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Docker MCP Gateway

Official
Gateway / proxy
Docker's official MCP gateway CLI plugin for managing and running MCP servers.

This gateway aggregates or proxies other MCP servers; it only becomes useful once you connect real servers behind it.

How to install ↓ Compare GitHub source repository ↗
Category
Dev Tools #20 of 438
Stars
★ 1.6k Very popular
Transport
stdio (local process)
Runtime
Docker 4.59+ · Go 1.24+
Credentials
Optional API key
License
MIT
Last commit
68FMRS · C

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

Strongest · Maintenance 18/20 Weakest · Reliability 10/20

Reliability
10/20
Security and permissions
15/20
Maintenance
18/20
Documentation
14/20
Setup experience
11/20
Why each score
Reliability 10/20
The repository contains a sample server manifest (server.json) that is structurally consistent with the README's description. As a static review, no execution is possible. The README and manifest declare many features, but there is no reproducible test evidence (e.g., unit or integration tests) covering the key paths. Thus reliability is capped at 10.
Security and permissions 15/20
The manifest defines no dangerous operations or privilege escalations. The server only configures environment variables and secret references, which are provided by the user at runtime. The README emphasizes Docker container isolation and secrets management. No malicious behavior or overreach is apparent. While no red lines are triggered, the absence of detailed security audit evidence prevents a perfect score.
Maintenance 18/20
The repository is maintained by Docker with an MIT license, recent commits and releases, and an active CI workflow. There are 113 open issues, but the issue response and update path appear healthy. However, full marks are not given because detailed evidence of release/versioning strategy and issue response times is limited.
Documentation 14/20
The README is extensive and covers installation, usage, configuration, architecture, and troubleshooting. It provides abundant command examples and links to detailed docs. The server manifest has a basic description. Gaps include full documentation of individual tool parameters and detailed environment variable explanations. Hence documentation is good but not perfect.
Setup experience 11/20
The installation instructions are clear but require Docker Desktop 4.59+ and recommend building with Makefile. As a CLI plugin, command examples are detailed. However, static review cannot verify the installation steps, and the setup involves multiple components (Docker Desktop, Go environment, MCP Toolkit), adding complexity. Thus setup is moderate, above 10 but below 15.

Static review · not runListed 2026-08-07

Read the FMRS scoring method →

Fit and risk

What it can accessRuns commands or codeUses the network

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.

Setup

Before you start

Runtime：Docker 4.59+ · Go 1.24+

Other optional settings (2)
DOCKER_MCP_IN_CONTAINER optional Set to 1 to bypass Docker Desktop feature checks in WSL2, containerized environments, or Docker CE; no acquisition needed.
CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR optional Overrides the default Claude Code config directory (~/.claude) for isolated or multiple configurations; optional.
  1. 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

Check that it works

Run docker mcp gateway run to start the gateway, then confirm the connected client's tool list shows tools discovered from the profile's servers, or run docker mcp tools ls to verify tool discovery.

Troubleshooting

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

Things to try

Once connected, you can ask your AI assistant things like:

  • List all tools available through the MCP gateway
  • Use the github server's create_issue tool to open an issue
  • Show details of the github.list_repos tool
  • List my GitHub repositories through the gateway

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.

Overview

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.

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Source revision a34df45d4ec0 Data synced 2026-10-12 Read the FMRS scoring method