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Podman

v0.0.15•Cloud Services•stable

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

container-runtimecontainerscontextdockermcp
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What is Podman?

Podman is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to model context protocol (mcp) server for container runtimes (podman and docker)

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

This server falls under the Cloud Services category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.

Features

  • A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for container runtimes

Use Cases

Container runtime automation with Docker and Podman
AI-driven container management and orchestration
manusa

Maintainer

LicenseApache-2.0
Languagego
Versionv0.0.15
UpdatedMay 10, 2026
Statushealthy
Maintenanceactive

Works with

ClaudeOpenAIwindowsmacoslinux
View SourceBrowse All Servers

Installation

NPM

npx -y podman-mcp-server

PIP

pip install podman-mcp-server

Manual Installation

npx -y podman-mcp-server

Configuration

Configuration Details

Config File

claude_desktop_config.json

Performance

Response Metrics

Response Time< 200ms
ThroughputMedium

Resource Usage

Memory UsageLow
CPU UsageLow

How to Set Up and Use Podman

The Podman MCP server gives AI assistants full control over container runtimes including Podman and Docker through the Model Context Protocol. It exposes tools to run, stop, inspect, and remove containers; build, pull, push, and remove images; and manage networks and volumes—enabling natural language-driven container orchestration without needing to remember CLI flags.

Prerequisites

  • Node.js 18+ with npm installed (for npx usage), or Python 3.10+ with pip (for Python package)
  • Podman or Docker installed and accessible; the Podman socket enabled for the API implementation
  • An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop or VS Code with MCP support
1

Install Podman or Docker on your machine

The server requires either Podman or Docker to be installed. For the preferred API mode with Podman, also enable the Podman socket so the server can connect via Unix socket.

# macOS with Podman Desktop
brew install podman
podman machine start
2

Test the server with npx before configuring

Verify the server starts correctly by running it directly with npx and checking the help output.

npx -y podman-mcp-server@latest --help
3

Add the server to your Claude Desktop configuration

Open ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json and add the podman-mcp-server entry. The server auto-detects whether to use the Podman REST API or CLI fallback.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "podman": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "podman-mcp-server@latest"]
    }
  }
}
4

Restart Claude Desktop and verify the connection

Restart Claude Desktop to pick up the new configuration. You should see the Podman tools available in your AI client. You can also install the server in VS Code with a single command.

# For VS Code
code --add-mcp '{"name":"podman","command":"npx","args":["-y","podman-mcp-server@latest"]}'
5

Optionally force a specific backend implementation

By default the server auto-detects the best available Podman implementation (API via socket preferred, CLI as fallback). Use --podman-impl to force a specific one.

# Force CLI mode
npx -y podman-mcp-server@latest --podman-impl=cli

# Force API mode (requires Podman socket)
npx -y podman-mcp-server@latest --podman-impl=api

Podman Examples

Client configuration

Minimal Claude Desktop config for the Podman MCP server using npx. No environment variables are required for basic usage.

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

Prompts to try

Example natural language prompts to use with the Podman MCP server.

- "List all running containers"
- "Run an nginx container and expose port 8080"
- "Show me the logs for container my-app"
- "Build a Docker image from the Dockerfile in /home/user/project and tag it as my-image:latest"
- "Pull the latest postgres image and start a container with the POSTGRES_PASSWORD env var set"
- "List all local Docker images"

Troubleshooting Podman

Server fails to connect to container runtime

Ensure Podman or Docker is running. For Podman API mode, start the Podman socket with 'podman machine start' (macOS) or 'systemctl --user start podman.socket' (Linux). You can force CLI mode with --podman-impl=cli as a fallback.

npx command not found or takes too long to start

Install Node.js 18+ from nodejs.org. If startup latency is a concern, install the package globally with 'npm install -g podman-mcp-server' and update the command in your config to 'podman-mcp-server' without the npx wrapper.

container_run tool returns permission denied on the socket

On Linux, ensure your user is in the 'podman' or 'docker' group, or that the rootless Podman socket is enabled for your user. Run 'podman info' to confirm the socket path and permissions.

Frequently Asked Questions about Podman

What is Podman?

Podman is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that model context protocol (mcp) server for container runtimes (podman and docker) It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.

How do I install Podman?

Install via npm with the command: npx -y podman-mcp-server. Then add the server configuration to your AI client's JSON config file (e.g., claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json).

Which AI clients work with Podman?

Podman works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.

Is Podman free to use?

Yes, Podman is open source and available under the Apache-2.0 license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.

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Quick Config Preview

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

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json

Read the full setup guide →

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