SonarQube MCP Server

The SonarQube MCP Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables seamless integration with SonarQube Server or Cloud for code quality and security. It also supports the analysis of code snippet directly within the agent context.

Quick setup

🚀 Generate your configuration

The fastest way to get started is the SonarQube MCP Server Configuration Generator – an interactive tool that produces a ready-to-use configuration for your preferred AI agent client.

Manual setup

If you prefer to configure things yourself, the simplest method is to use our container image at sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp. Use sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp for automatic updates (with --pull=always), or pin to a version tag (e.g., sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp:1.19.0.2785) for reproducible deployments. Read below if you want to build it locally.

Note: While the examples below use docker, any OCI-compatible container runtime works (e.g., Podman, nerdctl). Simply replace docker with your preferred tool.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sonarqube": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "--init", "--pull=always", "-i", "--rm", "-e", "SONARQUBE_TOKEN", "-e", "SONARQUBE_ORG", "sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SONARQUBE_TOKEN": "<YOUR_TOKEN>",
        "SONARQUBE_ORG": "<YOUR_ORG>"
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sonarqube": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "--init", "--pull=always", "-i", "--rm", "-e", "SONARQUBE_TOKEN", "-e", "SONARQUBE_URL", "sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SONARQUBE_TOKEN": "<YOUR_USER_TOKEN>",
        "SONARQUBE_URL": "<YOUR_SERVER_URL>"
      }
    }
  }
}

claude mcp add sonarqube \
  --env SONARQUBE_TOKEN=$SONAR_TOKEN \
  --env SONARQUBE_ORG=$SONAR_ORG \
  -- docker run --init --pull=always -i --rm -e SONARQUBE_TOKEN -e SONARQUBE_ORG sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp

claude mcp add sonarqube \
  --env SONARQUBE_TOKEN=$SONAR_USER_TOKEN \
  --env SONARQUBE_URL=$SONAR_URL \
  -- docker run --init --pull=always -i --rm -e SONARQUBE_TOKEN -e SONARQUBE_URL sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp

[mcp_servers.sonarqube]
command = "docker"
args = ["run", "--init", "--pull=always", "--rm", "-i", "-e", "SONARQUBE_TOKEN", "-e", "SONARQUBE_ORG", "sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp"]
env = { "SONARQUBE_TOKEN" = "<YOUR_USER_TOKEN>", "SONARQUBE_ORG" = "<YOUR_ORG>" }

[mcp_servers.sonarqube]
command = "docker"
args = ["run", "--init", "--pull=always", "--rm", "-i", "-e", "SONARQUBE_TOKEN", "-e", "SONARQUBE_URL", "sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp"]
env = { "SONARQUBE_TOKEN" = "<YOUR_TOKEN>", "SONARQUBE_URL" = "<YOUR_SERVER_URL>" }

gemini extensions install https://github.com/SonarSource/sonarqube-agent-plugins

/mcp add

Server Name: sonarqube
Server Type: Local (Press 1)
Command: docker
Arguments: run, --init, --pull=always, --rm, -i, -e, SONARQUBE_TOKEN, -e, SONARQUBE_ORG, sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp
Environment Variables: SONARQUBE_TOKEN=<YOUR_TOKEN>,SONARQUBE_ORG=<YOUR_ORG>
Tools: *

Server Name: sonarqube
Server Type: Local (Press 1)
Command: docker
Arguments: run, --init, --pull=always, --rm, -i, -e, SONARQUBE_TOKEN, -e, SONARQUBE_URL, sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp
Environment Variables: SONARQUBE_TOKEN=<YOUR_USER_TOKEN>,SONARQUBE_URL=<YOUR_SERVER_URL>
Tools: *

