MCP Server Gateway

What is MCP Server Gateway?

MCP Server Gateway is a service that bridges the stdio-based Model Context Protocol (MCP) used by Claude Desktop with HTTP/SSE-based MCP servers. It solves the protocol compatibility gap for Claude Desktop users who want to connect to remote MCP servers.

How to use MCP Server Gateway?

Install it globally with npm install -g @mcphub/gateway. After installation, locate the gateway path via npm root -g and add it as an MCP server in Claude Desktop’s config.json. Optionally set the MCP_SERVER_URL environment variable to point to a custom HTTP/SSE MCP server.

Key features of MCP Server Gateway

• Acts as a protocol translator (stdio ↔ HTTP/SSE)
• Accepts stdio input from Claude Desktop
• Converts and forwards requests to HTTP/SSE MCP servers
• Converts SSE responses back to stdio format
• Default connection to the MCP Hub server
• Configurable via MCP_SERVER_URL environment variable

Use cases of MCP Server Gateway

• Use Claude Desktop to access remote MCP servers that only support HTTP/SSE
• Connect Claude Desktop to the MCP Hub server for pre-configured services
• Bridge any HTTP/SSE MCP server to Claude Desktop’s stdio‑based environment