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# ContextForge
> An open source registry and proxy that federates MCP, A2A, and REST/gRPC APIs with centralized governance, discovery, and observability. Optimizes Agent & Tool calling, and supports plugins.
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**ContextForge** is an open source registry and proxy that federates tools, agents, and APIs into one clean endpoint for your AI clients. It provides centralized governance, discovery, and observability across your AI infrastructure:
- **Tools Gateway** — MCP, REST, gRPC-to-MCP translation, and TOON compression
- **Agent Gateway** — A2A protocol, OpenAI-compatible and Anthropic agent routing
- **API Gateway** — Rate limiting, auth, retries, and reverse proxy for REST services
- **Plugin Extensibility** — 40+ plugins for additional transports, protocols, and integrations
- **Observability** — OpenTelemetry tracing with Phoenix, Jaeger, Zipkin, and other OTLP backends
It runs as a fully compliant MCP server, deployable via PyPI or Docker, and scales to multi-cluster environments on Kubernetes with Redis-backed federation and caching.
---
<!-- vscode-markdown-toc -->
## Table of Contents
- [Overview & Goals](#overview--goals)
- [Quick Start - PyPI](#quick-start---pypi)
- [Quick Start - Containers](#quick-start---containers)
- [VS Code Dev Container](#quick-start-vs-code-dev-container)
- [Installation](#installation)
- [Upgrading](#upgrading)
- [Configuration](#configuration)
- [Running](#running)
- [Cloud Deployment](#cloud-deployment)
- [API Reference](#api-reference)
- [Testing](#testing)
- [Project Structure](#project-structure)
- [Development](#development)
- [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)
- [Contributing](#contributing)
---
### 📌 Quick Links
| Resource | Description |
|----------|-------------|
| **[5-Minute Setup](https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge/issues/2503)** | Get started fast — uvx, Docker, Compose, or local dev |
| **[Getting Help](https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge/issues/2504)** | Support options, FAQ, community channels |
| **[Issue Guide](https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge/issues/2502)** | How to file bugs, request features, contribute |
| **[Full Documentation](https://ibm.github.io/mcp-context-forge/)** | Complete guides, tutorials, API reference |
---
## Overview & Goals
**ContextForge** is an open source registry and proxy that federates any [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) (MCP) server, A2A server, or REST/gRPC API, providing centralized governance, discovery, and observability. It optimizes agent and tool calling, and supports plugins. See the [project roadmap](https://ibm.github.io/mcp-context-forge/architecture/roadmap/) for more details.
It currently supports:
* Federation across multiple MCP and REST services
* **A2A (Agent-to-Agent) integration** for external AI agents (OpenAI, Anthropic, custom)
* **gRPC-to-MCP translation** via automatic reflection-based service discovery
* Virtualization of legacy APIs as MCP-compliant tools and servers
* Transport over HTTP, JSON-RPC, WebSocket, SSE (with configurable keepalive), stdio and streamable-HTTP
* An Admin UI for real-time management, configuration, and log monitoring (with airgapped deployment support)
* Built-in auth, retries, and rate-limiting with user-scoped OAuth tokens and unconditional X-Upstream-Authorization header support
* **OpenTelemetry observability** with Phoenix, Jaeger, Zipkin, and other OTLP backends
* Scalable deployments via Docker or PyPI, Redis-backed caching, and multi-cluster federation
For a list of upcoming features, check out the [ContextForge Roadmap](https://ibm.github.io/mcp-context-forge/architecture/roadmap/)
---
<details>
<summary><strong>🔌 Gateway Layer with Protocol Flexibility</strong></summary>
* Federates any MCP server or REST API
* Lets you choose your MCP protocol version (e.g., `2025-06-18`)
* Exposes a single, unified interface for diverse backends
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>🧩 Virtualization of REST/gRPC Services</strong></summary>
* Wraps non-MCP services as virtual MCP servers
* Registers tools, prompts, and resources with minimal configuration
* **gRPC-to-MCP translation** via server reflection protocol
* Automatic service discovery and method introspection
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>🔁 REST-to-MCP Tool Adapter</strong></summary>
* Adapts REST APIs into tools with:
* Automatic JSON Schema extraction
* Support for headers, tokens, and custom auth
* Retry, timeout, and rate-limit policies
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>🧠 Unified Registries</strong></summary>
* **Prompts**: Jinja2 templates, multimodal support, rollback/versioning
* **Resources**: URI-based access, MIME detection, caching, SSE updates
* **Tools**: Native or adapted, with input validation and concurrency controls
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>📈 Admin UI, Observability & Dev Experience</strong></summary>
* Admin UI built with HTMX + Alpine.js
* Real-time log viewer with filtering, search, and export capabilities
* Auth: Basic, JWT, or custom schemes
* Structured logs, health endpoints, metrics
* 400+ tests, Makefile targets, live reload, pre-commit hooks
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>🔍 OpenTelemetry Observability</strong></summary>
* **Vendor-agnostic tracing** with OpenTelemetry (OTLP) protocol support
* **Multiple backend support**: Phoenix (LLM-focused), Jaeger, Zipkin, Tempo, DataDog, New Relic
* **Distributed tracing** across federated gateways and services
* **Automatic instrumentation** of tools, prompts, resources, and gateway operations
* **LLM-specific metrics**: Token usage, costs, model performance
* **Zero-overhead when disabled** with graceful degradation
See **[Observability Documentation](https://ibm.github.io/mcp-context-forge/manage/observability/)** for setup guides with Phoenix, Jaeger, and other backends.
