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Docker MCP Gateway

by Docker

Docker official MCP CLI plugin and gateway. Discover, install, and manage MCP servers via the Docker CLI. 1,381 GitHub stars and 31 commits on main in the last 30 days.

1,381·6 tools·Released AUG 2025·MIT
docker plugin install docker/mcp
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Docker official MCP CLI plugin and gateway. Discover, install, and manage MCP servers via the Docker CLI. 1,381 stars and 31 commits on main in the last 30 days.

Reviewed by M. Nouriel · MAY 2026

INSTALL THIS SERVER

{ "mcpServers": { "docker-mcp": { "command": "docker", "args": [ "mcp", "serve", "--stdio" ] } } }
PrereqInstall via `docker plugin install docker/mcp`. Requires a running Docker daemon. Path: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS).
{ "mcpServers": { "docker-mcp": { "command": "docker", "args": [ "mcp", "serve", "--stdio" ] } } }
{ "mcpServers": { "docker-mcp": { "command": "docker", "args": [ "mcp", "serve", "--stdio" ] } } }
{ "mcpServers": { "docker-mcp": { "command": "docker", "args": [ "mcp", "serve", "--stdio" ] } } }
{ "mcpServers": { "docker-mcp": { "command": "docker", "args": [ "mcp", "serve", "--stdio" ] } } }

6 TOOLS AVAILABLE

mcp_list
List MCP servers managed by the Docker MCP gateway
Read
mcp_install
Install an MCP server via the Docker registry
Admin
mcp_run
Run an installed MCP server in a Docker container
Admin
mcp_search
Search the Docker MCP registry for servers by name or capability
Read
mcp_logs
Tail logs from a running MCP server container
Read
mcp_stop
Stop a running MCP server container
Admin

OUR ASSESSMENT

Strengths
  • Docker official maintenance.
  • 1,381 GitHub stars.
  • 31 commits on main in the last 30 days.
  • MIT license.
  • Standard Docker container lifecycle for MCP servers.
Weaknesses
  • Docker daemon required.
  • Container overhead for lightweight stdio MCP servers.
  • Pull-based discovery; relies on Docker registry catalog accuracy.
Security Notes

Docker daemon access carries root-equivalent privilege on most hosts. mcp_install pulls Docker images from the registry; verify image signatures and use a private registry for production. mcp_run starts containers with default Docker security profile; tighten with seccomp/AppArmor for sensitive agent flows.

Best For

Operators running MCP servers as Docker containers; teams adopting standard Docker workflows for MCP server lifecycle; CI flows that mount specific MCP server containers per agent task.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

Language
go
Transport
stdio
Clients
Claude DesktopClaude CodeCursorVS CodeWindsurf
License
MIT
GitHub
docker/mcp-gateway · ★ 1,381
npm
docker-mcp
Last Release
docker-mcp (Docker plugin latest)MAY 7, 2026
First Released
AUG 1, 2025

ADOPTION METRICS

// GitHub Stars
1,381

// Reading this1,381 stars on docker/mcp-gateway. 31 commits on main in the last 30 days.

// Popularity Rank
#8
Globally · #8 in Dev Tools

// Reading thisPairs with mcp-registry, MCP Inspector, OpenSpec, Context7, Claude Code MCP for dev-tools meta-tooling.

SOURCES & VERIFICATION

We don't take any single directory's word for it. Before scoring, we cross-reference 5 public MCP sources, install the server ourselves against the clients we cover, and record when we last re-verified.

01
Discovered
Manual submission
First indexed MAY 7, 2026
02
Cross-referenced
5 directories
PulseMCP, MCP.so, Glama, Smithery, Official MCP Registry
03
Verified against
Claude Desktop, Cursor
Installed and tested across clients
04
Last re-checked
MAY 7, 2026
Weekly re-verification
// How other directories see it

The same server, 5 different lenses. We reconcile these signals into our editorial score, which is why our number sometimes diverges from a directory-aggregate star count.

SourceTheir ratingTheir star countTheir downloadsLast synced
AutomationSwitch This page4.5editorial1,381MAY 7, 2026
PulseMCP— unratedunavailableunavailableMAY 7, 2026
MCP.so— unratedunavailableunavailableMAY 7, 2026
Glama— unratedunavailableunavailableMAY 7, 2026
Smithery— unratedunavailableunavailableMAY 7, 2026
Official MCP Registry— unratedunavailableunavailableMAY 7, 2026

// Counts are directory-reported; we don't adjust them. Discrepancies usually come from different snapshot times or star-caching.

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// Get in touch

DISCUSS YOUR
MCP REQUIREMENTS.

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