Docker MCP
Docker MCP is a Docker CLI plugin and gateway that simplifies running, managing, and deploying MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers. It solves lifecycle, security, and configuration challenges by containerizing servers and providing a unified interface for AI clients. It is for developers integrating MCP tools into production workflows.
✨ Key features
- Runs MCP servers as isolated Docker containers.
- Manages servers, profiles, catalogs, and tool allowlists.
- Secures secrets via Docker Desktop secrets management.
- Supports OAuth flows for service authentication.
- Provides dynamic tool, prompt, and resource discovery.
- Includes logging and call tracing for monitoring.
🎯 Use cases
- Connect AI clients like VS Code, Cursor, or Claude Desktop to MCP servers.
- Organize MCP servers into profiles for different development environments.
- Share MCP server configurations across teams via OCI registries.
- Run a gateway to serve multiple clients over SSE or streaming transports.
- Manage secrets and OAuth credentials for MCP servers securely.
📦 Installation
🧰 Requirements: Requires Docker Desktop 4.59+ with MCP Toolkit enabled, or Docker daemon with DOCKER_MCP_IN_CONTAINER=1 for non-Desktop environments. Go 1.24+ for development.
git clone https://github.com/docker/mcp-gateway.git
cd mcp-gateway
mkdir -p "$HOME/.docker/cli-plugins/"make docker-mcpAfter installation, the plugin will be available as:
docker mcp --help
🚀 Usage
docker mcp profile create --name dev-tools \
--server catalog://mcp/docker-mcp-catalog/github \
--connect cursordocker mcp gateway run❓ FAQ
How do I run the MCP gateway without Docker Desktop feature flags?
Set the environment variable DOCKER_MCP_IN_CONTAINER=1 to bypass Desktop feature checks when the Docker daemon is active.
How do I enable profiles when using the CLI outside Docker Desktop?
Run docker mcp feature enable profiles to enable the profiles feature in non-Desktop environments.
How can I connect a client like Claude Code to the gateway?
Use docker mcp client connect claude-code --profile dev-tools --global to connect Claude Code to a profile.
How do I manage secrets for MCP servers?
Use docker mcp secret --help to manage secrets, and docker mcp oauth --help for OAuth flows.
📊 Repository
🤖 Overview, features, install steps and FAQ were generated from the project's README on Sep 4, 2026. Always check the original source before running commands.