</details>
---
## Quick Start - PyPI
ContextForge is published on [PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/mcp-contextforge-gateway/) as `mcp-contextforge-gateway`.
---
**TLDR;**:
(single command using [uv](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/))
```bash
# Quick start with environment variables
BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=pass \
MCPGATEWAY_UI_ENABLED=true \
MCPGATEWAY_ADMIN_API_ENABLED=true \
PLATFORM_ADMIN_EMAIL=admin@example.com \
PLATFORM_ADMIN_PASSWORD=changeme \
PLATFORM_ADMIN_FULL_NAME="Platform Administrator" \
uvx --from mcp-contextforge-gateway mcpgateway --host 0.0.0.0 --port 4444
# Or better: use the provided .env.example
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env to customize your settings
uvx --from mcp-contextforge-gateway mcpgateway --host 0.0.0.0 --port 4444
```
<details>
<summary><strong>📋 Prerequisites</strong></summary>
* **Python ≥ 3.10** (3.11 recommended)
* **curl + jq** - only for the last smoke-test step
</details>
### 1 - Install & run (copy-paste friendly)
```bash
# 1️⃣ Isolated env + install from pypi
mkdir mcpgateway && cd mcpgateway
python3 -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate
pip install --upgrade pip
pip install mcp-contextforge-gateway
# 2️⃣ Copy and customize the configuration
# Download the example environment file
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge/main/.env.example
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env to customize your settings (especially passwords!)
# Or set environment variables directly:
export MCPGATEWAY_UI_ENABLED=true
export MCPGATEWAY_ADMIN_API_ENABLED=true
export PLATFORM_ADMIN_EMAIL=admin@example.com
export PLATFORM_ADMIN_PASSWORD=changeme
export PLATFORM_ADMIN_FULL_NAME="Platform Administrator"
BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=pass JWT_SECRET_KEY=my-test-key \
mcpgateway --host 0.0.0.0 --port 4444 & # admin/pass
# 3️⃣ Generate a bearer token & smoke-test the API
export MCPGATEWAY_BEARER_TOKEN=$(python3 -m mcpgateway.utils.create_jwt_token \
--username admin@example.com --exp 10080 --secret my-test-key)
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $MCPGATEWAY_BEARER_TOKEN" \
http://127.0.0.1:4444/version | jq
```
<details>
<summary><strong>Windows (PowerShell) quick-start</strong></summary>
```powershell
# 1️⃣ Isolated env + install from PyPI
mkdir mcpgateway ; cd mcpgateway
python3 -m venv .venv ; .\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
pip install --upgrade pip
pip install mcp-contextforge-gateway
# 2️⃣ Copy and customize the configuration
# Download the example environment file
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge/main/.env.example" -OutFile ".env.example"
Copy-Item .env.example .env
# Edit .env to customize your settings
# Or set environment variables (session-only)
$Env:MCPGATEWAY_UI_ENABLED = "true"
$Env:MCPGATEWAY_ADMIN_API_ENABLED = "true"
# Note: Basic auth for API is disabled by default (API_ALLOW_BASIC_AUTH=false)
$Env:JWT_SECRET_KEY = "my-test-key"
$Env:PLATFORM_ADMIN_EMAIL = "admin@example.com"
$Env:PLATFORM_ADMIN_PASSWORD = "changeme"
$Env:PLATFORM_ADMIN_FULL_NAME = "Platform Administrator"
# 3️⃣ Launch the gateway
mcpgateway.exe --host 0.0.0.0 --port 4444
# Optional: background it
# Start-Process -FilePath "mcpgateway.exe" -ArgumentList "--host 0.0.0.0 --port 4444"
# 4️⃣ Bearer token and smoke-test
$Env:MCPGATEWAY_BEARER_TOKEN = python3 -m mcpgateway.utils.create_jwt_token `
--username admin@example.com --exp 10080 --secret my-test-key
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $Env:MCPGATEWAY_BEARER_TOKEN" `
http://127.0.0.1:4444/version | jq
```
<details>
<summary><strong>⚡ Alternative: uv (faster)</strong></summary>
```powershell
# 1️⃣ Isolated env + install from PyPI using uv
mkdir mcpgateway ; cd mcpgateway
uv venv
.\.venv\Scripts\activate
uv pip install mcp-contextforge-gateway
# Continue with steps 2️⃣-4️⃣ above...
```
</details>
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>More configuration</strong></summary>
Copy [.env.example](https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge/blob/main/.env.example) to `.env` and tweak any of the settings (or use them as env variables).
