Docker

Run azops-mcp with Docker Compose.

Table of contents

1. Overview
2. Prerequisites
3. Quick Start
4. Running the MCP Server
5. Connecting an AI Client to the Docker MCP Server
   1. Cursor
   2. Claude Desktop
6. Building Images
7. Environment Variables in Docker
8. Troubleshooting
   1. MCP server exits immediately
   2. Azure authentication errors

---

Overview

The project includes a docker-compose.yml with the MCP server as a Docker service:

Service	Type	Description
mcp-server	Interactive (stdio)	The MCP server, run on demand

The MCP server uses stdio transport, so it cannot run as a long-lived daemon — it is spawned on demand with docker compose run.

---

Prerequisites

• Docker (or Podman) with Compose v2
• A .env file in the project root (copy from .env.example)

---

Quick Start

# 1. Clone and enter the project
git clone https://github.com/artemkozlenkov/azops-mcp.git
cd azops-mcp

# 2. Create your .env
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your Azure credentials

# 3. Build the image
docker compose build

# 4. Run the MCP server interactively
docker compose run --rm mcp-server

---

Running the MCP Server

The MCP server uses stdio transport, so it must be started with docker compose run:

docker compose run --rm mcp-server

This:

• Reads Azure credentials from .env
• Runs interactively with stdin/stdout attached
• Removes the container when done (--rm)

docker compose up does not start the MCP server. The cli profile is excluded from the default up target. Use docker compose run instead.

---

Connecting an AI Client to the Docker MCP Server

When running the MCP server in Docker, configure your AI client to use docker compose run as the command:

Cursor

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "azops-mcp": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "compose", "-f", "/full/path/to/azops-mcp/docker-compose.yml",
        "run", "--rm", "-T", "mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

The -T flag disables pseudo-TTY allocation, which is needed for stdio transport with some clients.

Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "azops-mcp": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "compose", "-f", "/full/path/to/azops-mcp/docker-compose.yml",
        "run", "--rm", "-T", "mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

---

Building Images

# Build the image
docker compose build

The MCP server image uses uv for fast dependency installation.

---

Environment Variables in Docker

The mcp-server service loads your .env file via the env_file directive:

Variable	Source
AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID	From .env
AZURE_TENANT_ID	From .env
AZURE_CLIENT_ID	From .env
AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET	From .env
AZURE_DEFAULT_LOCATION	From .env
LOG_LEVEL	From .env

---

Troubleshooting

MCP server exits immediately

The MCP server expects stdio input. If run without an MCP client attached, it will exit. Use docker compose run (not docker compose up) and connect an AI client.

Azure authentication errors

Make sure your .env file has valid Azure credentials:

# Check your credentials work locally first
az login
az account show

If using a Service Principal, verify all three variables are set: AZURE_TENANT_ID, AZURE_CLIENT_ID, AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET.