Overview

The Import/Export Connections feature allows you to securely share MCP server connections between machines, team members, or create backups. Connections are exported with AES-256 encryption and can only be imported with the correct password.

Perfect for onboarding team members, migrating to new machines, creating backups, and sharing development configurations.

Key Capabilities

🔐 AES-256 Encryption

Industry-standard encryption protects exported connection secrets

📤 Selective Export

Choose specific connections to export with search and filter

📥 Smart Import

Automatic duplicate detection with version numbering

🔑 Password Protection

Secure password with PBKDF2 key derivation (100,000 iterations)

📋 Import Preview

Review connections before importing with metadata display

🏷️ Import Tracking

Visual indicators show which connections were imported and from where

🗂️ Custom File Format

.mcpx extension for MCP Explorer connection files

Exporting Connections

Step 1: Open Export Dialog

  1. Navigate to 🔌 Connections tab
  2. Click the Export button in the header
  3. Export dialog opens

📸 Screenshot placeholder:

Description: Show the Connections page header with Export and Import buttons visible

Step 2: Select Connections

Search and filter:

  • Use the search box to filter by name or description
  • Matching connections appear in the list
  • Clear search to see all connections

Select connections:

  • Check individual connections to include
  • Selection counter shows how many are selected
  • At least one connection must be selected

📸 Screenshot placeholder:

Description: Show the export dialog with search box, scrollable list of connections with checkboxes (some checked), and selection counter showing “3 selected”

Step 3: Set Export Password

Password options:

  • A generated secure password is provided by default
  • Click Show to view the password
  • Enter your own password if preferred
  • Important: Save this password—you’ll need it to import!

📸 Screenshot placeholder:

Description: Show the password field with show/hide toggle, and the generated password visible

warning: Save your password! The export file cannot be decrypted without the exact password used during export. There is no password recovery.

Step 4: Export

  1. Click Export button
  2. Browser downloads an .mcpx file
  3. Filename includes timestamp: mcp-connections-20260130-220000.mcpx
  4. Store the file securely with the password

📸 Screenshot placeholder:

Description: Show browser download notification with .mcpx file being downloaded

Importing Connections

Step 1: Open Import Dialog

  1. Navigate to 🔌 Connections tab
  2. Click the Import button in the header
  3. Import dialog opens

Step 2: Enter Decryption Password

Before selecting a file:

  1. Enter the password used during export
  2. Click Show to verify if needed
  3. Password must be entered before file selection

📸 Screenshot placeholder:

Description: Show the import dialog with password field and show/hide toggle

Step 3: Select Import File

  1. Click Select File button
  2. Choose an .mcpx file
  3. Only .mcpx files are accepted
  4. File is decrypted using the entered password

If decryption fails:

  • Error message: “Failed to decrypt the file. The secret may be incorrect.”
  • Verify password and try again
  • Ensure you’re using the correct export file

Step 4: Review Import Preview

After successful decryption, a preview dialog appears:

Metadata displayed:

  • Source hostname: Machine where connections were exported
  • Export timestamp: When the export was created
  • Connection count: Number of connections in the file

Connection list shows:

  • Each connection name
  • Proposed import name (may include version suffix)
  • Warning badges for renamed connections

📸 Screenshot placeholder:

Description: Show the import preview dialog with source metadata at top, and scrollable list of connections below. Some connections should show “(V 2)” suffix with warning badges

Step 5: Complete Import

  1. Review the connections list
  2. Click Import to add all connections
  3. Or click Cancel to abort

After import:

  • Connections appear in your connections list
  • Each imported connection shows 📥 emoji indicator
  • Hover over 📥 to see import details

Duplicate Handling

When importing connections with names that already exist:

Automatic renaming:

  • First duplicate: MyConnection → MyConnection (V 2)
  • Second duplicate: MyConnection → MyConnection (V 3)
  • And so on…

Preview indication:

  • Renamed connections show a warning badge in the preview
  • Original name shown alongside new name
  • You can see all proposed names before confirming

After import:

  • All versions exist independently
  • Each has its own configuration
  • Edit or delete individually as needed

📸 Screenshot placeholder:

Description: Show preview dialog where one connection “My Server” is being renamed to “My Server (V 2)” with a warning badge

Import Indicators

Imported connections display visual indicators:

📥 Emoji badge:

  • Appears next to imported connection names
  • Visible in the connections list

Tooltip information (hover):

  • Source filename
  • Import date and time
  • Source hostname

📸 Screenshot placeholder:

Description: Show a connection in the list with 📥 emoji, and a tooltip showing “Imported from mcp-connections-20260130.mcpx on 2026-01-30 15:30:00”

Security Details

Encryption Specifications

ComponentValue
AlgorithmAES-256-CBC
Key DerivationPBKDF2 with SHA256
Iterations100,000 (brute-force resistant)
SaltRandom 16 bytes per export
IVRandom per encryption

