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Docker MCP Server - Command Reference

Complete reference documentation for all Docker MCP server tools and CLI aliases.

Table of Contents

MCP Tools

The Docker MCP Server provides 16 core tools accessible via the Model Context Protocol:

Tool Name Description Aliases Using This Tool
docker-images List and manage Docker images dimages
docker-containers List and manage containers dps, dpsa
docker-run Run containers with full options drun
docker-logs View container logs dlogs
docker-exec Execute commands in containers dexec
docker-build Build Docker images dbuild
docker-pull Pull images from registries dpull
docker-compose Docker Compose operations dcompose, dup, ddown
docker-networks Network management dnetwork
docker-volumes Volume management dvolume
docker-inspect Inspect Docker objects dinspect
docker-prune System cleanup dprune
docker-login Registry authentication dlogin
docker-logout Registry logout dlogout
docker-bridge Bridge network management dbridge
docker-list List all available tools dlist

Basic CLI Aliases

Image Management

dimages - List Docker Images

dimages [OPTIONS]

Options:

  • -a, --all - Show all images (default hides intermediate images)
  • --digests - Show digests
  • -f, --filter filter - Filter output based on conditions provided
  • --format string - Pretty-print images using a Go template
  • --no-trunc - Don't truncate output
  • -q, --quiet - Only show image IDs

Filter Options:

  • before=<image> - Images created before given image
  • since=<image> - Images created since given image
  • label=<key> or label=<key>=<value> - Images with specified labels
  • reference=<pattern> - Images whose reference matches pattern
  • dangling=true|false - Dangling images

Examples:

dimages                         # List all images
dimages -a                      # Include intermediate images
dimages -q                      # Only image IDs
dimages --filter "dangling=true"  # Only dangling images
dimages --format "{{.Repository}}:{{.Tag}}"  # Custom format

dpull - Pull Docker Images

dpull [OPTIONS] NAME[:TAG|@DIGEST]

Options:

  • -a, --all-tags - Download all tagged images in repository
  • --disable-content-trust - Skip image verification (default true)
  • --platform string - Set platform if server is multi-platform capable
  • -q, --quiet - Suppress verbose output

Examples:

dpull nginx                     # Pull latest nginx
dpull nginx:alpine              # Pull specific tag
dpull ubuntu@sha256:abc123...   # Pull by digest
dpull --platform linux/arm64 nginx  # Pull for specific platform

dbuild - Build Docker Images

dbuild [OPTIONS] PATH | URL | -

Options:

  • -t, --tag list - Name and optionally tag (format: name:tag)
  • -f, --file string - Name of Dockerfile (default: PATH/Dockerfile)
  • --build-arg list - Set build-time variables
  • --cache-from strings - Images to consider as cache sources
  • --no-cache - Do not use cache when building image
  • --pull - Always attempt to pull newer version of base image
  • --rm - Remove intermediate containers after build (default true)
  • --force-rm - Always remove intermediate containers
  • --squash - Squash newly built layers into single layer
  • --platform string - Set platform if server is multi-platform
  • --progress string - Set type of progress output (auto, plain, tty)
  • --secret stringArray - Secret file to expose to build
  • --ssh stringArray - SSH agent socket or keys

Examples:

dbuild -t myapp:latest .        # Build and tag
dbuild -f Dockerfile.prod -t myapp:prod .  # Custom Dockerfile
dbuild --no-cache -t myapp:v1.0 .  # Build without cache
dbuild --build-arg VERSION=1.0 -t myapp .  # Build with args

Container Management

dps - List Running Containers

dps [OPTIONS]

Options:

  • -a, --all - Show all containers (default shows just running)
  • -f, --filter filter - Filter output based on conditions
  • --format string - Pretty-print containers using Go template
  • -n, --last int - Show n last created containers (includes all states)
  • -l, --latest - Show latest created container (includes all states)
  • --no-trunc - Don't truncate output
  • -q, --quiet - Only display container IDs
  • -s, --size - Display total file sizes

Filter Options:

  • id=<ID> - Container's ID
  • name=<name> - Container's name
  • label=<key> or label=<key>=<value> - Container's label
  • status=<status> - Container's status (created, restarting, running, removing, paused, exited, dead)
  • ancestor=<image> - Containers created from specified image
  • before=<container> - Containers created before specified container
  • since=<container> - Containers created since specified container
  • volume=<volume> - Containers that mount specified volume
  • network=<network> - Containers connected to specified network
  • publish=<port> or expose=<port> - Containers that publish/expose specified port

