How to integrate Docker hub MCP with Claude Code

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Introduction

Manage your Docker hub directly from Claude Code with zero worries about OAuth hassles, API-breaking issues, or reliability and security concerns.

You can do this in two different ways:

  1. Via Rube - Direct and easiest approach
  2. Via Composio SDK - Programmatic approach with more control

Why Rube?

Rube is a universal MCP server with access to 850+ SaaS apps. It ensures just-in-time tool loading so Claude can access the tools it needs, a remote workbench for programmatic tool calling and handling large tool responses out of the LLM context window, ensuring the LLM context window remains clean.

Connect Docker hub to Claude Code with Rube

1. Get the MCP URL

Copy and paste the below command in Claude Code to add Rube MCP.

Terminal

2. Authenticate Rube

Run /mcp to view Rube

bash
/mcp
Run /mcp to view Rube in Claude Code
Click on Rube to authenticate
Authentication flow complete

3. Ensure it's connected

Run /mcp again to verify the connection. Now, do whatever you want with Claude Code and Docker hub.

Rube connected successfully

Supported Tools & Triggers

Tools
Add Organization MemberTool to send an invitation for a user to join a Docker Hub organization.
Create Docker Hub OrganizationTool to create a Docker Hub organization.
Create Docker Hub RepositoryTool to create a Docker Hub repository under a namespace.
Create Docker Hub WebhookTool to create a webhook on a Docker Hub repository.
Delete Repository ImageTool to delete a specific image within a Docker Hub repository.
Delete Docker Hub OrganizationTool to delete a specific Docker Hub organization.
Delete Docker Hub RepositoryTool to delete a specific Docker Hub repository.
Delete Repository TagTool to delete a specific tag from a Docker Hub repository.
Delete Docker Hub TeamTool to delete a specific team from an organization.
Delete Docker Hub repository webhookTool to delete a specific webhook from a repository.
Get Docker Hub ImageTool to retrieve detailed information about a specific image within a Docker Hub repository.
Get Organization DetailsTool to retrieve details of a specific organization namespace.
Get Docker Hub RepositoryTool to retrieve details of a specific Docker Hub repository.
Get Docker Hub TagTool to retrieve details of a specific Docker Hub repository tag.
Get Docker Hub TeamTool to retrieve a specific Docker Hub team.
Get Docker Hub WebhookTool to retrieve details of a specific Docker Hub webhook.
List Repository ImagesTool to list image variants for a specific Docker Hub repository.
List Docker Hub OrganizationsTool to list organizations (namespaces) for the authenticated user.
List Docker Hub Organization MembersTool to list members of a Docker Hub organization.
List Docker Hub RepositoriesTool to list repositories under a namespace.
List Repository TagsTool to list tags for a Docker Hub repository.
List Team MembersTool to list members of a Docker Hub team.
List Organization TeamsTool to list teams in a specific organization.
List Docker Hub repository webhooksTool to list webhooks for a Docker Hub repository.
Remove Organization MemberTool to remove a user from a Docker Hub organization.
Remove Team MemberTool to remove a user from a Docker Hub team.

What is the Docker hub MCP server, and what's possible with it?

The Docker hub MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Docker Hub account. It provides structured and secure access to your container repositories and organizations, so your agent can perform actions like creating repositories, managing organization members, deleting images, setting up webhooks, and cleaning up tags on your behalf.

  • Repository and image management: Let your agent create new Docker Hub repositories, delete existing ones, and remove specific images or tags as needed.
  • Organization and team automation: Easily add members to organizations, create new Docker Hub organizations, or delete organizations and teams directly from your workflows.
  • Webhook configuration: Set up or remove repository webhooks to automate external integrations and keep your CI/CD pipelines in sync.
  • Tag and resource cleanup: Direct your agent to delete outdated tags or unused resources, helping you maintain a tidy container registry.
  • Secure role management: Invite users with specific roles to your organizations, ensuring the right access for collaborators and teams.

Connecting Docker hub via Tool Router

Tool Router is the underlying tech that powers Rube. It's a universal gateway that does everything Rube does but with much more programmatic control. You can programmatically generate an MCP URL with the app you need (here Docker hub) for even more tool search precision. It's secure and reliable.

How the Tool Router works

The Tool Router follows a three-phase workflow:

  1. Discovery: Searches for tools matching your task and returns relevant toolkits with their details.
  2. Authentication: Checks for active connections. If missing, creates an auth config and returns a connection URL via Auth Link.
  3. Execution: Executes the action using the authenticated connection.

Step-by-step Guide

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:
  • Claude Pro, Max, or API billing enabled Anthropic account
  • Composio API Key
  • A Docker hub account
  • Basic knowledge of Python or TypeScript

Install Claude Code

bash
# macOS, Linux, WSL
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

# Windows PowerShell
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

# Windows CMD
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd

To install Claude Code, use one of the following methods based on your operating system:

Set up Claude Code

bash
cd your-project-folder
claude

Open a terminal, go to your project folder, and start Claude Code:

  • Claude Code will open in your terminal
  • Follow the prompts to sign in with your Anthropic account
  • Complete the authentication flow
  • Once authenticated, you can start using Claude Code
Claude Code initial setup showing sign-in prompt
Claude Code terminal after successful login

Set up environment variables

bash
COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your_composio_api_key_here
USER_ID=your_user_id_here

Create a .env file in your project root with the following variables:

  • COMPOSIO_API_KEY authenticates with Composio (get it from Composio dashboard)
  • USER_ID identifies the user for session management (use any unique identifier)

Install Composio library

pip install composio-core python-dotenv

Install the Composio Python library to create MCP sessions.