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>🚀 End-to-end demo (register a local MCP server)</strong></summary>
```bash
# 1️⃣ Spin up the sample GO MCP time server using mcpgateway.translate & docker (replace docker with podman if needed)
python3 -m mcpgateway.translate \
--stdio "docker run --rm -i ghcr.io/ibm/fast-time-server:latest -transport=stdio" \
--expose-sse \
--port 8003
# Or using the official mcp-server-git using uvx:
pip install uv # to install uvx, if not already installed
python3 -m mcpgateway.translate --stdio "uvx mcp-server-git" --expose-sse --port 9000
# Alternative: running the local binary
# cd mcp-servers/go/fast-time-server; make build
# python3 -m mcpgateway.translate --stdio "./dist/fast-time-server -transport=stdio" --expose-sse --port 8002
# NEW: Expose via multiple protocols simultaneously!
python3 -m mcpgateway.translate \
--stdio "uvx mcp-server-git" \
--expose-sse \
--expose-streamable-http \
--port 9000
# Now accessible via both /sse (SSE) and /mcp (streamable HTTP) endpoints
# 2️⃣ Register it with the gateway
curl -s -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $MCPGATEWAY_BEARER_TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"name":"fast_time","url":"http://localhost:8003/sse"}' \
http://localhost:4444/gateways
# 3️⃣ Verify tool catalog
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $MCPGATEWAY_BEARER_TOKEN" http://localhost:4444/tools | jq
# 4️⃣ Create a *virtual server* bundling those tools. Use the ID of tools from the tool catalog (Step #3) and pass them in the associatedTools list.
curl -s -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $MCPGATEWAY_BEARER_TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"server":{"name":"time_server","description":"Fast time tools","associated_tools":[<ID_OF_TOOLS>]}}' \
http://localhost:4444/servers | jq
# Example curl
curl -s -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $MCPGATEWAY_BEARER_TOKEN"
-H "Content-Type: application/json"
-d '{"server":{"name":"time_server","description":"Fast time tools","associated_tools":["6018ca46d32a4ac6b4c054c13a1726a2"]}}' \
http://localhost:4444/servers | jq
# 5️⃣ List servers (should now include the UUID of the newly created virtual server)
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $MCPGATEWAY_BEARER_TOKEN" http://localhost:4444/servers | jq
# 6️⃣ Client HTTP endpoint. Inspect it interactively with the MCP Inspector CLI (or use any MCP client)
npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/inspector
# Transport Type: Streamable HTTP, URL: http://localhost:4444/servers/UUID_OF_SERVER_1/mcp, Header Name: "Authorization", Bearer Token
```
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>🖧 Using the stdio wrapper (mcpgateway-wrapper)</strong></summary>
```bash
export MCP_AUTH="Bearer ${MCPGATEWAY_BEARER_TOKEN}"
export MCP_SERVER_URL=http://localhost:4444/servers/UUID_OF_SERVER_1/mcp
python3 -m mcpgateway.wrapper # Ctrl-C to exit
```
You can also run it with `uv` or inside Docker/Podman - see the *Containers* section above.
In MCP Inspector, define `MCP_AUTH` and `MCP_SERVER_URL` env variables, and select `python3` as the Command, and `-m mcpgateway.wrapper` as Arguments.
```bash
echo $PWD/.venv/bin/python3 # Using the Python3 full path ensures you have a working venv
export MCP_SERVER_URL='http://localhost:4444/servers/UUID_OF_SERVER_1/mcp'
export MCP_AUTH="Bearer ${MCPGATEWAY_BEARER_TOKEN}"
npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/inspector
```
or
Pass the url and auth as arguments (no need to set environment variables)
```bash
npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/inspector
command as `python`
Arguments as `-m mcpgateway.wrapper --url "http://localhost:4444/servers/UUID_OF_SERVER_1/mcp" --auth "Bearer <your token>"`
```
When using a MCP Client such as Claude with stdio:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcpgateway-wrapper": {
"command": "python",
"args": ["-m", "mcpgateway.wrapper"],
"env": {
"MCP_AUTH": "Bearer your-token-here",
"MCP_SERVER_URL": "http://localhost:4444/servers/UUID_OF_SERVER_1",
"MCP_TOOL_CALL_TIMEOUT": "120"
}
}
}
}
```
</details>
---
## Quick Start - Containers
Use the official OCI image from GHCR with **Docker** *or* **Podman**.
