IBM Code Engine MCP Server

Code Engine MCP Server — IBM Cloud rocket and container logo

MCP server for IBM Code Engine — build, push, and deploy containers from Cursor, Copilot, Claude, and Cline using natural language.

Current release: v1.7.8 — 28 tools instead of 112 (one tool per resource with an action field, same capability, old names still work), a shared local HTTP server for the VS Code extension, a web admin UI with a Remote client tab (test tools, logging, users and API keys, events), MCP Remote Config inside VS Code, and a check that the server you point at really is a code-engine MCP server. See CHANGELOG.md and the tool reference.

Search terms: code-engine-mcp · ibm-code-engine · ibm-cloud · ibm-container-registry · mcp-server · model-context-protocol · cursor · github-copilot · claude-desktop · cline · docker · podman · serverless · container-deployment · typescript · npx · ai-agents · devops · cloud-native · watsonx-orchestrate

Author: Markus van Kempen | markus.van.kempen@gmail.com · markusvankempen.github.io No bug too small, no syntax too weird.

How It Works

flowchart TD
    A([AI Assistant\nCopilot / Claude / Cline / Bob]) -->|MCP JSON-RPC| B[Code Engine MCP Server]

    B --> C{Tool Category}

    C -->|Container Tools| D[Docker / Podman]
    C -->|Registry Tools| E[IBM Container Registry\nus.icr.io]
    C -->|Code Engine Tools| F[IBM Code Engine\nREST API]
    C -->|Procedures| G[Multi-step Workflows]

    D -->|build / push / validate| E
    E -->|image reference| F

    G -->|proc_build_push_deploy| D
    G -->|proc_apply_manifest| F

    F --> H[(Projects\nApps\nBuilds\nJobs\nSecrets\nDomains)]

    H -->|ready| I([Live App\nhttps://app.region.codeengine.appdomain.cloud])

    style A fill:#1261FE,color:#fff
    style B fill:#0f3460,color:#fff
    style G fill:#7b2d8b,color:#fff
    style I fill:#198038,color:#fff

✨ What You Get

• 28 tools, one per resource. ce_app, ce_job, ce_secret, … each take an action (list, get, create, delete, …). Every earlier capability is still there; see the tool reference.
• Container workflow tools for Docker or Podman (local_container, dockerfile)
• IBM Container Registry (icr) and the whole Code Engine surface: projects, apps, jobs, builds, secrets, config maps, domains, bindings, functions, fleets
• Multi-step procedures: build, push and deploy in one call (proc_build_push_deploy), custom domains, declarative manifests
• One server, many clients. Run it over stdio, or as an HTTP server that your IDE, assistants, the web UI and the VS Code extension all share
• Web admin UI (/admin): overview, activity, users, API keys, runtime settings, and a Remote client tab that tests the tools and configures the server (logging, users and keys, events)
• MCP-ready setup for GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Cline, Bob, Windsurf, Antigravity, Claude Desktop, and the VS Code extension in vscode-extension/ (including MCP Remote Config)
• MCP Activity Dashboard — live timeline of tool calls, session grouping, deploy outcome highlights, and a Deployments inventory tab
• Live activity logging — optional JSONL event stream for every MCP tool call (MCP_ACTIVITY_* env vars)

🚀 Quick Start

# 1) Install dependencies
npm install

# 2) Build the server
npm run build

# 3) Run once to verify
node build/index.js

Then configure your MCP client using one of the examples in the Configuration section below.

🤖 The Agentic Experience (No Docker/Code Engine Lingo Needed)

The true power of this MCP server is that you don't need to know Docker or Code Engine commands. You can simply state your goal, and the LLM will discover the environment, run the pipeline, and fix issues autonomously.

Here is an example interaction from a real session:

User:

"I have an app in the developer-splash folder. Deploy it to my Code Engine project."

Assistant's Autonomous Thought Process:

1. Discovery: "Let me check what projects and namespaces exist... Found project my-project and namespace my-namespace."
2. Prerequisites: "No pull secret in this project yet. I'll get the API key from the .env file and create the secret icr-pull-secret."
3. Execution: "Now I'll run the full pipeline: build → push → deploy → wait."
4. Validation: "It's deployed but stuck at 'deploying'. Let me check the logs... The container is running but the readiness probe is failing."
5. Self-Correction: "Ah, the sed pattern in the Dockerfile didn't match nginx alpine's default config format for port 80. I'll fix the Dockerfile with a regex-safe sed and rebuild."
6. Completion: "App is live! 🎉 Status: ready."

Assistant Response to User:

"Your app is deployed and live at: https://developer-splash.<subdomain>.<region>.codeengine.appdomain.cloud. I had to fix a minor port configuration issue in your Dockerfile, but it is successfully running now!"

With this MCP server, the AI acts as an expert DevOps engineer pairing with you.

