install-mcp-server

name

install-mcp-server

description

Install an HTTP MCP server from a GitHub repo as a managed Docker service. Use this whenever the user asks to install, set up, or add an MCP server from a GitHub URL, or mentions installing a Docker-based MCP service. This skill handles the full pipeline: reading the repo for Docker image info, registering the service, starting it, connecting it, and installing companion prompt skills. Always use this instead of manually calling add_extension for HTTP MCP servers.

Install MCP Server

This skill walks you through installing an HTTP MCP server from a GitHub repository as a managed Docker service in curlycatclaw. The goal is a single smooth flow where the user says "install X" and everything just works: the Docker service starts, the MCP connection is live, and tools are available immediately.

Why this matters

Without this skill, you'll call add_extension without the Docker image info, the server won't be running, and the user sees "service not started" with manual setup instructions. That's a bad experience. The add_extension tool has image and ports fields that trigger automatic Docker service registration and startup. This skill ensures you always use them.

The Pipeline

GitHub URL → Read README → Extract image + port → add_extension(image, ports)
                                                        ↓
                                              auto-register → auto-start → connect
                                                        ↓
                                              Install companion prompt skills
                                                        ↓
                                              Tools available immediately

Step 1: Read the GitHub repo

When the user gives you a GitHub URL for an MCP server:

1. Fetch the README (use github__get_file_contents or similar)

2. Look for these pieces of information:

   • Docker image name (e.g., xpzouying/xiaohongshu-mcp). Check:
     • Docker Hub badge or pull command (docker pull ...)
     • docker-compose.yml image field
     • Dockerfile with a published image reference
     • GitHub Container Registry (ghcr.io/...)
     • README installation section
   • Port number the MCP server listens on (e.g., 18060). Check:
     • EXPOSE in Dockerfile
     • Port mapping in docker-compose.yml
     • README mentions of port/endpoint
     • Default MCP endpoint URL (usually /mcp or /sse)
   • MCP endpoint path (usually /mcp or /sse)

3. If you can't find the Docker image name, ask the user. Don't guess.

Step 2: Register the MCP server extension

Call add_extension with ALL of these fields:

{
  "name": "<service-name>",
  "type": "mcp",
  "transport": "http",
  "url": "http://<service-name>:<port><path>",
  "image": "<docker-image>",
  "ports": {"<host-port>": "<container-port>"}
}

The image and ports fields are what trigger the auto-register pipeline:

• If the Docker service isn't in the catalog, it gets auto-registered
• The service starts automatically
• The MCP connection retries after startup
• Tools become available immediately

URL hostname: Use the service name (not localhost) as the hostname. Docker Compose networking resolves service names. For example: http://xiaohongshu:18060/mcp not http://localhost:18060/mcp.

If the service name contains characters that aren't valid DNS names, simplify it (e.g., xiaohongshu-mcp becomes the service name xiaohongshu).

Step 3: Install companion prompt skills

If the user also provided a skills repository (or the MCP server repo has a skills/ directory), install the prompt skills:

1. Read the skills directory to find all SKILL.md files
2. For each skill, download the SKILL.md content
3. Save to /data/extension-wrappers/<skill-name>/SKILL.md
   • Create the directory first: use Bash mkdir -p /data/extension-wrappers/<name>
   • Write the SKILL.md file to that directory
   • The path for add_extension is the directory, not the file
4. Register each with add_extension:

   {
     "name": "<skill-name>",
     "type": "prompt",
     "command": "/data/extension-wrappers/<skill-name>",
     "description": "<from the SKILL.md frontmatter>"
   }
   

Path rules (important):

• Always use absolute paths starting with /data/
• Never use ~ or $HOME (they don't expand reliably in the container)
• Never use /root/ (the container user may not be root)
• The correct base directory is /data/extension-wrappers/

Step 4: Verify and report

After installation, verify:

1. The MCP server extension shows in list_extensions
2. Report what was installed: MCP server name, URL, number of tools, prompt skills

If the MCP server connection failed even with auto-start, report the error clearly and suggest the user check:

• Is the Docker image name correct?
• Is the port correct?
• Does the updater sidecar have ALLOWED_IMAGES configured to allow this image?

Example

User says: "Install xiaohongshu MCP from https://github.com/xpzouying/xiaohongshu-mcp and skills from https://github.com/autoclaw-cc/xiaohongshu-mcp-skills"

You do:

1. Read both repos, find image xpzouying/xiaohongshu-mcp, port 18060, path /mcp
2. add_extension(name:"xiaohongshu", type:"mcp", transport:"http", url:"http://xiaohongshu:18060/mcp", image:"xpzouying/xiaohongshu-mcp", ports:{"18060":"18060"})
3. Download each SKILL.md, save to /data/extension-wrappers/<name>/SKILL.md
4. Register each prompt skill via add_extension(type:"prompt", ...)
5. Report: "MCP server running, N tools available, M prompt skills installed"