What’s Protected

Encrypted in export file:

  • Connection names and descriptions
  • Endpoint URLs
  • All authentication headers
  • Bearer tokens and API keys
  • Azure client credentials (tenant, client ID, secret)
  • All custom header values

Password Recommendations

For secure exports:

  • Use 16+ characters
  • Mix uppercase, lowercase, numbers, symbols
  • Use the auto-generated password when possible
  • Never share passwords via insecure channels
  • Consider using a password manager

File Format

Extension and Structure

File extension: .mcpx (MCP Explorer format)

Internal structure (when decrypted):

  {
  "version": 1,
  "metadata": {
    "exportedAt": "2026-01-30T22:00:00Z",
    "exportedFromHostname": "DESKTOP-ABC123",
    "connectionCount": 2
  },
  "connections": [
    {
      "name": "My MCP Server",
      "endpoint": "https://localhost:5000/mcp",
      "note": "Development server",
      "authenticationMode": "CustomHeaders",
      "headers": [...]
    }
  ]
}

Filename Convention

Export files are named with timestamps:

  mcp-connections-{YYYYMMDD}-{HHmmss}.mcpx

Example: mcp-connections-20260130-220000.mcpx

Common Use Cases

Team Onboarding

Scenario: New team member needs access to development servers

  1. Export connections from your machine (dev servers only)
  2. Share .mcpx file via secure channel (not email!)
  3. Provide password via separate secure channel
  4. New team member imports connections
  5. They’re immediately productive with all dev servers configured

Machine Migration

Scenario: Moving to a new computer

  1. Export all connections from old machine
  2. Transfer .mcpx file to new machine
  3. Install MCP Explorer on new machine
  4. Import connections with password
  5. All connections restored instantly

Configuration Backup

Scenario: Create periodic backups of connection configurations

  1. Export all connections monthly
  2. Store .mcpx files in secure backup location
  3. Keep password in password manager
  4. Restore from backup if needed

Environment Sharing

Scenario: Share standard configurations across team

  1. Create “standard” connections for each environment (dev, staging, prod)
  2. Export as separate files (dev-servers.mcpx, staging-servers.mcpx)
  3. Distribute to team with environment-specific passwords
  4. Everyone has consistent connection configurations

Troubleshooting

“Failed to decrypt the file”

Problem: Import fails with decryption error

Solutions:

  1. Verify password is exactly correct (case-sensitive)
  2. Ensure no extra spaces before/after password
  3. Confirm you’re using the correct .mcpx file
  4. Check file wasn’t corrupted during transfer
  5. Try exporting again if original file is damaged

“Please select at least one connection”

Problem: Export button disabled

Solutions:

  1. Check at least one connection checkbox
  2. Verify connections exist (create some first)
  3. Clear search filter to see all connections

“Please enter a secret for encryption”

Problem: Export fails with password error

Solutions:

  1. Enter a password in the password field
  2. Use the auto-generated password if unsure
  3. Password cannot be empty

“Please enter the decryption secret first”

Problem: Cannot select file for import

Solutions:

  1. Enter the export password first
  2. Password must be entered before file selection
  3. This ensures password is ready for immediate decryption

Import Indicator Not Showing

Problem: 📥 emoji doesn’t appear on imported connections

Solutions:

  1. Refresh the page
  2. Check connection was actually imported (appears in list)
  3. Verify import metadata was saved
  4. Re-import if metadata was lost

File Too Large

Problem: Import fails for large export files

Current limit: 10MB

Solutions:

  1. Export fewer connections at once
  2. Create multiple smaller export files
  3. Check file isn’t corrupted (unusually large)

Best Practices

🔐 Use Strong Passwords

Always use the auto-generated password or create a strong custom password.

📝 Document Passwords Securely

Store export passwords in a password manager, not plain text files.

🔒 Separate Password Channels

Never send .mcpx file and password through the same channel.

📋 Organize Exports

Create separate exports for different purposes (dev, prod, backup).

🗂️ Name Files Descriptively

Rename files after export if the auto-generated name isn’t clear enough.

🔄 Regular Backups

Export connections periodically as part of your backup routine.

🧹 Clean Before Export

Remove outdated or unused connections before exporting to keep files clean.

📤 Test Imports

After exporting, test the import process to verify the file works.

Manage Connections

Create and configure connections before exporting:

Security Features

Understand how secrets are protected:

Use Connections

Learn how to use imported connections:

Next Steps

Now that you understand import/export:

  1. Create connections - Set up connections to export
  2. Export a backup - Create your first export file
  3. Test the import - Verify the export works
  4. Share with team - Onboard team members

Securely share and back up your MCP connections with confidence! 📤📥