Creativity · MCP — server

MCP Docker Server

The MCP Docker server wraps the Docker Engine API and exposes container lifecycle operations as MCP tools. Once connected, Claude can run an image, list containers, tail logs, and clean up orphans without you leaving the chat. Implementations are community-maintained — Docker Inc. has not yet shipped an official reference server — so treat the binary you install as you would any other ops tool.

MCP facts

Kind: server
Ecosystem: anthropic-mcp
Language: TypeScript / Node.js
Transports: stdio

Capabilities

Tools: list_containers, run_container, stop_container, get_logs, inspect_image
Resources: container and image metadata as URIs
Safety: executes against the local Docker daemon — full image/container control

Install

npx -y mcp-server-docker

Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "docker": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-server-docker"],
      "env": {
        "DOCKER_HOST": "unix:///var/run/docker.sock"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently asked questions

Does Docker publish an official MCP server?

Not yet as of April 2026. Community packages like mcp-server-docker provide the functionality. Check the repo's star count, last commit date, and issue tracker before installing.

Can the MCP Docker server manage remote hosts?

If you set DOCKER_HOST to a remote TLS endpoint, yes — but the LLM then has remote container control, which widens the blast radius. Prefer a local-only setup during evaluation.

Is running arbitrary images safe?

No. If the model can call run_container with an untrusted image, you're giving it arbitrary-code-execution surface. Restrict the tool or require approval for every run in your client settings.

Sources

Docker Engine API — accessed 2026-04-20
Model Context Protocol specification — accessed 2026-04-20