@masonator/get-mcp-keys/docs/development-plan.md

A lightweight utility that securely loads API keys for Cursor MCP servers from your home directory, preventing accidental exposure of secrets in repositories. Keep your credentials safe while maintaining seamless integration with AI coding assistants.

# get-mcp-keys Enhancement Plan

## 1. Code Improvements

- [ ] Add configuration options:
  - [ ] Support alternative `.mcprc` file path via environment variable (e.g., `MCP_RC_PATH`)
  - [ ] Add a debug/verbose mode flag (`--verbose` or `-v`)
  - [ ] Create a quiet mode to suppress all non-error output (`--quiet` or `-q`)

- [ ] Enhance error handling:
  - [ ] Add specific handling for file permission issues
  - [ ] Implement validation for parsed environment variables
  - [ ] Provide more descriptive error messages with potential solutions

- [ ] Improve environment variable parsing:
  - [ ] Consider using a dedicated `.env` parser library (dotenv)
  - [ ] Add support for multiline values
  - [ ] Handle escaped characters and quoted values properly

- [ ] Refactor for maintainability:
  - [ ] Split functionality into separate modules/functions
  - [ ] Add JSDoc comments for better code documentation
  - [ ] Implement logging with configurable levels

## 2. Testing

- [ ] Implement unit tests:
  - [ ] Test `.mcprc` file parsing with various formats
  - [ ] Test environment variable combination
  - [ ] Test command execution with mocked child processes

- [ ] Add integration tests:
  - [ ] Test with actual environment files
  - [ ] Test command execution with real commands

- [ ] Set up test coverage reporting

## 3. Documentation

- [ ] Enhance README:
  - [ ] Add clear installation instructions
  - [ ] Provide more comprehensive usage examples
  - [ ] Document all command-line options
  - [ ] Include a troubleshooting section

- [ ] Add inline code documentation:
  - [ ] Complete JSDoc comments for all functions
  - [ ] Add examples in comments

- [ ] Create security best practices guide:
  - [ ] Recommendations for `.mcprc` file permissions
  - [ ] Guidelines for managing sensitive API keys

## 4. Security Enhancements

- [ ] Implement file permission checks for `.mcprc`
- [ ] Add option for encryption of `.mcprc` file
- [ ] Improve redaction of sensitive information in logs
- [ ] Add ability to validate API keys before executing commands

## 5. Package Distribution

- [ ] Set up CI/CD pipeline:
  - [ ] Automated testing
  - [ ] Automated npm publishing
  - [ ] Version bumping

- [ ] Add package distribution files:
  - [ ] Update `"files"` field in package.json
  - [ ] Create CHANGELOG.md
  - [ ] Add CONTRIBUTING.md guidelines

## 6. Advanced Features

- [ ] Support alternative configuration formats:
  - [ ] JSON format support for `.mcprc`
  - [ ] YAML format support for `.mcprc`

- [ ] Add key management features:
  - [ ] CLI command to safely add/update keys
  - [ ] Command to list available keys (redacted)
  - [ ] Per-project configuration overrides

- [ ] Implement credential rotation support:
  - [ ] Support for multiple credentials per service
  - [ ] Built-in expiration warnings for API keys

## Priority Order for Implementation

1. Core code improvements (error handling, configuration options)
2. Documentation enhancements 
3. Basic testing implementation
4. Security improvements
5. Package distribution setup
6. Advanced features