So you’ve heard about Docker’s MCP Catalog and Toolkit – now, let’s roll up our sleeves. The best way to appreciate how easy it is to use these new tools is to try the command-line interface (CLI) called docker mcp. This is your new remote control for AI agents and tools, and it brings Docker’s usual simplicity to the MCP world.

Getting Hands-On with the docker mcp CLI

Step 1. Install Docker Desktop 4.42.0 or Later

First things: make sure you have Docker Desktop (v4.42.0 or newer) installed on your computer. The MCP CLI was introduced in version 4.42.0, so older versions won’t have it. You can download Docker Desktop from docker.com/get-started and follow the installation prompts.

Pro tip: You might already have Docker Desktop. If you’re not sure about your version, open Docker Desktop and check the version info. If it’s older than 4.42.0, update it so you can access Docker MCP.

Step 2. Verify the MCP CLI

Open your terminal or PowerShell. Type.

docker mcp --help

You should see output similar to,

Usage:  docker mcp [OPTIONS] COMMAND

Options:
  -v, --version   Print version information and quit

Available Commands:
  catalog    Manage MCP tool catalogs
  client     Connect/disconnect MCP clients
  secret     Manage secrets (API keys, tokens)
  policy     Manage access policies (coming soon)

This confirms that the Docker MCP Plugin is active. It’s labeled “experimental” because it’s new, but don’t worry – it’s ready for action. The output above (summarized) comes directly from the Docker tool. You’re seeing the main subcommands.

If you see something like “This Docker CLI plugin adds experimental features.”, it’s normal. The key is that you see the commands listed.

How does it work?

The Docker MCP Catalog transforms how you discover and access MCP servers.

The Docker MCP Toolkit brings MCP servers to life with,

Who's this for?

AI Agent Developers

If you're building AI-powered applications or agents, Docker MCP Catalog and Toolkit give you,

MCP Tool Creators

If you're creating MCP tools, Docker MCP Catalog and Toolkit offer.

Enterprise Developers

For enterprise development teams, Docker MCP Catalog and Toolkit bring.

First Use: Installing the MCP Toolkit Extension

The first time you use Docker MCP, Docker may prompt you to install an extension (the MCP Toolkit). For example, if you try docker mcp client ls before anything is set up, you might see a prompt.

The Docker Desktop Extension to run the MCP Catalog is not installed.
Do you want to install the extension now? (Y/n): Y
Checking for latest version of MCP Catalog extension... Ok
Installing MCP Catalog extension... Ok

Type Y and hit Enter. Docker will automatically download and install the MCP Toolkit extension. This happens only once. Under the hood, Docker is setting up the local gateway server and the helpers you need. Once it’s done, you’ll see output showing available clients (likely “no MCP configured” until you connect them)

Friendly analogy: It’s like opening a new app on your phone for the first time and being asked for permissions. You just say “yes,” and it handles the rest.

Step 3. Check Your Version

You can always check what version of the MCP CLI you’re running. In the terminal, type.

docker mcp -v

Example output

Docker MCP Plugin
dev, commit 308f1d0f2add3d520bd076c3c669a1f9183ba3e1

This shows you’re on the development version. Don’t worry about the commit hash; it’s just a precise identifier for this build.

Using the Catalog Commands

The Docker MCP catalog command provides comprehensive tools for managing your MCP catalogs. This command set allows you to create, fork, import, list, remove, and update catalogs directly from the command line.

Key catalog management capabilities include.

These catalog management features make it easy to customize your MCP environment to match your specific needs. Whether you're creating a private catalog for internal tools or leveraging the extensive public catalog, Docker MCP provides flexible options for discovery and organization.

Now let’s look at the catalog commands. These let you manage which catalogs of MCP tools you have configured. A “catalog” is basically a collection of tools (like a custom app store you create or pull). Docker provides a public catalog (the MCP Catalog on Docker Hub), but you can also create your own.

To see what you can do with catalogs, try.

docker mcp catalog --help

You’ll see options like,

Available Commands:
  create    Create a new catalog
  fork      Fork a catalog
  import    Import a catalog from a URL
  ls        List configured catalogs
  rm        Remove a catalog
  show      Show details of a catalog
  update    Update a catalog to latest version

For now, the public Docker MCP Catalog is automatically available, so you usually don’t need to create your own catalog to get started. But it’s powerful to know these are there if you ever want a private set of tools.

