docs/docs/openapi-servers/mcp.mdx

---
sidebar_position: 3
title: "🛰️ MCP Support"
---

This documentation explains how to easily set up and deploy the **MCP (Model Context Protocol)-to-OpenAPI proxy server** provided by Open WebUI. Learn how you can effortlessly expose MCP-based tool servers using standard, familiar OpenAPI endpoints suitable for end-users and developers.

### 📌 What is the MCP Proxy Server?

The MCP-to-OpenAPI proxy server lets you use tool servers implemented with MCP (Model Context Protocol) directly via standard REST/OpenAPI APIs—no need to manage unfamiliar or complicated custom protocols. If you're an end-user or application developer, this means you can interact easily with powerful MCP-based tooling directly through familiar REST-like endpoints.

### ✅ Quickstart: Running the Proxy Locally

Here's how simple it is to launch the MCP-to-OpenAPI proxy server and expose tools already available from an MCP server:

1. **Prerequisites**

- **Python 3.8+** with `pip` installed.
- (Optional) `nodejs` with `npm` and/or `uv` installed to run the MCP server.

2. **Clone the Repository & Install Dependencies**

```bash
git clone https://github.com/open-webui/openapi-servers
cd openapi-servers/servers/mcp-proxy
pip install -r requirements.txt
```

3. **Run The Proxy Server**

Simply type:

```bash
python main.py --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000 -- uvx mcp-server-time --local-timezone=America/New_York
```

- Replace `uvx mcp-server-time [options]` above with your custom MCP server command.

### 🚀 Accessing the Generated APIs

As soon as it starts, the MCP Proxy automatically:

- Discovers available MCP tools dynamically and generates REST endpoints.
- Creates human-readable documentation accessible from the built-in interactive API page at: http://localhost:8000/docs

- Now, simply call the generated API endpoints directly or use them with your AI agents or API clients!

### 📖 Example Workflow for End-Users

Assuming you ran the MCP command above (`uvx mcp-server-time`):

- Visit your local URL (`http://localhost:8000/docs`)
- Find the generated endpoint (e.g. `/get_current_time`) and use the easy interactive form provided by FastAPI.
- Click "**Execute**", and immediately see the response output.

You now have standard OpenAPI REST APIs made available instantly without complex setups.


## 🚀 Deploying in Production (Example)

Deploying your MCP-to-OpenAPI proxy to a production environment is easy. Here's a concise step-by-step example using Docker and popular deployment environments like cloud hosting or VPS.

### 🐳 Dockerize your Proxy Server

1. **Create a Dockerfile** (`Dockerfile`) inside your proxy server directory (`servers/mcp-proxy`):

```dockerfile
FROM python:3.11-slim

WORKDIR /app

COPY . /app

RUN pip install -r requirements.txt

# Replace with your MCP server command; example: uvx mcp-server-time
CMD ["python", "main.py", "--host", "0.0.0.0", "--port", "8000", "--", "uvx", "mcp-server-time", "--local-timezone=America/New_York"]
```

2. **Build & Run the Container Locally**

```bash
docker build -t mcp-proxy-server .
docker run -d -p 8000:8000 mcp-proxy-server
```

3. **Deploy to Production (AWS/Cloud/VPS Example)**

- Push the Docker image to DockerHub or your favorite registry:
```bash
docker tag mcp-proxy-server yourdockerusername/mcp-proxy-server:latest
docker push yourdockerusername/mcp-proxy-server:latest
```

- Use Docker Compose, Kubernetes manifests, or deploy directly to AWS ECS, Azure Container Instances, Render.com Containers, Heroku, or your desired cloud hosting platform.

✔️ **Production-ready** — your MCP servers are now exposed and safely accessible using industry-standard REST APIs!

## 🧑‍💻 Technical Details and Background 

### 🍃 How It Works (Technical Summary)

- **Dynamic Schema Discovery & Endpoints:** At server startup, the proxy connects to the MCP server to query available tools. It automatically builds FastAPI endpoints based on the MCP tool schemas, creating concise and clear REST endpoints.

- **OpenAPI Auto-documentation:** Endpoints generated are seamlessly documented and available via FastAPI's built-in Swagger UI (`/docs`). No extra doc writing required.

- **Asynchronous & Performant**: Built on robust asynchronous libraries, ensuring speed and reliability for concurrent users.

### 📚 Under the Hood:

- FastAPI (Automatic routing & docs generation)
- MCP Client (Standard MCP integration & schema discovery)
- Standard JSON over HTTP (Easy integration)

## ⚡️ Why is the MCP-to-OpenAPI Proxy Superior?

Here's why leveraging MCP servers through OpenAPI via the proxy approach is significantly better and why Open WebUI enthusiastically supports it:

- **User-friendly & Familiar Interface**: No custom clients; just HTTP REST endpoints you already know. 
- **Instant Integration**: Immediately compatible with thousands of existing REST/OpenAPI tools, SDKs, and services.
- **Powerful & Automatic Docs**: Built-in Swagger UI documentation is automatically generated, always accurate, and maintained.
- **No New Protocol overhead**: Eliminates the necessity to directly handle MCP-specific protocol complexities and socket communication issues.
- **Battle-Tested Security & Stability**: Inherits well-established HTTPS transport, standard auth methods (JWT, API keys), solid async libraries, and FastAPI’s proven robustness.
- **Future-Proof**: MCP proxy uses existing, stable, standard REST/OpenAPI formats guaranteed long-term community support and evolution.

🌟 **Bottom line:** MCP-to-OpenAPI makes your powerful MCP-based AI tools broadly accessible through intuitive, reliable, and scalable REST endpoints. Open WebUI proudly supports and recommends this best-in-class approach.


## 📢 Community & Support

- For questions, suggestions, or feature requests, please use our [GitHub Issue tracker](https://github.com/open-webui/openapi-servers/issues) or join our [Community Discussions](https://github.com/open-webui/openapi-servers/discussions).

Happy integrations! 🌟🚀