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Docker MCP Gateway

Official

Docker's official MCP gateway CLI plugin for managing and running MCP servers.

GitHub source repository ↗

★ 1.5k Stars Category · Dev Tools Very popular Source revision a21c0ac1c1e7

68FMRS · C

Reliability

10/20

Security and permissions

15/20

Maintenance

18/20

Documentation

14/20

Setup experience

11/20

Docker MCP Gateway is a powerful tool for developers relying on Docker, offering unified management. It requires Docker Desktop and a learning curve.

Read the FMRS scoring method →

The Docker MCP Gateway is a Docker CLI plugin that acts as a unified gateway between MCP clients and multiple MCP servers. It manages MCP server lifecycle, provides a unified interface, handles authentication and security, supports dynamic tool discovery and OAuth flows. Servers run as Docker containers for isolation.

Tools

The tool list has not been reviewed yet.

Setup

Ensure Docker Desktop 4.59+ is installed with the MCP Toolkit feature enabled.\n2. Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/docker/mcp-gateway.git\n3. Enter the directory: cd mcp-gateway\n4. Create the CLI plugins directory: mkdir -p ~/.docker/cli-plugins/\n5. Build and install the plugin: make docker-mcp\n6. Verify installation: docker mcp --help

Fit and risk

Best for

Developers using Docker Desktop who want to simplify MCP server deployment and management.
Teams needing to manage multiple MCP servers under a single gateway with consistent configuration and monitoring.
Environments requiring containerized MCP servers to minimize host privileges.

Not for

Developers not using Docker.
Scenarios needing direct execution of local npx or uvx servers without containerization.
Users seeking a lightweight MCP client independent of Docker Desktop.

Required permissions

Requires access to the Docker daemon to run and manage containers.
Reads and writes local configuration files (e.g., ~/.docker/config.json).
Accesses Docker Desktop's secret management for storing credentials.
May initiate OAuth flows, requiring network access.

Risks and side effects

Container images may contain malicious code; be cautious with untrusted MCP servers.
Improper secret management could leak API keys.
Misconfiguration of the gateway can lead to client connection failures or incorrect tool access.
Potential version compatibility issues due to reliance on Docker Desktop and CLI plugin.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter 'Docker Desktop is not running' errors, set the environment variable DOCKER_MCP_IN_CONTAINER=1.
Ensure the profiles feature is enabled in standalone environments: docker mcp feature enable profiles.
Check that the Docker daemon is running and the CLI plugin is correctly installed.
Refer to the troubleshooting guide in the docs: docs/troubleshooting.md.

Use cases

Unified management and running of multiple MCP servers within Docker.

Providing consistent MCP configuration to AI clients (e.g., VS Code, Cursor, Claude Desktop).

Secure integration of MCP services requiring authentication via OAuth and secrets management.

Supported clients

Supported clients have not been confirmed yet.

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