Please note: Currently, arm64 is not supported on production. If you are e.g. running on MacOS with Apple Silicon chips (M1, M2, etc), you can run the containers using Rosetta or install via PyPi instead.
### 🚀 Quick Start - Docker Compose
Get a full stack running with MariaDB and Redis in under 30 seconds:
```bash
# Clone and start the stack
git clone https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge.git
cd mcp-context-forge
# Start with MariaDB (recommended for production)
docker compose up -d
# Or start with PostgreSQL
# Uncomment postgres in docker-compose.yml and comment mariadb section
# docker compose up -d
# Check status
docker compose ps
# View logs
docker compose logs -f gateway
# Access Admin UI: http://localhost:4444/admin (login with PLATFORM_ADMIN_EMAIL/PASSWORD)
# Generate API token
docker compose exec gateway python3 -m mcpgateway.utils.create_jwt_token \
--username admin@example.com --exp 10080 --secret my-test-key
```
**What you get:**
- 🗄️ **MariaDB 10.6** - Production-ready database with 36+ tables
- 🚀 **ContextForge** - Full-featured gateway with Admin UI
- 📊 **Redis** - High-performance caching and session storage
- 🔧 **Admin Tools** - pgAdmin, Redis Insight for database management
- 🌐 **Nginx Proxy** - Caching reverse proxy (optional)
**Enable HTTPS (optional):**
```bash
# Start with TLS enabled (auto-generates self-signed certs)
make compose-tls
# Access via HTTPS: https://localhost:8443/admin
# Or bring your own certificates:
# Unencrypted key:
mkdir -p certs
cp your-cert.pem certs/cert.pem && cp your-key.pem certs/key.pem
make compose-tls
# Passphrase-protected key:
mkdir -p certs
cp your-cert.pem certs/cert.pem && cp your-encrypted-key.pem certs/key-encrypted.pem
echo "KEY_FILE_PASSWORD=your-passphrase" >> .env
make compose-tls
```
### ☸️ Quick Start - Helm (Kubernetes)
Deploy to Kubernetes with enterprise-grade features:
```bash
# Add Helm repository (when available)
# helm repo add mcp-context-forge https://ibm.github.io/mcp-context-forge
# helm repo update
# For now, use local chart
git clone https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge.git
cd mcp-context-forge/charts/mcp-stack
# Install with MariaDB
helm install mcp-gateway . \
--set mcpContextForge.secret.PLATFORM_ADMIN_EMAIL=admin@yourcompany.com \
--set mcpContextForge.secret.PLATFORM_ADMIN_PASSWORD=changeme \
--set mcpContextForge.secret.JWT_SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key \
--set postgres.enabled=false \
--set mariadb.enabled=true
# Or install with PostgreSQL (default)
helm install mcp-gateway . \
--set mcpContextForge.secret.PLATFORM_ADMIN_EMAIL=admin@yourcompany.com \
--set mcpContextForge.secret.PLATFORM_ADMIN_PASSWORD=changeme \
--set mcpContextForge.secret.JWT_SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key
# Check deployment status
kubectl get pods -l app.kubernetes.io/name=mcp-context-forge
# Port forward to access Admin UI
kubectl port-forward svc/mcp-gateway-mcp-context-forge 4444:80
# Access: http://localhost:4444/admin
# Generate API token
kubectl exec deployment/mcp-gateway-mcp-context-forge -- \
python3 -m mcpgateway.utils.create_jwt_token \
--username admin@yourcompany.com --exp 10080 --secret your-secret-key
```
> SSRF note: Helm defaults to strict SSRF settings (`SSRF_ALLOW_PRIVATE_NETWORKS=false`).
> If you register in-cluster tool URLs (for example fast-time or fast-test services),
> allow only your cluster CIDRs via `mcpContextForge.config.SSRF_ALLOWED_NETWORKS` or,
> for local-only benchmark setups, temporarily set `SSRF_ALLOW_PRIVATE_NETWORKS=true`.
> See `docs/docs/manage/configuration.md#ssrf-protection` and `docs/docs/deployment/helm.md`.
