Local Installation - Secure MCP Gateway

Overview

The Secure MCP Gateway can be installed locally on your machine using Python package managers (pip or uv). This approach is ideal for development, testing, or single-machine deployments.

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following installed before proceeding:

Python: 3.8 or higher (Python 3.11+ recommended)
pip: 25.0.1 or higher
uv: 0.7.9 or higher (optional but recommended for faster installs)
Git: 2.43 or higher
MCP Client: Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Claude Code

Verify Prerequisites

# Check Python version
python --version
# Expected: Python 3.11.0 or higher

# Check pip version
pip --version
# Expected: pip 25.0.1 or higher

# Check uv version (optional)
uv --version
# Expected: uv 0.7.9 or higher

# Install uv if not present
pip install uv

Installation Methods

pip (Recommended)
uv (Faster)
Git Clone (Development)

Step 1: Create Virtual Environment

Create an isolated Python environment to avoid conflicts with system packages:

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv .secure-mcp-gateway-venv

# Activate virtual environment
source .secure-mcp-gateway-venv/bin/activate

Your prompt should now show (.secure-mcp-gateway-venv) indicating the virtual environment is active.

Step 2: Install Package

Install the Secure MCP Gateway from PyPI:

pip install secure-mcp-gateway

This installs:

Core gateway server (gateway.py)
MCP client (client.py)
CLI tool (secure-mcp-gateway)
All required dependencies (FastMCP, Redis client, OpenTelemetry, etc.)

Step 3: Generate Configuration

Generate the default configuration file:

secure-mcp-gateway generate-config

This creates:

macOS/Linux: ~/.enkrypt/enkrypt_mcp_config.json
Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.enkrypt\enkrypt_mcp_config.json

The config includes:

Auto-generated API keys
Default project and user
Example echo server configuration
Plugin configurations (auth, guardrails, telemetry)

Step 4: Install for MCP Client

secure-mcp-gateway install --client claude-desktop

Important: Restart your MCP client after installation for changes to take effect.

Step 5: Verify Installation

Check that the gateway is running by opening your MCP client and looking for:

Server Name: “Enkrypt Secure MCP Gateway”
Status: Connected (green indicator)
Available Tools: 6 gateway management tools

Step 1: Create Virtual Environment with uv

Using uv provides significantly faster package installation:

# Create virtual environment
uv venv .secure-mcp-gateway-venv

# Activate virtual environment
source .secure-mcp-gateway-venv/bin/activate  # macOS/Linux
.secure-mcp-gateway-venv\Scripts\activate      # Windows

Step 2: Install with uv

# Install pip and uv in the virtual environment
python -m ensurepip
python -m pip install uv

# Install gateway package
uv pip install secure-mcp-gateway

Step 3: Generate Configuration

secure-mcp-gateway generate-config

Step 4: Install for MCP Client

# Choose your client
secure-mcp-gateway install --client claude-desktop
# OR
secure-mcp-gateway install --client cursor
# OR
secure-mcp-gateway install --client claude-code

uv typically installs packages 10-100x faster than pip due to its Rust-based implementation.

Step 1: Clone Repository

git clone https://github.com/enkryptai/secure-mcp-gateway
cd secure-mcp-gateway

Step 2: Create Virtual Environment

uv venv
source .venv/Scripts/activate  # macOS/Linux
.venv\Scripts\activate          # Windows

Step 3: Install Dependencies

# Install pip and uv in venv
python -m ensurepip
python -m pip install uv

# Install project dependencies
uv pip install -r requirements.txt

# Verify MCP CLI installed
mcp version
# Expected: MCP version 1.13.1 or higher

Step 4: Run Setup Script

cd scripts
chmod +x *.sh
./setup.sh

This script:

Creates config file with auto-generated keys
Replaces placeholders with actual paths
Installs gateway in Claude Desktop

Restart Claude Desktop after running setup script.