📊 MCP Activity Dashboard (v1.4.0)

See what your AI assistant is doing in real time — tool calls, idle gaps between steps, deploy outcomes, and live app URLs.

flowchart LR
    A[MCP tool call] -->|MCP_ACTIVITY_ENABLED| B[events.jsonl]
    B --> C{Dashboard}
    C -->|VS Code extension| D[Activity tab]
    C -->|Browser| E[localhost:8767]
    D --> F[Deployments tab\ninventory + actions]

Activity logging (on by default)

Since v1.6.0 the server logs every tool start/finish to ~/.code-engine-mcp/activity/events.jsonl — input summaries, pipeline sub-steps (proc_build_push_deploy), result highlights, and optional HTTP smoke-test labels. API keys, passwords, TLS keys, env var values, and secret payloads are redacted. The file rotates at 5 MB.

Optional env in your MCP client config:

"MCP_ACTIVITY_ENABLED": "false",
"MCP_ACTIVITY_EVENTS_PATH": "/custom/path/events.jsonl",
"MCP_ACTIVITY_SESSION_ID": "session:my-chat-001",
"MCP_ACTIVITY_CHAT_LABEL": "Deploy Star Wars splash"

In the VS Code extension, turn logging off with codeEngineMcp.activityEnabled. Restart the MCP server after changing env.

See .env.example for all MCP_ACTIVITY_* variables.

Open the dashboard

The Activity tab shows a session timeline with tool duration, idle gaps, and a task-outcome banner (status, image, live URL). The Deployments tab lists projects and apps from Code Engine and supports get-details, redeploy, and delete via MCP tools.

Example chat prompt:

"I have a Star Wars splash page in examples/starwars-splash. Deploy it to Code Engine using only MCP tools — build for linux/amd64, push to my ICR namespace, and deploy to my Code Engine project. Show me the live URL when ready."

Open the Activity Dashboard while the assistant runs to watch proc_build_push_deploy progress step by step.

Deploy Your First App

This walks through deploying the included Star Wars splash page example — a static nginx container — entirely through the MCP server.

Apple Silicon users: always build with --platform linux/amd64. Code Engine runs amd64 only.

Step 1 — Build and push the image

cd examples/starwars-splash
podman build --platform linux/amd64 -t us.icr.io/<your-namespace>/starwars-splash:v1.0.0 .
podman push us.icr.io/<your-namespace>/starwars-splash:v1.0.0

Or ask your assistant:

Build examples/starwars-splash as us.icr.io/my-namespace/starwars-splash:v1.0.0 for linux/amd64 and push it

MCP response — build_container_image:

{
  "success": true,
  "command": "podman build --platform linux/amd64 -t us.icr.io/my-namespace/starwars-splash:v1.0.0 ...",
  "build_output": "STEP 1/5: FROM nginx:alpine\nSTEP 2/5: COPY index.html /usr/share/nginx/html/index.html\nSTEP 3/5: RUN sed -i 's/listen  80;/listen 8080;/g' /etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf\nSTEP 4/5: EXPOSE 8080\nSTEP 5/5: CMD [\"nginx\", \"-g\", \"daemon off;\"]\nSuccessfully tagged us.icr.io/my-namespace/starwars-splash:v1.0.0"
}

Note: Container runtimes (Podman/Docker) write build progress to stderr. The build_output field combines stdout and stderr so you see the full build log.

MCP response — push_container_image:

{
  "success": true,
  "command": "podman push us.icr.io/my-namespace/starwars-splash:v1.0.0",
  "output": "Getting image source signatures\nCopying blobs...\nWriting manifest to image destination"
}

Step 2 — Create a registry pull secret

Ask your assistant (once per project):

Create a registry secret called icr-pull-secret in project <project-id> for us.icr.io using my IBM Cloud API key

Or use the ce_create_secret tool directly:

{
  "project_id": "<your-project-id>",
  "name": "icr-pull-secret",
  "format": "registry",
  "data": {
    "username": "iamapikey",
    "password": "<your-ibm-cloud-api-key>",
    "server": "us.icr.io",
    "email": "user@example.com"
  }
}

MCP response — ce_create_secret:

{
  "name": "icr-pull-secret",
  "format": "registry",
  "resource_type": "secret_registry_v2",
  "created_at": "2026-05-08T22:10:00Z",
  "project_id": "<your-project-id>"
}

Step 3 — Deploy the application

Ask your assistant:

Deploy us.icr.io/my-namespace/starwars-splash:v1.0.0 to Code Engine project <project-id>
as app "starwars-splash" using pull secret icr-pull-secret, min 1 instance

Or use the ce_create_application tool:

{
  "project_id": "<your-project-id>",
  "name": "starwars-splash",
  "image": "us.icr.io/<your-namespace>/starwars-splash:v1.0.0",
  "image_secret": "icr-pull-secret",
  "scale_min_instances": 1,
  "scale_max_instances": 3
}

MCP response — ce_create_application:

{
  "name": "starwars-splash",
  "resource_type": "app_v2",
  "status": "deploying",
  "image_reference": "us.icr.io/my-namespace/starwars-splash:v1.0.0",
  "image_secret": "icr-pull-secret",
  "image_port": 8080,
  "scale_min_instances": 1,
  "scale_max_instances": 3,
  "scale_cpu_limit": "1",
  "scale_memory_limit": "4G",
  "endpoint": "https://starwars-splash.<subdomain>.us-south.codeengine.appdomain.cloud",
  "status_details": {
    "latest_created_revision": "starwars-splash-00001",
    "latest_ready_revision": null
  }
}

Step 4 — Check deployment status

Get details for the starwars-splash app in project <project-id>

This calls ce_get_application and returns the public URL once the app reaches ready status.

List the running instances of starwars-splash in project <project-id>

This calls ce_list_app_instances (pass instance_name for one instance; ce_get_app_instance still works) and shows:

• Instance name and revision
• Container status (running / pending / failed)
• Restart count
• Started-at timestamp
• CPU and memory allocation

MCP response — ce_get_application (once ready):

{
  "name": "starwars-splash",
  "status": "ready",
  "image_reference": "us.icr.io/my-namespace/starwars-splash:v1.0.0",
  "image_port": 8080,
  "scale_min_instances": 1,
  "scale_max_instances": 3,
  "scale_cpu_limit": "0.5",
  "scale_memory_limit": "1G",
  "region": "us-south",
  "endpoint": "https://starwars-splash.<subdomain>.us-south.codeengine.appdomain.cloud",
  "status_details": {
    "latest_created_revision": "starwars-splash-00001",
    "latest_ready_revision": "starwars-splash-00001"
  }
}

Step 5 — Map a custom domain (optional)

To serve the app at your own domain (e.g. myapp.example.com) you need a TLS certificate. The IBM Code Engine REST API always requires a real certificate — IBM's Console "Platform managed" option is not available via the API.

5a — Get a Let's Encrypt certificate (certbot)

# Install once
brew install certbot

# Request cert — certbot will print a DNS TXT challenge value
mkdir -p ~/certbot/{config,work,logs}
/opt/homebrew/bin/certbot certonly --manual --preferred-challenges dns \
  -d <your-domain> --agree-tos --no-eff-email --email you@example.com \
  --config-dir ~/certbot/config --work-dir ~/certbot/work --logs-dir ~/certbot/logs

Certbot will pause and ask you to add a TXT record:

Add TXT record: _acme-challenge.<your-domain> = <challenge-value>

Verify propagation, then press Enter. Certbot writes:

• ~/certbot/config/live/<your-domain>/fullchain.pem
• ~/certbot/config/live/<your-domain>/privkey.pem

5b — Create the TLS secret in Code Engine

Ask your assistant:

Create a TLS secret called starwars-tls in project <project-id>
using cert ~/certbot/config/live/myapp.example.com/fullchain.pem
and key ~/certbot/config/live/myapp.example.com/privkey.pem

This calls ce_create_tls_secret_from_pem — reads the PEM files from disk and stores them as a Code Engine tls secret.

MCP response — ce_create_tls_secret_from_pem:

{
  "name": "my-tls",
  "format": "tls",
  "resource_type": "secret_tls_v2",
  "created_at": "2026-05-08T22:30:00Z",
  "project_id": "<your-project-id>"
}

5c — Create the domain mapping

Ask your assistant:

Map domain myapp.example.com to app my-app
in project <project-id> using TLS secret my-tls

This calls ce_create_domain_mapping and returns the cname_target.

MCP response — ce_create_domain_mapping:

{
  "name": "myapp.example.com",
  "status": "ready",
  "cname_target": "custom.<subdomain>.us-south.codeengine.appdomain.cloud",
  "component": {
    "resource_type": "app_v2",
    "name": "my-app"
  },
  "tls_secret": "my-tls",
  "region": "us-south"
}

5d — Update your CNAME

In your DNS provider, set:

myapp.example.com CNAME custom.<subdomain>.us-south.codeengine.appdomain.cloud

Use the cname_target value returned in 5c (it uses the custom. prefix, not the app name).

Once DNS propagates, https://<your-domain> serves the app with a valid TLS certificate.

Certificate renewal: Let's Encrypt certs expire after 90 days. Re-run certbot to get updated PEM files, then ask Copilot to run ce_create_tls_secret_from_pem with mode renew — it patches the existing secret in-place so your domain mapping continues working without any changes. ce_renew_tls_secret_from_pem still works if called directly.

Full one-shot prompt

I have a Star Wars splash page in examples/starwars-splash.
Build it for linux/amd64 as us.icr.io/my-namespace/starwars-splash:v1.0.0,
push it, then deploy it to Code Engine project <project-id> with pull secret icr-pull-secret.
Tell me the public URL and confirm the instance is running.

🔒 Security & Transport Model

Two kinds of credential

• IBM Cloud API key (IBMCLOUD_API_KEY): how the server talks to IBM Cloud. It stays on the server process. Callers never receive it.

• MCP caller credentials: who may call a tool on this server. They are never sent to IBM Cloud.

  • the web admin session (/admin, built-in user admin with ADMIN_PASSWORD),
  • a user, sent as Authorization: Basic user:password (server_users),
  • an MCP API key, sent as Authorization: Bearer cemcp_… (server_api_keys; the secret is shown once).

  Each credential has the scopes read, write, admin. Over stdio there are no headers; set MCP_API_KEY, or MCP_USERNAME and MCP_PASSWORD, in the server environment. Details: Tool scope and authentication.

Transports

One server is better than several. A stdio server is started by each client, so every IDE window gets its own process with its own memory. Its audit trace, rate limits, sessions and runtime settings are not visible to the web UI of another process. Run one HTTP server and point every client at it when you want the trace, logging, users, keys and settings to line up. The VS Code extension does exactly that by default.

Local server hardening

• Bind to 127.0.0.1 unless the server is meant to be remote. On a public bind (HOST=0.0.0.0, a container) the built-in admin is disabled until ADMIN_PASSWORD is set.
• MCP_LOCAL_ONLY=true makes the server answer only requests whose Host is localhost, 127.0.0.1 or [::1], so a web page that rebinds its own name to 127.0.0.1 cannot reach it. The VS Code extension sets it for the server it starts. Leave it off behind a reverse proxy.
• The admin cookie is HttpOnly and SameSite=Strict; five failed sign-ins lock an address out for ten minutes; the settings export leaves secrets out.

🌐 Host Any MCP Server on Code Engine

You can use this MCP server to deploy another MCP server to Code Engine — no CLI, no Dockerfile, no YAML. The key ingredient is supergateway: a tiny bridge that wraps any STDIO-based MCP server as an HTTP + SSE endpoint, making it accessible to any remote client.

Credit: Jeremias Werner & Enrico Regge — IBM Cloud Code Engine

Your AI Assistant
    │  MCP JSON-RPC (STDIO, local)
    ▼
code-engine-mcp-server  ──► ce_create_application
                                     │
                                     ▼
                         Code Engine App
                         image: docker.io/supercorp/supergateway
                         args:  --stdio "npx -y <any-mcp-server>"
                                --outputTransport sse
                                     │  HTTPS + SSE  (public URL)
                                     ▼
                         Any remote MCP client
                         (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, …)

Any STDIO MCP server becomes a remotely accessible, auto-scaling cloud service — with no custom infrastructure.

This example deploys @tokenizin/mcp-npx-fetch, an MCP server that lets an AI assistant fetch content from public URLs.

The example files live in examples/mcp-server-supergateway/.

Step 1 — Deploy the hosted MCP server

Ask your assistant:

Deploy a hosted MCP fetch server to my Code Engine project <project-id>.
Use image docker.io/supercorp/supergateway on port 8000.
Startup args: --stdio "npx -y @tokenizin/mcp-npx-fetch" --outputTransport sse
Name it "mcp-fetch-server". No pull secret needed.

This calls ce_create_application:

{
  "project_id": "<your-project-id>",
  "name": "mcp-fetch-server",
  "image": "docker.io/supercorp/supergateway",
  "port": 8000,
  "run_args": ["--stdio", "npx -y @tokenizin/mcp-npx-fetch", "--outputTransport", "sse"]
}

MCP response — ce_create_application:

{
  "name": "mcp-fetch-server",
  "resource_type": "app_v2",
  "status": "deploying",
  "image_reference": "docker.io/supercorp/supergateway",
  "image_port": 8000,
  "scale_min_instances": 0,
  "scale_max_instances": 10,
  "endpoint": "https://mcp-fetch-server.<subdomain>.<region>.codeengine.appdomain.cloud",
  "status_details": {
    "latest_created_revision": "mcp-fetch-server-00001",
    "latest_ready_revision": null
  }
}

No pull secret is needed — docker.io/supercorp/supergateway is a public image. Code Engine scales to zero when idle; you pay only for actual requests.

Step 2 — Wait for the app to be ready

Ask your assistant:

Wait for mcp-fetch-server in project <project-id> to be ready

This calls ce_wait_for_app_ready:

{
  "project_id": "<your-project-id>",
  "app_name": "mcp-fetch-server",
  "timeout_seconds": 120
}

MCP response — ce_wait_for_app_ready:

{
  "app_name": "mcp-fetch-server",
  "status": "ready",
  "endpoint": "https://mcp-fetch-server.<subdomain>.<region>.codeengine.appdomain.cloud",
  "elapsed_seconds": 34,
  "poll_history": [
    { "attempt": 1, "status": "deploying", "elapsed_seconds": 10 },
    { "attempt": 2, "status": "deploying", "elapsed_seconds": 20 },
    { "attempt": 3, "status": "ready",     "elapsed_seconds": 34 }
  ]
}

Step 3 — Verify the running instance

Ask your assistant:

List the running instances of mcp-fetch-server in project <project-id>

This calls ce_list_app_instances:

MCP response — ce_list_app_instances:

{
  "instances": [
    {
      "name": "mcp-fetch-server-00001-deployment-abc123",
      "revision": "mcp-fetch-server-00001",
      "status": "running",
      "restart_count": 0,
      "started_at": "2026-05-09T12:01:44Z"
    }
  ]
}

Step 4 — Connect your MCP client

Use mcp-remote to bridge the HTTP+SSE endpoint back to STDIO for local clients.

VS Code mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "fetch": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp-fetch-server.<subdomain>.<region>.codeengine.appdomain.cloud/sse"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fetch": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp-fetch-server.<subdomain>.<region>.codeengine.appdomain.cloud/sse"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Step 5 — Test the endpoint

Verify the server is live and streaming:

curl -N https://mcp-fetch-server.<subdomain>.<region>.codeengine.appdomain.cloud/sse

Or open it in the MCP Inspector:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector
# Connect via SSE → paste the Code Engine URL

Once connected, you will see the fetch tool listed and can invoke it directly from the inspector.

Full one-shot prompt

Deploy a hosted MCP fetch server to my Code Engine project <project-id>.
Use image docker.io/supercorp/supergateway on port 8000 with no pull secret.
run_args: --stdio "npx -y @tokenizin/mcp-npx-fetch" --outputTransport sse
Name it "mcp-fetch-server", wait for it to be ready, and give me the /sse URL
so I can add it to my mcp.json.

See examples/mcp-server-supergateway/ for the ready-to-use client config file.

Deploy any other STDIO MCP server

The same pattern works for any npx-runnable MCP server — just swap the --stdio argument:

Documentation

• Setup Instructions
• Tool reference (28 tools, every action)
• Connect to a remote or shared server
• Tool scope and authentication — what read-only, write, and destructive mean, and when a call needs an admin sign-in
• MCP Inspector Troubleshooting
• VS Code MCP extension — Activity Dashboard, Receipt Visualizer, setup & diagnostics
• IBM Code Engine API (IBM Cloud)
• Client examples — Cursor, VS Code, Claude, Windsurf, the mcp> CLI, and a browser page
• Client README
• Cline MCP Config Example
• Code of Conduct
• Contributing Guide
• Maintainers

🗂️ Project Structure

code-engine-mcp-server/
├── build/                            # Compiled JavaScript output (dev repo)
├── docs/                             # API references, client guides, community files
│   ├── API_CALL_SCENARIOS.md
│   ├── CODE_ENGINE_API_REFERENCE.md
│   ├── MCP_INSPECTOR_TROUBLESHOOTING.md
│   ├── SETUP_INSTRUCTIONS.md
│   ├── TOOL_ACCESS.md
│   ├── CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
│   ├── CONTRIBUTING.md
│   └── MAINTAINERS.md
├── examples/
│   ├── developer-splash/             # nginx static container example
│   ├── starwars-splash/              # nginx Star Wars crawl example
│   ├── startrek-splash/              # nginx Star Trek splash example
│   ├── deploy-mcp-server-to-code-engine/  # Deploy this MCP server onto Code Engine
│   └── mcp-server-supergateway/      # Host any MCP server on Code Engine via supergateway
├── dashboard/                        # MCP Activity Dashboard (dev repo) — npm run dashboard
│   ├── index.html                    # Activity + Deployments UI
│   ├── serve-dashboard.mjs           # Local server on port 8767
│   └── activity/live/events.jsonl    # Live tool-call log (gitignored runtime file)
├── internal/                         # Internal release notes
├── src/                              # Main TypeScript source code
├── CHANGELOG.md                      # Release history
├── LICENSE                           # Project license
├── README.md                         # Project overview and usage
├── mcp.example.json                  # Example MCP client configuration
├── vscode-extension/                 # Optional VS Code extension
├── package.json                      # npm package metadata and scripts
├── server.json                       # MCP Registry metadata
└── tsconfig.json                     # TypeScript configuration

🧩 Features

Tools (28)

• Local containers: detect Docker or Podman, build, tag, push, run, inspect, clean up (local_container); check or create a Dockerfile (dockerfile)
• IBM Container Registry: namespaces and images (icr)
• Code Engine: projects (status, quotas, egress IPs), apps (create, update, wait, restart, roll back, sync .env, find idle apps), app diagnostics (instances, logs, events, revisions), jobs and job runs, builds and build runs, secrets (generic, registry, TLS, with in-place update and ICR pull-secret refresh), config maps, domain mappings, service bindings, functions, fleets
• Procedures: proc_build_push_deploy, proc_setup_custom_domain, proc_apply_manifest
• Discovery: describe_server, list_schemas, get_schema
• This server: server_settings, server_access, server_users, server_api_keys, server_log
• Workspace: write_or_modify_file

Every tool has an outputSchema, every result a next hint, and wrong calls explain what to fix. See Available Tools and the tool reference.

