AI Tools & MCP Detection

IDEViewer detects AI coding assistants and their configurations, identifying insecure settings that could expose sensitive data or grant excessive permissions.

Why AI Tools Are a Security Risk

AI coding assistants often:

  • Connect to external MCP servers that access email, calendars, and internal systems
  • Execute shell commands with broad or wildcard permissions
  • Store API keys in plaintext config files
  • Enable autonomous execution without human approval
  • Use unencrypted HTTP transport for sensitive data

Traditional security tools do not monitor these configurations. IDEViewer does.

Detected Tools

Tool What’s Detected
Claude Code Enabled skills/plugins, cloud MCP servers (Gmail, Calendar, etc.), per-project permissions (Bash, Read, Write, MCP tools), API keys (redacted)
Cursor MCP server configs from mcp.json and VS Code settings, environment variables, permissions
OpenClaw LLM providers, Slack/Telegram integrations, bot tokens (redacted), autonomous execution flags, insecure transport

Component Types

Each detected AI component is classified by type:

Type Description
skill A capability or plugin enabled in the AI tool
mcp-server A locally configured Model Context Protocol server
cloud-mcp A cloud-hosted MCP server (e.g., Gmail, Google Calendar)
integration An external service integration (Slack, Telegram)
permission A granted permission (Bash access, file read/write)

Risk Scoring

Each component is assigned a risk score based on its security implications:

Risk Level Criteria Examples
Critical Direct path to data exfiltration or system compromise Wildcard bash access (Bash(*)), plaintext API keys in config
High Significant security exposure Autonomous execution enabled, external integrations (Slack/Telegram), insecure HTTP transport
Medium Elevated access that warrants monitoring Cloud MCP with data access (Gmail, Calendar), shell command permissions
Low Standard capabilities with limited risk Skills with network access, read-only file permissions
Info Informational, no direct security concern Tool version, basic configuration metadata

Detection Details

Claude Code

IDEViewer reads Claude Code’s configuration files to detect:

  • Plugins/skills – Enabled capabilities and their permission scope
  • Cloud MCP servers – Connected cloud services (Gmail, Google Calendar, etc.) and their granted scopes
  • Project permissions – Per-project tool permissions:
    • Bash(*) – Wildcard shell access (Critical)
    • Read, Write – File system access permissions
    • mcp__* – MCP tool permissions granted to the AI
  • API keys – Detects presence of API keys (values are redacted, never transmitted)

Cursor

IDEViewer reads MCP configuration from:

  • ~/.cursor/mcp.json – Primary MCP config file
  • VS Code settings (settings.json) – MCP servers configured as VS Code settings
  • Environment variables referenced in MCP configs

OpenClaw

IDEViewer scans OpenClaw configuration for:

  • LLM providers – Configured AI model providers and their API endpoints
  • Integrations – Slack bots, Telegram bots, and their tokens (redacted)
  • Autonomous execution – Whether the agent can execute actions without human approval
  • Transport security – Flags HTTP (unencrypted) connections as High risk
  • Bot tokens – Detects Slack/Telegram bot tokens (values redacted)

Port Scanning

IDEViewer scans for running AI tool processes and their listening ports, identifying active MCP servers and AI agents on the machine.

Secret Detection in AI Configs

API keys and tokens found in AI tool configuration files are flagged but never transmitted. Only the presence, type, and location are reported.

Privacy

IDEViewer never reads AI conversation content. It only analyzes configuration metadata, permission sets, and connection details. No prompts, responses, or conversation history are accessed.