**Enterprise Features:**
- 🔄 **Auto-scaling** - HPA with CPU/memory targets
- 🗄️ **Database Choice** - PostgreSQL, MariaDB, or MySQL
- 📊 **Observability** - Prometheus metrics, OpenTelemetry tracing
- 🔒 **Security** - RBAC, network policies, secret management
- 🚀 **High Availability** - Multi-replica deployments with Redis clustering
- 📈 **Monitoring** - Built-in Grafana dashboards and alerting
---
### 🐳 Docker (Single Container)
```bash
docker run -d --name mcpgateway \
-p 4444:4444 \
-e MCPGATEWAY_UI_ENABLED=true \
-e MCPGATEWAY_ADMIN_API_ENABLED=true \
-e HOST=0.0.0.0 \
-e JWT_SECRET_KEY=my-test-key \
-e AUTH_REQUIRED=true \
-e PLATFORM_ADMIN_EMAIL=admin@example.com \
-e PLATFORM_ADMIN_PASSWORD=changeme \
-e PLATFORM_ADMIN_FULL_NAME="Platform Administrator" \
-e DATABASE_URL=sqlite:///./mcp.db \
-e SECURE_COOKIES=false \
ghcr.io/ibm/mcp-context-forge:1.0.0-RC-2
# Tail logs and generate API key
docker logs -f mcpgateway
docker run --rm -it ghcr.io/ibm/mcp-context-forge:1.0.0-RC-2 \
python3 -m mcpgateway.utils.create_jwt_token --username admin@example.com --exp 10080 --secret my-test-key
```
Browse to **[http://localhost:4444/admin](http://localhost:4444/admin)** and login with `PLATFORM_ADMIN_EMAIL` / `PLATFORM_ADMIN_PASSWORD`.
<details>
<summary><strong>Advanced: Persistent storage, host networking, airgapped</strong></summary>
**Persist SQLite database:**
```bash
mkdir -p $(pwd)/data && touch $(pwd)/data/mcp.db && chmod 777 $(pwd)/data
docker run -d --name mcpgateway --restart unless-stopped \
-p 4444:4444 -v $(pwd)/data:/data \
-e DATABASE_URL=sqlite:////data/mcp.db \
-e MCPGATEWAY_UI_ENABLED=true -e MCPGATEWAY_ADMIN_API_ENABLED=true \
-e HOST=0.0.0.0 -e JWT_SECRET_KEY=my-test-key \
-e PLATFORM_ADMIN_EMAIL=admin@example.com -e PLATFORM_ADMIN_PASSWORD=changeme \
ghcr.io/ibm/mcp-context-forge:1.0.0-RC-2
```
**Host networking** (access local MCP servers):
```bash
docker run -d --name mcpgateway --network=host \
-v $(pwd)/data:/data -e DATABASE_URL=sqlite:////data/mcp.db \
-e MCPGATEWAY_UI_ENABLED=true -e HOST=0.0.0.0 -e PORT=4444 \
ghcr.io/ibm/mcp-context-forge:1.0.0-RC-2
```
**Airgapped deployment** (no internet):
```bash
docker build -f Containerfile.lite -t mcpgateway:airgapped .
docker run -d --name mcpgateway -p 4444:4444 \
-e MCPGATEWAY_UI_AIRGAPPED=true -e MCPGATEWAY_UI_ENABLED=true \
-e HOST=0.0.0.0 -e JWT_SECRET_KEY=my-test-key \
mcpgateway:airgapped
```
</details>
---
### 🦭 Podman (rootless-friendly)
```bash
podman run -d --name mcpgateway \
-p 4444:4444 -e HOST=0.0.0.0 -e DATABASE_URL=sqlite:///./mcp.db \
ghcr.io/ibm/mcp-context-forge:1.0.0-RC-2
```
<details>
<summary><strong>Advanced: Persistent storage, host networking</strong></summary>
**Persist SQLite:**
```bash
mkdir -p $(pwd)/data && chmod 777 $(pwd)/data
podman run -d --name mcpgateway --restart=on-failure \
-p 4444:4444 -v $(pwd)/data:/data \
-e DATABASE_URL=sqlite:////data/mcp.db \
ghcr.io/ibm/mcp-context-forge:1.0.0-RC-2
```
**Host networking:**
```bash
podman run -d --name mcpgateway --network=host \
-v $(pwd)/data:/data -e DATABASE_URL=sqlite:////data/mcp.db \
ghcr.io/ibm/mcp-context-forge:1.0.0-RC-2
```
</details>
---
<details>
<summary><strong>✏️ Docker/Podman tips</strong></summary>
* **.env files** - Put all the `-e FOO=` lines into a file and replace them with `--env-file .env`. See the provided [.env.example](https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge/blob/main/.env.example) for reference.
* **Pinned tags** - Use an explicit version (e.g. `1.0.0-RC-2`) instead of `latest` for reproducible builds.
* **JWT tokens** - Generate one in the running container:
```bash
docker exec mcpgateway python3 -m mcpgateway.utils.create_jwt_token --username admin@example.com --exp 10080 --secret my-test-key
```
* **Upgrades** - Stop, remove, and rerun with the same `-v $(pwd)/data:/data` mount; your DB and config stay intact.
