Q Ring MCP Server

OS keychain secrets for AI coding agents, over MCP. Stop pasting API keys into plain-text .env files or wrestling with clunky secret managers. q-ring securely anchors your credentials to your OS's native vault (macOS Keychain, Linux Secret Service, Windows Credential Vault) and supercharges them with mechanics from quantum physics. It runs locally over stdio via the published package.

People who work with keyring, secrets management and security and want it reachable from Claude, Cursor, VS Code, or another MCP client. The project is written in TypeScript.

VERIFIED ACTIVE

LAST COMMIT 2026-09-27 · ★ 4 · #36 OF 216 MAINTAINED SECURITY · VERIFIED 2026-09-30

AGPL-3.0 · TypeScript servers · how we verify → /methodology

01 · Install Q Ring

before you install - you'll need

Set QRING_ENV, DATABASE_URL, OPENAI_API_KEY, STRIPE_KEY, SESSION_TTL, QRING_BACKEND, QRING_FILE_PASSPHRASE before connecting.

Claude Code

claude mcp add i4ctime-q-ring -- npx -y @i4ctime/q-ring

Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "i4ctime-q-ring": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@i4ctime/q-ring"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Same JSON for Cursor. For VS Code, rename the top-level key from `mcpServers` to `servers`.

Using another client? Same JSON, different key

Claude Desktop · mcpServers

Cursor · mcpServers

VS Code · servers

Windsurf · mcpServers

Zed · context_servers

Cline · mcpServers

Roo Code · mcpServers

Continue · mcpServers

LibreChat · mcpServers

Gemini CLI · mcpServers

Codex CLI · mcp_servers

Full setup guides: every client.

02 · Evidence

Security posture

What to check before giving this server access to your agent - from the registry, GitHub, and our own probes. We don't score safety; we show what's verifiable.

runs as local process (stdio) - runs on your machine with your user's permissions

license AGPL-3.0 - declared in the repository

npm package @i4ctime/q-ring - published under the repo owner's npm scope (@i4ctime)

registry namespace io.github.I4cTime is GitHub-verified and matches the repo owner

03 · What Q Ring can do

Prose above is summarized from the project's README and registry record - no invented capabilities.

Latest releases

v0.18.0 · 2026-09-27

Added · Environment promotion. qring diff staging prod compares two · environments key by key - same / different / missing on one side / · single-value - without printing a value, and exits 1 on drift so it works · as…

v0.17.6 · 2026-09-16

Fixed · Canary values can no longer read as placeholders. CSPRNG noise · occasionally spelled a placeholder marker (xxx turns up in a 74-char body · roughly once every few hundred draws), and scan would then report the…

v0.17.5 · 2026-09-11

The "watchtower" release - see everything. Finishes the v0.16 airlock and · canary MVPs and turns the per-agent audit label into a session view. · Added · Wrap policy. .q-ring.json gains a policy.wrap block for the…

04 · Who maintains Q Ring

q-ring is maintained by i4ctime. It's the only MCP server we track from this author; the repo dates to Mar 2026.

05 · Facts

repository: github.com/i4ctime/q-ring
website: https://qring.i4c.studio/
category: security - ranked #36 of 216 actively-maintained security servers as of 2026-09-30.
release cadence: 10+ releases in the last 90 days (latest 2026-09-27)
registry: io.github.I4cTime/q-ring (active, first published 2026-03-21 · 30 versions)
packages: npm:@i4ctime/q-ring

06 · Q Ring FAQ

What is Q Ring?

Is Q Ring still maintained?

Yes - as of 2026-09-30, its last commit was 2026-09-27 and it shipped 10+ releases in the last 90 days. We re-verify nightly.

How do I install Q Ring?

Run `npx -y @i4ctime/q-ring`. The README documents 7 environment variables (QRING_ENV, DATABASE_URL, OPENAI_API_KEY…) to set first. Set QRING_ENV, DATABASE_URL, OPENAI_API_KEY, STRIPE_KEY, SESSION_TTL, QRING_BACKEND, QRING_FILE_PASSPHRASE before connecting. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.

Does Q Ring run locally?

Yes - it's a stdio server: it runs on your machine (via npx) with your user's permissions. Your data stays local unless the server itself calls external APIs.

07 · Alternatives to Q Ring

Alternatives to Q Ring

Maintained security servers if Q Ring isn't the fit.

Pairs well with

Servers that cover what Q Ring doesn't - only shown when the pairing reason fits the companion.

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