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mcp-proxy

Protocol bridge converting MCP stdio transport to HTTP/SSE endpoints

open sourceupdated Aug 4, 2026

mcp-proxy is a protocol bridge that converts MCP servers using stdio transport into HTTP and Server-Sent Events endpoints accessible over the network. This enables remote MCP server hosting, load balancing, and sharing servers across multiple AI clients. Supports both directions: wrapping stdio servers with HTTP and connecting to remote SSE servers through local stdio. Over 2,400 GitHub stars.

mcp-proxy solves a fundamental deployment limitation of the MCP protocol: most servers communicate through stdio which requires the server process to run locally alongside the MCP client. This proxy converts stdio-based MCP servers into HTTP and Server-Sent Events endpoints that can be accessed over the network, enabling remote hosting, centralized server management, and sharing a single MCP server instance across multiple AI clients.

The bidirectional bridge works in two modes. Forward mode wraps a local stdio MCP server with an HTTP/SSE endpoint that remote clients can connect to. Reverse mode connects to a remote SSE endpoint and presents it as a local stdio server to MCP clients that only support local transports. This flexibility enables architectural patterns where MCP servers run on dedicated infrastructure while clients run on developer machines.

With over 2,400 GitHub stars, mcp-proxy has become essential infrastructure for teams deploying MCP servers in production rather than development scenarios. Hosting MCP servers on shared infrastructure behind the proxy enables centralized credential management, connection pooling, and monitoring. Load balancing across multiple proxy instances handles the scalability requirements that stdio-based servers cannot address natively.

Pricing

Free and open-source

Platforms

Python, any OS, HTTP/SSE transport

Categories

Tags

Use Cases

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free

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FAQ

What is mcp-proxy?

mcp-proxy is a protocol bridge that converts MCP servers using stdio transport into HTTP and Server-Sent Events endpoints accessible over the network. This enables remote MCP server hosting, load balancing, and sharing servers across multiple AI clients. Supports both directions: wrapping stdio servers with HTTP and connecting to remote SSE servers through local stdio. Over 2,400 GitHub stars.

Is mcp-proxy free?

Yes — mcp-proxy is open source and free to use. Free and open-source

Is mcp-proxy open source?

Yes — mcp-proxy is open source.

What are the best mcp-proxy alternatives?

The top editor-verified mcp-proxy alternatives are MCPJungle, MCPorter, mcp2cli.