Run and manage MCP servers easily and securely
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ToolHive (thv) is a lightweight utility designed to simplify the deployment and management of MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers, ensuring ease of use, consistency, and security.
Deploying MCP servers often involves complex, multi-step processes that can introduce friction, such as running potentially unsafe commands (e.g., uv or npx), manually managing security credentials (e.g., storing API tokens in plaintext), and dealing with inconsistent packaging methods.
ToolHive aims to solve these challenges by running containers in a consistent and locked-down environment, granting only the minimal permissions required to run. This significantly reduces the attack surface, improves usability, and enforces best practices for container security.
ToolHive simplifies MCP deployment by focusing on three key areas:
Ease of use: Instantly deploy MCP servers using Docker containers. Start MCP servers with a single, straightforward command without the need to install and manage different versions of Python, Node.js, or other build tools.
Enhanced security: Secure by default. ToolHive securely manages secrets and configurations, greatly reducing the risk of leaks. Avoid plaintext secrets in configuration files.
Standardized packaging: Leverage OCI container standards to provide a repeatable, standardized packaging method for MCP servers, ensuring compatibility and reliability.
Curated MCP registry: ToolHive provides a curated registry of MCPs with verified configurations, allowing you to discover and deploy MCP servers effortlessly. Simply select one from the list and run it securely with a single command.
Enterprise-ready authorization: Robust authorization controls designed for enterprise environments, securely managing tool access and integrating seamlessly with existing infrastructure (e.g., Kubernetes).
Seamless integration: Automatic configuration of popular development tools like GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and more to streamline your workflow.
ToolHive currently works on macOS and Linux using Docker or Podman.
For client auto-discovery/configuration, a supported client:
ToolHive is a CLI tool written in Go and packaged as a single binary. You can install it using one of the following methods:
Download the latest cross-platform release binaries from toolhive/releases.
Install on macOS using Homebrew:
brew tap stacklok/tap
brew install thv
To build ToolHive from source, clone this repository and build the CLI using Go:
go build ./cmd/thv
go install ./cmd/thv
Or using Task:
task build
task install
Note: This example enables auto-discovery to automatically find supported client(s) and update their configuration. Skip this step if you prefer to manually configure your client, or run
thv config register-client --helpto learn how to explicitly register a client.
# Enable client auto-discovery:
thv config auto-discovery true
# Run the Fetch MCP server which allows LLMs to fetch the contents of a website:
thv run fetch
# List the running MCP servers:
thv list
Your client should now be able to use the fetch MCP tool to fetch website
content.
ToolHive has been tested with the following clients:
| Client | Supported | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Copilot (VS Code) | ✅ | v1.99.0+ or Insiders version |
| Cursor | ✅ | |
| Roo Code | ✅ | |
| PydanticAI | ✅ | |
| Continue | ❌ | Continue doesn't yet support SSE |
| Claude Desktop | ❌ | Claude Desktop doesn't yet support SSE |
Other clients and development libraries that support the SSE protocol can also be used with ToolHive.
Automatic configuration is supported for Copilot, Cursor, and Roo Code. For other clients, manual configuration of the MCP server URL is required.
ToolHive exposes an SSE proxy to forward requests to MCP servers running in containers. The proxy communicates with MCP servers via standard input/output (stdio) or server-sent events (SSE).
flowchart LR
subgraph container[Docker/Podman]
direction LR
proxy1[SSE proxy 1]
proxy2[SSE proxy 2]
proxy3[SSE proxy 3]
mcp1[MCP Server]
mcp2[MCP Server]
mcp3[MCP Server]
proxy1 -->|stdio| mcp1
proxy2 -->|stdio| mcp2
proxy3 -->|sse| mcp3
end
T[ToolHive CLI] -->|Socket API| container
C[Client] -->|HTTP/SSE| proxy1
C[Client] -->|HTTP/SSE| proxy2
C[Client] -->|HTTP/SSE| proxy3
Common usage scenarios are detailed below. To view all available commands and
options, see the ToolHive CLI reference or run
thv --help.
ToolHive can automatically configure supported clients to use the MCP servers you run. To take advantage of this feature, clients must be registered before you run an MCP server.
To enable automatic discovery and configuration of supported clients, run:
thv config auto-discovery true
Or, you can register clients manually:
# Register a client
thv config register-client <client-name>
# Show registered clients
thv config list-registered-clients
# Remove a client
thv config remove-client <client-name>
First, find the MCP server you want to run. You can list or search available MCP servers in the built-in registry using:
# List all available servers
thv registry list
# Find a server by keyword
thv search <search-term>
To view detailed information about a specific MCP server including its available tools, configuration options, and other metadata, use:
thv registry info <name-of-mcp-server>
Once you find the MCP server you want to run, start it using the thv run
command:
thv run <name-of-mcp-server>
The registry already contains all the parameters needed to run the server, so you don't need to specify any additional arguments. ToolHive will automatically pull the image and start the server.
We're always looking to expand our MCP server registry. If you have a specific server you'd like to see included, feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request to update the registry.json file.
To list the running MCP servers:
thv list
This displays all active MCP servers managed by ToolHive, along with their
current status. To include stopped servers, add the --all flag.
To stop and/or remove a server:
thv stop <name-of-mcp-server>
thv rm <name-of-mcp-server>
# Or to stop and remove in one command:
thv rm -f <name-of-mcp-server>
Many MCP servers require API tokens or other secrets for authentication. ToolHive provides a secure way to manage these secrets without exposing them in plaintext configuration files.
This example enables ToolHive's encrypted secrets store, creates a secret for a GitHub authentication token, and runs the GitHub MCP server with the token:
thv config secrets-provider encrypted
thv secret set github
# <enter your GitHub personal access token when prompted>
thv run --secret github,target=GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN github
ToolHive stores the encryption password in your operating system's keyring service.
For more details on managing secrets, see the
thv secret command reference or run
thv secret --help.
If you want to run a custom MCP server that is not in the registry, you can do so by specifying the image name and any additional arguments. For example:
thv run --transport sse --name my-mcp-server --port 8080 my-mcp-server-image:latest -- my-mcp-server-args
This command closely resembles docker run but focuses on security and
simplicity. When invoked:
ToolHive creates a container from the specified image
(my-mcp-server-image:latest).
It configures the container to listen on the chosen port (8080).
Labels the container so it can be tracked by ToolHive:
toolhive: true
toolhive-name: my-mcp-server
Sets up the specified transport method (--transport stdio or
--transport sse):
stdio), default:sse):ToolHive supports running MCP servers directly from package managers using protocol schemes. This allows you to run MCP servers without having to build and publish Docker images first.
Currently, two protocol schemes are supported:
For example, to run a Python-based MCP server:
thv run uvx://awslabs.core-mcp-server@latest
Or to run a Node.js-based MCP server:
thv run npx://pulumi/mcp-server@latest
When you use a protocol scheme, ToolHive will:
Note that in this case, you still might need to specify additional arguments like the transport method, volumes, and environment variables. So, the command might look like:
thv run --transport sse --name my-mcp-server --port 8080 uvx://some-sse-mcp-server@latest -- my-mcp-server-args
Read the documentation for the specific MCP server to see if it requires any additional arguments.
Containers launched by ToolHive come with a minimal set of permissions, strictly
limited to what is required. Permissions can be further customized via a
JSON-based permission profile provided with the --permission-profile flag.
An example permission profile file could be:
{
"read": ["/var/run/mcp.sock"],
"write": ["/var/run/mcp.sock"],
"network": {
"outbound": {
"insecure_allow_all": false,
"allow_transport": ["tcp", "udp"],
"allow_host": ["localhost", "google.com"],
"allow_port": [80, 443]
}
}
}
This profile lets the container read and write to the /var/run/mcp.sock Unix
socket and also make outbound network requests to localhost and google.com
on ports 80 and 443.
Two built-in profiles are included for convenience:
none: Grants minimal permissions with no network access.network: Permits outbound network connections to any host on any port (not
recommended for production use).ToolHive can also be used to deploy MCP servers in a Kubernetes cluster. This functionality is still under active development for production use cases, but we invite you to try it out locally using a kind cluster.
Check out the Run ToolHive in Kubernetes using kind guide to get started.
We welcome contributions to ToolHive! If you'd like to contribute, please review the CONTRIBUTING guide for details on how to get started.
If you run into a bug or have a feature request, please
open an issue in the
repository or join us in the #toolhive-developers channel on our
community Discord server.
This project is licensed under the Apache 2.0 License. See the LICENSE file for details.