Docker MCP Gateway: Run MCP Servers in Containers for Claude

The Docker MCP Gateway is Docker’s open-source gateway for running Model Context Protocol servers in containers. It lets Claude reach many MCP servers through one endpoint, while each local server runs in its own isolated container and secrets stay in Docker’s secret store instead of environment variables. It is the engine behind the MCP Toolkit in Docker Desktop.

Who it is for

Developers who use several MCP servers and want them isolated, configured once and shared across Claude Code, Cursor and other clients. It also suits teams that want to share a vetted set of servers.

Install

You need Docker Desktop 4.59 or later with the MCP Toolkit enabled. The docker mcp CLI ships with recent versions. Servers are grouped into profiles. The README’s example builds a profile from the Docker MCP Catalog:

docker mcp catalog pull mcp/docker-mcp-catalog
docker mcp profile create --name dev-tools \
  --server catalog://mcp/docker-mcp-catalog/github

Then connect the profile to Claude Code, as the README shows:

docker mcp client connect claude-code --profile dev-tools --global

To run the gateway yourself, use docker mcp gateway run --profile dev-tools. Store API keys with docker mcp secret rather than in config files.

Use cases

• One endpoint: give Claude GitHub, Notion and other servers through a single gateway.
• Isolation: run untrusted community servers in containers with minimal host access.
• Team setup: export a profile, push it to an OCI registry and let teammates pull the same servers.
• Tool control: enable or disable single tools per server to keep Claude’s tool list short.

Pros

• Official from Docker, MIT licensed.
• Container isolation for each local server.
• Built-in secrets management and OAuth flows.
• Profiles can reference catalog entries, OCI images and MCP registry entries.

Cons and caveats

• Requires Docker, and for the smoothest path, Docker Desktop.
• Adds a layer between Claude and each server, which makes debugging a bit harder.
• Container isolation does not make a server’s own API access safe. Scope each token tightly.

Links

• Repo: docker/mcp-gateway
• Docs: Docker MCP Gateway
• Related: Container Use, MCP reference servers, MCP servers guide

Checked 24 Oct 2026 against the vendor repo and the Docker docs.