Protect and Reveal Data with Thales CRDP

Thales CDSP CRDP MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows interacting with the CipherTrust RestFul Data Protection (CRDP) service.

Overview

This MCP server enables AI applications and LLMs to securely protect and reveal sensitive data through the CipherTrust CRDP service. It supports both individual and bulk protect and reveal operations with versioning support.

Demo Videos

• Video 1: [https://youtu.be/O2pQRoykaaU] - Deployment and usage with Cursor AI
• Video 2: [https://youtu.be/ILNyWRYQUpw] - How to use the n8n workflows

Features

• Data Protection: Protect sensitive data using Data Protection policies defined on the Thales CipherTrust manager.
• Data Revelation: Securely reveal protected data with proper authorization (username/jwt)
• Bulk Operations: Process multiple data items in single batch operations
• Versioning Support: Handles external versioned, internal versioned, and version disabled protection policies.
• Monitoring: Health checks and metrics collection
• Multiple Transports: Support for stdio and HTTP transports

Prerequisites

Before installing and running the CRDP MCP Server, ensure you have the following prerequisites installed:

• Node.js (v18 or higher)
• npm (comes with Node.js)
• TypeScript (installed globally)
• CRDP container running and registered with CipherTrust Manager

See prerequisites for detailed installation instructions.

Quick Start

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/sanyambassi/thales-cdsp-crdp-mcp-server.git
cd thales-cdsp-crdp-mcp-server

2. Install Dependencies

npm install

3. Build the Project

npm run build

4. Start the Server

For stdio transport (default):

npm start

For HTTP transport:

MCP_TRANSPORT=streamable-http npm start

Configuration

Environment Variables

Setting Environment Variables

Windows (PowerShell):

$env:CRDP_SERVICE_URL="http://crdp-server:8090"
$env:MCP_TRANSPORT="streamable-http"

Windows (CMD):

set CRDP_SERVICE_URL=http://crdp-server:8090
set MCP_TRANSPORT=streamable-http

Linux/macOS:

export CRDP_SERVICE_URL="http://crdp-server:8090"
export CRDP_PROBES_URL="http://crdp-server:8080"
export MCP_TRANSPORT="streamable-http"
export MCP_PORT="3000"

Available Tools

Data Protection Tools

protect_data

Protect a single piece of sensitive data.

Parameters:

• data (required): The sensitive data to protect
• protection_policy_name (required): CRDP protection policy name
• jwt (optional, required if CRDP is running with JWT verification enabled): JWT token for authorization

Note: If CRDP is running with JWT verification enabled, 'jwt' is required.

Example:

{
  "name": "protect_data",
  "arguments": {
    "data": "john.doe@example.com",
    "protection_policy_name": "email_policy",
    "jwt": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9..."
  }
}

protect_bulk

Protect multiple data items in a single batch operation.

Parameters:

• request_data (required): Array of protection request objects
• jwt (optional, required if CRDP is running with JWT verification enabled): JWT token for authorization

Note: If CRDP is running with JWT verification enabled, 'jwt' is required.

Example:

{
  "name": "protect_bulk",
  "arguments": {
    "request_data": [
      {
        "protection_policy_name": "email_policy",
        "data": "john.doe@example.com"
      },
      {
        "protection_policy_name": "ssn_policy",
        "data": "123-45-6789"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Data Revelation Tools

reveal_data

Reveal a single piece of protected data.

Parameters:

• protected_data (required): The protected data to reveal
• protection_policy_name (required): Policy name used for protection
• external_version (optional): Version information for the protected data
• username (conditionally required): User identity for authorization (required if 'jwt' is not provided)
• jwt (conditionally required): JWT token for authorization (required if 'username' is not provided)

Note: At least one of 'username' or 'jwt' is required for reveal operations.

Example:

{
  "name": "reveal_data",
  "arguments": {
    "protected_data": "enc_abc123def456",
    "username": "authorized_user",
    "protection_policy_name": "email_policy",
    "external_version": "1003000",
    "jwt": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9..."
  }
}

reveal_bulk

Reveal multiple protected data items in a single batch operation.

