MCP Security Best Practices & Secret Management Guide
Comprehensive security guide for Model Context Protocol deployments: credential isolation, prompt injection defense, read-only database configuration, and stdio process auditing.
1. Threat Model & Risk Vectors in LLM Tool Execution
Granting AI agents tool execution capabilities introduces unique security considerations, including indirect prompt injection, unintended file modification, and credential exposure.
The Model Context Protocol mitigates these risks by executing tool servers in isolated local child processes and requiring explicit client confirmation before running mutating actions.
2. Secret Key Isolation & Environment Variable Management
Never hardcode API keys or secret database strings into shared project configurations or code repositories. Store credentials in `.env.local` files or local OS secret stores.