Trivy MCP Server Plugin

This plugin starts a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that integrates Trivy's security scanning capabilities with VS Code and other MCP-enabled tools.

Important

This is early stage development of the MCP Server, so you should assume things won't work great for now

Features

• Natural Language Scanning: Ask questions about security issues in natural language
• Multiple Scan Types:
  • Filesystem scanning for local projects
  • Container image vulnerability scanning
  • Remote repository security analysis
• Integration with Aqua Platform: Optional integration with Aqua Security's platform for enhanced scanning capabilities
• Flexible Transport: Support for both stdio and SSE (Server-Sent Events) transport protocols
• VS Code Integration: Seamless integration with VS Code's chat interface

Installing the plugin

To install the plugin you can use Trivy's plugin management system

trivy plugin install mcp

The will install the latest version of the plugin

Starting the plugin

You're now ready to start the plugin, this will launch an MCP server that Cursor or VSCode can interact with. For now, the instructions will focus on VSCode

trivy mcp

Available Options

Option	Values	Default	Description
--transport / -t	sse, stdio	stdio	Transport protocol for the MCP Server
--port / -p		23456	Port for SSE transport mode
--trivy-binary			Custom Trivy binary path (optional)
--use-aqua-platform / a	true/false	false	Enable Aqua Platform integration
--debug	true/false	false	Enable debug logging

Authentication

The MCP Server supports integration with Aqua Platform through the auth subcommand:

# Save Aqua Platform credentials
trivy mcp auth login --key "YOUR_AQUA_KEY" --secret "YOUR_AQUA_SECRET" --region "YOUR_REGION"

# Clear saved credentials
trivy mcp auth logout

# Verify saved credentials
trivy mcp auth status

Available Auth Options

Option	Description
--key	Aqua Platform API key
--secret	Aqua Platform API secret
--region	Aqua Platform region (e.g., 'us-east-1')

After configuring credentials, you can use Aqua Platform features by starting the server with the --use-aqua-platform flag:

trivy mcp --use-aqua-platform

Credentials are securely stored in the platform specific key chain.

Configuring the MCP Server in VSCode

Now, we need to configure the server in VSCode to start using as an agent

Prereqs

• >= version 1.99.0 of VS Code

Configuring the plugin

You can configure the Trivy mcp to start itself or use the sse http endpoint

Configuring for stdio

1. In VS Code, press F1
2. Search for "Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)"
3. Find or create the "mcp" block and add a server as below

   "mcp": {
      "servers": {
         "Trivy MCP": {
            "command": "trivy",
            "args": [
               "mcp",
               "-t",
               "stdio"
            ]
         }
      }
   }

4. When you save, an annotation will appear to Start the server

Configuring for SSE HTTP

1. Start the MCP Server

   trivy mcp -t sse -p 23456

2. In VS Code, press F1
3. Search for "Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)"
4. Find or create the "mcp" block and add a server as below

   "mcp": {
      "servers": {
         "Trivy SSE": {
            "type": "sse",
            "url": "http://localhost:23456/sse"
         }
      }
   }

5. When you save, an annotation will appear to Start the server

Example Queries

Important

Make sure to use the chat window in Agent mode, not Ask mode

Local Project Analysis

Are there any vulnerabilities or misconfigurations in this project?

Find all HIGH severity vulnerabilities in this codebase

Generate a CycloneDX SBOM for this project

Container Image Scanning

Does the python:3.12 image have any vulnerabilities?

Show me all critical security issues in the nginx:latest image

What are the licenses used by dependencies in the node:18 image?

Repository Analysis

What are the vulnerabilities in github.com/aquasecurity/trivy-ci-test?

Check for misconfigurations in kubernetes/kubernetes repository

Advanced Usage

Scan this project for secrets and license issues only

Generate an SPDX SBOM and show me any dependency vulnerabilities

What security issues were fixed in the latest version of this image?