI (like Claude Desktop) may require you to enable individual tools before use.

Write Mode (Explicit Opt-In - Allowlist REQUIRED)

To enable tools that can create, modify, or delete Zscaler resources, you must provide BOTH flags:

✅ --enable-write-tools - Global unlock for write operations
✅ --write-tools "pattern" - MANDATORY explicit allowlist

🔐 SECURITY: Allowlist is MANDATORY - If you set --enable-write-tools without --write-tools, 0 write tools will be registered. This ensures you consciously choose which write operations to enable.

# ❌ WRONG: This will NOT enable any write tools (allowlist missing)
zscaler-mcp --enable-write-tools

# ✅ CORRECT: Explicit allowlist required
zscaler-mcp --enable-write-tools --write-tools "zpa_create_*,zpa_delete_*"

When you try to enable write mode without an allowlist:

⚠️  WRITE TOOLS MODE ENABLED
⚠️  NO allowlist provided - 0 write tools will be registered
⚠️  Read-only tools will still be available
⚠️  To enable write operations, add: --write-tools 'pattern'

Write Tools Allowlist (MANDATORY)

The allowlist provides two-tier security:

✅ First Gate: --enable-write-tools must be set (global unlock)
✅ Second Gate: Explicit allowlist determines which write tools are registered (MANDATORY)

Allowlist Examples:

# Enable ONLY specific write tools with wildcards
zscaler-mcp --enable-write-tools --write-tools "zpa_create_*,zpa_delete_*"

# Enable specific tools without wildcards
zscaler-mcp --enable-write-tools --write-tools "zpa_create_application_segment,zia_create_rule_label"

# Enable all ZPA write operations (but no ZIA/ZDX/ZTW)
zscaler-mcp --enable-write-tools --write-tools "zpa_*"

Or via environment variable:

export ZSCALER_MCP_WRITE_ENABLED=true
export ZSCALER_MCP_WRITE_TOOLS="zpa_create_*,zpa_delete_*"
zscaler-mcp

Wildcard patterns supported:

zpa_create_* - Allow all ZPA creation tools
zpa_delete_* - Allow all ZPA deletion tools
zpa_* - Allow all ZPA write tools
*_application_segment - Allow all operations on application segments
zpa_create_application_segment - Exact match (no wildcard)

When using a valid allowlist, you'll see:

⚠️  WRITE TOOLS MODE ENABLED
⚠️  Explicit allowlist provided - only listed write tools will be registered
⚠️  Allowed patterns: zpa_create_*, zpa_delete_*
⚠️  Server can CREATE, MODIFY, and DELETE Zscaler resources
🔒 Security: 85 write tools blocked by allowlist, 8 allowed

Tool Design Philosophy

Each operation is a separate, single-purpose tool with explicit naming that makes its intent clear:

✅ Good (Verb-Based - Current Design)

zpa_list_application_segments    ← Read-only, safe to allow-list
zpa_get_application_segment      ← Read-only, safe to allow-list
zpa_create_application_segment   ← Write operation, requires --enable-write-tools
zpa_update_application_segment   ← Write operation, requires --enable-write-tools
zpa_delete_application_segment   ← Destructive, requires --enable-write-tools

This design allows AI assistants (Claude, Cursor, GitHub Copilot) to:

Allow-list read-only tools for autonomous exploration
Require explicit user confirmation for write operations
Clearly understand the intent of each tool from its name

Security Layers

The server implements multiple layers of security (defense-in-depth):

Read-Only Tools Always Enabled: Safe list_* and get_* operations are always available (110+ tools)
Default Write Mode Disabled: Write tools are disabled unless explicitly enabled via --enable-write-tools
Mandatory Allowlist: Write operations require explicit --write-tools allowlist (wildcard support)
Verb-Based Tool Naming: Each tool clearly indicates its purpose (list, get, create, update, delete)
Tool Metadata Annotations: All tools are annotated with readOnlyHint or destructiveHint for AI agent frameworks
AI Agent Confirmation: All write tools marked with destructiveHint=True trigger permission dialogs in AI assistants
Double Confirmation for DELETE: Delete operations require both permission dialog AND server-side confirmation (extra protection for irreversible actions)
Environment Variable Control: ZSCALER_MCP_WRITE_ENABLED and ZSCALER_MCP_WRITE_TOOLS can be managed centrally
Audit Logging: All operations are logged for tracking and compliance

This multi-layered approach ensures that even if one security control is bypassed, others remain in place to prevent unauthorized operations.

