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Quick Start Guide

Get MCP Gateway running in 5 minutes with our automated setup script.

Overview

This guide uses an automated script that sets up everything you need:

  • Local Kind Kubernetes cluster
  • Gateway API CRDs
  • Istio service mesh
  • MCP Gateway with Helm
  • Example MCP servers
  • Gateway routing configuration
  • MCP Inspector for testing

Perfect for evaluation, demos, and getting started quickly.

Prerequisites

Quick Setup

Run the automated setup script:

# Download and run the setup script
curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Kuadrant/mcp-gateway/main/charts/sample_local_helm_setup.sh | bash

Or clone the repository and run locally:

git clone https://github.com/Kuadrant/mcp-gateway.git
cd mcp-gateway
USE_LOCAL_CHART=true ./charts/sample_local_helm_setup.sh

What the Script Does

The setup script automatically:

  1. Creates Kind cluster with proper port mappings
  2. Installs Gateway API CRDs for traffic routing
  3. Deploys Istio service mesh with Helm
  4. Sets up Istio Gateway for external traffic
  5. Installs MCP Gateway using the Helm chart
  6. Deploys test MCP servers for demonstration
  7. Configures routing with HTTPRoute resources
  8. Launches MCP Inspector for testing and exploration

Testing Your Setup

Once the script completes, you'll have:

MCP Inspector Access

  • URL: http://localhost:6274
  • Gateway URL: http://mcp.127-0-0-1.sslip.io:7001/mcp
  • Pre-configured: The inspector opens with the correct gateway URL

Available Test Tools

The setup includes example MCP servers with tools like:

  • test1_hello_world - Simple greeting tool
  • test1_headers - HTTP header inspection
  • test2_headers - Additional header tool

Try It Out

  1. Connect: MCP Inspector should open automatically
  2. Initialize: Click "Connect" to initialize the MCP session
  3. Explore Tools: Browse available tools in the left panel
  4. Test Tools: Try calling test1_hello_world or test1_headers
  5. View Logs: Check the request/response flow

Cleanup

To stop the services and clean up:

# Then delete the Kind cluster
kind delete cluster

Next Steps

Now that you have MCP Gateway running, explore other features: