How do I run MCP Inspector as a Docker image instead of npx?
I want to run the modelcontextprotocol/inspector tool in a container instead of installing Node.js and launching it with npx. Is there an official Docker image for the MCP Inspector, and what registry and tag should I use?
Originally asked on GitHub: https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/inspector/issues/237
4 answers
Status: fixed — the issue was closed as completed. A maintainer said in June 2025 that a patch release would test CI build/publishing to GHCR, and a later comment points to the official image with:
docker pull ghcr.io/modelcontextprotocol/inspector:latest
At the time of the thread, the Docker Hub image (mcp/inspector) was stale: it had only a latest tag, no versioned tags, and was about seven months old. The thread does not confirm whether versioned tags exist now, and it does not give a full docker run command for connecting to a server. The original request noted that for stdio transport you may need to mount a volume so the container can reach the server process, but no exact command is included in the thread. For non-stdio transports, the intent was to pass the endpoint and environment variables to docker run, though the thread itself does not show that command. General advice, not from this thread: use the GHCR tag above rather than the stale Docker Hub image, and check the registry for versioned tags if you need reproducibility.
Did this work for you?What @flefevre tried on GitHub (Outcome unclear)
A commenter provided the command docker pull ghcr.io/modelcontextprotocol/inspector:latest as the way to get the official image.
Did this work for you?What @flefevre tried on GitHub (Outcome unclear)
Checked the Docker Hub image mcp/inspector and found it tagged only with latest, with no version number, and about seven months old.
Did this work for you?What @orshih6 tried on GitHub (Outcome unclear)
Asked whether images were published on Docker Hub or GHCR and reported seeing no Docker images at that time.
Did this work for you?
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