Use the MCP Registry with Agent Guard

Use this if you are not using the JFrog CLI. Both variables must be set together. You can permanently save the required environment variables to your machine's operating system.

Environment Variables:

Optional —JF_PROJECT (applies to all authentication options) JF_PROJECT is your JFrog project key. It is optional regardless of which authentication option you choose. If it isn't set, the agent will ask you for the project key when needed.

Follow the OS-specific instructions in this section.

Set env vars for macOS / Linux (Zsh or Bash):

Option 1: Using echo commands

echo 'export JFROG_URL="https://<your-host>"' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'export JFROG_ACCESS_TOKEN="<your-token>"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Option 2: Using nano editor

1. Open your terminal and edit your profile (usually ~/.zshrc for Mac or ~/.bashrc for Linux):

   bash

   nano ~/.zshrc

2. Append these lines at the bottom of the file:

   bash

   export JFROG_URL="<your-platform-url>"
   export JFROG_ACCESS_TOKEN="<your-access-token>"

   Optional: You can also set export JF_PROJECT="<your-project-key>" to default to a specific project.

3. Save, exit and apply changes:
   Press Ctrl+O, Enter, then Ctrl+X. Then run:

   bash

   source ~/.zshrc

After setting environment variables, restart your IDE so it picks up the new environment.

Set env vars for Windows (PowerShell):

1. Open PowerShell and run the following commands:

   [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("JFROG_URL", "<your-platform-url>", "User")
   [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("JFROG_ACCESS_TOKEN", "<your-access-token>", "User")

Optional: [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("JF_PROJECT", "<your-project-key>", "User")

Important: The "User" scope writes the variables permanently to your Windows user profile (registry key HKCU\Environment), so they persist across reboots and are inherited by every new process.

Alternatives:

Command Prompt: Use setx. For more information, see learn.microsoft.com/setx. setx truncates values over 1024 characters. If your access token exceeds that limit, use the PowerShell command above instead.
GUI: Start → "Edit the system environment variables" → Environment Variables…

2. Completely close and reopen your IDE/terminal for the changes to take effect. The current PowerShell window won't see the new values until it's restarted.

   📘

   Security Note:

   For security reasons, if you are using a .env file for local development, always ensure it is added to your .gitignore to prevent your Access Token from leaking.

If you have already run jf config add for exactly one server, and the JFROG_URL environment variable is not set, the Agent Guard defaults to that server automatically. No flags or variables are required.

To configure the JFrog CLI:

1. Open your terminal.

2. Run the following command:

   Bash

     jf config add

3. Follow the interactive prompts to configure your JFrog Platform URL and Access Token.

4. Restart your IDE/terminal to apply the changes.

After jf config add, you're done.

📘 Note:
If you have more than one CLI server configured, provide the --server <SERVER_ID> flag to select which server Agent Guard uses. The --server flag takes precedence over the environment variables and the jf CLI config. For the full resolution order, see Configuration Precedence.

Q: Why must I enable the MCP Registry before I install the JFrog plugin?

A: JFrog's Plugins rely on this setting during installation. (The registry must be active before coding agent install options appear in the MCP Registry.) For more information, see Enable the MCP Registry.

Q: Which authentication method should I use for Agent Guard?

A: Use persistent environment variables if you do not use the JFrog CLI. If you already configured exactly one server with jf config add, Agent Guard can use that configuration automatically. See Authenticate Coding Assistant to Work with Agent Guard.

Q: Do I need to set JFROG_URL and JFROG_ACCESS_TOKEN together?

A: Yes. Both variables are required when you authenticate with environment variables. You can optionally set JF_PROJECT to default to a specific project key.

Q: Can I still use JFROG_PLATFORM_URL or JF_URL to set my platform URL?

A: Yes. Those are legacy aliases and still work, but JFROG_URL is the recommended name. See Legacy Environment Variable Aliases.

Q: What if my network blocks access to releases.jfrog.io?

A: Create a remote npm repository in JFrog Artifactory that proxies the Agent Guard registry, then set JFROG_AGENT_GUARD_REPO to your repository URL. See Network Access - Agent Guard Registry.

Q: What happens if I have multiple JFrog CLI servers configured?

A: When you have more than one CLI server configured, provide the --server <SERVER_ID> flag to select which server Agent Guard uses. The --server flag takes precedence over the environment variables and the jf CLI config. For the full resolution order, see Configuration Precedence.