Quick Reference: MCP Server Configuration

MCP Server Support

The MCP Gateway supports MCP servers via stdio transport using Docker containers. All properly configured MCP servers work with the gateway.

Verified Servers

Server	Transport	Direct Tests	Gateway Tests	Configuration
GitHub MCP	Stdio (Docker)	✅ All passed	✅ All passed	Production ready
Serena MCP	Stdio (Docker)	✅ 68/68 passed	✅ All passed	Production ready

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Configuration Examples

GitHub MCP Server

JSON Configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "container": "ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server:latest",
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": ""
      }
    }
  }
}

TOML Configuration:

[servers.github]
command = "docker"
args = ["run", "--rm", "-i", "ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server:latest"]

Serena MCP Server

JSON Configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "serena": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "container": "ghcr.io/github/serena-mcp-server:latest",
      "env": {
        "SERENA_CONFIG": "/path/to/config"
      }
    }
  }
}

TOML Configuration:

[servers.serena]
command = "docker"
args = ["run", "--rm", "-i", "ghcr.io/github/serena-mcp-server:latest"]

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How It Works

Backend Connection Management:

• The gateway launches MCP servers as Docker containers
• Each session maintains a persistent connection pool
• Backend processes are reused across multiple requests
• Stdio pipes remain open for the lifetime of the session

Example Flow:

Client Request 1 (session abc):
  → Gateway launches: docker run -i github-mcp-server
  → Stores connection in pool["github"]["abc"]
  → Sends initialize via stdio
  → Returns response

Client Request 2 (session abc):
  → Gateway retrieves existing connection from pool
  → SAME Docker process, SAME stdio connection
  → Sends tools/list via same connection
  → Returns response

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Test Results

GitHub MCP Server

• ✅ Full test suite validation (direct and gateway)
• ✅ Repository operations tested
• ✅ Issue management validated
• ✅ Production deployment confirmed

Serena MCP Server

• ✅ Direct Connection: 68 comprehensive tests (100% pass rate)
• ✅ Gateway Connection: All integration tests passed via make test-serena-gateway
• ✅ Multi-language support (Go, Java, JavaScript, Python)
• ✅ All 29 tools tested and validated
• ✅ File operations, symbol operations, memory management
• ✅ See SERENA_TEST_RESULTS.md for details

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For More Details

📖 Configuration Specification: MCP Gateway Configuration Reference

📊 Test Results: Serena Test Results

🏗️ Architecture: See README.md for session pooling and backend management details