Key Security Principles:

No "enable all write tools" backdoor exists - allowlist is mandatory
AI agents must request permission before executing any write operation (destructiveHint)
Every destructive action requires explicit user approval through the AI agent's permission framework

Best Practices

Read-Only by Default: No configuration needed for safe operations - read-only tools are always available
Mandatory Allowlist: Always provide explicit --write-tools allowlist when enabling write mode
Development/Testing: Use narrow allowlists (e.g., --write-tools "zpa_create_application_segment")
Production/Agents: Keep server in read-only mode (default) for AI agents performing autonomous operations
CI/CD: Never set ZSCALER_MCP_WRITE_ENABLED=true without a corresponding ZSCALER_MCP_WRITE_TOOLS allowlist
Least Privilege: Use narrowest possible allowlist patterns for your use case
Wildcard Usage: Use wildcards for service-level control (e.g., zpa_create_*) or operation-level control (e.g., *_create_*)
Audit Review: Regularly review which write tools are allowlisted and remove unnecessary ones

Supported Tools

The Zscaler Integrations MCP Server provides 150+ tools for all major Zscaler services:

Service	Description	Tools
ZCC	Zscaler Client Connector - Device management	4 read-only
ZDX	Zscaler Digital Experience - Monitoring & analytics	18 read-only
ZIdentity	Identity & access management	3 read-only
ZIA	Zscaler Internet Access - Security policies	60+ read/write
ZPA	Zscaler Private Access - Application access	60+ read/write
ZTW	Zscaler Workload Segmentation	20+ read/write
EASM	External Attack Surface Management	7 read-only

📖 View Complete Tools Reference →

Note: All write operations require the --enable-write-tools flag and an explicit --write-tools allowlist. See the Security & Permissions section for details.

Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

Python 3.11 or higher
uv or pip
Zscaler API credentials (see below)

Environment Configuration

Copy the example environment file and configure your credentials:

cp .env.example .env

Then edit .env with your Zscaler API credentials:

Required Configuration (OneAPI):

ZSCALER_CLIENT_ID: Your Zscaler OAuth client ID
ZSCALER_CLIENT_SECRET: Your Zscaler OAuth client secret
ZSCALER_CUSTOMER_ID: Your Zscaler customer ID
ZSCALER_VANITY_DOMAIN: Your Zscaler vanity domain

Optional Configuration:

ZSCALER_CLOUD: (Optional) Zscaler cloud environment (e.g., beta) - Required when interacting with Beta Tenant ONLY.
ZSCALER_USE_LEGACY: Enable legacy API mode (true/false, default: false)
ZSCALER_MCP_SERVICES: Comma-separated list of services to enable (default: all services)
ZSCALER_MCP_TRANSPORT: Transport method - stdio, sse, or streamable-http (default: stdio)
ZSCALER_MCP_DEBUG: Enable debug logging - true or false (default: false)
ZSCALER_MCP_HOST: Host for HTTP transports (default: 127.0.0.1)
ZSCALER_MCP_PORT: Port for HTTP transports (default: 8000)

Alternatively, you can set these as environment variables instead of using a .env file.

Important: Ensure your API client has the necessary permissions for the services you plan to use. You can always update permissions later in the Zscaler console.

Installation

Install with VS Code (Quick Setup)

Note: This will open VS Code and prompt you to configure the MCP server. You'll need to replace the placeholder values (<YOUR_CLIENT_ID>, etc.) with your actual Zscaler credentials.

Install using uv (recommended)

uv tool install zscaler-mcp

Install from source using uv (development)

uv pip install -e .

Install from source using pip

pip install -e .

Install using make (convenience)

make install-dev

Tip

If zscaler-mcp-server isn't found, update your shell PATH.

For installation via code editors/assistants, see the Using the MCP Server with Agents section below.