Configuration File Structure

The generated config file includes:

{
  "common_mcp_gateway_config": {
    "enkrypt_log_level": "INFO",
    "enkrypt_use_remote_mcp_config": false,
    "enkrypt_mcp_use_external_cache": false,
    "enkrypt_cache_host": "localhost",
    "enkrypt_cache_port": 6379,
    "enkrypt_tool_cache_expiration": 4,
    "enkrypt_gateway_cache_expiration": 24,
    "timeout_settings": {
      "default_timeout": 30,
      "guardrail_timeout": 15,
      "tool_execution_timeout": 60
    }
  },
  "plugins": {
    "auth": {
      "provider": "local_apikey",
      "config": {}
    },
    "guardrails": {
      "provider": "enkrypt",
      "config": {
        "api_key": "YOUR_ENKRYPT_API_KEY",
        "base_url": "https://api.enkryptai.com"
      }
    },
    "telemetry": {
      "provider": "opentelemetry",
      "config": {
        "url": "http://localhost:4317",
        "insecure": true
      }
    }
  },
  "mcp_configs": { ... },
  "projects": { ... },
  "users": { ... },
  "apikeys": { ... }
}

MCP Client Configuration

After installation, the gateway is registered in your client’s config:

// ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "Enkrypt Secure MCP Gateway": {
      "command": "mcp",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "/Users/user/.../secure_mcp_gateway/gateway.py"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ENKRYPT_GATEWAY_KEY": "2W8UupCkazk4SsOcSu_...",
        "ENKRYPT_PROJECT_ID": "3c09f06c-...",
        "ENKRYPT_USER_ID": "6469a670-..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Verification Steps

Check Gateway Status

Open your MCP client and verify the gateway appears in the server list with a connected status.

Test Tool Discovery

In your MCP client, ask:

List all available servers and their tools

You should see the gateway’s 6 management tools and any configured MCP servers.

Test Echo Server

The default config includes an echo server. Test it with:

Call the echo tool with message "Hello Gateway"

Check Logs

Logs are written to:

macOS/Linux: ~/.enkrypt/logs/
Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.enkrypt\logs\

Check for errors:

tail -f ~/.enkrypt/logs/gateway.log

Uninstalling

To remove the gateway:

# Deactivate virtual environment
deactivate

# Remove virtual environment
rm -rf .secure-mcp-gateway-venv  # macOS/Linux
rmdir /s .secure-mcp-gateway-venv  # Windows

# Remove configuration (optional)
rm -rf ~/.enkrypt  # macOS/Linux
rmdir /s %USERPROFILE%\.enkrypt  # Windows

# Remove from MCP client config manually
# Edit claude_desktop_config.json or mcp.json
# Remove "Enkrypt Secure MCP Gateway" entry

Troubleshooting

Gateway Not Appearing in Client

Verify config file exists:
```
ls ~/.enkrypt/enkrypt_mcp_config.json
```
Check client config file has gateway entry
Restart MCP client completely
Check client logs for connection errors

Import Errors

# Reinstall dependencies
pip install --force-reinstall secure-mcp-gateway

# Or with uv
uv pip install --reinstall secure-mcp-gateway

Permission Errors

# macOS/Linux - ensure config directory is writable
chmod -R u+w ~/.enkrypt

# Windows - run as Administrator if needed

Python Version Issues

# Verify Python version
python --version

# Use python3 explicitly if needed
python3 -m venv .secure-mcp-gateway-venv
python3 -m pip install secure-mcp-gateway

Next Steps

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Protect your servers with input/output guardrails

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Guides

​Overview

​Prerequisites

​Verify Prerequisites

​Installation Methods

​Step 1: Create Virtual Environment

​Step 2: Install Package

​Step 3: Generate Configuration

​Step 4: Install for MCP Client

​Step 5: Verify Installation

​Step 1: Create Virtual Environment with uv

​Step 2: Install with uv

​Step 3: Generate Configuration

​Step 4: Install for MCP Client

​Step 1: Clone Repository

​Step 2: Create Virtual Environment

​Step 3: Install Dependencies

​Step 4: Run Setup Script

​Configuration File Structure

​MCP Client Configuration

​Verification Steps

​Uninstalling

​Troubleshooting

​Gateway Not Appearing in Client

​Import Errors

​Permission Errors

​Python Version Issues

​Next Steps

Add MCP Servers

Enable Guardrails

Docker Deployment

CLI Commands

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Prerequisites

Verify Prerequisites

Installation Methods

Step 1: Create Virtual Environment

Step 2: Install Package

Step 3: Generate Configuration

Step 4: Install for MCP Client

Step 5: Verify Installation

Step 1: Create Virtual Environment with uv

Step 2: Install with uv

Step 3: Generate Configuration

Step 4: Install for MCP Client

Step 1: Clone Repository

Step 2: Create Virtual Environment

Step 3: Install Dependencies

Step 4: Run Setup Script

Configuration File Structure

MCP Client Configuration

Verification Steps

Uninstalling

Troubleshooting

Gateway Not Appearing in Client

Import Errors

Permission Errors

Python Version Issues

Next Steps