A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for container runtimes (Podman and Docker)
Quick Install
Automated & IDE SetupCopy the AI prompt to install this server into Claude Code, Cursor, or another agent — or use 1-click editor setup below.
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Manual Client & Custom JSON ConfigExpand JSON ▾
Client Config & Setup
Choose your client or environment
Target File:
💡 Paste the JSON block into your client's configuration file under mcpServers, then restart the application.
Documentation Overview
Podman MCP Server
✨ Features | 🚀 Getting Started | 📚 Documentation | 🎥 Demos | ⚙️ Configuration | 🛠️ Tools | 🧑💻 Development
✨ Features
A powerful and flexible MCP server for container runtimes supporting Podman and Docker.
🚀 Getting Started
Claude Desktop
Using npx
If you have npm installed, this is the fastest way to get started with podman-mcp-server on Claude Desktop.
Open your claude_desktop_config.json and add the mcp server to the list of mcpServers:
VS Code / VS Code Insiders
Install the Podman MCP server by clicking one of the following links:
Alternatively, you can install the extension manually by running the following command:
Goose CLI
Goose CLI is the easiest (and cheapest) way to get rolling with artificial intelligence (AI) agents.
Using npm
If you have npm installed, this is the fastest way to get started with podman-mcp-server.
Open your goose config.yaml and add the mcp server to the list of mcpServers:
📚 Documentation
For detailed setup guides, configuration reference, and feature specifications, see the Documentation.
🎥 Demos
⚙️ Configuration
The Podman MCP server can be configured using command line (CLI) arguments.
You can run the CLI executable either by using npx or by downloading the latest release binary.
Configuration Options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
--port, -p | Starts the MCP server in HTTP mode with Streamable HTTP at /mcp and SSE at /sse endpoints. |
--output-format, -o | Output format for list commands: text (default, human-readable table) or json. |
--podman-impl | Podman implementation to use. Auto-detects if not specified. |
--sse-port | Deprecated. Use --port instead. Starts the MCP server in SSE-only mode. |
--sse-base-url | Deprecated. SSE public base URL to use when sending the endpoint message. |
Transport Modes
The server supports multiple transport modes:
- STDIO mode (default) - Communicates via standard input/output
- HTTP mode (
--port) - Modern HTTP transport with both Streamable HTTP and SSE endpoints - SSE-only mode (
--sse-port) - Legacy Server-Sent Events transport (deprecated)
Podman Implementations
The server supports multiple Podman backend implementations:
| Implementation | Description | Priority |
|---|---|---|
api | Podman REST API via Unix socket | 100 (preferred) |
cli | Podman/Docker CLI wrapper | 50 (fallback) |
By default, the server auto-detects the best available implementation.
The api implementation is preferred when a Podman socket is available, otherwise the cli implementation is used as a fallback.
Use the --podman-impl flag to force a specific implementation:
The api implementation communicates directly with the Podman REST API via Unix socket, while the cli implementation shells out to the podman or docker binary.
🛠️ Tools
Container
-
container_inspect - Displays the low-level information and configuration of a Docker or Podman container with the specified container ID or name
name(string) (required) - Docker or Podman container ID or name to display the information
-
container_list - Prints out information about the running Docker or Podman containers
-
container_logs - Displays the logs of a Docker or Podman container with the specified container ID or name
name(string) (required) - Docker or Podman container ID or name to display the logs
-
container_remove - Removes a Docker or Podman container with the specified container ID or name (rm)
name(string) (required) - Docker or Podman container ID or name to remove
-
container_run - Runs a Docker or Podman container with the specified image name
environment(array) - Environment variables to set in the container. Format: =. Example: FOO=bar. (Optional, add only to set environment variables)imageName(string) (required) - Docker or Podman container image name to runports(array) - Port mappings to expose on the host. Format: :. Example: 8080:80. (Optional, add only to expose ports)
-
container_stop - Stops a Docker or Podman running container with the specified container ID or name
name(string) (required) - Docker or Podman container ID or name to stop
Image
-
image_build - Build a Docker or Podman image from a Dockerfile, Podmanfile, or Containerfile
containerFile(string) (required) - The absolute path to the Dockerfile, Podmanfile, or Containerfile to build the image fromimageName(string) - Specifies the name which is assigned to the resulting image if the build process completes successfully (--tag, -t)
-
image_list - List the Docker or Podman images on the local machine
-
image_pull - Copies (pulls) a Docker or Podman container image from a registry onto the local machine storage
imageName(string) (required) - Docker or Podman container image name to pull
-
image_push - Pushes a Docker or Podman container image, manifest list or image index from local machine storage to a registry
imageName(string) (required) - Docker or Podman container image name to push
-
image_remove - Removes a Docker or Podman image from the local machine storage
imageName(string) (required) - Docker or Podman container image name to remove
Network
- network_list - List all the available Docker or Podman networks
Volume
- volume_list - List all the available Docker or Podman volumes
🧑💻 Development
Running with mcp-inspector
Compile the project and run the Podman MCP server with mcp-inspector to inspect the MCP server.
mcp-name: io.github.manusa/podman-mcp-server
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Frequently Asked Questions about Podman MCP Server
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