Docker MCP Server

This skill provides comprehensive Docker management capabilities through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). It enables Claude to interact with Docker directly on the user's macOS system.

Installation

Prerequisites

• Docker Desktop for Mac installed and running
• Python 3.10 or higher
• MCP package: pip install mcp

Setup Steps

1. Install the MCP package (if not already installed):

   pip install mcp
   

2. Configure Claude Desktop to use this MCP server by editing your Claude Desktop config file at:

   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

3. Add the server configuration:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "docker": {
         "command": "python3",
         "args": ["/path/to/docker-mcp/scripts/docker_mcp_server.py"]
       }
     }
   }
   

   Replace /path/to/docker-mcp/ with the actual path to where this skill is saved.

4. Restart Claude Desktop for changes to take effect

Available Tools

The MCP server provides the following Docker operations:

Container Management

• docker_ps - List containers (running or all)
• docker_start - Start stopped containers
• docker_stop - Stop running containers
• docker_restart - Restart containers
• docker_rm - Remove containers
• docker_logs - View container logs
• docker_exec - Execute commands in running containers
• docker_stats - View resource usage statistics
• docker_inspect - Get detailed container/image information

Image Management

• docker_images - List Docker images
• docker_pull - Pull images from registry
• docker_rmi - Remove images
• docker_run - Create and start new containers

Docker Compose

• docker_compose_up - Start services from compose file
• docker_compose_down - Stop and remove compose services

Networking & Volumes

• docker_network_ls - List networks
• docker_volume_ls - List volumes

Usage Examples

Once configured, you can ask Claude to:

• "Show me all running Docker containers"
• "Pull the latest nginx image"
• "Start the container named my-app"
• "Show me the logs for container xyz"
• "Execute 'ls -la' in the nginx container"
• "Run a new container from ubuntu:latest"
• "Start my docker-compose services"

Troubleshooting

If the MCP server isn't working:

1. Verify Docker is running: docker ps in terminal
2. Check the config file path is correct
3. Ensure Python 3 is available: python3 --version
4. Verify mcp package is installed: pip show mcp
5. Check Claude Desktop logs for error messages
6. Restart Claude Desktop after any config changes