Podman MCP Server

Name: Podman MCP Server
Author: manusa

by manusaversion 0.0.15i★ –iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.manusa/podman-mcp-server

Install

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for container runtimes (Podman and Docker)

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

These three are never merged into one score: opinions, measurements and popularity are different things.

User voiceiNo reviews yetReviews open together with accounts in a later step
Our basic checksi1 of 1 passedChecked from public information; code not scanned yet
UsageiNot measured yet★ –

What you can do with it

We have not written a plain-language summary for this one yet. Below are the facts we read from the registry.

Connection: Runs on your computer
Transport: stdio
Category: Developer tools

Install

Pick the AI app you use, then copy the settings.

Before you install

Basic checks: 1 of 1 passed
Runs on your computer with your user’s permissions (files, network, apps).
The registry lists no key to fill in.

You need

npmNode.js installed (for the npx command)

Which app do you use?

ClaudeClaude CodeCursorVS CodeChatGPT

Pick your app above. We remember it, so next time the button says “Install in …”.

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config, and paste this into claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "podman": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "podman-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add podman -- npx -y podman-mcp-server

Open in Cursor

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "podman": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "podman-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

Open in VS Code

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .vscode/mcp.json in your project

{
  "servers": {
    "podman": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "podman-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

This one runs on your computer, and ChatGPT can only connect to servers on the internet. Pick another app.

Your choice stays on this device in a cookie; no account needed.

These settings are generated from the maker’s registry entry. If the README says otherwise, follow the README.

What it can do

Runs on your computer; the tool list appears in your AI app after you install it.

Basic checksi

We check information anyone can see; we have not read the code. Checks that do not apply are left out of the count. · Checked Nov 7, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account manusa, which owns the repo
… Not checked yet
Still maintained
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
… Not checked yet
Has a licence
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
– Not applicable
Endpoint responds
This one runs on your computer; there is no internet endpoint
– Not applicable
Sign-in with OAuth
Runs on your computer and uses local settings instead
… Not checked yet
No hidden instructions in tool descriptions
Runs on your computer; we can only read tool lists from internet endpoints

Compared with others in Developer toolsi

More stars than 0% of the other 1396 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 7% of the other 1396 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 1396 servers in this category

Compared with every active server in this category in the registry. Stars count only when the publisher owns the repo.

Common questions

Is Podman MCP Server safe?

It passed 1 of 1 applicable basic checks. We have not read the code. Before adding a key or token, see what access the server asks for and use a key with only the permissions you need.

What keys or codes does it need?

The registry does not list a required key, though some servers ask you to sign in on first use.

Does it run on my computer or in the cloud?

It runs on your computer. Your AI app starts it when needed, and data does not pass through the maker’s servers (unless it calls an online service itself).

Is it still maintained?

The GitHub repo last changed –, and the latest version (0.0.15) reached the registry 8 months ago.

Which apps can use it?

Apps that support MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code. You also need Node.js, Python (uv) on your computer.

What can I use instead?

In the same category: GitHub, Desktop Commander, Cloudflare MCP

Alternatives

Servers in the same category from other makers, sorted by stars.

Reading a card:★ GitHub starsiThree pillars: reviews · checks · usageiUpdated = latest version published to the registryi

GitHub

by github

GitHub’s official server lets AI read and manage code, issues and pull requests in your account. Use GitHub’s hosted version or run it locally with Docker.

Computer or cloud★ 34,245MITUpdated 4 days ago

Install

Desktop Commander

by wonderwhy-er

MCP server for terminal commands, file operations, and process management

Runs on your computer★ 10,225MITUpdated 16 days ago

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Cloudflare MCP

by cloudflare

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Runs in the cloud★ 4,446Apache-2.0Updated 14 months ago

Install

README from the maker

Open the README

Copied from the maker’s repo as written. PopNx MCP has not reviewed or endorsed it. HTML, images and scripts are removed. Links lead off this site.

Podman MCP Server

✨ Features

A powerful and flexible MCP server for container runtimes supporting Podman and Docker.

🚀 Getting Started

Claude Desktop

Using npx

If you have npm installed, this is the fastest way to get started with podman-mcp-server on Claude Desktop.

Open your claude_desktop_config.json and add the mcp server to the list of mcpServers:

"mcpServers": { "podman": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "podman-mcp-server@latest" ] } } }

VS Code / VS Code Insiders

Install the Podman MCP server by clicking one of the following links:

Alternatively, you can install the extension manually by running the following command:

# For VS Code

code --add-mcp '{"name":"podman","command":"npx","args":["-y","podman-mcp-server@latest"]}'

For VS Code Insiders

code-insiders --add-mcp '{"name":"podman","command":"npx","args":["-y","podman-mcp-server@latest"]}'

Goose CLI

Goose CLI is the easiest (and cheapest) way to get rolling with artificial intelligence (AI) agents.

Using npm

If you have npm installed, this is the fastest way to get started with podman-mcp-server.

Open your goose config.yaml and add the mcp server to the list of mcpServers:

extensions:

podman: command: npx args:

-y
podman-mcp-server@latest

📚 Documentation

For detailed setup guides, configuration reference, and feature specifications, see the [Documentation](docs/README.md).

