Building MCP servers with Docker: NetworkChuck's tutorial and starter kit (github.com)

NetworkChuck published a hands-on Docker-based starter kit and video tutorial for building Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, letting you get a working MCP tool up in minutes. The repository includes a quick-start dice-roller example, an “MCP Builder” AI prompt that generates full server code (Dockerfile, Python server, configs), platform-specific install docs, and troubleshooting. Quick run: install Docker Desktop, enable the Docker MCP Toolkit in Beta Features, clone the repo, build the example (cd examples/dice-roller; docker build -t dice-mcp-server .), and follow quick-start/setup-guide.md. The kit also demos Toggl and Kali MCP servers and shows how to register and run containers on demand. This matters because it lowers the barrier to creating and deploying MCP-backed AI tools by combining containerization, an MCP gateway, and AI-driven code generation. The Docker MCP Gateway centralizes management, secret handling, and supports multiple transports (stdio or SSE) and dynamic on-demand containers; you can run it with docker mcp gateway run --transport sse and expose services at http://YOUR_IP:8811 for automation platforms like n8n or remote clients. The repo’s docs cover gateway architecture, API integrations, security/secret management, and common fixes (e.g., restart Claude Desktop, check docker mcp secret list, inspect docker logs). It’s an accessible kit for developers wanting reproducible, containerized MCP endpoints and rapid prototyping of custom AI tools.