Manage Docker Containers

Instructions

Implementation Reference

• src/index.ts:1209-1256 (handler)

  Handler function that takes action (list/start/stop/remove/restart), container name, and all flag, constructs the appropriate docker command, executes it via executeDockerCommand, and returns the result or error.

  async ({ action, container, all }) => {
    try {
      let command: string;
      
      switch (action) {
        case "list":
          command = all ? "docker ps -a" : "docker ps";
          break;
        case "start":
          if (!container) throw new Error("Container name or ID is required for start action");
          command = `docker start ${container}`;
          break;
        case "stop":
          if (!container) throw new Error("Container name or ID is required for stop action");
          command = `docker stop ${container}`;
          break;
        case "remove":
          if (!container) throw new Error("Container name or ID is required for remove action");
          command = `docker rm ${container}`;
          break;
        case "restart":
          if (!container) throw new Error("Container name or ID is required for restart action");
          command = `docker restart ${container}`;
          break;
      }
      
      const result = await executeDockerCommand(command);
      
      return {
        content: [
          {
            type: "text",
            text: `Container ${action} completed:\n\n${result.stdout}${result.stderr ? `\nWarnings:\n${result.stderr}` : ""}`
          }
        ]
      };
    } catch (error) {
      return {
        content: [
          {
            type: "text",
            text: `Error managing containers: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}`
          }
        ],
        isError: true
      };
    }
  }

• src/index.ts:1203-1207 (schema)

  Zod input schema defining the parameters for the manage_containers tool: action enum, optional container string, optional all boolean.

  inputSchema: {
    action: z.enum(["list", "start", "stop", "remove", "restart"]).describe("Action to perform on containers"),
    container: z.string().optional().describe("Container name or ID (required for start, stop, remove, restart)"),
    all: z.boolean().optional().describe("Include stopped containers when listing")
  }

• src/index.ts:1198-1257 (registration)

  Registration of the manage_containers tool with McpServer using server.registerTool, including title, description, inputSchema, and handler function.

  server.registerTool(
    "manage_containers",
    {
      title: "Manage Docker Containers",
      description: "Manage Docker containers (list, start, stop, remove)",
      inputSchema: {
        action: z.enum(["list", "start", "stop", "remove", "restart"]).describe("Action to perform on containers"),
        container: z.string().optional().describe("Container name or ID (required for start, stop, remove, restart)"),
        all: z.boolean().optional().describe("Include stopped containers when listing")
      }
    },
    async ({ action, container, all }) => {
      try {
        let command: string;
        
        switch (action) {
          case "list":
            command = all ? "docker ps -a" : "docker ps";
            break;
          case "start":
            if (!container) throw new Error("Container name or ID is required for start action");
            command = `docker start ${container}`;
            break;
          case "stop":
            if (!container) throw new Error("Container name or ID is required for stop action");
            command = `docker stop ${container}`;
            break;
          case "remove":
            if (!container) throw new Error("Container name or ID is required for remove action");
            command = `docker rm ${container}`;
            break;
          case "restart":
            if (!container) throw new Error("Container name or ID is required for restart action");
            command = `docker restart ${container}`;
            break;
        }
        
        const result = await executeDockerCommand(command);
        
        return {
          content: [
            {
              type: "text",
              text: `Container ${action} completed:\n\n${result.stdout}${result.stderr ? `\nWarnings:\n${result.stderr}` : ""}`
            }
          ]
        };
      } catch (error) {
        return {
          content: [
            {
              type: "text",
              text: `Error managing containers: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}`
            }
          ],
          isError: true
        };
      }
    }
  );

• src/index.ts:383-390 (helper)

  Helper function used by the handler to execute Docker commands asynchronously using child_process exec.

  async function executeDockerCommand(command: string): Promise<{ stdout: string; stderr: string }> {
    try {
      const result = await execAsync(command);
      return result;
    } catch (error: any) {
      throw new Error(`Docker command failed: ${error.message}`);
    }
  }