CONTAINER DISCOVERY / Docker
Docker MCP Gateway
Isolates other MCP servers in containers. It is not the Docker Hub search server already listed.
“It can work in Docker Desktop or independently.”
01 / THE REASONING
Why this made the selection.
- The README describes per-server containers with minimal host privileges for npx and uvx servers.
- Installation is documented as a Docker CLI plugin, including a build-from-source path when Desktop is not current.
- The pinned README is the Docker MCP gateway that runs catalog servers in containers and presents one gateway to each client.
- It tells operators to keep secrets in Docker Desktop's secret store instead of environment variables.
02 / THE REVIEW RECORD
What we actually inspected.
Source review has boundaries.
A clear record is more useful than a “safe” badge.
Material inspected
- README.md
- 2026-10-14 reread of retained pinned setup/configuration evidence for the specific operational details added in this batch.
- LICENSE
Our findings
- The README title is Docker MCP Plugin and Docker MCP Gateway.
- After installation the documented help command is docker mcp --help.
- README documents Desktop4.59+, profile-based server/tool configuration, local database state and explicit gateway startup. No plugin or container was launched.
- Catalog servers run as isolated containers, and npx or uvx servers are granted minimal host privileges. Clients talk to one gateway.
- The README says to keep secrets out of environment variables and to use Docker Desktop's secret management. OAuth is built in for servers that need a token.
- A Docker Cloud run still needs a temporary secret export. The README says that export will not be required once Docker Cloud can read secret stores, so this pin does not do that itself.
Not established by this review
- The plugin was not built.
- No authenticated session, installation, permission bypass or package-to-source parity test was performed.
- The server was not started and its tools were not called.
- A pin does not verify transitive dependencies.
The review applies to the material and revision named here. A newer upstream release can change its behavior.
03 / PUT IT TO WORK
Connect a server deliberately.
- Use the documented Docker Desktop MCP Toolkit or standalone plugin installation appropriate to your platform.
- Inspect available servers and configure a profile with only the required tools, endpoints, mounts and credentials.
- Launch docker mcp gateway run --profile YOUR_PROFILE, replacing the profile placeholder.
- Connect the intended client to that profile using the documented client setup.
Before you start
- A supported Docker installation and access to its daemon
- Docker MCP CLI plugin/Toolkit
- Per-server credentials and prerequisites for the chosen profile
Documented configuration example
Use the client and authentication context described in the setup guidance. Configuration formats vary between hosts.
{
"mcpServers": {
"MCP_DOCKER": {
"command": "docker",
"args": [
"mcp",
"gateway",
"run"
]
}
}
}04 / FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The source trail.
Our notes are separate from the original resource.
Check upstream before adopting a new version.
- Server documentation ↗Checked
https://github.com/docker/mcp-gateway/blob/a34df45d4ec0e941a9853ad768c4f6cd818966b3/README.md
Supports: Install command and stated scope, summary, install, configExample, access, limitations, bestFor, review, compatibility, transports
- Repository licence ↗Checked
https://github.com/docker/mcp-gateway/blob/a34df45d4ec0e941a9853ad768c4f6cd818966b3/LICENSE
Supports: Redistribution terms
- Server documentation ↗Checked
https://github.com/docker/mcp-gateway/blob/a34df45d4ec0e941a9853ad768c4f6cd818966b3/README.md
Supports: Install command and stated scope