Parameters:

• protected_data (required): The protected data to reveal
• username (required): User identity for authorization
• protection_policy_name (required): Policy name used for protection
• external_version (optional): From the output of the protect operation when using a protection policy with external versioning
• jwt (optional): JWT token for authorization

Example:

{
  "name": "reveal_bulk",
  "arguments": {
    "username": "authorized_user",
    "protected_data_array": [
      {
        "protection_policy_name": "email_policy",
        "protected_data": "enc_abc123"
      },
      {
        "protection_policy_name": "ssn_policy",
        "protected_data": "enc_def456"
      }
    ],
    "jwt": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9..."
  }
}

Monitoring Tools

get_metrics

Get CRDP service metrics.

check_health

Check CRDP service health status.

check_liveness

Check CRDP service liveness.

Versioning Support

The server supports Portection Policy versioning:

1. External Versioning

Returns both protected data and external version:

Data protected successfully. Protected data: abcdefcLJTrU0Y8FKC
External version: 1003000

2. Internal Versioning

Returns protected data with embedded version:

Data protected successfully. Protected data: 1001000Y57IlQvok1Ke

3. Versioning Disabled

Returns protected data only:

Data protected successfully. Protected data: BcmX5McZK6BB

Testing

For comprehensive testing instructions, see testing.

Integration with AI Assistants

This MCP server can be integrated with various AI assistants to enable secure data protection and revelation capabilities through natural language interactions.

Supported AI Assistants

• Cursor AI
• Google Gemini
• Claude Desktop

Quick Setup

All supported AI assistants use the same mcp.json configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "crdp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/your/crdp-mcp-server/dist/crdp-mcp-server.js"],
      "env": {
        "CRDP_SERVICE_URL": "http://your-crdp-server:8090",
        "CRDP_PROBES_URL": "http://your-crdp-server:8080",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT": "stdio"
      }
    }
  }
}

Usage Examples

After configuration, you can use natural language commands like:

• "Protect my email address john.doe@example.com using the email_policy"
• "Reveal the protected data abc123def456 for user admin using protection policy ssn_policy"
• "Check the health of my CRDP service"

For detailed setup instructions and troubleshooting, see AI Assistant Integration Guide.

n8n Integration

This project includes n8n workflow templates for creating conversational AI interfaces to the CRDP service:

n8n Templates

• crdp_demo_mcp_server.json: MCP Server workflow that exposes CRDP tools
• crdp_demo_mcp_client.json: MCP Client workflow with conversational AI interface.
  Note: You will need an OpenAI API key to use the conversational AI features. Sign up or generate a key at the OpenAI website.

Features

• Conversational Interface: Protect and reveal data using natural language
• JWT Authorization: Secure operations with optional JWT tokens
• Conversational Memory: Maintains context across chat sessions
• Intelligent Tool Selection: Automatically uses bulk operations for multiple data items
• Strict Security: Always requires proper authorization parameters

Quick Setup

1. Import Workflows: Import both JSON files into your n8n instance
2. Configure Credentials: Add your OpenAI credentials to the MCP Client
3. Activate Workflows: Enable both workflows
4. Start Chatting: Use the chat interface to interact with CRDP

For detailed n8n setup instructions, see n8n docs.

Quick Test

Test the server using curl:

# Test HTTP transport
curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/mcp \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": 1,
    "method": "tools/call",
    "params": {
      "name": "protect_data",
      "arguments": {
        "data": "test@example.com",
        "protection_policy_name": "email_policy"
      }
    }
  }'

Development

Project Structure

crdp-mcp-server/
├── src/
│   └── crdp-mcp-server.ts    # Main server implementation
├── dist/                     # Compiled JavaScript output
├── docs/                     # Documentation
├── n8n/                      # n8n workflow templates
├── package.json              # Project configuration
├── scripts/				  
│	└── test-server.ts	  # Test Script
└── tsconfig.json             # TypeScript configuration

npm Commands

Security Considerations

• All sensitive data is processed through the secure CRDP service
• User authorization is required for all reveal operations
• The server does not store sensitive data locally
• This MCP server only supports CRDP running in no-tls mode

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "tsc is not recognized": Install TypeScript globally with npm install -g typescript
2. Connection refused: Ensure CRDP service is running and accessible
3. 404 errors: Ensure correct protection policy names are being used

Logs

The server outputs logs to stderr. Check for:

• CRDP service connection status
• Tool execution results
• Error messages and stack traces