Web admin UI and operations

• Sign in at /admin: Overview, Remote client (call any tool from a schema-driven form, switch the activity log and audit trace on, create users and MCP API keys, listen for events), Activity, Events, Users, API keys, Runtime
• Tool scope and authentication per tool, rate limit, protocol switches, settings and log export (no secrets)

VS Code extension

• Setup and diagnostics sidebar, Configure MCP for every IDE, MCP Remote Config panel, Activity Dashboard, Receipt Visualizer
• Choice of Shared HTTP server (default) or stdio, or a remote server URL, with a check that the server is a code-engine MCP server
• Details: vscode-extension/README.md

Developer Experience

• MCP Activity Dashboard — session timeline, idle-gap visualization, deploy outcome banner, Deployments inventory tab
• Live activity logging — JSONL event stream with input summaries, pipeline sub-steps, and HTTP probe highlights

⚙️ Configuration

Getting an IBM Cloud API key

All Code Engine and ICR operations require an IBM Cloud API key. Get one at: IBM Cloud IAM → API keys → Create an IBM Cloud API key.

Store the key somewhere safe (password manager). You will paste it into one of the configuration paths below.

Path A — VS Code extension (recommended)

The IBM Code Engine MCP extension handles everything: server startup, API key storage, and MCP registration — no manual mcp.json editing required.

Install from the Marketplace:

Set your API key (required before any tool works):

1. Open the IBM Code Engine MCP sidebar panel (cloud icon in the Activity Bar)
2. Paste your IBM Cloud API key and click Save
   (The key is stored in VS Code SecretStorage, never in a plaintext file)
3. Optionally change the region (default: us-south) in the same panel
4. Under Server connection → This computer pick how the server runs:
   • Shared HTTP server (default): the extension starts one server on 127.0.0.1:8787 and chat, the IDE MCP list, the web UI and MCP Remote Config all use it. Sign in to the web UI as admin / admin (change it with the setting codeEngineMcp.localAdminPassword).
   • stdio: each IDE window starts its own process.
   • or Remote server: the URL of a shared server on any host.
5. Click Configure MCP — this writes the code-engine entry (the same connection the extension uses) into VS Code, Cursor, Bob, Windsurf, Cline, Antigravity, and Claude Desktop configs. Other servers in those files are kept.
6. Click Run Diagnostics to confirm everything is wired up:
   • ✅ Node.js found on PATH
   • ✅ API key configured
   • ✅ MCP server registered
   • ✅ Tool list discovered (the heading shows the count, for example Discovered Tools (28))

After step 5 you can open GitHub Copilot Chat and immediately ask:

"List all my Code Engine projects"

Tip: If Copilot can't see the tools after installing, run Command Palette → Reload Window once.

More detail: vscode-extension/README.md.

Path B — Pure MCP config (no extension)

Use this path with any MCP-capable client: GitHub Copilot without the extension, Cline, Bob, Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.

Where to put the API key (choose one approach)

Option 1 — Shell environment variable (most secure)

Copy the provided template and fill in your key:

cp .env.example .env          # copy template (already in .gitignore)
# edit .env → set IBMCLOUD_API_KEY=your-key
source .env                   # load into current shell session

Or add the export permanently to your shell profile so every new terminal has it:

# ~/.zshrc or ~/.bash_profile
export IBMCLOUD_API_KEY="your-ibm-cloud-api-key-here"

See .env.example for all available variables (IBMCLOUD_REGION, CONTAINER_RUNTIME, DEBUG).

Then reference the variable in the MCP config without embedding the value:

{
  "servers": {
    "code-engine": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "code-engine-mcp-server@latest"],
      "env": {
        "IBMCLOUD_API_KEY": "${env:IBMCLOUD_API_KEY}",
        "IBMCLOUD_REGION": "us-south"
      }
    }
  }
}

${env:VARIABLE} is VS Code's input substitution syntax — it reads the value from your shell environment at startup so your API key is never stored in the file.

Option 2 — VS Code input variable (prompted on connect)

VS Code can prompt you for the API key when it starts the server — great for shared machines:

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "ibmcloud-api-key",
      "type": "promptString",
      "description": "IBM Cloud API key",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "code-engine": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "code-engine-mcp-server@latest"],
      "env": {
        "IBMCLOUD_API_KEY": "${input:ibmcloud-api-key}",
        "IBMCLOUD_REGION": "us-south"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 3 — Inline value (simplest, least secure)

Paste the key directly. Never commit this file to git.

{
  "servers": {
    "code-engine": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "code-engine-mcp-server@latest"],
      "env": {
        "IBMCLOUD_API_KEY": "your-ibm-cloud-api-key-here",
        "IBMCLOUD_REGION": "us-south"
      }
    }
  }
}

Security: Add the config file to .gitignore. For workspace configs, use ${env:...} or ${input:...} instead of inline values.

1) GitHub Copilot (VS Code) — workspace mcp.json

Create .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace root (or copy mcp.example.json):

cp mcp.example.json .vscode/mcp.json
echo '.vscode/mcp.json' >> .gitignore

Paste one of the API key options above. Then restart the server: Cmd+Shift+P → MCP: Restart Server → code-engine.

Alternatively, use the global MCP config at ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/mcp.json (macOS) so the server is available in every workspace without a per-project file.