  • composio-core provides the core Composio functionality
  • python-dotenv loads environment variables from your .env file

Generate Composio MCP URL

import os
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

COMPOSIO_API_KEY = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
USER_ID = os.getenv("USER_ID")

composio_client = Composio(api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY)

composio_session = composio_client.create(
    user_id=USER_ID,
    toolkits=["docker_hub"],
)

COMPOSIO_MCP_URL = composio_session.mcp.url

print(f"MCP URL: {COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}")
print(f"\nUse this command to add to Claude Code:")
print(f'claude mcp add --transport http docker_hub-composio "{COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}" --headers "X-API-Key:{COMPOSIO_API_KEY}"')

Create a script to generate a Composio MCP URL for Docker hub. This URL will be used to connect Claude Code to Docker hub.

What's happening:
  • We import the Composio client and load environment variables
  • Create a Composio instance with your API key
  • Call create() to create a Tool Router session for Docker hub
  • The returned mcp.url is the MCP server URL that Claude Code will use
  • The script prints this URL so you can copy it

Run the script and copy the MCP URL

python generate_mcp_url.py

Run your Python script to generate the MCP URL.

  • The script connects to Composio and creates a Tool Router session
  • It prints the MCP URL and the exact command you need to run
  • Copy the entire claude mcp add command from the output

Add Docker hub MCP to Claude Code

bash
claude mcp add --transport http docker_hub-composio "YOUR_MCP_URL_HERE" --headers "X-API-Key:YOUR_COMPOSIO_API_KEY"

# Then restart Claude Code
exit
claude

In your terminal, add the MCP server using the command from the previous step. The command format is:

  • claude mcp add registers a new MCP server with Claude Code
  • --transport http specifies that this is an HTTP-based MCP server
  • The server name (docker_hub-composio) is how you'll reference it
  • The URL points to your Composio Tool Router session
  • --headers includes your Composio API key for authentication

After running the command, close the current Claude Code session and start a new one for the changes to take effect.

Verify the installation

bash
claude mcp list

Check that your Docker hub MCP server is properly configured.

  • This command lists all MCP servers registered with Claude Code
  • You should see your docker_hub-composio entry in the list
  • This confirms that Claude Code can now access Docker hub tools

If everything is wired up, you should see your docker_hub-composio entry listed:

Claude Code MCP list showing the toolkit MCP server

Authenticate Docker hub

The first time you try to use Docker hub tools, you'll be prompted to authenticate.

  • Claude Code will detect that you need to authenticate with Docker hub
  • It will show you an authentication link
  • Open the link in your browser (or copy/paste it)
  • Complete the Docker hub authorization flow
  • Return to the terminal and start using Docker hub through Claude Code

Once authenticated, you can ask Claude Code to perform Docker hub operations in natural language. For example:

  • "Create a new Docker Hub repository"
  • "Add a member to my Docker organization"
  • "Delete an old image from a repository"

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with Docker hub and Claude Code:

import os
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

COMPOSIO_API_KEY = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
USER_ID = os.getenv("USER_ID")

composio_client = Composio(api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY)

composio_session = composio_client.create(
    user_id=USER_ID,
    toolkits=["docker_hub"],
)

COMPOSIO_MCP_URL = composio_session.mcp.url

print(f"MCP URL: {COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}")
print(f"\nUse this command to add to Claude Code:")
print(f'claude mcp add --transport http docker_hub-composio "{COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}" --headers "X-API-Key:{COMPOSIO_API_KEY}"')

Conclusion

You've successfully integrated Docker hub with Claude Code using Composio's MCP server. Now you can interact with Docker hub directly from your terminal using natural language commands.

Key features of this setup:

  • Terminal-native experience without switching contexts
  • Natural language commands for Docker hub operations
  • Secure authentication through Composio's managed MCP
  • Tool Router for dynamic tool discovery and execution

Next steps:

  • Try asking Claude Code to perform various Docker hub operations
  • Add more toolkits to your Tool Router session for multi-app workflows
  • Integrate this setup into your development workflow for increased productivity

You can extend this by adding more toolkits, implementing custom workflows, or building automation scripts that leverage Claude Code's capabilities.

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FAQ

What are the differences in Tool Router MCP and Docker hub MCP?

With a standalone Docker hub MCP server, the agents and LLMs can only access a fixed set of Docker hub tools tied to that server. However, with the Composio Tool Router, agents can dynamically load tools from Docker hub and many other apps based on the task at hand, all through a single MCP endpoint.

Can I use Tool Router MCP with Claude Code?

Yes, you can. Claude Code fully supports MCP integration. You get structured tool calling, message history handling, and model orchestration while Tool Router takes care of discovering and serving the right Docker hub tools.

Can I manage the permissions and scopes for Docker hub while using Tool Router?

Yes, absolutely. You can configure which Docker hub scopes and actions are allowed when connecting your account to Composio. You can also bring your own OAuth credentials or API configuration so you keep full control over what the agent can do.

How safe is my data with Composio Tool Router?

All sensitive data such as tokens, keys, and configuration is fully encrypted at rest and in transit. Composio is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and follows strict security practices so your Docker hub data and credentials are handled as safely as possible.

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