</details>
---
<details>
<summary><strong>🚑 Smoke-test the running container</strong></summary>
```bash
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $MCPGATEWAY_BEARER_TOKEN" \
http://localhost:4444/health | jq
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $MCPGATEWAY_BEARER_TOKEN" \
http://localhost:4444/tools | jq
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $MCPGATEWAY_BEARER_TOKEN" \
http://localhost:4444/version | jq
```
</details>
---
<details>
<summary><strong>🖧 Running ContextForge stdio wrapper</strong></summary>
The `mcpgateway.wrapper` lets you connect to the gateway over **stdio** while keeping JWT authentication. You should run this from the MCP Client. The example below is just for testing.
```bash
# Set environment variables
export MCPGATEWAY_BEARER_TOKEN=$(python3 -m mcpgateway.utils.create_jwt_token --username admin@example.com --exp 10080 --secret my-test-key)
export MCP_AUTH="Bearer ${MCPGATEWAY_BEARER_TOKEN}"
export MCP_SERVER_URL='http://localhost:4444/servers/UUID_OF_SERVER_1/mcp'
export MCP_TOOL_CALL_TIMEOUT=120
export MCP_WRAPPER_LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG # or OFF to disable logging
docker run --rm -i \
-e MCP_AUTH=$MCP_AUTH \
-e MCP_SERVER_URL=http://host.docker.internal:4444/servers/UUID_OF_SERVER_1/mcp \
-e MCP_TOOL_CALL_TIMEOUT=120 \
-e MCP_WRAPPER_LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG \
ghcr.io/ibm/mcp-context-forge:1.0.0-RC-2 \
python3 -m mcpgateway.wrapper
```
</details>
---
## Quick Start: VS Code Dev Container
Clone the repo and open in VS Code—it will detect `.devcontainer` and prompt to **"Reopen in Container"**. The container includes Python 3.11, Docker CLI, and all project dependencies.
For detailed setup, workflows, and GitHub Codespaces instructions, see **[Developer Onboarding](https://ibm.github.io/mcp-context-forge/development/developer-onboarding/)**.
---
## Installation
```bash
make venv install # create .venv + install deps
make serve # gunicorn on :4444
```
<details>
<summary><strong>Alternative: UV or pip</strong></summary>
```bash
# UV (faster)
uv venv && source .venv/bin/activate
uv pip install -e '.[dev]'
# pip
python3 -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e ".[dev]"
```
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>PostgreSQL adapter setup</strong></summary>
Install the `psycopg` driver for PostgreSQL:
```bash
# Install system dependencies first
# Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt-get install libpq-dev
# macOS: brew install libpq
uv pip install 'psycopg[binary]' # dev (pre-built wheels)
# or: uv pip install 'psycopg[c]' # production (requires compiler)
```
Connection URL format:
```bash
DATABASE_URL=postgresql+psycopg://user:password@localhost:5432/mcp
```
Quick Postgres container:
```bash
docker run --name mcp-postgres \
-e POSTGRES_USER=postgres -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=mysecretpassword \
-e POSTGRES_DB=mcp -p 5432:5432 -d postgres
```
</details>
---
## Upgrading
For upgrade instructions, migration guides, and rollback procedures, see:
- **[Upgrade Guide](https://ibm.github.io/mcp-context-forge/manage/upgrade/)** — General upgrade procedures
- **[CHANGELOG.md](./CHANGELOG.md)** — Version history and breaking changes
- **[MIGRATION-0.7.0.md](./MIGRATION-0.7.0.md)** — Multi-tenancy migration (v0.6.x → v0.7.x)
---
## Configuration
> ⚠️ If any required `.env` variable is missing or invalid, the gateway will fail fast at startup with a validation error via Pydantic.
Copy the provided [.env.example](https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge/blob/main/.env.example) to `.env` and update the security-sensitive values below.