Usage

Note

Default Security Mode: All examples below run in read-only mode by default (only list_* and get_* operations). To enable write operations (create_*, update_*, delete_*), add the --enable-write-tools flag to any command, or set ZSCALER_MCP_WRITE_ENABLED=true in your environment.

Command Line

Run the server with default settings (stdio transport, read-only mode):

zscaler-mcp

Run the server with write operations enabled:

zscaler-mcp --enable-write-tools

Run with SSE transport:

zscaler-mcp --transport sse

Run with streamable-http transport:

zscaler-mcp --transport streamable-http

Run with streamable-http transport on custom port:

zscaler-mcp --transport streamable-http --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8080

Service Configuration

The Zscaler Integrations MCP Server supports multiple ways to specify which services to enable:

1. Command Line Arguments (highest priority)

Specify services using comma-separated lists:

# Enable specific services
zscaler-mcp --services zia,zpa,zdx

# Enable only one service
zscaler-mcp --services zia

2. Environment Variable (fallback)

Set the ZSCALER_MCP_SERVICES environment variable:

# Export environment variable
export ZSCALER_MCP_SERVICES=zia,zpa,zdx
zscaler-mcp

# Or set inline
ZSCALER_MCP_SERVICES=zia,zpa,zdx zscaler-mcp

3. Default Behavior (all services)

If no services are specified via command line or environment variable, all available services are enabled by default.

Service Priority Order:

Command line --services argument (overrides all)
ZSCALER_MCP_SERVICES environment variable (fallback)
All services (default when none specified)

Additional Command Line Options

# Enable write operations (create, update, delete)
zscaler-mcp --enable-write-tools

# Enable debug logging
zscaler-mcp --debug

# Combine multiple options
zscaler-mcp --services zia,zpa --enable-write-tools --debug

For all available options:

zscaler-mcp --help

Available command-line flags:

--transport: Transport protocol (stdio, sse, streamable-http)
--services: Comma-separated list of services to enable
--tools: Comma-separated list of specific tools to enable
--enable-write-tools: Enable write operations (disabled by default for safety)
--debug: Enable debug logging
--host: Host for HTTP transports (default: 127.0.0.1)
--port: Port for HTTP transports (default: 8000)

Supported Agents

Zscaler API Credentials & Authentication

The Zscaler Integrations MCP Server supports two authentication methods: OneAPI (recommended) and Legacy API. You must choose ONE method - do not mix them.

Important

⚠️ CRITICAL: Choose ONE Authentication Method

OneAPI: Single credential set for ALL services (ZIA, ZPA, ZCC, ZDX)
Legacy: Separate credentials required for EACH service
DO NOT set both OneAPI and Legacy credentials simultaneously
DO NOT set ZSCALER_USE_LEGACY=true if using OneAPI

Quick Start: Choose Your Authentication Method

Option A: OneAPI (Recommended - Single Credential Set)

✅ One set of credentials works for ALL services (ZIA, ZPA, ZCC, ZDX, ZTW)
✅ Modern OAuth2.0 authentication via Zidentity
✅ Easier to manage and maintain
✅ Default authentication method (no flag needed)
Use this if: You have access to Zidentity console and want simplicity

Option B: Legacy Mode (Per-Service Credentials)

⚠️ Separate credentials required for each service you want to use
⚠️ Different authentication methods per service (OAuth for ZPA, API key for ZIA, etc.)
⚠️ Must set ZSCALER_USE_LEGACY=true environment variable
Use this if: You don't have OneAPI access or need per-service credential management

Decision Tree

Do you have access to Zidentity console?
├─ YES → Use OneAPI (Option A)
└─ NO  → Use Legacy Mode (Option B)

OneAPI Authentication (Recommended)

OneAPI provides a single set of credentials that authenticate to all Zscaler services. This is the default and recommended method.

