Backend MCP Tools

Backend MCP will extend SnapBack’s local MCP integration with cloud-powered features including advanced AI risk scoring, team collaboration, and cloud backup. Available on Solo, Team, and Enterprise plans.

What’s Planned

Backend MCP will add cloud-powered capabilities to your local MCP integration:

Privacy Notice

What’s Uploaded

When Backend MCP is enabled:

• ✓ Snapshot metadata: File paths, sizes, hashes (encrypted)
• ✓ Risk analysis results: Severity scores, violation types (no code content)
• ✓ Session metadata: Session names, durations, tag data
• ✓ Policy configurations: File policies, team .snapbackrc settings

What’s Never Uploaded

• ❌ File contents (unless cloud backup is explicitly enabled)
• ❌ API keys or secrets (always redacted)
• ❌ Personal identifiable information (PII is sanitized)
• ❌ Source code snippets (only metadata and hashes)

Planned Backend MCP Tools

The following tools are planned for Backend MCP. They are not yet available.

1. cloud_backup (Planned)

Upload a snapshot to encrypted cloud storage.

Parameters:

Copy{
  snapshotId: string;
  workspacePath: string;
  retention?: number; // days (default: tier-based)
}

Response:

Copy{
  cloudSnapshotId: string;
  uploadedAt: string; // ISO 8601
  size: number; // bytes
  retention: number; // days
  expiresAt: string; // ISO 8601
}

Usage Example:

Copy// AI assistant can back up important snapshots to cloud
const result = await mcp.call('cloud_backup', {
  snapshotId: 'snap_local_12345',
  workspacePath: '/Users/dev/my-project',
  retention: 90 // Override tier default
});

Upgrade to Solo

2. cloud_restore (Planned)

Restore a snapshot from cloud storage to your local machine.

Parameters:

Copy{
  cloudSnapshotId: string;
  targetPath: string;
  options?: {
    overwrite?: boolean;
    excludePatterns?: string[];
  };
}

Response:

Copy{
  restoredFiles: number;
  skippedFiles: number;
  errors: string[];
  localSnapshotId: string;
}

Upgrade to Solo

3. guardian_ai_score (Planned)

Analyze code using cloud-based Guardian AI for enhanced risk detection.

Parameters:

Copy{
  filePaths: string[];
  workspacePath: string;
  options?: {
    includeExplanations?: boolean;
    threshold?: 'low' | 'medium' | 'high';
  };
}

Response:

Copy{
  findings: Array<{
    file: string;
    type: 'secret' | 'mock_leakage' | 'phantom_dependency' | 'ai_risk';
    severity: 'low' | 'medium' | 'high' | 'critical';
    line: number;
    column: number;
    message: string;
    explanation?: string; // Only if includeExplanations: true
    suggestedFix?: string;
  }>;
  overallRisk: number; // 0-10 with decimal precision
  confidence: number; // 0-100 (AI model confidence)
}

Key Differences from Local analyze_risk:

• ☁️ Cloud-based ML model (higher accuracy)
• 📊 Confidence scores and explanations
• 🔧 Suggested fixes for violations
• 🚀 Faster analysis for large codebases (parallel processing)

Upgrade to Solo

4. team_share_snapshot (Planned)

Share a snapshot with team members.

Parameters:

Copy{
  snapshotId: string;
  teamId: string;
  permissions: {
    members?: string[]; // User IDs, omit for all team members
    canRestore?: boolean; // Default: true
    canDelete?: boolean; // Default: false
  };
}

Response:

Copy{
  sharedSnapshotId: string;
  shareUrl: string;
  sharedWith: number; // Member count
  expiresAt?: string; // Optional expiration
}

Upgrade to Team

5. team_get_shared

List snapshots shared with your team.

Parameters:

Copy{
  teamId: string;
  filters?: {
    sharedBy?: string; // User ID
    tags?: string[];
    since?: string; // ISO 8601 date
  };
}

Response:

Copy{
  snapshots: Array<{
    id: string;
    name: string;
    sharedBy: string;
    sharedAt: string;
    size: number;
    tags: string[];
    canRestore: boolean;
  }>;
  total: number;
}

Upgrade to Team

Authentication

Backend MCP requires API key authentication:

Obtaining an API Key

1. Upgrade to Solo, Team, or Enterprise
2. Navigate to Dashboard → Settings → API Keys
3. Click “Generate New Key”
4. Copy the key (displayed once only)
5. Store securely in your environment variables

API Key Format:

Copysb_live_a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0k1l2m3n4o5p6

Scopes (configurable per key):

• snapshots:read - List and download snapshots
• snapshots:write - Create and upload snapshots
• snapshots:delete - Delete snapshots
• guardian:analyze - Use Guardian AI scoring
• team:read - View team snapshots
• team:write - Share snapshots with team

