From c27ba995df92065e6ff94ae809f7b7dc05a6f20f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: mukunda katta <mukunda.vjcs6@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 27 Apr 2026 19:03:51 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] Document env vars for MCP dev mode

---
 README.md | 11 +++++++++++
 1 file changed, 11 insertions(+)

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 487d48bee4..d865399977 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1178,6 +1178,17 @@ uv run mcp dev server.py --with pandas --with numpy
 uv run mcp dev server.py --with-editable .
 ```
 
+`mcp dev` runs the server through the MCP Inspector and inherits environment
+variables from your shell. Set environment variables before the command when
+testing secrets or configuration:
+
+```bash
+API_KEY=abc123 DB_URL=postgres://... uv run mcp dev server.py
+```
+
+For persistent Claude Desktop configuration, use `mcp install` with `-v` or
+`-f` as shown below.
+
 ### Claude Desktop Integration
 
 Once your server is ready, install it in Claude Desktop: