Hosting

Self-hosted stdio process for a single user, or an operator-deployed HTTP container for a private team environment.

Transport

stdio for local single-user setup; HTTP for container/team deployment

Endpoint

Local process; no hosted endpoint documented

Authentication

Portainer API key required. Stdio uses the user’s Portainer key; HTTP team deployment also requires a front-gate token or a trusted identity-aware proxy.

Requirements

• An existing Portainer instance and a user account with the intended permissions.
• uv/uvx available on PATH for the documented stdio setup.
• The MCP server minor version must match the Portainer instance minor version.
• For HTTP deployment, a private network deployment with a documented TLS/auth posture is required; the project warns against public exposure.

Setup steps

1. In the Portainer UI, open My Account → Access tokens and create a scoped API key for the user whose permissions should govern the MCP actions. Keep the key in the local client's secret/environment mechanism.
2. Find your Portainer instance's version. Match the MCP package minor to that version; the official README uses the `mcp-portainer~=2.45.0` example for Portainer 2.45.x.
3. Configure a local stdio server with command `uvx` and args `--from`, `mcp-portainer~=<matching-minor>.0`, `mcp-portainer`. Set `PORTAINER_URL` to the instance URL and `PORTAINER_API_KEY` to the locally stored token in the MCP process environment.
4. Reconnect the MCP client and inspect tools/list. Tool availability depends on enabled profiles, the matching Portainer version, and user/API permissions. For HTTP deployment, follow the official TLS, allowed-host, and per-user auth instructions; do not expose plaintext or unauthenticated endpoints publicly.

Crawl4AI checked four Portainer repository/configuration pages. The repository explicitly names get_guidance and select; Portainer REST API proxy tools are generated from the server OpenAPI version and enabled profiles, so these two helper rows are only a partial subset.

• get_guidance

  Return the MCP operating guide; available on demand and may be delivered by the guidance gate.

  01
• select

  Project a response using a JMESPath expression; the current guide calls this an escape hatch.

  02

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

• Maintainer says this server is unsupported, has no SLA or feature roadmap, and is not recommended for production; Portainer Command is the supported alternative.
• Do not expose the HTTP server publicly; configure TLS and host allowlisting.

• official capability documentation

  Documents API-operation profiles, Docker/Kubernetes/GitOps capability selection, and why the exposed tool list is configuration dependent.

• official security and configuration documentation

  Documents required URL and API-key settings, stdio and HTTP auth postures, TLS controls, and host allowlisting.

• verified publisher organization avatar

  Portainer GitHub organization avatar verified through the official Portainer-owned repository; downloaded, decoded, and visually reviewed on light and dark backgrounds. Selection tier B: company logo/avatar.

• discovery directory

  The Portainer MCP repository appeared in directory search results; used for discovery only.

• official maintainer repository

  Official repository documents profile-generated API tools, authentication requirements, and explicitly states this server is unsupported and not recommended for production.

Documentation checked 2026-10-28T20:30:00.000Z. Connection has not been runtime tested.