Prerequisites

Before using OneAPI, you need to:

Create an API Client in the Zidentity platform
Obtain your credentials: clientId, clientSecret, customerId, and vanityDomain
Learn more: Understanding OneAPI

Quick Setup

Create a .env file in your project root (or where you'll run the MCP server):

# OneAPI Credentials (Required)
ZSCALER_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
ZSCALER_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret
ZSCALER_CUSTOMER_ID=your_customer_id
ZSCALER_VANITY_DOMAIN=your_vanity_domain

# Optional: Only required for Beta tenants
ZSCALER_CLOUD=beta

⚠️ Security: Do not commit .env to source control. Add it to your .gitignore.

OneAPI Environment Variables

Environment Variable	Required	Description
`ZSCALER_CLIENT_ID`	Yes	Zscaler OAuth client ID from Zidentity console
`ZSCALER_CLIENT_SECRET`	Yes	Zscaler OAuth client secret from Zidentity console
`ZSCALER_CUSTOMER_ID`	Yes	Zscaler customer ID
`ZSCALER_VANITY_DOMAIN`	Yes	Your organization's vanity domain (e.g., `acme`)
`ZSCALER_CLOUD`	No	Zscaler cloud environment (e.g., `beta`, `zscalertwo`). Only required for Beta tenants
`ZSCALER_PRIVATE_KEY`	No	OAuth private key for JWT-based authentication (alternative to client secret)

Verification

After setting up your .env file, test the connection:

# Test with a simple command
zscaler-mcp

If authentication is successful, the server will start without errors. If you see authentication errors, verify:

All required environment variables are set correctly
Your API client has the necessary permissions in Zidentity
Your credentials are valid and not expired

Legacy API Authentication

Legacy mode requires separate credentials for each Zscaler service. This method is only needed if you don't have access to OneAPI.

Warning

⚠️ IMPORTANT: When using Legacy mode:

You MUST set ZSCALER_USE_LEGACY=true in your .env file
You MUST provide credentials for each service you want to use
OneAPI credentials are ignored when ZSCALER_USE_LEGACY=true is set
Clients are created on-demand when tools are called (not at startup)

Quick Setup

Create a .env file with the following structure:

# Enable Legacy Mode (REQUIRED - set once at the top)
ZSCALER_USE_LEGACY=true

# ZPA Legacy Credentials (if using ZPA)
ZPA_CLIENT_ID=your_zpa_client_id
ZPA_CLIENT_SECRET=your_zpa_client_secret
ZPA_CUSTOMER_ID=your_zpa_customer_id
ZPA_CLOUD=BETA

# ZIA Legacy Credentials (if using ZIA)
ZIA_USERNAME=your_zia_username
ZIA_PASSWORD=your_zia_password
ZIA_API_KEY=your_zia_api_key
ZIA_CLOUD=zscalertwo

# ZCC Legacy Credentials (if using ZCC)
ZCC_CLIENT_ID=your_zcc_client_id
ZCC_CLIENT_SECRET=your_zcc_client_secret
ZCC_CLOUD=zscalertwo

# ZDX Legacy Credentials (if using ZDX)
ZDX_CLIENT_ID=your_zdx_client_id
ZDX_CLIENT_SECRET=your_zdx_client_secret
ZDX_CLOUD=zscalertwo

⚠️ Security: Do not commit .env to source control. Add it to your .gitignore.

Legacy Authentication by Service

ZPA Legacy Authentication

Environment Variable	Required	Description
`ZPA_CLIENT_ID`	Yes	ZPA API client ID from ZPA console
`ZPA_CLIENT_SECRET`	Yes	ZPA API client secret from ZPA console
`ZPA_CUSTOMER_ID`	Yes	ZPA tenant ID (found in Administration > Company menu)
`ZPA_CLOUD`	Yes	Zscaler cloud for ZPA tenancy (e.g., `BETA`, `zscalertwo`)
`ZPA_MICROTENANT_ID`	No	ZPA microtenant ID (if using microtenants)

Where to find ZPA credentials:

API Client ID/Secret: ZPA console > Configuration & Control > Public API > API Keys
Customer ID: ZPA console > Administration > Company

ZIA Legacy Authentication

Environment Variable	Required	Description
`ZIA_USERNAME`	Yes	ZIA API admin email address
`ZIA_PASSWORD`	Yes	ZIA API admin password
`ZIA_API_KEY`	Yes	ZIA obfuscated API key (from obfuscateApiKey() method)
`ZIA_CLOUD`	Yes	Zscaler cloud name (see supported clouds below)