🎥 Demos

⚙️ Configuration

The Podman MCP server can be configured using command line (CLI) arguments.

You can run the CLI executable either by using npx or by downloading the latest release binary.

# Run the Podman MCP server using npx (in case you have npm installed)

npx podman-mcp-server@latest --help

# Run the Podman MCP server using the latest release binary

./podman-mcp-server --help

Configuration Options

Option	Description
`--port`, `-p`	Starts the MCP server in HTTP mode with Streamable HTTP at `/mcp` and SSE at `/sse` endpoints.
`--output-format`, `-o`	Output format for list commands: `text` (default, human-readable table) or `json`.
`--podman-impl`	Podman implementation to use. Auto-detects if not specified.
`--sse-port`	Deprecated. Use `--port` instead. Starts the MCP server in SSE-only mode.
`--sse-base-url`	Deprecated. SSE public base URL to use when sending the endpoint message.

Transport Modes

The server supports multiple transport modes:

STDIO mode (default) - Communicates via standard input/output
HTTP mode (--port) - Modern HTTP transport with both Streamable HTTP and SSE endpoints
SSE-only mode (--sse-port) - Legacy Server-Sent Events transport (deprecated)

# Start HTTP server on port 8080 (Streamable HTTP at /mcp and SSE at /sse)

podman-mcp-server --port 8080

Legacy SSE-only server on port 8080 (deprecated, use --port instead)

podman-mcp-server --sse-port 8080

Podman Implementations

The server supports multiple Podman backend implementations:

Implementation	Description	Priority
`api`	Podman REST API via Unix socket	100 (preferred)
`cli`	Podman/Docker CLI wrapper	50 (fallback)

By default, the server auto-detects the best available implementation. The api implementation is preferred when a Podman socket is available, otherwise the cli implementation is used as a fallback.

Use the --podman-impl flag to force a specific implementation:

# Force CLI implementation

podman-mcp-server --podman-impl=cli

Force API implementation (requires Podman socket)

podman-mcp-server --podman-impl=api

The api implementation communicates directly with the Podman REST API via Unix socket, while the cli implementation shells out to the podman or docker binary.

🛠️ Tools

Container

container_inspect - Displays the low-level information and configuration of a Docker or Podman container with the specified container ID or name
name (string) (required) - Docker or Podman container ID or name to display the information

container_list - Prints out information about the running Docker or Podman containers

container_logs - Displays the logs of a Docker or Podman container with the specified container ID or name
name (string) (required) - Docker or Podman container ID or name to display the logs

container_remove - Removes a Docker or Podman container with the specified container ID or name (rm)
name (string) (required) - Docker or Podman container ID or name to remove

container_run - Runs a Docker or Podman container with the specified image name
environment (array) - Environment variables to set in the container. Format: = . Example: FOO=bar. (Optional, add only to set environment variables)
imageName (string) (required) - Docker or Podman container image name to run
ports (array) - Port mappings to expose on the host. Format: : . Example: 8080:80. (Optional, add only to expose ports)

container_stop - Stops a Docker or Podman running container with the specified container ID or name
name (string) (required) - Docker or Podman container ID or name to stop

Image

image_build - Build a Docker or Podman image from a Dockerfile, Podmanfile, or Containerfile
containerFile (string) (required) - The absolute path to the Dockerfile, Podmanfile, or Containerfile to build the image from
imageName (string) - Specifies the name which is assigned to the resulting image if the build process completes successfully (--tag, -t)

image_list - List the Docker or Podman images on the local machine

image_pull - Copies (pulls) a Docker or Podman container image from a registry onto the local machine storage
imageName (string) (required) - Docker or Podman container image name to pull

image_push - Pushes a Docker or Podman container image, manifest list or image index from local machine storage to a registry
imageName (string) (required) - Docker or Podman container image name to push

image_remove - Removes a Docker or Podman image from the local machine storage
imageName (string) (required) - Docker or Podman container image name to remove

Network

network_list - List all the available Docker or Podman networks

Volume

volume_list - List all the available Docker or Podman volumes

🧑💻 Development

Running with mcp-inspector

Compile the project and run the Podman MCP server with mcp-inspector to inspect the MCP server.

# Compile the project

make build

Run the Podman MCP server with mcp-inspector

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector@latest $(pwd)/podman-mcp-server

mcp-name: io.github.manusa/podman-mcp-server

Podman MCP Server

Overview

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

What you can do with it

Install

Before you install

What it can do

Basic checksi

Maker matches the repo

Still maintained

Has a licence

Endpoint responds

Sign-in with OAuth

No hidden instructions in tool descriptions

Compared with others in Developer toolsi

Common questions

Alternatives

GitHub

Desktop Commander

Cloudflare MCP

README from the maker

Podman MCP Server

✨ Features

🚀 Getting Started

Claude Desktop

Using npx

VS Code / VS Code Insiders

For VS Code Insiders

Goose CLI

Using npm

📚 Documentation

🎥 Demos

⚙️ Configuration

Configuration Options

Transport Modes

Legacy SSE-only server on port 8080 (deprecated, use --port instead)

Podman Implementations

Force API implementation (requires Podman socket)

🛠️ Tools

🧑💻 Development

Running with mcp-inspector

Run the Podman MCP server with mcp-inspector