2) Cline (VS Code Extension)

1. Open VS Code Settings (Cmd+,)
2. Search for Cline: MCP Settings → Edit in settings.json
3. Add:

{
  "cline.mcpServers": {
    "code-engine": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "code-engine-mcp-server@latest"],
      "env": {
        "IBMCLOUD_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here",
        "IBMCLOUD_REGION": "us-south"
      }
    }
  }
}

3) Bob (VS Code Extension)

Bob uses the same cline.mcpServers configuration format:

1. Open VS Code Settings (Cmd+,)
2. Search for Cline: MCP Settings → Edit in settings.json
3. Add:

{
  "cline.mcpServers": {
    "code-engine": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "code-engine-mcp-server@latest"],
      "env": {
        "IBMCLOUD_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here",
        "IBMCLOUD_REGION": "us-south"
      }
    }
  }
}

Path C — Shared HTTP server (local or remote)

Run the server once in HTTP mode and let every client connect to it. The same steps work on your laptop and on IBM Code Engine, Render, Fly.io, a VM or any container host. The server is a plain Node HTTP app.

1. Start it

IBMCLOUD_API_KEY=<key> MCP_MODE=http PORT=8787 HOST=127.0.0.1 \
ADMIN_PASSWORD=<choose one> npx -y code-engine-mcp-server

On a public host use HOST=0.0.0.0 and always set ADMIN_PASSWORD (the built-in admin is disabled without it). Put TLS in front of it.

2. Security model

• The IBM Cloud API key lives on the server (environment variable, or stored with server_settings secrets). Callers never send or receive it.
• Callers authenticate to the server with a user (Authorization: Basic …), an MCP API key (Authorization: Bearer cemcp_…) or the admin session cookie. Issue them in /admin or with server_users and server_api_keys.
• Scopes read, write, admin and the auth mode (open, writes, all) decide what each caller may do: docs/TOOL_ACCESS.md.

3. Client configuration

VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf and others that speak Streamable HTTP (mcp.json):

{
  "servers": {
    "code-engine": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://your-server.example/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer cemcp_…" }
    }
  }
}

Clients that only speak stdio can use mcp-remote:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "code-engine-remote": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://your-server.example/mcp",
               "--header", "Authorization: Bearer ${CODE_ENGINE_MCP_API_KEY}"],
      "env": { "CODE_ENGINE_MCP_API_KEY": "cemcp_…" }
    }
  }
}

The VS Code extension writes these entries for you (Setup → Server connection, then Configure MCP). See docs/REMOTE_MCP_CONNECTION.md for every IDE.

4. Check it

GET /health answers without credentials (?format=json for scripts; the JSON names the service code-engine-mcp-server). Open /admin to see tool counts, the call log and settings.

Prefer ${env:IBMCLOUD_API_KEY} if your shell exports the key, so it never appears in settings.json.

3) Claude Desktop

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "code-engine": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "code-engine-mcp-server@latest"],
      "env": {
        "IBMCLOUD_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here",
        "IBMCLOUD_REGION": "us-south"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop after saving. The server starts on demand when Claude needs a tool.

Install & Registry Links

The VS Code extension is the easiest starting point — it handles server startup, API key storage, and MCP registration automatically. Use the npm package directly if you prefer a manual MCP config (Cline, Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any other client).

💬 Example Prompts

Detect Container Runtime

Ask your assistant:

Can you detect which container runtime I have installed?

Build a Container Image

Ask your assistant:

Build a container image from ./Dockerfile with the name myapp:latest

Test Container Locally

Ask your assistant:

Test the myapp:latest image locally on port 8080

Push to Registry

Ask your assistant:

Push myapp:latest to icr.io/my-namespace/myapp:latest

List Code Engine Projects

Ask your assistant:

List all my Code Engine projects

Complete Workflow

Ask your assistant:

I have a Node.js app in ./my-app with a Dockerfile. Can you:
1. Build it as myapp:v1.0.0
2. Test it locally on port 3000
3. Push it to icr.io/my-namespace/myapp:v1.0.0
4. Deploy it to my Code Engine project "production"
5. Show me the application URL

Custom Domain

Ask your assistant:

Create a TLS secret called my-tls in project <project-id>
using cert ~/certbot/config/live/example.com/fullchain.pem
and key ~/certbot/config/live/example.com/privkey.pem.
Then map domain example.com to app my-app using that secret.
Tell me what CNAME value to set in DNS.

🛠️ Available Tools

The server publishes 28 tools. Resource tools (ce_app, ce_job, ce_secret, …) take an action field, so one tool covers list, get, create, update, delete and the other operations of that resource. The earlier 112 single-purpose tool names (ce_list_applications, ce_create_job, …) still work when called by name; they are just hidden from tools/list to keep the model's tool menu short.

Call describe_server first when unsure, and get_schema with a tool name for the exact fields of each action. The full list of actions and their required fields is in the tool reference.

{ "name": "ce_app", "arguments": { "action": "list", "project_id": "<project-id>" } }

Regions used for project discovery: us-south, us-east, eu-de, eu-gb, eu-es, jp-tok, jp-osa, au-syd, ca-tor, br-sao.

