Front Server

CI npm License: MIT Node TypeScript MCP Front API

Use Front from any MCP-compatible client. Search conversations, manage contacts, send messages, tag, assign, and automate inbox workflows — 26 tools, 172 actions.

Quick Start

1. Get a Front API token from Settings > Developers > API tokens.

2. Add to your Claude Code settings (~/.claude/settings.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "front": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@houst-com/front-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "FRONT_API_TOKEN": "your-front-api-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Start Claude Code. The Front tools are now available.

Example Workflows

Search for a conversation:

"Search Front conversations about billing issues"

Inspect a thread:

"Get the messages in conversation cnv_abc123"

Manage contacts:

"List contacts and find the one with email [email protected]"

Tag and assign:

"Tag conversation cnv_abc123 with 'urgent' and assign it to teammate tea_xyz"

Draft a reply:

"Create a draft reply to conversation cnv_abc123 saying we'll follow up tomorrow"

OAuth Setup (Recommended)

OAuth provides automatic token refresh and better security than API tokens.

1. Create a Front app at Settings > Developers > OAuth apps.
2. Set the redirect URI to https://localhost:9876/callback.
3. Enable the resource permissions your MCP server needs (Read, Write, Delete, Send).
4. Save the app — copy the Client ID from the OAuth feature (not the App secret from Settings).
5. Create ~/.front-mcp/config.json:

{
  "auth": {
    "method": "oauth",
    "oauth": {
      "client_id": "your-client-id",
      "client_secret_env": "FRONT_MCP_OAUTH_SECRET",
      "redirect_port": 9876,
      "scopes": []
    }
  }
}

6. Configure Claude Code:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "front": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@houst-com/front-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "FRONT_MCP_AUTH_METHOD": "oauth",
        "FRONT_MCP_OAUTH_SECRET": "your-oauth-client-secret"
      }
    }
  }
}

7. Run npx @houst-com/front-mcp auth to authenticate (opens browser).
8. Tokens are encrypted and stored locally (AES-256-GCM, 0600 permissions).

Auth CLI

front-mcp auth            # Start OAuth flow
front-mcp auth --status   # Check auth state (no token values shown)
front-mcp auth --clear    # Remove stored tokens
front-mcp --version       # Show version
front-mcp --help          # Show usage

Front Permissions

The MCP server needs Front API permissions matching the actions you want to use:

Permission	Required for
Read	All list/get/search actions
Write	create, update, assign, add, merge, reply
Delete	delete, remove actions
Send	messages.create, messages.reply

For OAuth, configure these in your Front app under Features > OAuth > Resource permissions. For API tokens, permissions are set when creating the token.

Tools Reference

Tool	Actions
accounts	list, get, create, update, delete, list_contacts, add_contact, remove_contact
analytics	create_export, get_export, create_report, get_report
channels	list, get, update, validate, create, list_for_teammate, list_for_team
comments	list, get, create, update, list_mentions, reply
contact_groups	list, create, delete, list_contacts, add_contacts, remove_contacts
contact_lists	list, create, delete, list_contacts, add_contacts, remove_contacts
contact_notes	list, create
contacts	list, get, create, update, delete, merge, list_conversations, add_handle, remove_handle
conversations	list, get, search, create, update, delete, assign, list_events, list_followers, add_followers, remove_followers, list_inboxes, add_link, remove_links, list_messages, update_reminders, add_tag, remove_tag
custom_fields	list_for_accounts, list_for_contacts, list_for_conversations, list_for_inboxes, list_for_links, list_for_teammates
drafts	list, create, create_reply, update, delete
events	list, get
inboxes	list, get, create, list_channels, list_conversations, list_access, grant_access, revoke_access
knowledge_bases	list, get, create, update, list_categories, list_articles, get_article, create_article, update_article, delete_article, get_category, create_category, update_category, delete_category
links	list, get, create, update, list_conversations
message_template_folders	list, get, create, update, delete, list_children, create_child
message_templates	list, get, create, update, delete
messages	get, create, reply, import, receive_custom, get_seen_status, mark_seen
rules	list, get, list_for_teammate, list_for_team
shifts	list, get, create, update, list_teammates, add_teammates, remove_teammates
signatures	list, get, update, delete, create_for_teammate, create_for_team
tags	list, get, create, update, delete, list_children, create_child, list_conversations
teammate_groups	list, get, create, update, delete, list_inboxes, add_inboxes, remove_inboxes, list_teammates, add_teammates, remove_teammates, list_teams, add_teams, remove_teams
teammates	list, get, update, list_conversations, list_inboxes
teams	list, get, add_teammates, remove_teammates
token_identity	get

See docs/TOOL_REFERENCE.md for the complete reference with policy tiers per action.

Policy Engine

Every action is classified into a tier with a default decision:

Tier	Default	Examples
read	allow	list, get, search
write	confirm	create, update, assign
destructive	deny	delete, remove

Write actions require a two-step confirmation: the first call returns a prompt, the second call with confirm: true executes. Destructive actions are denied by default.

Custom Policy

Create ~/.front-mcp/policy.json:

{
  "defaults": {
    "read": "allow",
    "write": "allow",
    "destructive": "confirm"
  },
  "overrides": [
    { "tool": "conversations", "action": "delete", "decision": "deny" },
    { "tool": "tags", "action": "*", "decision": "allow" }
  ]
}

Override precedence: specific action > tool wildcard > tier default.

Security Model

• HTTPS enforced — no HTTP fallback, ever
• Token encryption — AES-256-GCM with PBKDF2 key derivation
• File permissions — token file is 0600 (owner read/write only)
• Output sanitization — configurable field redaction before LLM sees data
• Log redaction — sensitive fields redacted from all log output
• Policy engine — destructive actions denied by default, write actions require confirmation
• No secrets in stdout — stdout is reserved for MCP protocol only
• Minimal dependencies — native fetch, Node.js crypto, pinned exact versions

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description
FRONT_API_TOKEN	Yes (unless OAuth)	Front API token
FRONT_MCP_AUTH_METHOD	No	oauth or api_token (default: api_token)
FRONT_MCP_OAUTH_SECRET	Yes (if OAuth)	OAuth client secret
FRONT_MCP_LOG_LEVEL	No	error, warn, info, debug (default: info)
FRONT_MCP_POLICY_FILE	No	Path to custom policy JSON file

Limitations

• stdio transport only — no HTTP/SSE transport in v1 (planned for future)
• Single Front account — one account per server instance
• No webhook support — outbound API calls only, no inbound event processing
• No caching — every request hits the Front API (relies on Front's freshness)
• Attachments — file upload/download not supported in v1
• Application channels — channel-specific message sync endpoints not supported

Development

git clone https://github.com/wearehoust/front-mcp.git
cd front-mcp
npm install
npm test          # 519 tests
npm run lint      # ESLint strict
npm run type-check # TypeScript strict
npm run build     # Compile to dist/

Testing

npm test              # Unit + integration tests
npm run test:watch    # Watch mode
npm run test:coverage # Coverage report
npm run smoke         # Smoke test (builds, starts, verifies 26 tools)

The project includes 519 unit/integration tests and a 172-action live API test script (scripts/live-test-full.js).

Release Process

1. Update version in package.json and server.json
2. Update CHANGELOG.md
3. Commit: git commit -m "chore: release vX.Y.Z"
4. Tag: git tag vX.Y.Z
5. Push: git push origin main --tags
6. GitHub Actions publishes to npm (requires NPM_TOKEN secret)
7. Publish to MCP Registry: mcp-publisher publish

Security

See SECURITY.md for vulnerability reporting.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for setup, code standards, and PR process.

License

MIT