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sonarqube": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--init",
        "--pull=always",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "-e",
        "SONARQUBE_TOKEN",
        "-e",
        "SONARQUBE_ORG",
        "sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SONARQUBE_TOKEN": "COPILOT_MCP_SONARQUBE_TOKEN",
        "SONARQUBE_ORG": "COPILOT_MCP_SONARQUBE_ORG"
      },
      "tools": ["*"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sonarqube": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--init",
        "--pull=always",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "-e",
        "SONARQUBE_TOKEN",
        "-e",
        "SONARQUBE_URL",
        "sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SONARQUBE_TOKEN": "COPILOT_MCP_SONARQUBE_USER_TOKEN",
        "SONARQUBE_URL": "COPILOT_MCP_SONARQUBE_URL"
      },
      "tools": ["*"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sonarqube": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--init",
        "--pull=always",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e", 
        "SONARQUBE_TOKEN",
        "-e",
        "SONARQUBE_ORG",
        "sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SONARQUBE_TOKEN": "<YOUR_TOKEN>",
        "SONARQUBE_ORG": "<YOUR_ORG>"
      },
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sonarqube": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--init",
        "--pull=always",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e", 
        "SONARQUBE_TOKEN",
        "-e",
        "SONARQUBE_URL",
        "sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SONARQUBE_TOKEN": "<YOUR_USER_TOKEN>",
        "SONARQUBE_URL": "<YOUR_SERVER_URL>"
      },
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

{
  "sonarqube_token": "YOUR_SONARQUBE_TOKEN",
  "sonarqube_org": "SONARQUBE_ORGANIZATION_KEY",
  "docker_path": "DOCKER_PATH"
}

{
  "sonarqube_token": "YOUR_SONARQUBE_USER_TOKEN",
  "sonarqube_url": "YOUR_SONARQUBE_SERVER_URL",
  "docker_path": "DOCKER_PATH"
}

💡 Tip: We recommend pulling the latest image regularly or before reporting issues to ensure you have the most up-to-date features and fixes.

Manual installation

You can manually install the SonarQube MCP server by copying the following snippet in the MCP servers configuration file:

• To connect with SonarQube Cloud:

{
  "sonarqube": {
    "command": "docker",
    "args": [
      "run",
      "--init",
      "--pull=always",
      "-i",
      "--rm",
      "-e",
      "SONARQUBE_TOKEN",
      "-e",
      "SONARQUBE_ORG",
      "sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp"
    ],
    "env": {
      "SONARQUBE_TOKEN": "<token>",
      "SONARQUBE_ORG": "<org>"
    }
  }
}

• To connect with SonarQube Server:

{
  "sonarqube": {
    "command": "docker",
    "args": [
      "run",
      "--init",
      "--pull=always",
      "-i",
      "--rm",
      "-e",
      "SONARQUBE_TOKEN",
      "-e",
      "SONARQUBE_URL",
      "sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp"
    ],
    "env": {
      "SONARQUBE_TOKEN": "<token>",
      "SONARQUBE_URL": "<url>"
    }
  }
}

Integration with SonarQube for IDE

The SonarQube MCP Server can integrate with SonarQube for IDE to further enhance your development workflow, providing better code analysis and insights directly within your IDE.

{
  "sonarqube": {
    "command": "docker",
    "args": [
      "run",
      "--init",
      "--pull=always",
      "-i",
      "--rm",
      "-e",
      "SONARQUBE_TOKEN",
      "-e",
      "SONARQUBE_ORG",
      "-e",
      "SONARQUBE_IDE_PORT",
      "sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp"
    ],
    "env": {
      "SONARQUBE_TOKEN": "<token>",
      "SONARQUBE_ORG": "<org>",
      "SONARQUBE_IDE_PORT": "<64120-64130>"
    }
  }
}

Configuration

Depending on your environment, you should provide specific environment variables.

Base

You should add the following variable when running the MCP Server:

Workspace Mount (Reducing Context Bloat)

By default, analysis tool analyze_code_snippet requires the agent to pass the full file content as a fileContent argument. For large files or when analyzing many files in a session, this significantly increases context window usage and cost.

Solution: mount your project directory into the container at /app/mcp-workspace. When this mount is detected, the server reads files directly from disk using the project-relative filePath argument — file content never passes through the agent context.

{
  "args": [
    "run", "-i", "--rm", "--init", "--pull=always",
    "-e", "SONARQUBE_TOKEN",
    "-e", "SONARQUBE_ORG",
    "-v", "/path/to/your/project:/app/mcp-workspace",
    "sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp"
  ]
}

When the mount is active:

• run_advanced_code_analysis becomes available if your organization is entitled to it
• analyze_code_snippet: filePath is required and fileContent is not used — the server resolves the file the same way

Selective Tool Enablement

By default, only important toolsets are enabled to reduce context overhead. You can enable additional toolsets as needed.

docker run --init --pull=always -i --rm \
  -e SONARQUBE_TOKEN="<token>" \
  -e SONARQUBE_ORG="<org>" \
  -e SONARQUBE_TOOLSETS="analysis,issues,quality-gates" \
  sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp

docker run --init --pull=always -i --rm \
  -e SONARQUBE_TOKEN="<token>" \
  -e SONARQUBE_ORG="<org>" \
  -e SONARQUBE_READ_ONLY="true" \
  sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp

SonarQube Cloud

To enable full functionality, the following environment variables must be set before starting the server:

Examples:

• SonarQube Cloud: Only SONARQUBE_TOKEN and SONARQUBE_ORG are needed
• SonarQube Cloud US: Set SONARQUBE_TOKEN, SONARQUBE_ORG, and SONARQUBE_URL=https://sonarqube.us

SonarQube Server

⚠️ Connection to SonarQube Server requires a token of type USER and will not function properly if project tokens or global tokens are used.

💡 Configuration Tip (stdio mode): The presence of SONARQUBE_ORG determines whether you're connecting to SonarQube Cloud or Server. If SONARQUBE_ORG is set, SonarQube Cloud is used; otherwise, SonarQube Server is used.

Transport Modes

The MCP specification defines two transport mechanisms: Stdio and Streamable HTTP. The SonarQube MCP Server supports both:

Note: Streamable HTTP is the current MCP network transport. The older SSE-only HTTP transport from earlier MCP versions is deprecated and not supported.

1. Stdio (Default - Recommended for Local Development)

The recommended mode for local development and single-user setups, used by most MCP clients.

Example - Docker with SonarQube Cloud:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sonarqube": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "--init", "--pull=always", "-i", "--rm", "-e", "SONARQUBE_TOKEN", "-e", "SONARQUBE_ORG", "sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SONARQUBE_TOKEN": "<your-token>",
        "SONARQUBE_ORG": "<your-org>"
      }
    }
  }
}

2. HTTP (Streamable HTTP)

Unencrypted Streamable HTTP transport. Use HTTPS instead for multi-user deployments.

⚠️ Not Recommended: Use Stdio for local development or HTTPS (Streamable HTTP) for multi-user production deployments.

Note: In Streamable HTTP mode (HTTP or HTTPS), the server is stateless — each client request must include an Authorization: Bearer <token> header carrying the user's own SonarQube token. For SonarQube Cloud, the organization is resolved as follows:

• If SONARQUBE_ORG is set at server startup, all requests are routed to that organization. Clients must not send a SONARQUBE_ORG header — doing so will result in an error.
• If SONARQUBE_ORG is not set at server startup, each client must supply a SONARQUBE_ORG header on every request. Clients can also narrow the visible tools per-request by supplying SONARQUBE_TOOLSETS and/or SONARQUBE_READ_ONLY headers; these apply additional filtering on top of the server-level configuration — they can only reduce the scope, never expand it. No session state is maintained between requests.

Deprecated: The SONARQUBE_TOKEN request header is still accepted for backward compatibility but will be removed in a future version. Migrate to Authorization: Bearer <token>.

3. HTTPS (Streamable HTTP over TLS) (Recommended for Multi-User Production Deployments)

Secure Streamable HTTP transport with TLS encryption. Requires SSL certificates.

✅ Recommended for Production: Use HTTPS when deploying the MCP server for multiple users over Streamable HTTP. The server binds to 127.0.0.1 (localhost) by default for security.

SSL Certificate Configuration (Optional):

Example - Docker with SonarQube Cloud:

Note: When running in a container, set SONARQUBE_HTTP_HOST=0.0.0.0 so the container listens on all interfaces and the runtime's port mapping works, and set SONARQUBE_MCP_IN_CONTAINER=true to tell the server it is inside a container. The official Docker image sets the latter automatically; set it yourself when using other OCI runtimes (Podman, Kubernetes, Nomad, etc.). The host-side port flag controls who can reach the server from outside the container. SONARQUBE_HTTP_HOST=0.0.0.0 only controls where the server listens inside the container — browser CORS still allows localhost origins by default.

For a server running locally on your machine (accessible only from localhost):

docker run --init --pull=always -p 127.0.0.1:8443:8443 \
  -v $(pwd)/keystore.p12:/etc/ssl/mcp/keystore.p12:ro \
  -e SONARQUBE_TRANSPORT=https \
  -e SONARQUBE_HTTP_HOST=0.0.0.0 \
  -e SONARQUBE_HTTP_PORT=8443 \
  -e SONARQUBE_TOKEN="<init-token>" \
  -e SONARQUBE_ORG="<your-org>" \
  sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp

For a server accessible from the network (remote deployments):

docker run --init --pull=always -p 8443:8443 \
  -v $(pwd)/keystore.p12:/etc/ssl/mcp/keystore.p12:ro \
  -e SONARQUBE_TRANSPORT=https \
  -e SONARQUBE_HTTP_HOST=0.0.0.0 \
  -e SONARQUBE_HTTP_PORT=8443 \
  -e SONARQUBE_TOKEN="<init-token>" \
  -e SONARQUBE_ORG="<your-org>" \
  sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp

Client Configuration (SonarQube Cloud):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sonarqube-https": {
      "url": "https://your-server:8443/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <your-token>",
        "SONARQUBE_ORG": "<your-org>",
        "SONARQUBE_TOOLSETS": "issues,quality-gates",
        "SONARQUBE_READ_ONLY": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Client Configuration (SonarQube Server):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sonarqube-https": {
      "url": "https://your-server:8443/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <your-token>",
        "SONARQUBE_TOOLSETS": "issues,quality-gates",
        "SONARQUBE_READ_ONLY": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: SONARQUBE_TOOLSETS and SONARQUBE_READ_ONLY are optional per-request headers that narrow the server-level tool set for that specific request. They can only reduce scope — they cannot enable toolsets or lift restrictions beyond what the server was launched with.

Note: For local development, use Stdio transport instead (the default). HTTPS Streamable HTTP is intended for multi-user production deployments with proper SSL certificates.

Service Endpoints

When running in Streamable HTTP mode (http or https), the server exposes a few unauthenticated service endpoints in addition to the MCP endpoint at /mcp. These are intended for service-to-service use (monitoring, orchestration, client compatibility checks) and do not require an Authorization header.

These endpoints are not available when running with the Stdio transport.

Custom Certificates

If your SonarQube Server uses a self-signed certificate or a certificate from a private Certificate Authority (CA), you can add custom certificates to the container that will automatically be installed.

docker run --init --pull=always -i --rm \
  -v /path/to/your/certificates/:/usr/local/share/ca-certificates/:ro \
  -e SONARQUBE_TOKEN="<token>" \
  -e SONARQUBE_URL="<url>" \
  sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp

{
  "sonarqube": {
    "command": "docker",
    "args": [
      "run",
      "--init",
      "--pull=always",
      "-i",
      "--rm",
      "-v",
      "/path/to/your/certificates/:/usr/local/share/ca-certificates/:ro",
      "-e",
      "SONARQUBE_TOKEN",
      "-e",
      "SONARQUBE_URL",
      "sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp"
    ],
    "env": {
      "SONARQUBE_TOKEN": "<token>",
      "SONARQUBE_URL": "<url>"
    }
  }
}

Proxy

The SonarQube MCP Server supports HTTP and SOCKS5 proxies through standard Java proxy system properties.

Client Certificate (Mutual TLS)

If your SonarQube Server requires clients to present a certificate during the TLS handshake (mutual TLS), you can provide a PKCS12 keystore by mounting it into the container and passing its location via JAVA_OPTS.

docker run --init --pull=always -i --rm \
  -v /path/to/client.p12:/etc/ssl/mcp/client.p12:ro \
  -e JAVA_OPTS="-Djavax.net.ssl.keyStore=/etc/ssl/mcp/client.p12 -Djavax.net.ssl.keyStoreType=PKCS12 -Djavax.net.ssl.keyStorePassword=<passphrase>" \
  -e SONARQUBE_TOKEN="<token>" \
  -e SONARQUBE_URL="<url>" \
  sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp

{
  "sonarqube": {
    "command": "docker",
    "args": [
      "run", "--init", "--pull=always", "-i", "--rm",
      "-v", "/path/to/client.p12:/etc/ssl/mcp/client.p12:ro",
      "-e", "JAVA_OPTS",
      "-e", "SONARQUBE_TOKEN",
      "-e", "SONARQUBE_URL",
      "sonarsource/sonarqube-mcp"
    ],
    "env": {
      "JAVA_OPTS": "-Djavax.net.ssl.keyStore=/etc/ssl/mcp/client.p12 -Djavax.net.ssl.keyStoreType=PKCS12 -Djavax.net.ssl.keyStorePassword=<passphrase>",
      "SONARQUBE_TOKEN": "<token>",
      "SONARQUBE_URL": "<url>"
    }
  }
}

java \
  -Djavax.net.ssl.keyStore=/path/to/client.p12 \
  -Djavax.net.ssl.keyStoreType=PKCS12 \
  -Djavax.net.ssl.keyStorePassword=<passphrase> \
  -jar <path_to_sonarqube_mcp_server_jar>

{
  "sonarqube": {
    "command": "java",
    "args": [
      "-Djavax.net.ssl.keyStore=/path/to/client.p12",
      "-Djavax.net.ssl.keyStoreType=PKCS12",
      "-Djavax.net.ssl.keyStorePassword=<passphrase>",
      "-jar",
      "<path_to_sonarqube_mcp_server_jar>"
    ],
    "env": {
      "SONARQUBE_TOKEN": "<token>",
      "SONARQUBE_URL": "<url>"
    }
  }
}

Tools

Analysis

• analyze_code_snippet - Analyze file content with SonarQube analyzers to identify code quality and security issues. Always analyzes the complete file content for accuracy. Optionally filter results to a specific code snippet.

  Deprecated: analyze_code_snippet will be removed in a future release. Connect SonarQube for IDE to use analyze_file_list, or enable Vortex analysis for your organization to use run_advanced_code_analysis (see below).

  Usage:

  • With workspace mounted (recommended): pass filePath (project-relative) — the server reads the file directly, keeping file content out of the agent context window
  • Without workspace mount: pass complete fileContent for full file analysis (reports all issues)
  • Add optional codeSnippet to filter results - only issues within the snippet will be reported (snippet location auto-detected)

  Parameters:

  • projectKey - The SonarQube project key - Required String (Ignored when SONARQUBE_PROJECT_KEY is defined)
  • filePath - Project-relative path of the file to analyze (e.g., src/main/java/MyClass.java). Used when the workspace is mounted at /app/mcp-workspace - String
  • fileContent - Complete file content as a string. Required when workspace is not mounted - String
  • codeSnippet - Code snippet to filter issues (must match content in fileContent) - String
  • language - Language of the code (e.g., 'java', 'python', 'js', 'ts', 'tsx', 'jsx') - String
  • scope - Scope of the file: MAIN or TEST (default: MAIN) - String

  Supported Languages: Java, Kotlin, Python, Ruby, Go, JavaScript (js, jsx), TypeScript (ts, tsx), JSP, PHP, XML, HTML, CSS, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, Terraform, Azure Resource Manager, Ansible, Docker, Secrets detection

When integration with SonarQube for IDE is enabled: (these two tools are tagged under both the analysis and ide toolsets)

• analyze_file_list - Analyze files in the current working directory using SonarQube for IDE. This tool connects to a running SonarQube for IDE instance to perform code quality analysis on a list of files.

  • file_absolute_paths - List of absolute file paths to analyze - Required String[]

• toggle_automatic_analysis - Enable or disable SonarQube for IDE automatic analysis. When enabled, SonarQube for IDE will automatically analyze files as they are modified in the working directory. When disabled, automatic analysis is turned off.

  • enabled - Enable or disable the automatic analysis - Required Boolean

On SonarQube Server, stdio lists Vortex context tools and run_advanced_code_analysis when both the CAG and A3S hubs are entitled.

When Vortex analysis is enabled:

Requires having the workspace mounted at /app/mcp-workspace

• run_advanced_code_analysis - Run Vortex analysis on a single file. Organization is inferred from MCP configuration (SonarQube Server uses the nil UUID placeholder).
  • projectKey - The key of the project - Required String (Ignored when SONARQUBE_PROJECT_KEY is defined)
  • branch - Branch name used to retrieve the latest analysis context - Required String

…view the full README on GitHub.