Procedures (proc_*) bundle several steps into one call, for example build, push, wait for the image and deploy.

Kind: read-only tools only look; writes creates or changes something; can delete or stop means at least one action removes or stops something, so an assistant should confirm those.

🔐 Environment Variables

IBM Cloud

• IBMCLOUD_API_KEY: IBM Cloud API key (required for Code Engine and registry operations)
• IBMCLOUD_REGION: default IBM Cloud region (optional, default us-south)
• CONTAINER_RUNTIME: force docker or podman

HTTP mode and web UI

Caller identity over stdio

• MCP_API_KEY, or MCP_USERNAME and MCP_PASSWORD: the credential the stdio process acts as (stdio has no headers)

Activity Dashboard (on by default since v1.6.0): tool calls are logged to ~/.code-engine-mcp/activity/events.jsonl; set MCP_ACTIVITY_ENABLED=false to turn it off. See MCP Activity Dashboard and .env.example.

Optional addon: PROVENANCE_* variables enable signed receipts (off by default). See Optional addon: Provenance at the end of this README.

📋 Prerequisites

• Node.js v18 or higher
• Docker or Podman installed (for container build/push tools)
• IBM Cloud API key (for all Code Engine and ICR operations)

The MCP server communicates directly with the IBM Cloud REST API and ICR API. No IBM Cloud CLI or Code Engine plugin is required.

👩‍💻 Development

# Install, build, and test (mise loads Node from mise.toml)
mise run install
mise run test-all          # server unit tests, every tool smoke call, extension tests
mise run test-extension    # extension typecheck + IDE config tests

# Run in development mode
npm run dev

🧪 Troubleshooting

Server Not Connecting

1. Verify the path in configuration is absolute
2. Check Node.js is in PATH: node --version
3. Verify build output exists: ls build/index.js
4. Test manually: node build/index.js

Docker/Podman Commands Failing

1. Verify installation: docker --version or podman --version
2. Check Docker daemon is running
3. Verify permissions (add user to docker group if needed)

Code Engine Commands Failing

1. Verify your API key is set: check IBMCLOUD_API_KEY in your MCP client config
2. Confirm the region is correct (default us-south; eu-es is included). Set IBMCLOUD_REGION if needed
3. Verify the project ID is valid: use ce_list_projects to find it
4. Check for expired tokens — the server re-fetches IAM tokens automatically; if errors persist, regenerate your API key at IBM Cloud IAM → API keys

🛡️ Security

• Never commit API keys to version control
• Use environment variables for sensitive data
• Consider using IBM Cloud IAM for authentication
• Restrict MCP server permissions as needed

📄 License

Apache License 2.0 · opensource.org/licenses/Apache-2.0

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue or submit a pull request (see Contributing Guide).

🙋 Support

For issues and questions:

• Check Setup Instructions and MCP Inspector Troubleshooting
• Open an issue with reproduction steps and logs

Optional: MCP Activity Dashboard

Core observability for MCP workflows. Unlike provenance (signed receipts), activity logging is lightweight and on by default (secrets redacted). Set MCP_ACTIVITY_ENABLED=false to turn it off.

No env is required. The server creates the events file on the first tool call. Use MCP_ACTIVITY_SESSION_ID and MCP_ACTIVITY_CHAT_LABEL to label sessions in the dashboard dropdown.

Troubleshooting: If the dashboard shows no new sessions, check that MCP_ACTIVITY_ENABLED is not false in the MCP server env and that MCP_ACTIVITY_EVENTS_PATH (if set) matches the file the dashboard reads. Restart the MCP server, and click Show all activity if you previously cleared the view.

Optional addon: Provenance

Not part of core MCP functionality. The Code Engine MCP server deploys, builds, and manages apps without provenance. The provenance addon is an experimental optional layer that emits signed receipts for selected tool actions (default: off).

Enable in code-engine-mcp-server/.env (PROVENANCE_ENABLED=true), restart MCP. With provenance on, proc_build_push_deploy returns provenance_receipts in its JSON response.

Example chat prompt (addon):

Using only Code Engine MCP tools, deploy examples/startrek-splash.
Provenance on — show provenance_receipts, verify with verify-receipt.mjs, and give me the live URL.

Topics & keywords

code-engine · code-engine-mcp · code-engine-mcp-server · ibm-code-engine · ibm-cloud · ibm-container-registry · icr · serverless · knative · container-deployment · cloud-native · mcp · mcp-server · model-context-protocol · stdio · npx · cursor · vscode · openvscode · claude-desktop · github-copilot · cline · bob-ide · ai-agent · ai-agents · tool-calling · llm-tools · automation · typescript · nodejs · docker · podman · kubernetes · containers · deploy · devops · ci-cd · watsonx-orchestrate · ibm

Author: Markus van Kempen Email: markus.van.kempen@gmail.com · mvk@ca.ibm.com Website: markusvankempen.github.io No bug too small, no syntax too weird.