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Environment Variables Reference

This is the complete reference for all environment variables supported by MCP JetBrains Code Inspections.

Configuration Hierarchy​

Variables can be configured in three ways, listed by priority:

  1. System Environment Variables (highest priority)
  2. MCP Configuration File (.mcp.json)
  3. Default Values (lowest priority)

Variable Categories​

Path Override Variables​

These variables force specific paths and disable auto-detection:

FORCE_INSPECT_PATH​

  • Type: string
  • Default: Auto-detected
  • Description: Force specific IDE inspect tool path (disables auto-detection)
  • Example: /Applications/IntelliJ IDEA.app/Contents/bin/inspect.sh

FORCE_PROJECT_ROOT​

  • Type: string
  • Default: Auto-detected
  • Description: Force project root directory (disables auto-detection)
  • Example: /Users/myuser/projects/myproject

FORCE_PROFILE_PATH​

  • Type: string
  • Default: Project defaults via -e flag
  • Description: Force inspection profile path (disables project defaults)
  • Example: /path/to/custom/profile.xml
  • Note: When not specified, the system uses the -e flag for project default inspections

Execution Configuration​

INSPECTION_TIMEOUT​

  • Type: number (milliseconds)
  • Default: 120000 (2 minutes)
  • Maximum: 600000 (10 minutes)
  • Description: Timeout for inspection execution
  • Recommended Values:
    • Small projects: 60000 (1 minute)
    • Medium projects: 120000 (2 minutes)
    • Large projects: 300000 (5 minutes)
    • Very large projects: 600000 (10 minutes)

Filter Configuration​

EXCLUDE_INSPECTIONS​

  • Type: string (comma-separated)
  • Default: SpellCheckingInspection
  • Description: Comma-separated inspection codes to exclude
  • Example: SpellCheckingInspection,TodoComment,UnusedDeclaration
  • Note: Takes precedence over severity filtering

ONLY_INSPECTIONS​

  • Type: string (comma-separated)
  • Default: None
  • Description: Comma-separated inspection codes to include exclusively
  • Example: TypeScriptValidateTypes,ESLintInspection
  • Note: When specified, only these inspections will run (mutually exclusive with EXCLUDE_INSPECTIONS)

Output Configuration​

RESPONSE_FORMAT​

  • Type: string
  • Values: markdown | json
  • Default: markdown
  • Description: Output format for diagnostics
  • Use Cases:
    • markdown: Human-readable format with emojis and grouping
    • json: Machine-readable format for programmatic processing

Debugging Configuration​

DEBUG​

  • Type: boolean (string representation)
  • Values: true | false
  • Default: false
  • Description: Enable debug logging to stderr
  • Note: Useful for troubleshooting IDE detection and inspection execution

Configuration Examples​

Basic Configuration in .mcp.json​

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "mcp-jetbrains-code-inspections": {
            "command": "node",
            "args": ["./dist/index.js"],
            "env": {
                "INSPECTION_TIMEOUT": "180000",
                "EXCLUDE_INSPECTIONS": "SpellCheckingInspection,TodoComment",
                "RESPONSE_FORMAT": "json"
            }
        }
    }
}

Force Specific IDE​

{
    "env": {
        "FORCE_INSPECT_PATH": "/Applications/WebStorm.app/Contents/bin/inspect.sh",
        "FORCE_PROJECT_ROOT": "/Users/myuser/projects/webapp"
    }
}

Custom Profile with Filters​

{
    "env": {
        "FORCE_PROFILE_PATH": "/path/to/strict-profile.xml",
        "ONLY_INSPECTIONS": "TypeScriptValidateTypes,UnusedDeclaration",
        "INSPECTION_TIMEOUT": "300000"
    }
}

Debug Configuration​

{
    "env": {
        "DEBUG": "true",
        "RESPONSE_FORMAT": "json"
    }
}

Precedence Rules​

  1. ONLY_INSPECTIONS takes precedence over EXCLUDE_INSPECTIONS
  2. FORCE_* variables disable all auto-detection for their respective features
  3. System environment variables override MCP configuration file values
  4. Timeout is capped at 600000ms (10 minutes) regardless of configuration

Best Practices​

  1. Use FORCE_* sparingly: Auto-detection usually selects the best IDE
  2. Start with default timeout: Increase only if inspections are timing out
  3. Be selective with filters: Too many exclusions may miss important issues
  4. Use markdown for humans: JSON format is better for automated processing
  5. Enable DEBUG only when troubleshooting: It produces verbose output

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

Inspections timing out:

  • Increase INSPECTION_TIMEOUT value
  • Consider using ONLY_INSPECTIONS to run fewer checks

Wrong IDE being selected:

  • Use FORCE_INSPECT_PATH to specify exact IDE
  • Enable DEBUG to see IDE detection process

Too many false positives:

  • Use EXCLUDE_INSPECTIONS to filter out noisy inspections
  • Consider creating a custom profile

No inspections running:

  • Check if ONLY_INSPECTIONS is too restrictive
  • Verify profile path with FORCE_PROFILE_PATH
  • Enable DEBUG to see execution details

See Also​