Hosting

Local Docker Desktop or Docker Engine process

Transport

stdio by default; SSE and streaming HTTP modes are documented

Endpoint

Local process; no hosted endpoint documented

Authentication

The local stdio gateway does not require separate login. Downstream servers may require secrets or OAuth, managed through Docker MCP Toolkit or the gateway secret/OAuth commands.

Requirements

• Docker Desktop 4.59+ with MCP Toolkit enabled, or a Docker Engine with Docker MCP CLI plugin installed
• For the current Docker Desktop UI walkthrough, Docker documentation describes version 4.62+
• An MCP client that can launch a local stdio process
• At least one downstream MCP server/catalog/profile configured to expose tools

Setup steps

1. Install Docker Desktop and enable Docker MCP Toolkit in Docker Desktop Settings → Beta features → Enable Docker MCP Toolkit, or install the Docker MCP CLI plugin for Docker Engine.
2. Add and configure the intended MCP servers in Docker MCP Toolkit/catalog/profile; review each server’s container permissions and credentials.
3. Configure the MCP client to start command `docker` with args [`mcp`, `gateway`, `run`] for local stdio.
4. Reload the client and inspect its discovered tools. The returned tools are the union of enabled downstream servers; with no servers configured, the gateway does not provide Docker Engine management tools.
5. Use `docker mcp tools ls` to inspect configured tools; test a harmless read-only downstream operation before enabling writes.

Five literal built-in IDs are documented. OAuth-backed remote attachments can add a dynamic <server>-authorize helper; tools from attached downstream servers vary by configuration.

• mcp-exec

  Execute a downstream tool by name through the gateway.

  01
• code-mode

  Create an ephemeral JavaScript tool that calls selected tools through the gateway.

  02
• mcp-find

  Search registered servers in dynamic mode.

  03
• mcp-add

  Attach a registered server in dynamic mode.

  04
• mcp-config-set

  Set per-session overrides for an attached server in dynamic mode.

  05

This server’s available tools can vary by account, permissions, or configuration. The list shown is not its full runtime catalog.

• This is an MCP gateway/toolkit integration, not a general-purpose Docker Engine API MCP server.
• The gateway only exposes configured downstream MCP server tools; catalog/profile and tool selection determine its capabilities.
• Container isolation is not a substitute for reviewing mounts, network access, credentials, and each downstream server’s behavior.
• Docker Docs describes the current toolkit UI for Docker Desktop 4.62+, while the repository lists Docker Desktop 4.59+ for toolkit prerequisites.

• The GitHub repository lists Docker Desktop 4.59+ as a prerequisite; current Docker Desktop UI walkthrough documentation targets version 4.62+. These describe different documentation/UI versions.

• official repository setup

  Docker repository describes Docker MCP Toolkit, Docker CLI plugin, prerequisites, exact stdio gateway command, server catalog/profile, tools ls, secrets, OAuth, and dynamic downstream tool routing.

• official product documentation

  Documents enabling Docker MCP Toolkit in Docker Desktop Beta features and the current UI walkthrough for Docker Desktop 4.62+.

• official publisher avatar

  Docker organization avatar visually inspected and used as fallback-tier D logo.

• official documentation

  Current Docker documentation enumerates the dynamic gateway built-in tool IDs mcp-exec, code-mode, mcp-find, mcp-add, mcp-config-set and server-specific authorization helper. Only five are stable literal names; downstream tool inventory depends on attached servers.

Documentation checked 2026-10-28T19:00:00.000Z. Connection has not been runtime tested.