Examples:

dps                             # Running containers
dps -a                          # All containers
dps -q                          # Only container IDs
dps --filter "status=exited"    # Only exited containers
dps --format "{{.Names}}: {{.Status}}"  # Custom format

dpsa - List All Containers

dpsa [OPTIONS]

Equivalent to dps -a. Shows all containers regardless of state.

drun - Run Containers

drun [OPTIONS] IMAGE [COMMAND] [ARG...]

Runtime Options:

  • -d, --detach - Run container in background
  • -i, --interactive - Keep STDIN open even if not attached
  • -t, --tty - Allocate pseudo-TTY
  • --rm - Automatically remove container when it exits
  • --init - Run init inside container that forwards signals/reaps processes

Naming and Labels:

  • --name string - Assign name to container
  • --label list - Set metadata on container

Network and Ports:

  • -p, --publish list - Publish container's port(s) to host
  • -P, --publish-all - Publish all exposed ports to random ports
  • --network string - Connect container to network
  • --network-alias list - Add network-scoped alias for container
  • --dns list - Set custom DNS servers
  • --dns-search list - Set custom DNS search domains
  • --hostname string - Container hostname

Storage:

  • -v, --volume list - Bind mount a volume
  • --mount mount - Attach filesystem mount to container
  • -w, --workdir string - Working directory inside container

Environment:

  • -e, --env list - Set environment variables
  • --env-file list - Read environment variables from file
  • -u, --user string - Username or UID (format: <name|uid>[:<group|gid>])

Resource Limits:

  • -m, --memory bytes - Memory limit
  • --cpus decimal - Number of CPUs
  • --cpu-shares int - CPU shares (relative weight)
  • --memory-swap bytes - Swap limit equal to memory plus swap
  • --oom-kill-disable - Disable OOM Killer
  • --pids-limit int - Tune container pids limit
  • --ulimit ulimit - Ulimit options

Security:

  • --privileged - Give extended privileges to container
  • --user string - Username or UID
  • --group-add list - Add additional groups to join
  • --cap-add list - Add Linux capabilities
  • --cap-drop list - Drop Linux capabilities
  • --security-opt list - Security options
  • --read-only - Mount container's root filesystem as read only

Other Options:

  • --restart string - Restart policy (no, on-failure[:max-retries], always, unless-stopped)
  • --log-driver string - Logging driver for container
  • --log-opt list - Log driver options
  • --entrypoint string - Overwrite default ENTRYPOINT of image
  • --platform string - Set platform if server is multi-platform

Examples:

drun nginx                      # Run nginx (latest)
drun -d --name web nginx        # Run detached with name
drun -it ubuntu bash            # Interactive shell
drun -p 8080:80 nginx           # Port mapping
drun -v /host:/container alpine # Volume mounting
drun -e NODE_ENV=production node:18  # Environment variable
drun --rm -it --name temp alpine sh  # Temporary container
drun -d --restart unless-stopped nginx  # Auto-restart
drun --memory 512m --cpus 1.0 nginx  # Resource limits

dlogs - View Container Logs

dlogs [OPTIONS] CONTAINER

Options:

  • -f, --follow - Follow log output
  • --since string - Show logs since timestamp (RFC3339 or relative)
  • --until string - Show logs before timestamp (RFC3339 or relative)
  • -n, --tail string - Number of lines to show from end (default "all")
  • -t, --timestamps - Show timestamps
  • --details - Show extra details provided to logs

Examples:

dlogs webapp                    # Show all logs
dlogs -f webapp                 # Follow logs
dlogs --tail 100 webapp         # Last 100 lines
dlogs --since "2024-01-01" webapp  # Logs since date
dlogs -f --tail 50 webapp       # Follow last 50 lines

dexec - Execute Commands in Containers

dexec [OPTIONS] CONTAINER COMMAND [ARG...]