Supported ZIA Cloud Environments:

zscaler, zscalerone, zscalertwo, zscalerthree
zscloud, zscalerbeta, zscalergov, zscalerten, zspreview

Where to find ZIA credentials:

Username/Password: Your ZIA admin account
API Key: ZIA Admin Portal > Administration > API Key Management

ZCC Legacy Authentication

Environment Variable	Required	Description
`ZCC_CLIENT_ID`	Yes	ZCC API key (Mobile Portal)
`ZCC_CLIENT_SECRET`	Yes	ZCC secret key (Mobile Portal)
`ZCC_CLOUD`	Yes	Zscaler cloud name (see supported clouds below)

NOTE: ZCC_CLOUD is required and identifies the correct API gateway.

Supported ZCC Cloud Environments:

zscaler, zscalerone, zscalertwo, zscalerthree
zscloud, zscalerbeta, zscalergov, zscalerten, zspreview

ZDX Legacy Authentication

Environment Variable	Required	Description
`ZDX_CLIENT_ID`	Yes	ZDX key ID
`ZDX_CLIENT_SECRET`	Yes	ZDX secret key
`ZDX_CLOUD`	Yes	Zscaler cloud name prefix

Where to find ZDX credentials:

ZDX Portal > API Keys section

Legacy Mode Behavior

When ZSCALER_USE_LEGACY=true:

All tools use legacy API clients by default
You can override per-tool by setting use_legacy: false in tool parameters
The MCP server initializes without creating clients at startup
Clients are created on-demand when individual tools are called
This allows the server to work with different legacy services without requiring a specific service during initialization

Authentication Troubleshooting

Common Issues:

"Authentication failed" errors:
- Verify all required environment variables are set
- Check that credentials are correct and not expired
- Ensure you're using the correct cloud environment
"Legacy credentials ignored" warning:
- This is normal when using OneAPI mode
- Legacy credentials are only loaded when ZSCALER_USE_LEGACY=true
"OneAPI credentials ignored" warning:
- This is normal when using Legacy mode
- OneAPI credentials are only used when ZSCALER_USE_LEGACY is not set or is false
Mixed authentication errors:
- DO NOT set both OneAPI and Legacy credentials
- DO NOT set ZSCALER_USE_LEGACY=true if using OneAPI
- Choose ONE method and stick with it

MCP Server Configuration

The following environment variables control MCP server behavior (not authentication):

Environment Variable	Default	Description
`ZSCALER_MCP_TRANSPORT`	`stdio`	Transport protocol to use (`stdio`, `sse`, or `streamable-http`)
`ZSCALER_MCP_SERVICES`	`""`	Comma-separated list of services to enable (empty = all services). Supported values: `zcc`, `zdx`, `zia`, `zidentity`, `zpa`, `ztw`
`ZSCALER_MCP_TOOLS`	`""`	Comma-separated list of specific tools to enable (empty = all tools)
`ZSCALER_MCP_WRITE_ENABLED`	`false`	Enable write operations (`true`/`false`). When `false`, only read-only tools are available. Set to `true` or use `--enable-write-tools` flag to unlock write mode.
`ZSCALER_MCP_WRITE_TOOLS`	`""`	MANDATORY comma-separated allowlist of write tools (supports wildcards like `zpa_*`). Requires `ZSCALER_MCP_WRITE_ENABLED=true`. If empty when write mode enabled, 0 write tools registered.
`ZSCALER_MCP_DEBUG`	`false`	Enable debug logging (`true`/`false`)
`ZSCALER_MCP_HOST`	`127.0.0.1`	Host to bind to for HTTP transports
`ZSCALER_MCP_PORT`	`8000`	Port to listen on for HTTP transports
`ZSCALER_MCP_USER_AGENT_COMMENT`	`""`	Additional information to include in User-Agent comment section

User-Agent Header

The MCP server automatically includes a custom User-Agent header in all API requests to Zscaler services. The format is:

User-Agent: zscaler-mcp-server/<version> python/<python_version> <os>/<architecture>

Example:

User-Agent: zscaler-mcp-server/0.3.1 python/3.11.8 darwin/arm64

With Custom Comment:

You can append additional information (such as the AI agent details) using the ZSCALER_MCP_USER_AGENT_COMMENT environment variable or the --user-agent-comment CLI flag:

# Via environment variable
export ZSCALER_MCP_USER_AGENT_COMMENT="Claude Desktop 1.2024.10.23"

# Via CLI flag
zscaler-mcp --user-agent-comment "Claude Desktop 1.2024.10.23"

This results in:

User-Agent: zscaler-mcp-server/0.3.1 python/3.11.8 darwin/arm64 Claude Desktop 1.2024.10.23

The User-Agent helps Zscaler identify API traffic from the MCP server and can be useful for support, analytics, and debugging purposes.

As a Library

You can use the Zscaler Integrations MCP Server as a Python library in your own applications:

from zscaler_mcp.server import ZscalerMCPServer

# Create server with read-only mode (default - safe)
server = ZscalerMCPServer(
    debug=True,  # Optional, enable debug logging
    enabled_services={"zia", "zpa", "zdx"},  # Optional, defaults to all services
    enabled_tools={"zia_list_rule_labels", "zpa_list_application_segments"},  # Optional, defaults to all tools
    user_agent_comment="My Custom App",  # Optional, additional User-Agent info
    enable_write_tools=False  # Optional, defaults to False (read-only mode)
)

# Run with stdio transport (default)
server.run()

# Or run with SSE transport
server.run("sse")

# Or run with streamable-http transport
server.run("streamable-http")

# Or run with streamable-http transport on custom host/port
server.run("streamable-http", host="0.0.0.0", port=8080)

Example with write operations enabled:

from zscaler_mcp.server import ZscalerMCPServer

# Create server with write operations enabled
server = ZscalerMCPServer(
    debug=True,
    enabled_services={"zia", "zpa"},
    enable_write_tools=True  # Enable create/update/delete operations
)

# Run the server
server.run("stdio")

Available Services: zcc, zdx, zia, zidentity, zpa

Example with Environment Variables:

from zscaler_mcp.server import ZscalerMCPServer
import os

# Load from environment variables
server = ZscalerMCPServer(
    debug=True,
    enabled_services={"zia", "zpa"}
)

# Run the server
server.run("stdio")

Running Examples

# Run with stdio transport
python examples/basic_usage.py

# Run with SSE transport
python examples/sse_usage.py

# Run with streamable-http transport
python examples/streamable_http_usage.py

Container Usage

The Zscaler Integrations MCP Server is available as a pre-built container image for easy deployment:

Using Pre-built Image (Recommended)

# Pull the latest pre-built image
docker pull quay.io/zscaler/zscaler-mcp-server:latest

# Run with .env file (recommended)
docker run --rm --env-file /path/to/.env quay.io/zscaler/zscaler-mcp-server:latest

# Run with .env file and SSE transport
docker run --rm -p 8000:8000 --env-file /path/to/.env \
  quay.io/zscaler/zscaler-mcp-server:latest --transport sse --host 0.0.0.0

# Run with .env file and streamable-http transport
docker run --rm -p 8000:8000 --env-file /path/to/.env \
  quay.io/zscaler/zscaler-mcp-server:latest --transport streamable-http --host 0.0.0.0

# Run with .env file and custom port
docker run --rm -p 8080:8080 --env-file /path/to/.env \
  quay.io/zscaler/zscaler-mcp-server:latest --transport streamable-http --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8080

# Run with .env file and specific services
docker run --rm --env-file /path/to/.env \
  quay.io/zscaler/zscaler-mcp-server:latest --services zia,zpa,zdx

# Use a specific version instead of latest
docker run --rm --env-file /path/to/.env \
  quay.io/zscaler/zscaler-mcp-server:1.2.3

# Alternative: Individual environment variables
docker run --rm -e ZSCALER_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id -e ZSCALER_CLIENT_SECRET=your_secret \
  -e ZSCALER_CUSTOMER_ID=your_customer_id -e ZSCALER_VANITY_DOMAIN=your_vanity_domain \
  quay.io/zscaler/zscaler-mcp-server:latest

Building Locally (Development)

For development or customization purposes, you can build the image locally:

# Build the Docker image
docker build -t zscaler-mcp-server .

# Run the locally built image
docker run --rm -e ZSCALER_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id -e ZSCALER_CLIENT_SECRET=your_secret \
  -e ZSCALER_CUSTOMER_ID=your_customer_id -e ZSCALER_VANITY_DOMAIN=your_vanity_domain zscaler-mcp-server

Note: When using HTTP transports in Docker, always set --host 0.0.0.0 to allow external connections to the container.

