MCP without giving away your keys

• Understand what risk each MCP server adds.
• Separate credentials, permissions, and sandbox environments.
• Design allowlists and usage rules for teams.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github-readonly": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${GITHUB_READONLY_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Best practices

• Use read-only tokens when the workflow does not need to write.
• Separate development, preview, and production tokens.
• Do not put secrets in repositories, prompts, or screenshots.
• Review what tools each MCP exposes before approving it.
• Limit allowed servers for teams through managed settings if you have them.