To list your catalogs, you’d run.

docker mcp catalog ls

This might show something like.

NAME         SOURCE
docker-catalog  https://hub.docker.com/catalogs/mcp

indicating the official catalog is listed. If you wanted to search for a tool (say “Stripe”), you would do,

docker mcp catalog search stripe

This will query the catalog and show matching tools by name or description. (If you find, say, “mcp/stripe”, you could then use it by following the Catalog’s instructions.)

Each tool in the catalog is a Docker image (MCP server) that you can run. The beauty is you don’t install anything manually – Docker does it for you. After pulling a tool, you might use docker mcp catalog install <tool> (if such a command exists) or just docker run it – but many interactions are handled by the Toolkit GUI in Docker Desktop.

Client Management

The Docker MCP Toolkit enables seamless connection between AI assistant clients and the powerful tools available in the Docker MCP Catalog. Client management is a core functionality that allows you to connect, disconnect, and monitor the status of compatible AI clients like Claude, VS Code, Cursor, and more.

With the Docker MCP client commands, you can easily establish connections that allow these AI assistants to leverage the full power of Docker's MCP tools. Once connected, clients can perform actions through the MCP protocol without complicated setup or direct access to sensitive credentials.

The Client Management interface provides a straightforward way to,

This unified approach to client management simplifies what was previously a complex and fragmented process, bringing Docker's philosophy of simplicity and security to the AI tooling ecosystem.

Client Commands: Connecting AI Assistants

One of the shining features is the client commands, which let you “plug in” AI clients to the MCP world. For example, Claude (the Anthropic AI assistant), VS Code, Cursor, and more can be connected.

In the terminal, run.

docker mcp client --help

You’ll see,

Available Commands:
  connect      Connect the Docker MCP Catalog to a client
  disconnect   Disconnect the Docker MCP Catalog from a client
  ls           List MCP client configurations

These commands simply set up the configuration so the client (your AI app) knows to talk to Docker’s MCP gateway. Under the hood, it might update a config file for Claude or set up a VS Code extension. But you don’t have to do any manual editing – the CLI does it for you. As Docker notes, “Once connected, clients can perform actions through the MCP protocol without complicated setup or direct access to sensitive credentials.”

Accessing the MCP Toolkit Extension

Accessing the MCP Toolkit Extension

Toolkit Extension

Connecting Clients

Currently, the supported clients are,

In order to connect the clients to Docker, you use the following command.

docker mcp client connect --help
This Docker CLI plugin adds experimental features.

Usage: docker mcp client connect [OPTIONS] <mcp-client>

Supported clients: claude-desktop continue cursor gordon vscode

Flags:
  -g, --global   Change the system wide configuration or the clients setup in your current git repo.
  -q, --quiet    Only display errors.

Disconnecting the Clients

Remove a client's connection.

docker mcp client disconnect --help
This Docker CLI plugin adds experimental features.

Usage: docker mcp client disconnect [OPTIONS] <mcp-client>

Supported clients: claude-desktop continue cursor gordon vscode

Flags:
  -g, --global   Change the system wide configuration or the clients setup in your current git repo.
  -q, --quiet    Only display errors.

Managing Secrets (Credentials)

Most real tools need some secret key or token (like an API key) to work. Docker MCP handles this with the secret command. It stores secrets securely in Docker’s local secrets store instead of scattering them in text files. Here’s how:

For example, if a GitHub tool needs your token, you might run.

docker mcp secret set GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN=ghp_abcd1234

Then the MCP GitHub tool can use it without you ever pasting the token in code. It’s analogous to storing a Wi-Fi password in your phone’s settings once, so apps can connect automatically.

Why this matters: Secret management keeps sensitive data out of scripts or environment variables you manually write. Docker encrypts these and only provides them to tools that need them.

Quick Practice Example

Let’s do a mini walkthrough: Suppose you want to try a Stripe payment tool. You might do,

Now, Claude (once restarted) could call the Stripe tool to process a payment! And you did all that with simple commands. Of course, the actual details depend on the tool’s documentation, but this shows the general flow.

Summary

With the Docker MCP CLI, managing AI tools becomes much more structured.

Docker’s design is all about simplicity, now in the AI agent ecosystem as well. Once you have the CLI set up, you can search for tools, run them in containers, and hook up your favorite AI clients quickly. No more manual config files or piecing together repos. It’s just a few friendly commands.