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

# MCP User Configuration and Personal Settings

> Learn how individual users configure personal MCP settings, customize their workflow, and work within team-defined boundaries.

Individual users configure personal MCP settings within boundaries set by their team administrators. You can use your own private credentials that are NOT shared with other team members, or inherit team credentials automatically. Your personal configuration remains private while working within the same team installation.

## Overview

As a user, you personalize your MCP server experience within team-defined boundaries:

* **Private Credentials** - Use your own API keys and secrets that remain private from other team members
* **Personal Settings** that adapt to your individual workflow
* **Flexible Credential Choice** - Use team credentials OR configure your own private ones
* **Simplified Interface** showing only settings you can modify
* **Credential Privacy** - Your personal credentials are never visible to other team members

The user tier builds on team configurations, which build on global schemas. For an overview of the complete system, see [MCP Configuration System](/general/mcp-configuration).

## Configuration Boundaries

Your configuration options are precisely determined by how global administrators categorized elements during schema creation and your team administrator's lock/unlock decisions:

**🔓 You Can Configure:**

* **Private Credentials** - Your personal API keys and secrets (NOT shared with team members)
* **Unlocked Elements** - Settings your team admin made available for personal customization
* **User-Specific Elements** - Settings designed for individual workflow (like local file paths)

**🔒 You Cannot See or Modify:**

* **Locked Team Settings** - Shared configuration controlled by team administrators
* **Other Users' Credentials** - You cannot see other team members' personal credentials
* **Template Elements** - System-level parameters locked by global administrators

**🔗 You Can Choose To:**

* **Use Team Credentials** - Automatically inherit shared API keys and authentication tokens
* **Use Private Credentials** - Configure your own personal credentials that override team settings
* **Mix Both** - Use team credentials for some services and personal credentials for others

**Note on OAuth-Enabled MCP Servers:** If your team uses OAuth servers (Box, Google Drive, etc.), you must authorize individually with your own account even after your team admin installs the server. For complete details, see [OAuth-Enabled MCP Servers](/general/mcp-oauth).

For details on how global administrators define these boundaries and team administrators control access, see [Admin Schema Workflow](/general/mcp-admin-schema-workflow) and [Team Installation](/general/mcp-team-installation).

## User Interface Experience

When you configure an MCP server, you see a clean interface focused only on your personal options:

```
Personal Configuration: "Team Web Search"

YOUR PRIVATE CREDENTIALS (Not shared with team)

API Configuration:
├─ Use Personal API Key: ✓
├─ Your API Key: ••••• (encrypted, private)
└─ Personal Rate Limit: 5000 queries/day

YOUR PERSONAL SETTINGS

Search Preferences:
├─ Default Search Engine: Google ▼
├─ Results Per Page: 10 ▼
└─ Safe Search: Moderate ▼

Cache Settings:
├─ Enable Result Caching: ✓
└─ Cache Duration: 1 hour ▼

TEAM SETTINGS (You can choose to inherit or override)

□ Use team API credentials: ••••• (shared with team)
✓ Use team search quotas: 1000 queries/day
✓ Use team content filters: Enabled

[Save Configuration] [Test Configuration]
```

**Key Interface Features:**

* **Private Credential Section** - Configure personal API keys separate from team
* **Clear Credential Choice** - Choose between personal or team credentials
* **Privacy Indicators** - Clear marking of what's private vs. shared
* **Validation** - Immediate feedback on configuration validity

## Personal Configuration Types

### User Arguments

Most commonly, you'll configure:

**Private Credentials:**

* Personal API keys (not shared with team members)
* Individual authentication tokens
* Private service URLs and endpoints

**API Preferences:**

* Search result limits and pagination
* Content filtering and safety settings
* Cache and performance preferences

### User Environment Variables

**Private Credentials and Secrets:**

* Personal API keys (`PERSONAL_API_KEY`, `GITHUB_TOKEN`)
* Individual OAuth tokens (`OAUTH_ACCESS_TOKEN`)
* Private database credentials (`DB_PASSWORD`)

**Personal Preferences:**

* Search engine preferences and result formatting
* Cache settings and performance tuning
* Interface customization options
* Local file paths (`/Users/yourname/workspace`)

## Configuration Process

When you first configure an MCP server:

1. **Access Team Installation** - Navigate to your team's MCP server installations
2. **Select Server** - Choose the server you want to configure personally
3. **Personal Configuration** - Configure only the unlocked elements
4. **Validation** - System validates your configuration against team schema
5. **Save and Deploy** - Personal configuration is saved and ready to use

## Configuration Assembly

Your final MCP server configuration combines settings from all three tiers:

```
Final Configuration = Template + Team + Your Personal Settings

Template (System):
├─ Command: "npx"
├─ Package: "@brightdata/mcp-server-web-search"
└─ System flags: "-y"

+ Team (Shared - Available to All Team Members):
├─ Team API Key: "team_shared_key_abc123"
├─ Search quota: "1000 queries/day"
└─ Content filters: "enabled"

+ Your Personal Settings (Private - Not Shared):
├─ Personal API Key: "your_private_key_xyz789" (OVERRIDES team key)
├─ Personal Rate Limit: "5000 queries/day" (OVERRIDES team quota)
├─ Default search engine: "google"
├─ Results per page: 10
└─ Cache duration: "1 hour"

= Final Runtime Configuration FOR YOU:
Command: npx -y @brightdata/mcp-server-web-search
Environment: {
  "API_KEY": "your_private_key_xyz789",  ← YOUR private key used
  "SEARCH_QUOTA": "5000",                 ← YOUR personal limit used
  "CONTENT_FILTERS": "enabled",          ← Team setting inherited
  "DEFAULT_ENGINE": "google",            ← Your preference
  "RESULTS_PER_PAGE": "10",              ← Your preference
  "CACHE_DURATION": "3600"               ← Your preference
}

= Other Team Members See DIFFERENT Configuration:
Environment: {
  "API_KEY": "team_shared_key_abc123",   ← Team key (you're using yours)
  "SEARCH_QUOTA": "1000",                 ← Team limit (you're using yours)
  "CONTENT_FILTERS": "enabled",          ← Same team setting
  ... (their own preferences)
}
```

**Automatic Validation:**

* Your settings are validated against the schema
* Type checking ensures correct data formats
* Invalid search preferences are caught before saving
* Missing required fields are highlighted

## Related Documentation

For complete understanding of user configuration in context:

* [MCP Configuration System](/general/mcp-configuration) - Overview of the three-tier system
* [Team Installation](/general/mcp-team-installation) - How team settings affect your options
* [Admin Schema Workflow](/general/mcp-admin-schema-workflow) - How configuration boundaries are precisely defined through schema categorization
* [Teams](/general/teams) - Team membership and structure

User configuration represents the final personalization layer in DeployStack's three-tier system, enabling individual productivity while maintaining team security and organizational standards.