### 🔐 Required: Change Before Use
These variables have insecure defaults and **must be changed** before production deployment:
| Variable | Description | Default | Action Required |
|----------|-------------|---------|-----------------|
| `JWT_SECRET_KEY` | Secret key for signing JWT tokens (32+ chars) | `my-test-key` | Generate with `openssl rand -hex 32` |
| `AUTH_ENCRYPTION_SECRET` | Passphrase for encrypting stored credentials | `my-test-salt` | Generate with `openssl rand -hex 32` |
| `BASIC_AUTH_USER` | Username for HTTP Basic auth | `admin` | Change for production |
| `BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD` | Password for HTTP Basic auth | `changeme` | Set a strong password |
| `PLATFORM_ADMIN_EMAIL` | Email for bootstrap admin user | `admin@example.com` | Use real admin email |
| `PLATFORM_ADMIN_PASSWORD` | Password for bootstrap admin user | `changeme` | Set a strong password |
| `PLATFORM_ADMIN_FULL_NAME` | Display name for bootstrap admin | `Admin User` | Set admin name |
### 🔒 Security Defaults (Secure by Default)
These settings are enabled by default for security—only disable for backward compatibility:
| Variable | Description | Default |
|----------|-------------|---------|
| `REQUIRE_JTI` | Require JTI claim in tokens for revocation support | `true` |
| `REQUIRE_TOKEN_EXPIRATION` | Require exp claim in tokens | `true` |
| `PUBLIC_REGISTRATION_ENABLED` | Allow public user self-registration | `false` |
### ⚙️ Project Defaults (Dev Setup)
These values differ from code defaults to provide a working local/dev setup:
| Variable | Description | Default |
|----------|-------------|---------|
| `HOST` | Bind address | `0.0.0.0` |
| `MCPGATEWAY_UI_ENABLED` | Enable Admin UI dashboard | `true` |
| `MCPGATEWAY_ADMIN_API_ENABLED` | Enable Admin API endpoints | `true` |
| `DATABASE_URL` | SQLAlchemy connection URL | `sqlite:///./mcp.db` |
| `SECURE_COOKIES` | Set `false` for HTTP (non-HTTPS) dev | `true` |
### 📚 Full Configuration Reference
For the complete list of 300+ environment variables organized by category (authentication, caching, SSO, observability, etc.), see the **[Configuration Reference](https://ibm.github.io/mcp-context-forge/manage/configuration/)**.
---
## Running
### Quick Reference
| Command | Server | Port | Database | Use Case |
|---------|--------|------|----------|----------|
| `make dev` | Uvicorn | **8000** | SQLite | Development (single instance, auto-reload) |
| `make serve` | Gunicorn | **4444** | SQLite | Production single-node (multi-worker) |
| `make serve-ssl` | Gunicorn | **4444** | SQLite | Production single-node with HTTPS |
| `make compose-up` | Docker Compose + Nginx | **8080** | PostgreSQL + Redis | Full stack (3 replicas, load-balanced) |
| `make compose-sso` | Docker Compose + Keycloak | **8080 / 8180** | PostgreSQL + Redis | Local SSO testing (Keycloak profile) |
| `make testing-up` | Docker Compose + Nginx | **8080** | PostgreSQL + Redis | Testing environment |
### Development Server (Uvicorn)
```bash
make dev # Uvicorn on :8000 with auto-reload and SQLite
# or
./run.sh --reload --log debug --workers 2
```
> `run.sh` is a wrapper around `uvicorn` that loads `.env`, supports reload, and passes arguments to the server.
Key flags:
| Flag | Purpose | Example |
| ---------------- | ---------------- | ------------------ |
| `-e, --env FILE` | load env-file | `--env prod.env` |
| `-H, --host` | bind address | `--host 127.0.0.1` |
| `-p, --port` | listen port | `--port 8080` |
| `-w, --workers` | gunicorn workers | `--workers 4` |
| `-r, --reload` | auto-reload | `--reload` |
### Production Server (Gunicorn)
```bash
make serve # Gunicorn on :4444 with multiple workers
make serve-ssl # Gunicorn behind HTTPS on :4444 (uses ./certs)
```
### Docker Compose (Full Stack)
```bash
make compose-up # Start full stack: PostgreSQL, Redis, 3 gateway replicas, Nginx on :8080
make compose-sso # Start SSO stack with Keycloak on :8180
make sso-test-login # Run SSO smoke checks (providers + login URL + test users)
make compose-logs # Tail logs from all services
make compose-down # Stop the stack
```
### Manual (Uvicorn)
```bash
uvicorn mcpgateway.main:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port 4444 --workers 4
```
---
## Cloud Deployment
ContextForge can be deployed to any major cloud platform:
| Platform | Guide |
|----------|-------|
| **AWS** | [ECS/EKS Deployment](https://ibm.github.io/mcp-context-forge/deployment/aws/) |
| **Azure** | [AKS Deployment](https://ibm.github.io/mcp-context-forge/deployment/azure/) |
| **Google Cloud** | [Cloud Run](https://ibm.github.io/mcp-context-forge/deployment/google-cloud-run/) |
| **IBM Cloud** | [Code Engine](https://ibm.github.io/mcp-context-forge/deployment/ibm-code-engine/) |
| **Kubernetes** | [Helm Charts](https://ibm.github.io/mcp-context-forge/deployment/minikube/) |
| **OpenShift** | [OpenShift Deployment](https://ibm.github.io/mcp-context-forge/deployment/openshift/) |
For comprehensive deployment guides, see **[Deployment Documentation](https://ibm.github.io/mcp-context-forge/deployment/)**.