Options:

  • -d, --detach - Detached mode: run command in background
  • --detach-keys string - Override key sequence for detaching
  • -e, --env list - Set environment variables
  • --env-file list - Read environment variables from file
  • -i, --interactive - Keep STDIN open
  • -t, --tty - Allocate pseudo-TTY
  • -u, --user string - Username or UID (format: <name|uid>[:<group|gid>])
  • -w, --workdir string - Working directory inside container

Examples:

dexec webapp ls                 # Run command
dexec -it webapp bash           # Interactive shell
dexec -u root webapp chmod +x /app/script.sh  # As root user
dexec -e DEBUG=true webapp npm test  # With environment variable

Advanced CLI Aliases

Multi-Container Management

dcompose - Docker Compose Operations

dcompose [OPTIONS] COMMAND

Global Options:

  • -f, --file FILE - Specify compose file (default: docker-compose.yml)
  • -p, --project-name NAME - Specify project name
  • --profile PROFILE - Specify profile to enable
  • --project-directory PATH - Specify alternate working directory
  • --parallel int - Control max parallelism, -1 for unlimited

Commands:

up - Create and start containers

dcompose up [OPTIONS] [SERVICE...]

Options: -d (detach), --build, --force-recreate, --scale SERVICE=NUM

down - Stop and remove containers

dcompose down [OPTIONS]

Options: -v (volumes), --rmi TYPE, --remove-orphans

build - Build or rebuild services

dcompose build [OPTIONS] [SERVICE...]

Options: --no-cache, --pull, --parallel

start/stop/restart - Control service state

dcompose start|stop|restart [SERVICE...]

ps - List containers

dcompose ps [OPTIONS] [SERVICE...]

logs - View output from containers

dcompose logs [OPTIONS] [SERVICE...]

Options: -f (follow), --tail NUM

Examples:

dcompose up -d                  # Start all services detached
dcompose -f prod.yml up         # Use specific compose file
dcompose build --no-cache       # Rebuild without cache
dcompose logs -f webapp         # Follow webapp logs
dcompose scale webapp=3         # Scale service

dup / ddown - Quick Compose Shortcuts

dup [OPTIONS]                   # Equivalent to: dcompose up
ddown [OPTIONS]                 # Equivalent to: dcompose down

Network Management

dnetwork - Docker Network Management

dnetwork COMMAND [OPTIONS]

Commands:

create - Create a network

dnetwork create [OPTIONS] NETWORK

Options: --driver DRIVER, --subnet CIDR, --gateway IP, --internal, --attachable

list - List networks

dnetwork list [OPTIONS]

Options: -f FILTER, --format FORMAT, -q (quiet)

inspect - Display detailed information

dnetwork inspect [OPTIONS] NETWORK [NETWORK...]

remove - Remove networks

dnetwork remove NETWORK [NETWORK...]

connect - Connect container to network

dnetwork connect [OPTIONS] NETWORK CONTAINER

Options: --ip string, --link list, --alias list

disconnect - Disconnect container from network

dnetwork disconnect [OPTIONS] NETWORK CONTAINER

prune - Remove unused networks

dnetwork prune [OPTIONS]

Options: -f (force), --filter FILTER

Examples:

dnetwork create mynet           # Create bridge network
dnetwork create --driver overlay --subnet 10.0.0.0/24 prod-net
dnetwork connect mynet webapp   # Connect container
dnetwork inspect mynet          # Show details

dbridge - Bridge Network Management

dbridge COMMAND [OPTIONS]

Specialized version of dnetwork focused on bridge networks only.

Commands:

  • list - List bridge networks
  • create NAME [OPTIONS] - Create bridge network
  • remove NAME - Remove bridge network
  • inspect NAME - Inspect bridge details
  • connect BRIDGE CONTAINER [OPTIONS] - Connect to bridge
  • disconnect BRIDGE CONTAINER - Disconnect from bridge
  • prune - Remove unused bridges

Examples:

dbridge list                    # List all bridges
dbridge create --subnet 172.20.0.0/16 mybridge
dbridge connect mybridge webapp --ip 172.20.0.10

Volume Management

dvolume - Docker Volume Management

dvolume COMMAND [OPTIONS]

Commands:

create - Create a volume

dvolume create [OPTIONS] [VOLUME]

Options: --driver DRIVER, --driver-opt KEY=VALUE, --label KEY=VALUE

list - List volumes

dvolume list [OPTIONS]

Options: -f FILTER, --format FORMAT, -q (quiet)

inspect - Display detailed information

dvolume inspect [OPTIONS] VOLUME [VOLUME...]

remove - Remove volumes

dvolume remove [OPTIONS] VOLUME [VOLUME...]

Options: -f (force)

prune - Remove unused volumes

dvolume prune [OPTIONS]

Options: -f (force), --filter FILTER

Examples:

dvolume create mydata           # Create volume
dvolume list                    # List all volumes
dvolume inspect mydata          # Show volume details
dvolume remove mydata           # Remove volume

System Management

dinspect - Inspect Docker Objects

dinspect [OPTIONS] NAME|ID [NAME|ID...]

Options:

  • -f, --format string - Format output using Go template
  • -s, --size - Display total file sizes if type is container
  • --type string - Return JSON for specified type

Examples:

dinspect container webapp       # Inspect container
dinspect image nginx:latest     # Inspect image
dinspect network bridge         # Inspect network
dinspect --format '{{.State.Status}}' webapp  # Custom format

dprune - System Cleanup

dprune [TYPE] [OPTIONS]

Types:

  • images - Remove unused images
  • containers - Remove stopped containers
  • networks - Remove unused networks
  • volumes - Remove unused volumes
  • all or no type - Remove all unused objects

Options:

  • -f, --force - Do not prompt for confirmation
  • -a, --all - Remove all unused images (not just dangling)
  • --filter FILTER - Apply filters

Examples:

dprune                          # Interactive system prune
dprune -f                       # Force prune
dprune images -a                # Remove all unused images
dprune --filter "until=24h"     # Remove objects older than 24h

Authentication

dlogin - Docker Registry Login

dlogin [OPTIONS]

Options:

  • --username string - Username
  • --password string - Password
  • --password-stdin - Take password from stdin
  • --registry string - Registry server (default: Docker Hub)

Examples:

dlogin                          # Interactive login to Docker Hub
dlogin --username myuser        # Specify username
dlogin --registry ghcr.io --username myuser  # Different registry

dlogout - Docker Registry Logout

dlogout [OPTIONS] [SERVER]

Options:

  • --all - Logout from all registries

Examples:

dlogout                         # Logout from Docker Hub
dlogout ghcr.io                 # Logout from specific registry
dlogout --all                   # Logout from all registries

Development Tools

ddev - Development Workflows

ddev COMMAND [OPTIONS]

Commands:

  • start - Start development containers
  • stop - Stop development containers
  • shell CONTAINER - Open shell in container
  • logs SERVICE - Show development logs
  • rebuild - Rebuild development images
  • reset - Reset development environment

dclean - Comprehensive Cleanup

dclean LEVEL [OPTIONS]

Levels:

  • light - Remove stopped containers and dangling images
  • medium - Light + unused networks and volumes
  • deep - Medium + all unused images and build cache
  • nuclear - Deep + system prune with all options

Options:

  • -f, --force - Skip confirmations
  • --dry-run - Show what would be removed
  • --keep-recent - Keep recent images/containers

dstop - Advanced Container Stopping

dstop TARGET [OPTIONS]

Targets:

  • CONTAINER - Stop specific container
  • all - Stop all running containers
  • pattern:REGEX - Stop containers matching pattern
  • compose - Stop compose project containers

Options:

  • -t, --time SECONDS - Timeout before killing
  • -f, --force - Force stop (kill immediately)
  • --signal SIGNAL - Signal to send

dreset - Environment Reset

dreset [SCOPE] [OPTIONS]

Scopes:

  • containers - Reset containers only
  • images - Reset images only
  • networks - Reset networks only
  • volumes - Reset volumes only
  • all - Complete environment reset

Options:

  • -f, --force - Skip confirmations
  • --keep-images - Keep images during reset
  • --backup - Create backup before reset

dlist - List Tools and Aliases

dlist [CATEGORY]

Categories:

  • basic - Basic operations only
  • advanced - Advanced operations only
  • all - All tools and aliases (default)

Command Syntax

General Syntax Patterns

# Basic pattern
<alias> [global-options] [command] [command-options] [arguments]

# Examples
dimages --format "{{.Repository}}"     # Global option
dnetwork create --subnet 10.0.0.0/24 mynet  # Command with options
drun -d -p 80:80 --name web nginx      # Multiple options

Option Formats

# Short options (single dash, single character)
-d, -f, -p, -v, -t, -i

# Long options (double dash, full words)  
--detach, --file, --publish, --volume, --tty, --interactive

# Options with values
-p 8080:80                      # Short with value
--publish 8080:80               # Long with value
-e NODE_ENV=production          # Short with key=value
--env NODE_ENV=production       # Long with key=value

# Boolean flags
-d                              # Enable detach mode
--rm                            # Enable auto-remove

Argument Patterns

# Single argument
dimages                         # No arguments
dlogout                         # No arguments
dinspect webapp                 # Single container name

# Multiple arguments
dinspect webapp database        # Multiple containers
dvolume remove vol1 vol2 vol3   # Multiple volumes

# Optional arguments
dprune                          # All types (default)
dprune images                   # Specific type
dprune containers               # Another type

Options Reference

Common Options Across Commands

Option Short Description Commands
--help -h Show help All
--format -f Format output dimages, dps, dnetwork, dvolume
--quiet -q Quiet output dimages, dps, dpull
--force -f Force action dprune, dvolume remove, dclean
--all -a Show/include all dimages, dps, dprune
--filter Filter output dimages, dps, dnetwork, dvolume

Port Mapping Options

# Format: [host-ip:]host-port:container-port[/protocol]
-p 80:80                        # Map port 80
-p 127.0.0.1:8080:80           # Bind to specific interface  
-p 3000-3005:3000-3005         # Port range
-p 80:80/tcp                   # Specify protocol
-p 53:53/udp                   # UDP port

Volume Mounting Options

# Format: [source:]destination[:options]
-v /host/path:/container/path   # Bind mount
-v volume-name:/container/path  # Named volume
-v /container/path              # Anonymous volume
-v /host:/container:ro          # Read-only
-v /host:/container:rw          # Read-write (default)
-v /host:/container:z           # SELinux relabeling

Network Options

--network bridge                # Default bridge
--network host                  # Host network
--network none                  # No network
--network container:name        # Share network with container
--network mynet                 # Custom network

Resource Limit Options

--memory 512m                   # Memory limit (b, k, m, g)
--memory-swap 1g                # Memory + swap limit
--cpus 1.5                      # CPU limit (decimal)
--cpu-shares 512                # CPU weight
--pids-limit 100                # Process limit

Exit Codes

Code Meaning Description
0 Success Command completed successfully
1 General error General application error
2 Misuse Invalid command line arguments
125 Docker daemon error Docker daemon not running or accessible
126 Container command not executable Command cannot be invoked
127 Container command not found Command not found in container
128+n Fatal error signal n Container killed by signal n

Common Exit Code Examples

# Check exit code
drun --rm alpine echo "hello"
echo $?                         # Should be 0

# Command not found
drun --rm alpine nonexistent-command  
echo $?                         # Should be 127

# Permission denied
drun --rm alpine /root/script.sh
echo $?                         # Should be 126 (if not executable)

Environment Variables

Docker Client Configuration

Variable Description Default
DOCKER_HOST Docker daemon socket unix:///var/run/docker.sock
DOCKER_API_VERSION API version to use Latest supported
DOCKER_CONFIG Location of config files ~/.docker
DOCKER_CERT_PATH Location of TLS certificates ~/.docker
DOCKER_TLS_VERIFY Enable TLS verification 0
DOCKER_BUILDKIT Enable BuildKit 0

Registry Configuration

Variable Description Default
DOCKER_REGISTRY Default registry https://index.docker.io/v1/
DOCKER_USERNAME Registry username
DOCKER_PASSWORD Registry password
DOCKER_TOKEN Registry token

MCP Server Configuration

Variable Description Default
MCP_SERVER_PORT Server port 3000
MCP_SERVER_HOST Server host localhost
DEBUG Enable debug logging

Usage Examples

# Set Docker daemon host
export DOCKER_HOST=tcp://remote-docker:2376

# Enable BuildKit
export DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1

# Set registry credentials
export DOCKER_USERNAME=myuser
export DOCKER_PASSWORD=mypass

# Enable debug logging
export DEBUG=docker-mcp-server:*

# Use specific API version
export DOCKER_API_VERSION=1.41

This command reference provides complete documentation for all Docker MCP server tools and aliases, including syntax, options, examples, and configuration details.