Gateway MCP Server

Mcpware is a lightweight gateway MCP server that consolidates access to multiple backend MCP services behind a single, simple entry point.
Developers often work with AI assistants that expose limited tool slots—typically only a handful of tools can be loaded into an MCP client at once. This restriction hampers the ability to tap into rich ecosystems such as GitHub’s 50+ tools, database connectors, CI/CD integrations, or any custom toolset that lives in its own MCP server. Mcpware solves this by presenting only two routing tools to the client while internally routing every request to the appropriate backend MCP server. The result is a seamless, unlimited tool experience without overloading the client’s capacity.

At its core, Mcpware operates inside a Docker container. It listens for MCP requests via standard I/O, determines the destination backend based on configuration, and forwards the request to that backend—whether it’s another Docker container, a Node.js script, or any executable. The response is then streamed back to the original client. Because Mcpware can launch and manage backend containers on demand, it functions as a lightweight process manager, automatically handling startup, shutdown, and health monitoring of each backend MCP server. This eliminates the need for developers to manually orchestrate multiple services, reducing operational overhead and potential configuration drift.

Key capabilities include:

• Tool‑limit bypass: Exposes a minimal set of routing tools while unlocking access to dozens or hundreds of backend tools.
• Unified entry point: A single MCP address that aggregates all configured backends, simplifying client configuration.
• Docker‑based isolation: Each backend runs in its own container, ensuring environment consistency and security.
• Automatic process management: Starts, stops, and restarts backend servers as needed without manual intervention.
• Extensible configuration: A JSON‑based config file lets developers add new backends, supply environment variables, and define custom command hooks.

Typical use cases span from a developer using an AI assistant to manage code reviews across multiple GitHub repositories, to a data scientist orchestrating queries against several databases through a single MCP client. In CI/CD pipelines, Mcpware can route commands to Buildkite or other orchestrators without exposing each tool individually. For teams building custom tooling ecosystems, the gateway pattern keeps client side simple while preserving flexibility.

By abstracting away backend complexity and providing a single, reliable MCP interface, Mcpware empowers developers to build richer AI workflows with minimal configuration overhead and maximal scalability.