mcp-gateway

# MCP Server Gateway A gateway service that bridges the stdio-based Model Context Protocol (MCP) implementation in Claude Desktop with HTTP/SSE-based MCP servers. This solves the protocol compatibility gap since Claude Desktop currently only supports stdio-based MCP servers. See the discussion [here](https://github.com/orgs/modelcontextprotocol/discussions/16). ## Why This Gateway? Claude Desktop App currently only supports stdio protocol for MCP servers, while many MCP servers use HTTP with Server-Sent Events (SSE) transport. This gateway acts as a protocol translator, allowing Claude Desktop to communicate with any HTTP/SSE MCP server by: 1. Accepting stdio input from Claude Desktop 2. Converting and forwarding requests to HTTP/SSE MCP servers 3. Converting SSE responses back to stdio format for Claude Desktop ## Installation Install the gateway globally using npm: ```bash npm install -g @mcphub/gateway ``` ## Configuration ### 1. Find the Gateway Path After installation, find where npm installed the gateway using these commands: ```bash # This shows the root directory of global packages npm root -g # The gateway will be located at: <npm_global_root>/@mcphub/gateway/dist/src/mcphub-gateway.js ``` Common global package locations: - macOS (Homebrew Node): `/opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/@mcphub/gateway/dist/src/mcphub-gateway.js` - macOS (default): `/usr/local/lib/node_modules/@mcphub/gateway/dist/src/mcphub-gateway.js` - Windows: `%AppData%\npm\node_modules\@mcphub\gateway\dist\src\mcphub-gateway.js` Verify the installation and path: ```bash npm list -g @mcphub/gateway ``` ### 2. Configure Claude Desktop Create or update your Claude Desktop configuration file: #### On macOS Location: `~/Library/Application Support/Claude Desktop/config.json` #### On Windows Location: `%APPDATA%\Claude Desktop\config.json` Add this configuration (using the path you found in step 1): ```json { "mcpServers": { "server-name": { "command": "node", "args": ["/opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/@mcphub/gateway/dist/src/mcphub-gateway.js"] } } } ``` Note: Replace the path in `args` with your actual path from step 1. ### 3. Configure MCP Server Connection The gateway uses an environment variable to specify which MCP server to connect to: ```bash # Set the MCP server URL (optional) export MCP_SERVER_URL=https://your-mcp-server.com/api/mcp ``` By default, the gateway connects to the MCP Hub server at `https://server.mcphub.ai/api/mcp`, which provides access to various pre-configured MCP services. ### 4. Start Claude Desktop Start or restart Claude Desktop to apply the changes. ## Troubleshooting 1. If you can't find the gateway path: ```bash # List all global packages and look for @mcphub/gateway npm list -g # Or specifically check the gateway npm list -g @mcphub/gateway ``` 2. Verify your Node.js installation: ```bash # Check Node version node --version # Check npm version npm --version ``` 3. Common issues: - If using Homebrew on macOS, make sure Node.js is properly linked: ```bash brew doctor brew link node ``` - If you get permission errors, you might need to use `sudo` for the installation ## License [Apache 2.0 License](LICENSE) ## Support If you encounter any issues or have questions: - File an issue on GitHub ## Contributing Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.