---
## API Reference
Interactive API documentation is available when the server is running:
- **[Swagger UI](http://localhost:4444/docs)** — Try API calls directly in your browser
- **[ReDoc](http://localhost:4444/redoc)** — Browse the complete endpoint reference
**Quick Authentication:**
```bash
# Generate a JWT token
export TOKEN=$(python3 -m mcpgateway.utils.create_jwt_token \
--username admin@example.com --exp 10080 --secret my-test-key)
# Test API access
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" http://localhost:4444/health
```
For comprehensive curl examples covering all endpoints, see the **[API Usage Guide](https://ibm.github.io/mcp-context-forge/manage/api-usage/)**.
---
## Testing
```bash
make test # Run unit tests
make lint # Run all linters
make doctest # Run doctests
make coverage # Generate coverage report
```
See [Doctest Coverage Guide](https://ibm.github.io/mcp-context-forge/development/doctest-coverage/) for documentation testing details.
---
## Project Structure
```
mcpgateway/ # Core FastAPI application
├── main.py # Entry point
├── config.py # Pydantic Settings configuration
├── db.py # SQLAlchemy ORM models
├── schemas.py # Pydantic validation schemas
├── services/ # Business logic layer (50+ services)
├── routers/ # HTTP endpoint definitions
├── middleware/ # Cross-cutting concerns
└── transports/ # SSE, WebSocket, stdio, streamable HTTP
tests/ # Test suite (400+ tests)
docs/docs/ # Full documentation (MkDocs)
charts/ # Kubernetes/Helm charts
plugins/ # Plugin framework and implementations
mcp-servers/ # Sample/test MCP servers (see note below)
```
> **Note:** The `mcp-servers/` directory contains **unsupported sample and test servers**,
> most originating from community contributions, provided for demonstration and integration
> testing purposes only. They generally lack session management, persistent state,
> multi-tenancy, authentication, and other production concerns. They do not go through
> the same review, testing, and security rigor as the core ContextForge codebase and
> **should not be run in production**.
>
> **Security:** Never run untrusted MCP servers directly on your local filesystem.
> Always use a sandbox, container, or microVM (e.g. gVisor, Firecracker) with
> restricted capabilities. Exercise caution when registering any remote MCP server,
> including servers from public catalogs — perform your own security evaluation
> before granting access to your gateway.
For complete structure, see [CONTRIBUTING.md](./CONTRIBUTING.md) or run `tree -L 2`.
---
## Development
```bash
make dev # Dev server with auto-reload (:8000)
make test # Run test suite
make lint # Run all linters
make coverage # Generate coverage report
```
Run `make` to see all 75+ available targets.
For development workflows, see:
- **[Developer Workstation Setup](https://ibm.github.io/mcp-context-forge/development/developer-workstation/)**
- **[Building & Packaging](https://ibm.github.io/mcp-context-forge/development/building/)**
---
## Troubleshooting
Common issues and solutions:
| Issue | Quick Fix |
|-------|-----------|
| SQLite "disk I/O error" on macOS | Avoid iCloud-synced directories; use `~/mcp-context-forge/data` |
| Port 4444 not accessible on WSL2 | Configure WSL integration in Docker Desktop |
| Gateway exits immediately | Copy `.env.example` to `.env` and configure required vars |
| `ModuleNotFoundError` | Run `make install-dev` |
For detailed troubleshooting guides, see **[Troubleshooting Documentation](https://ibm.github.io/mcp-context-forge/manage/troubleshooting/)**.
---
## Contributing
1. Fork the repo, create a feature branch.
2. Run `make lint` and fix any issues.
3. Keep `make test` green.
4. Open a PR with signed commits (`git commit -s`).
See **[CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md)** for full guidelines and **[Issue Guide #2502](https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge/issues/2502)** for how to file bugs, request features, and find issues to work on.
---
## Changelog
A complete changelog can be found here: [CHANGELOG.md](./CHANGELOG.md)
## License
Licensed under the **Apache License 2.0** - see [LICENSE](./LICENSE)
## Core Authors and Maintainers
- [Mihai Criveti](https://www.linkedin.com/in/crivetimihai) - Distinguished Engineer, Agentic AI
Special thanks to our contributors for helping us improve ContextForge:
<a href="https://github.com/ibm/mcp-context-forge/graphs/contributors">
<img src="https://contrib.rocks/image?repo=ibm/mcp-context-forge&max=100&anon=0&columns=10" alt="Contributors to the mcp-context-forge repository" />
</a>
## Star History and Project Activity
[](https://www.star-history.com/#ibm/mcp-context-forge&Date)
<!-- === Usage Stats === -->
[](https://pepy.tech/project/mcp-contextforge-gateway)
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[](https://github.com/ibm/mcp-context-forge/graphs/contributors)
[](https://github.com/ibm/mcp-context-forge/commits)
[](https://github.com/ibm/mcp-context-forge/issues)
