> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getbifrost.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# No Authentication

> Connect to MCP servers that don't require any upstream credential.

## Overview

`auth_type: "none"` is the default. Use it for MCP servers that don't require any upstream authentication — public MCP services, local STDIO tools, internal services already protected at the network layer, etc.

This is also the only valid `auth_type` for STDIO connections; STDIO subprocesses inherit their environment from the spawning process and there is no per-call header to attach.

***

## When to use

* Public MCP servers with no auth
* Local STDIO tools (`@anthropic/mcp-filesystem`, etc.)
* Internal services already gated at the network or VPN layer
* Anything you'd hit with `curl` and no extra headers

If the upstream eventually adds a key, switch to [Headers](./headers) and refill the `headers` map. Note: `connection_type` and `auth_type` are immutable after creation — to change either, delete the MCP client and re-create it.

***

## Configuration

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Web UI">
    1. Navigate to **MCP Gateway** in the sidebar
    2. Click **New MCP Server**
    3. Pick a **Connection Type** (STDIO, HTTP, or SSE) and fill in the connection target
    4. Leave **Auth Type** on **None** (the default)
    5. Optionally configure `tools_to_execute` / `tools_to_auto_execute`
    6. Click **Create**

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/bifrost/XlPVYgXkIjrC4Czp/media/ui-mcp-auth-none-form.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=XlPVYgXkIjrC4Czp&q=85&s=02b525cc4e3b89fa9f76390154ea8e48" alt="MCP client form with Auth Type set to None" width="3524" height="2400" data-path="media/ui-mcp-auth-none-form.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="API">
    ```bash theme={null}
    curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/mcp/client \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d '{
        "name": "public-service",
        "connection_type": "http",
        "connection_string": "https://public-mcp.example.com/mcp",
        "auth_type": "none",
        "tools_to_execute": ["*"]
      }'
    ```

    Response:

    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "status": "success",
      "message": "MCP client created"
    }
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="config.json">
    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "mcp": {
        "client_configs": [
          {
            "name": "public-service",
            "connection_type": "http",
            "connection_string": "https://public-mcp.example.com/mcp",
            "auth_type": "none",
            "tools_to_execute": ["*"]
          }
        ]
      }
    }
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## STDIO example

STDIO connections must use `auth_type: "none"`:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Web UI">
    1. **New MCP Server** → **Connection Type: STDIO**
    2. Fill in **Command**, **Args** (comma-separated), and **Envs** (env-var names to pass through)
    3. Auth Type stays on **None**
    4. Click **Create**
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="API">
    ```bash theme={null}
    curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/mcp/client \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d '{
        "name": "filesystem",
        "connection_type": "stdio",
        "stdio_config": {
          "command": "npx",
          "args": ["-y", "@anthropic/mcp-filesystem"],
          "envs": ["HOME", "PATH"]
        },
        "auth_type": "none",
        "tools_to_execute": ["*"]
      }'
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="config.json">
    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "mcp": {
        "client_configs": [
          {
            "name": "filesystem",
            "connection_type": "stdio",
            "stdio_config": {
              "command": "npx",
              "args": ["-y", "@anthropic/mcp-filesystem"],
              "envs": ["HOME", "PATH"]
            },
            "auth_type": "none",
            "tools_to_execute": ["*"]
          }
        ]
      }
    }
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Warning>
  **Docker users:** STDIO connections won't work if the spawned command (e.g., `npx`, `python`) isn't installed in the container. For STDIO-based MCP servers, build a custom Docker image that includes the dependencies, or host the server separately and connect via HTTP/SSE.
</Warning>

***

## Next Steps

* [Headers](./headers) — when the upstream needs an API key
* [OAuth 2.0](./oauth) — for shared OAuth services
* [Connecting to MCP Servers](../connecting-to-servers) — connection-type details (STDIO, HTTP, SSE)