Editor/Assistant Integration

You can integrate the Zscaler Integrations MCP server with your editor or AI assistant. Here are configuration examples for popular MCP clients:

Using `uvx` (recommended)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zscaler-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--env-file", "/path/to/.env", "zscaler-mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

Additional Deployment Options

Amazon Bedrock AgentCore

Important

AWS Marketplace Image Available: For Amazon Bedrock AgentCore deployments, we provide a dedicated container image optimized for Bedrock's stateless HTTP environment. This image includes a custom web server wrapper that handles session management and is specifically designed for AWS Bedrock AgentCore Runtime.

🚀 Quick Start with AWS Marketplace:

The easiest way to deploy the Zscaler Integrations MCP Server to Amazon Bedrock AgentCore is through the AWS Marketplace listing. The Marketplace image includes:

✅ Pre-configured for Bedrock AgentCore Runtime
✅ Custom web server wrapper for stateless HTTP environments
✅ Session management handled automatically
✅ Health check endpoints for ECS compatibility
✅ Optimized for AWS Bedrock AgentCore's requirements

📚 Full Deployment Guide:

For detailed deployment instructions, IAM configuration, and troubleshooting, please refer to the comprehensive Amazon Bedrock AgentCore deployment guide.

The deployment guide covers:

Prerequisites and AWS VPC requirements
IAM role and trust policy configuration
Step-by-step deployment instructions
Environment variable configuration
Write mode configuration (for CREATE/UPDATE/DELETE operations)
Troubleshooting and verification steps

Note

The AWS Marketplace image uses a different architecture than the standard streamable-http transport. It includes a FastAPI-based web server wrapper (web_server.py) that bypasses the MCP protocol's session initialization requirements, making it compatible with Bedrock's stateless HTTP environment. This is why the Marketplace image is recommended for Bedrock deployments.

Using the MCP Server with Agents

This section provides instructions for configuring the Zscaler Integrations MCP Server with popular AI agents. Before starting, ensure you have:

✅ Completed Installation & Setup
✅ Configured Authentication
✅ Created your .env file with credentials

Claude Desktop

You can install the Zscaler MCP Server in Claude Desktop using either method:

Option 1: Install as Extension (Recommended)

Open Claude Desktop
Go to Settings → Extensions → Browse Extensions
In the search box, type zscaler
Select Zscaler MCP Server from the results
Click Install or Add
Configure your .env file path when prompted (or edit the configuration after installation)
Restart Claude Desktop completely (quit and reopen)
Verify by asking Claude: "What Zscaler tools are available?"

Option 2: Manual Configuration

Open Claude Desktop
Go to Settings → Developer → Edit Config
Add the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zscaler-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--env-file", "/absolute/path/to/your/.env", "zscaler-mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

Important: Replace /absolute/path/to/your/.env with the absolute path to your .env file. Relative paths will not work.

Save the configuration file
Restart Claude Desktop completely (quit and reopen)
Verify by asking Claude: "What Zscaler tools are available?"

