Installation

Three ways to install Qualys MCP Server: uvx (recommended, zero-install), pip, or from source.

Option 1: uvx (Recommended)

The easiest way to use Qualys MCP Server is with uvx. It runs the package directly without installing anything permanently — uvx handles the virtual environment and dependencies automatically.

Add this to your Claude Desktop configuration file (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "qualys": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["qualys-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "QUALYS_USERNAME": "your-username",
        "QUALYS_PASSWORD": "your-password",
        "QUALYS_POD": "US2"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 2: pip install

If you prefer a traditional Python install:

pip install qualys-mcp

Then run the server directly:

qualys-mcp

To configure Claude Desktop with a pip-installed version, use qualys-mcp as the command:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "qualys": {
      "command": "qualys-mcp",
      "env": {
        "QUALYS_USERNAME": "your-username",
        "QUALYS_PASSWORD": "your-password",
        "QUALYS_POD": "US2"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 3: From Source

For development or to run the latest unreleased changes:

git clone https://github.com/nelssec/qualys-mcp.git
cd qualys-mcp
pip install -e .

Then run with:

python -m qualys_mcp

Verifying Installation

To verify that the server starts correctly, run it directly from the command line:

qualys-mcp

You should see the server start up with a message listing the 7 workflow tools. Press Ctrl+C to stop it.

Alternatively, if you have Claude Desktop configured, open a new conversation and ask:

What is the cache status?

If the server is running correctly, Claude will invoke the cache_status tool and return the current cache state.

Requirements

• Python 3.10+ — required for all installation methods
• Qualys API credentials — a username and password with API access
• Network access — the server needs to reach your Qualys API endpoints (e.g., qualysapi.qg2.apps.qualys.com)