Upgrade to Solo

Configuring Authentication

Copy# Set API key as environment variable
export SNAPBACK_API_KEY="sb_live_a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0k1l2m3n4o5p6"

# Or add to .snapbackconfig
{
  "mcp": {
    "backend": {
      "enabled": true,
      "apiKey": "${SNAPBACK_API_KEY}", // Use env var reference
      "endpoint": "https://api.snapback.dev" // Optional: custom endpoint
    }
  }
}

Security Best Practices:

• ✓ Store API keys in environment variables (not version control)
• ✓ Use separate keys for development and production
• ✓ Rotate keys every 90 days
• ✓ Revoke compromised keys immediately via dashboard

Configuration

Enabling Backend MCP

Copy// .snapbackconfig
{
  "mcp": {
    "local": {
      "enabled": true // Keep local MCP enabled
    },
    "backend": {
      "enabled": true,
      "apiKey": "${SNAPBACK_API_KEY}",
      "cloudBackup": {
        "auto": true, // Auto-backup after each snapshot
        "retention": 90, // Days (tier-dependent)
        "exclude": ["node_modules/", ".git/", "*.log"]
      },
      "guardianAI": {
        "enabled": true,
        "threshold": "medium", // low | medium | high
        "autoAnalyze": true // Analyze on save
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code Extension Settings

Copy// VS Code settings.json
{
  "snapback.mcp.backend.enabled": true,
  "snapback.mcp.backend.cloudBackup.auto": true,
  "snapback.mcp.backend.guardianAI.enabled": true,
  "snapback.mcp.backend.guardianAI.threshold": "medium"
}

Tier-Specific Limits

See full comparison →

Usage Examples

Automatic Cloud Backup

Copy// AI assistant creates and backs up snapshot
const snapshot = await mcp.call('create_snapshot', {
  workspacePath: '/Users/dev/my-project',
  message: 'Before refactoring'
});

const backup = await mcp.call('cloud_backup', {
  snapshotId: snapshot.id,
  workspacePath: '/Users/dev/my-project'
});

console.log(`Snapshot backed up to cloud: ${backup.cloudSnapshotId}`);

Advanced Risk Analysis

Copy// AI assistant analyzes code with Guardian AI
const analysis = await mcp.call('guardian_ai_score', {
  filePaths: ['src/auth.ts', 'src/api.ts'],
  workspacePath: '/Users/dev/my-project',
  options: {
    includeExplanations: true,
    threshold: 'medium'
  }
});

for (const finding of analysis.findings) {
  console.log(`${finding.severity}: ${finding.message}`);
  if (finding.suggestedFix) {
    console.log(`Suggested fix: ${finding.suggestedFix}`);
  }
}

Team Collaboration

Copy// Share snapshot with team
const share = await mcp.call('team_share_snapshot', {
  snapshotId: 'snap_12345',
  teamId: 'team_acme',
  permissions: {
    canRestore: true,
    canDelete: false
  }
});

console.log(`Shared with ${share.sharedWith} team members`);
console.log(`Share URL: ${share.shareUrl}`);

Troubleshooting

Authentication Errors

Copy# Verify API key is set
echo $SNAPBACK_API_KEY

# Test API connection
snapback mcp test-backend

# Check API key permissions
snapback api whoami

Common Issues:

• 401 Unauthorized: Invalid or expired API key
• 403 Forbidden: Insufficient permissions (check scopes)
• 429 Too Many Requests: Rate limit exceeded (upgrade tier)

Cloud Backup Failures

1. Check storage quota: snapback cloud status
2. Verify network connectivity: ping api.snapback.dev
3. Review excluded patterns: Ensure important files aren’t excluded
4. Check logs: snapback mcp logs --backend

Guardian AI Timeout

If Guardian AI analysis times out:

1. Reduce file count per analysis (max 50 files recommended)
2. Increase timeout in config: guardianAI.timeout: 30000 (ms)
3. Check rate limits: snapback api limits

CLI Commands

Copy# Test backend MCP connection
snapback mcp test-backend

# Check cloud storage status
snapback cloud status

# List cloud snapshots
snapback cloud list [--limit 10]

# Upload snapshot to cloud
snapback cloud backup <snapshot-id>

# Restore from cloud
snapback cloud restore <cloud-snapshot-id> [--target ./restored]

# Analyze with Guardian AI
snapback guardian analyze <file-paths...> [--cloud]

# Team commands (Team+ only)
snapback team share <snapshot-id> [--members user1,user2]
snapback team list-shared

Best Practices

Related Documentation

• Local MCP Integration - Offline MCP features
• Plans & Pricing - Feature comparison by tier
• CLI Reference - Command-line tools
• Privacy & Data Protection - Data handling practices