MCP server
Docker MCP server
A community MCP server that lets AI list, run, stop and remove Docker containers and manage images, networks and volumes.
- Community server
- Developer tools
At a glance
- Maintained by
- ckreiling (community)
- Tools exposed
- 10 listed below
- Reviewed
- September 24, 2026
Why it matters
What it does and why it matters
Docker runs most modern development environments and many production apps. This community server lets an assistant list containers, read their logs, run and stop them, and manage images, networks and volumes, all in plain English.
For developers, it is a quick way to spin up a database for testing, check why a container keeps restarting or clean up old images.
This is a community server by ckreiling, not by Docker Inc. Docker's own MCP Gateway is a different product that runs other MCP servers. Because this server can create and remove containers and volumes, use it on development machines only, never on production hosts, and review the code before installing.
On a developer laptop it saves real time: no more looking up command flags to start a test database or trace a failing container. The assistant explains what it is about to run, which also helps newer team members learn Docker.
Use cases
Best business use cases
Log checks
Test databases
Clean-up
Network setup
Learning Docker
Tools
Available tools
Tool names as published by the maintainer at review time. Versions change, so check the repository for the current list.
Read and write: Read and write: lists and inspects Docker objects and can create, run, stop and remove containers, images, networks and volumes.
-
list_containersList containers.
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run_containerRun a new container.
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stop_containerStop a container.
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remove_containerRemove a container.
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fetch_container_logsGet a container's logs.
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list_imagesList images.
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pull_imagePull an image.
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build_imageBuild an image.
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create_networkCreate a network.
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create_volumeCreate a volume.
Workflows
Example workflows
Debug a restarting container
-
1
Ask why a container keeps restarting.
-
2
The assistant lists containers and their status.
-
3
It reads the logs.
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4
It explains the error.
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5
You fix the configuration.
Local test database
-
1
Ask for a Postgres container for testing.
-
2
The assistant pulls the image.
-
3
It runs the container with a volume.
-
4
It returns connection details.
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5
It stops the container when you are done.
Prompts
Example prompts
“Which containers are running, and which have restarted in the last hour?”
“Show the last 100 log lines for the api container.”
“Start a PostgreSQL container for local testing on port 5433.”
Setup
Installation and configuration
Examples for Claude Desktop and Claude Code. Replace the placeholder values with your own keys, and store secrets outside version control.
Claude Desktop: claude_desktop_config.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-server-docker": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"mcp-server-docker"
]
}
}
}Claude Code: terminal
claude mcp add docker -- uvx mcp-server-docker- Local server: stdio; mcp-server-docker; uvx mcp-server-docker.
- Needs: None; uses the local Docker environment (DOCKER_HOST can point to a remote daemon, including ssh://).
Security
Security considerations
-
Development only
Do not connect it to production Docker hosts.
-
Community code
Review the code and pin the version.
-
Destructive actions
Approve removals of containers and volumes.
-
Secrets in env
Avoid passing secrets through prompts.
Related servers
Servers that pair well with it
Kubernetes
An open-source MCP server that lets AI read Kubernetes cluster state and logs and, if allowed, change resources and Helm releases.
Filesystem
The MCP project's Filesystem reference server lets AI read, write, edit, move and search files, only inside folders you allow.
Coolify
Coolify's official MCP server lets AI see self-hosted infrastructure, find unhealthy resources, review deployments and deploy with the right token.
Keep exploring
Solutions and services that use it
Related services
View all related services- MCP integration Connect AI assistants to your CRM, files, databases and tools through Model Context Protocol servers, with safe permissions.
- AI copilots AI helpers built into your product or internal tools that draft, summarize and suggest while people decide.
- Legacy modernization Replace an aging system step by step, with the business running normally while the new parts take over.
- Automation and Integrations CRM, payment and API integrations, MCP connections and workflows that stop people copying data by hand.
- Web applications Custom browser-based software for the work your team does every day, from booking tools to operations systems.
- Dashboards and reporting Dashboards that pull numbers from the systems you already use and show what matters without a spreadsheet.
Solutions
View all solutions- Internal help desk assistant An assistant in Slack or Teams that answers policy and how-to questions from your handbooks and opens tickets when needed.
- Approval workflows Requests, approvals and reminders in one place, with clear owners and deadlines instead of long email threads.
- Automated reporting Reports that build themselves from your systems on schedule, with a plain-language summary of what changed.
Case studies
View all case studiesGuides and articles
View all guides and articles- Where AI helps in development, and where it does not An honest map of the development tasks AI speeds up and the ones that still need experienced people.
- How to connect AI to your database safely Let staff ask questions of your data in plain English without risking production systems or sensitive records.
- How to build an AI workflow with MCP servers Plan, connect and test an AI workflow that uses MCP servers, from a single task to a reliable process.
- How to set up automated reporting Replace manual weekly and monthly reports with dashboards and summaries that update themselves.
AI models
View all ai models- Coding Models that write, review and explain code, and power coding assistants and developer tools.
- Mistral Medium 3.5 A newer open-weight Mistral model for agent and coding work, with image input, tool calling, structured outputs and a 256K window.
- Codestral 25.08 Mistral's low-latency coding model for code completion and generation, with fill-in-the-middle support, tool calling and a 128K window.
- GPT-6 Sol The middle model of the GPT-6 family, positioned for complex coding and agentic workflows at a mid price level.
- text-embedding-3-large OpenAI's most capable embedding model for search and retrieval, with 3,072-dimension vectors and support for English and other languages.
- text-embedding-3-small OpenAI's efficient, lowest-cost embedding model, with 1,536-dimension vectors for search, retrieval and similarity at scale.
Glossary terms
View all glossary terms- API integration An API integration connects two or more systems through their APIs so data and actions flow between them automatically.
- Database A database is an organized store of data that software can search, update and keep consistent, such as customers, orders or bookings.
- Claude Code Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic coding tool, which works in a developer's terminal, IDE, desktop app or browser to read code, run commands and make changes.
- AI copilot An AI copilot is an assistant built into a tool people already use, which suggests, drafts and explains while the person stays in control.
- Backend The backend is the part of an application that runs on servers, storing data, applying business rules and serving the frontend through APIs.
- Business process automation Business process automation uses software to run a multi-step business process, such as approvals or onboarding, from start to finish with less manual work.
FAQ
Questions people ask us
Have a question that is not here? Ask us directly.
No. It is a community server. Docker's MCP Gateway is a separate product.
Yes. It can stop and remove containers, images, networks and volumes.
We recommend development machines only.