Admin Console Concepts¶
This guide introduces each major section of the Gateway Admin UI and how it connects to the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
π Setting up a new MCP Server to federate to the gateway¶
π How do I expose an MCP server over SSE?
To federate a new MCP Server to your gateway, it must run over Server-Sent Events (SSE) so the gateway can communicate with it.
Use the built-in translate bridge to wrap any stdio
-only MCP server and expose it over SSE:
python3 -m mcpgateway.translate --stdio "uvx mcp-server-git" --expose-sse --port 8001
python3 -m mcpgateway.translate --stdio "uvx mcp_server_time -- --local-timezone=Europe/Dublin" --expose-sse --port 8002
β Important: The gateway must be able to reach the MCP server's network address.
If you're running services inside Docker (or other containerized environments), ensure networking is configured properly: - Use host
networking when needed. - Expose ports to the host machine. - Make sure internal container IPs are reachable from the gateway.
π¦ Virtual Servers¶
A virtual server is a logical wrapper that combines selected tools, resources, and prompts under one context-specific endpoint.
π What are Virtual Servers?
- A Virtual Server defines a project-specific toolset.
- Each one is backed by a real SSE or STDIO interface.
- You can activate/deactivate, view metrics, and invoke tools from this server.
π Global Tools¶
Tools are remote functions that an LLM can invoke, either via MCP or REST. Think of them like typed APIs with schemas and optional auth.
βοΈ What do Tools represent?
- Integration Types:
MCP
,REST
- Request Types:
STDIO
,SSE
,GET
,POST
, etc. - Input Schema: JSON Schema defines valid input.
- Supports Basic Auth, Bearer, or Custom headers.
π Global Resources¶
Resources expose read-only data like files, database rows, logs, or screenshots. LLMs can read this content through a URI.
π How do Resources work?
- Text and Binary data supported.
- Exposed via unique URI (
file:///
,db://
, etc.). - Resources can be listed, templated, or subscribed to.
π§Ύ Global Prompts¶
Prompts are reusable message templates with arguments. They define system prompts, user instructions, or chainable inputs.
π What's in a Prompt?
- Each prompt has a name, template, and arguments.
- Arguments are defined with name, description, and required status.
- Used to enforce consistency across tool use or system messaging.
π Gateways (MCP Servers)¶
Gateways are other MCP-compatible servers. When registered, their tools/resources/prompts become usable locally.
π What is a federated Gateway?
- Syncs public tools from a remote MCP server.
- Peer tools show up in your catalog with
gateway_id
. - Can be toggled active/inactive.
π Roots¶
Roots define base folders for file-based resources. They control what files MCP clients can access from your local system.
π What are Roots used for?
- Restrict access to specific folders (
file:///workspace
) - Prevent tools from referencing outside their sandbox.
- Deleting a root invalidates its associated resources.
π Metrics¶
Track tool calls, resource reads, prompt renders, and overall usage in one place.
π What does the Metrics tab show?
- Overall executions by server/tool/prompt.
- Latency, failure rate, and hot paths.
- Top tools, resources, prompts, and servers.
π§ͺ Version & Diagnostics¶
The
/version
endpoint returns structured JSON diagnostics including system info, DB/Redis health, and Git SHA.
π©Ί What does the Version panel include?
- MCP protocol version and server metadata.
- Live system metrics (CPU, memory).
- Environment checks and service readiness.
π Learn More¶
- π MCP Specification