Docker MCP server for AI agents

The Docker MCP Server is a tool that enables AI assistants like Claude to interact with Docker through the Model Context Protocol. This server allows for container management, image operations, and other Docker functionality directly through conversational interfaces.

Installation

Prerequisites

Node.js 18 or higher
Docker installed and running on your system

Install from npm

npm install -g docker-mcp-server

Install from source

# 1. Clone the repository
# 2. Install dependencies
cd docker-mcp
npm install

# 3. Build the project
npm run build

Running the Server

Start the MCP server using one of these methods:

# If installed via npm
docker-mcp-server

# If installed from source
npm start

Configuring with Claude

Automatic Configuration

Use the included installation script to automatically configure the Docker MCP server with Claude:

npm run install-config

This script will:

Detect your Claude installations (Desktop and/or VSCode)
Update the configuration files to include the Docker MCP server
Set up the correct paths for your system

Manual Configuration

For Claude Desktop App (macOS)

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "docker-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/docker-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

For Claude in VSCode

Edit ~/.config/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "docker-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/docker-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

Note: After configuring the Docker MCP server in VS Code, you may need to restart VS Code for the changes to take effect in Cline.

Available Tools

Docker Container Operations

List Containers

Lists all Docker containers.

Parameters:

all (boolean, optional): Show all containers (default shows just running)

Run Container

Run a Docker container.

Parameters:

image (string, required): Docker image to run
name (string, optional): Name for the container
detach (boolean, optional): Run container in background
ports (array of strings, optional): Port mappings (e.g. ["8080:80"])
volumes (array of strings, optional): Volume mappings (e.g. ["/host/path:/container/path"])
env (array of strings, optional): Environment variables (e.g. ["KEY=value"])
command (string, optional): Command to run in the container

Stop Container

Stop a running Docker container.

Parameters:

container (string, required): Container ID or name

Remove Container

Remove a Docker container.

Parameters:

container (string, required): Container ID or name
force (boolean, optional): Force removal of running container

Docker Image Operations

List Images

List all Docker images.

Pull Image

Pull a Docker image from a registry.

Parameters:

image (string, required): Image name (e.g. "nginx:latest")

Example Usage with Claude

Once configured, you can ask Claude to perform Docker operations like:

"Run a hello-world Docker container"
"List all Docker containers"
"Pull the latest nginx image"
"Run an nginx container on port 8080"
"Stop the nginx container"
"Remove all stopped containers"

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "docker-mcp" '{"command":"node","args":["/path/to/docker-mcp/dist/index.js"],"disabled":false,"autoApprove":[]}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "docker-mcp": {
            "command": "node",
            "args": [
                "/path/to/docker-mcp/dist/index.js"
            ],
            "disabled": false,
            "autoApprove": []
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "docker-mcp": {
            "command": "node",
            "args": [
                "/path/to/docker-mcp/dist/index.js"
            ],
            "disabled": false,
            "autoApprove": []
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect