Docker Hub MCP server

The Docker Hub MCP Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that interfaces with Docker Hub APIs to make rich image metadata accessible to LLMs, enabling intelligent content discovery and repository management.

For more information about MCP concepts and how MCP servers work, see the Docker MCP Catalog and Toolkit overview page.

Key features

• Advanced LLM context: Docker's MCP Server provides LLMs with detailed, structured context for Docker Hub images, enabling smarter, more relevant recommendations for developers, whether they're choosing a base image or automating CI/CD workflows.
• Natural language image discovery: Developers can find the right container image using natural language, no need to remember tags or repository names. Just describe what you need, and Docker Hub will return images that match your intent.
• Simplified repository management: Hub MCP Server enables agents to manage repositories through natural language fetching image details, viewing stats, searching content, and performing key operations quickly and easily.

Install Docker Hub MCP server

1. From the MCP Toolkit menu, select the Catalog tab and search for Docker Hub and select the plus icon to add the Docker Hub MCP server.

2. In the server's Configuration tab, insert your Docker Hub username and personal access token (PAT).

3. In the Clients tab in MCP Toolkit, ensure Gordon is connected.

4. From the Gordon menu, you can now send requests related to your Docker Hub account, in accordance to the tools provided by the Docker Hub MCP server. To test it, ask Gordon:

   textCopy

   What repositories are in my namespace?
   

[!TIP] By default, the Gordon client is enabled, which means Gordon can automatically interact with your MCP servers.

Use Claude Desktop as a client

1. Add the Docker Hub MCP Server configuration to your claude_desktop_config.json:

   {{< tabs >}} {{< tab name="For public repositories only">}}

   jsonCopy

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "docker-hub": {
         "command": "node",
         "args": ["/FULL/PATH/TO/YOUR/docker-hub-mcp-server/dist/index.js", "--transport=stdio"]
       }
     }
   }
   

   Where :

   • /FULL/PATH/TO/YOUR/docker-hub-mcp-server is the complete path to where you cloned the repository

   {{< /tab >}} {{< tab name="For authenticated access">}}

   jsonCopy

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "docker-hub": {
         "command": "node",
         "args": ["/FULL/PATH/TO/YOUR/docker-hub-mcp-server/dist/index.js", "--transport=stdio", "--username=YOUR_DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME"],
         "env": {
           "HUB_PAT_TOKEN": "YOUR_DOCKER_HUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN"
         }
       }
     }
   }
   

   Where :

   • YOUR_DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME is your Docker Hub username.
   • YOUR_DOCKER_HUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN is Docker Hub personal access token
   • /FULL/PATH/TO/YOUR/docker-hub-mcp-server is the complete path to where you cloned the repository

   {{< /tab >}} {{</tabs >}}

2. Save the configuration file and completely restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect.

Usage with Visual Studio Code

1. Add the Docker Hub MCP Server configuration to your User Settings (JSON) file in Visual Studio Code. You can do this by opening the Command Palette and typing Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON).

   {{< tabs >}} {{< tab name="For public repositories only">}}

   jsonCopy

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "docker-hub": {
         "command": "node",
         "args": ["/FULL/PATH/TO/YOUR/docker-hub-mcp-server/dist/index.js", "--transport=stdio"]
       }
     }
   }
   

   Where :

   • /FULL/PATH/TO/YOUR/docker-hub-mcp-server is the complete path to where you cloned the repository

   {{< /tab >}} {{< tab name="For authenticated access">}}

   jsonCopy

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "docker-hub": {
         "command": "node",
         "args": ["/FULL/PATH/TO/YOUR/docker-hub-mcp-server/dist/index.js", "--transport=stdio"],
         "env": {
           "HUB_USERNAME": "YOUR_DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME",
           "HUB_PAT_TOKEN": "YOUR_DOCKER_HUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN"
         }
       }
     }
   }
   

   Where :

   • YOUR_DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME is your Docker Hub username.
   • YOUR_DOCKER_HUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN is Docker Hub personal access token
   • /FULL/PATH/TO/YOUR/docker-hub-mcp-server is the complete path to where you cloned the repository

   {{< /tab >}} {{</tabs >}}

2. Open the Command Palette and type MCP: List Servers.

3. Select docker-hub and select Start Server.

Using other clients

To integrate the Docker Hub MCP Server into your own development environment, see the source code and installation instructions on the hub-mcp GitHub repository.

Usage examples

This section provides task-oriented examples for common operations with Docker Hub tools.

Finding images

# Search for official images
$ docker ai "Search for official nginx images on Docker Hub"

# Search for lightweight images to reduce deployment size and improve performance
$ docker ai "Search for minimal Node.js images with small footprint"

# Get the most recent tag of a base image
$ docker ai "Show me the latest tag details for go"

# Find a production-ready database with enterprise features and reliability
$ docker ai "Search for production ready database images"

# Compare Ubuntu versions to choose the right one for my project
$ docker ai "Help me find the right Ubuntu version for my project"

Repository management

# Create a repository
$ docker ai "Create a repository in my namespace"

# List all repositories in my namespace
$ docker ai "List all repositories in my namespace"

# Find the largest repository in my namespace
$ docker ai "Which of my repositories takes up the most space?"

# Find repositories that haven't been updated recently
$ docker ai "Which of my repositories haven't had any pushes in the last 60 days?"

# Find which repositories are currently active and being used
$ docker ai "Show me my most recently updated repositories"

# Get details about a repository
$ docker ai "Show me information about my '<repository-name>' repository"

Pull/push images

# Pull latest PostgreSQL version
$ docker ai "Pull the latest postgres image"

# Push image to your Docker Hub repository
$ docker ai "Push my <image-name> to my <repository-name> repository"

Tag management

# List all tags for a repository
$ $ docker ai "Show me all tags for my '<repository-name>' repository"

# Find the most recently pushed tag
$ docker ai "What's the most recent tag pushed to my '<repository-name>' repository?"

# List tags with architecture filtering
$ docker ai "List tags for in the '<repository-name>' repository that support amd64 architecture"

# Get detailed information about a specific tag
$ docker ai "Show me details about the '<tag-name>' tag in the '<repository-name>' repository"

# Check if a specific tag exists
$ docker ai "Check if version 'v1.2.0' exists for my 'my-web-app' repository"

Docker Hardened Images

# List available hardened images
$ docker ai "What is the most secure image I can use to run a node.js application?"

# Convert Dockerfile to use a hardened image
$ docker ai "Can you help me update my Dockerfile to use a docker hardened image instead of the current one"

[!NOTE] To access Docker Hardened Images, a subscription is required. If you're interested in using Docker Hardened Images, visit Docker Hardened Images.

Reference

This section provides a comprehensive listing of the tools you can find in the Docker Hub MCP Server.

Docker Hub MCP server tools

Tools to interact with your Docker repositories and discover content on Docker Hub.