Every MCP server you add to Claude Code is another claude mcp add line, another Node or Python process running on your machine with your user’s full permissions, and often another API key sitting in a config file. By the fifth server, it’s hard to say what’s installed, what it can touch, or where the keys are.
Docker MCP Gateway collapses all of that into a single entry. Claude Code connects to one server, MCP_DOCKER , and the gateway runs every MCP server you pick from Docker’s catalog, each in its own container. Containers are capped at 1 CPU and 2 GB of memory and get no host filesystem access unless you grant it. Credentials live in Docker Desktop instead of your config files. It’s open source (MIT) and ships built into Docker Desktop as the MCP Toolkit.
What the full guide covers:
- What You’ll Need
- Step-by-Step Setup
- What Each Piece Does
- Verify It’s Actually Working
The commands, our own test notes, and the troubleshooting steps are in the full guide, which we keep up to date:
Top comments (0)