ORAS

What is ORAS?

ORAS MCP Server enables registry-aware conversations in VS Code agent mode by exposing OCI registry operations through the Model Context Protocol. It is built with oras-go and does not require the separate oras CLI.

How to use ORAS?

Configure the server in VS Code's .vscode/mcp.json to run either as a Docker container (ghcr.io/oras-project/oras-mcp:main serve) or from a downloaded binary (oras-mcp serve). On Linux with Docker, mount your Docker config file to share credentials; on macOS/Windows, use the released binary.

Key features of ORAS

• Runs inside VS Code agent mode for registry-aware chats.
• Built on oras-go library, no oras CLI dependency.
• Supports Docker container or released binary deployment.
• Reads credentials from ORAS and Docker CLI credential stores.
• Enables querying image platforms, signatures, and tags.

Use cases of ORAS

• Ask about supported platforms of any OCI image.
• Check if an image has a signature and its type.
• List tags or referrers of a container image.
• Retrieve manifest details via natural language chat.

FAQ from ORAS

How do I set up ORAS MCP Server for VS Code?

Add a server entry to .vscode/mcp.json with "command": "docker" and args ["run", "--rm", "-i", "ghcr.io/oras-project/oras-mcp:main", "serve"], or point to the extracted oras-mcp binary with "command": "/path/to/oras-mcp" and "args": ["serve"].

How does authentication work?

For the released binary, run oras login or docker login on the host; the server picks up cached credentials automatically. For the Docker container on Linux, mount your Docker config file with inline auths entries. Helper-based configs are not supported in the container.

What are the runtime requirements?

The server can run as a Docker container or as a standalone binary. The binary works on Linux, macOS, and Windows (download from GitHub releases). No ORAS CLI is required.

Can I use ORAS MCP Server on macOS or Windows?

Yes, use the released binary instead of the Docker container because Docker Desktop on those platforms uses keychain helpers that cannot be mounted. Follow the binary setup instructions.

What queries can I ask?

You can ask about image platforms, tags, signatures, and other OCI registry information. For example, "What platform does the image X support?" or "Does image Y have a signature?"