tools-only Admin Console Concepts
This guide introduces each major section of the Gateway Admin UI and how it connects to the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
🆕 Setting up a new MCP Server to federate to the gateway
???+ example "🔌 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:
```bash
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
```
✅ **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.
📦 Virtual Servers
A virtual server is a logical wrapper that combines selected tools, resources, and prompts under one context-specific endpoint.
???+ info "🔗 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.
🛠 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.
???+ example "⚙️ 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.
📁 Global Resources
Resources expose read-only data like files, database rows, logs, or screenshots. LLMs can read this content through a URI.
???+ example "📖 How do Resources work?"
- Text and Binary data supported.
- Exposed via unique URI (`file:///`, `db://`, etc.).
- Resources can be listed, templated, or subscribed to.
🧾 Global Prompts
Prompts are reusable message templates with arguments. They define system prompts, user instructions, or chainable inputs.
???+ info "🗒 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.
🌐 Gateways (MCP Servers)
Gateways are other MCP-compatible servers. When registered, their tools/resources/prompts become usable locally.
???+ example "🌉 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.
📂 Roots
Roots define base folders for file-based resources. They control what files MCP clients can access from your local system.
???+ tip "📁 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.
📈 Metrics
Track tool calls, resource reads, prompt renders, and overall usage in one place.
???+ info "📊 What does the Metrics tab show?"
- Overall executions by server/tool/prompt.
- Latency, failure rate, and hot paths.
- Top tools, resources, prompts, and servers.
🧪 Version & Diagnostics
The
/versionendpoint returns structured JSON diagnostics including system info, DB/Redis health, and Git SHA.
???+ example "🩺 What does the Version panel include?"
- MCP protocol version and server metadata.
- Live system metrics (CPU, memory).
- Environment checks and service readiness.