Troubleshooting:

"MCP server not found": Verify the .env file path is absolute and correct
"Authentication failed": Check that your .env file contains valid credentials
Tools not appearing: Check Claude Desktop logs (Help > View Logs) for errors
Extension not found: Ensure you're searching in the "Desktop extensions" tab, not "Web"

Cursor

Open Cursor
Go to Settings → Cursor Settings → Tools & MCP → New MCP Server
The configuration will be saved to ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Add the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zscaler-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--env-file", "/absolute/path/to/your/.env", "zscaler-mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

Alternative: You can also use Docker instead of uvx:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zscaler-mcp-server": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "--env-file",
        "/absolute/path/to/your/.env",
        "quay.io/zscaler/zscaler-mcp-server:latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Save the configuration file
Restart Cursor completely (quit and reopen)
Verify by asking: "List my ZIA rule labels"

Troubleshooting:

Check Cursor's MCP logs (View > Output > MCP) for connection errors
Verify the .env file path is absolute and credentials are correct
The configuration file is located at ~/.cursor/mcp.json (or %USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json on Windows)

General Troubleshooting for All Agents

Common Issues:

"Command not found: uvx"
- Install uv: curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
- Or use Docker: Replace uvx with docker run --rm --env-file /path/to/.env quay.io/zscaler/zscaler-mcp-server:latest
".env file not found"
- Use absolute paths, not relative paths
- Verify the file exists at the specified path
- Check file permissions (should be readable)
"Authentication failed"
- Verify all required environment variables are in .env
- Check that credentials are correct and not expired
- Ensure you're using the correct authentication method (OneAPI vs Legacy)
"Tools not appearing"
- Some agents require you to enable tools in their UI
- Check agent logs for connection errors
- Verify the MCP server is running (check agent's MCP status)
"Server connection timeout"
- Ensure the MCP server can start successfully
- Test manually: uvx --env-file /path/to/.env zscaler-mcp-server
- Check for port conflicts if using HTTP transports

Getting Help:

Check agent-specific logs (usually in Help/View menu)
Test the server manually to isolate agent vs server issues
Review the Troubleshooting section for more details

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 50 Commits
.github		.github
docs		docs
docsrc		docsrc
examples		examples
integrations		integrations
tests		tests
zscaler_mcp		zscaler_mcp
.dockerignore		.dockerignore
.env.dev.example		.env.dev.example
.env.example		.env.example
.gitignore		.gitignore
.markdownlint.json		.markdownlint.json
.markdownlintignore		.markdownlintignore
.pylintrc		.pylintrc
.readthedocs.yaml		.readthedocs.yaml
.releaserc.json		.releaserc.json
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
Dockerfile		Dockerfile
LICENSE		LICENSE
Makefile		Makefile
README.md		README.md
codecov.yml		codecov.yml
pyproject.toml		pyproject.toml
uv.lock		uv.lock

License

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📄 Table of contents

📺 Overview

🔒 Security & Permissions

Read-Only Mode (Default - Always Available)

Write Mode (Explicit Opt-In - Allowlist REQUIRED)

Write Tools Allowlist (MANDATORY)

Tool Design Philosophy

✅ Good (Verb-Based - Current Design)

Security Layers

Best Practices

Supported Tools

Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

Environment Configuration

Installation

Install with VS Code (Quick Setup)

Install using uv (recommended)

Install from source using uv (development)

Install from source using pip

Install using make (convenience)

Usage

Command Line

Service Configuration

1. Command Line Arguments (highest priority)

2. Environment Variable (fallback)

3. Default Behavior (all services)

Additional Command Line Options

Supported Agents

Zscaler API Credentials & Authentication

Quick Start: Choose Your Authentication Method

Option A: OneAPI (Recommended - Single Credential Set)

Option B: Legacy Mode (Per-Service Credentials)

Decision Tree

OneAPI Authentication (Recommended)

Prerequisites

Quick Setup

OneAPI Environment Variables

Verification

Legacy API Authentication

Quick Setup

Legacy Authentication by Service

ZPA Legacy Authentication

ZIA Legacy Authentication

ZCC Legacy Authentication

ZDX Legacy Authentication

Legacy Mode Behavior

Authentication Troubleshooting

MCP Server Configuration

User-Agent Header

As a Library

Running Examples

Container Usage

Using Pre-built Image (Recommended)

Building Locally (Development)

Editor/Assistant Integration

Using uvx (recommended)

Additional Deployment Options

Amazon Bedrock AgentCore

Using the MCP Server with Agents

Claude Desktop

Option 1: Install as Extension (Recommended)

Option 2: Manual Configuration

Cursor

General Troubleshooting for All Agents

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Using `uvx` (recommended)

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