Cache Management Tools - Secure MCP Gateway

Overview

The Secure MCP Gateway caches discovered tools to improve performance. Two tools help you monitor and manage this cache:

enkrypt_get_cache_status - View cache status and statistics
enkrypt_clear_cache - Clear cached data to force re-discovery

Cache management tools are primarily used for debugging and troubleshooting. Normal operation doesn’t require manual cache management.

enkrypt_get_cache_status

Tool Signature

async def enkrypt_get_cache_status(
    ctx: Context
) -> dict

No parameters required - returns cache status for the authenticated user.

Return Value

status

string

required

Operation status: "success" or "error"

cache_status

object

required

Detailed cache statistics

Show cache_status structure

gateway_specific

object

Cache status for the current gateway/user

Show gateway_specific properties

config

object

Gateway configuration cache status

exists (boolean): Whether config is cached
expires_at (string): Expiration timestamp
expires_in_hours (float): Hours until expiration
is_expired (boolean): Whether cache has expired

tools

object

Tools cache status per server

server_count (integer): Number of servers
servers (object): Per-server cache details

global

object

Global cache statistics across all users

total_gateways (integer): Total cached gateway configs
total_tool_caches (integer): Total cached tool sets
total_config_caches (integer): Total config caches
tool_cache_expiration_hours (integer): Tool cache TTL
config_cache_expiration_hours (integer): Config cache TTL
cache_type (string): "local" or "external"

Usage Examples

User: Show me the cache status

Claude: Let me check the cache status for you.
[Uses enkrypt_get_cache_status]

Cache Status:
- Gateway config: Cached, expires in 18.5 hours
- Tools:
  - github: 12 tools cached, expires in 2.3 hours
  - weather: 3 tools from config (no cache needed)
  - database: Not cached, needs discovery

Response Structure

{
  "status": "success",
  "cache_status": {
    "gateway_specific": {
      "config": {
        "exists": true,
        "expires_at": "2026-03-05 14:30:00 UTC",
        "expires_in_hours": 18.5,
        "is_expired": false
      },
      "tools": {
        "server_count": 3,
        "servers": {
          "github": {
            "tool_count": 12,
            "error": null,
            "are_tools_explicitly_defined": false,
            "needs_discovery": false,
            "exists": true,
            "expires_at": "2026-03-04 22:15:00 UTC",
            "expires_in_hours": 2.3,
            "is_expired": false
          },
          "weather": {
            "tool_count": 3,
            "error": null,
            "are_tools_explicitly_defined": true,
            "needs_discovery": false,
            "exists": false,
            "expires_at": null,
            "expires_in_hours": null,
            "is_expired": true
          },
          "database": {
            "tool_count": 0,
            "error": null,
            "are_tools_explicitly_defined": false,
            "needs_discovery": true,
            "exists": false,
            "expires_at": null,
            "expires_in_hours": null,
            "is_expired": true
          }
        }
      }
    },
    "global": {
      "total_gateways": 5,
      "total_tool_caches": 8,
      "total_config_caches": 5,
      "tool_cache_expiration_hours": 4,
      "config_cache_expiration_hours": 24,
      "cache_type": "local"
    }
  }
}

Understanding Cache States

Cached Tools (exists: true)

Tools were discovered and are cached:

{
  "exists": true,
  "tool_count": 12,
  "expires_in_hours": 2.3
}

These tools are served from cache until expiration.

Config Tools (are_tools_explicitly_defined: true)

Tools are defined in the configuration file:

{
  "exists": false,
  "are_tools_explicitly_defined": true,
  "needs_discovery": false
}

These tools don’t need caching - they’re always available from config.

Needs Discovery (needs_discovery: true)

Server has no cached or configured tools:

{
  "exists": false,
  "needs_discovery": true,
  "tool_count": 0
}

Use enkrypt_discover_all_tools to discover and cache tools.

Expired Cache (is_expired: true)

Cached tools have expired:

{
  "exists": false,
  "is_expired": true
}

Next tool discovery will refresh the cache.

Tool Annotations

annotations={
    "title": "Get Cache Status",
    "readOnlyHint": True,
    "destructiveHint": False,
    "idempotentHint": True,
    "openWorldHint": False
}

enkrypt_clear_cache

Tool Signature

async def enkrypt_clear_cache(
    ctx: Context,
    id: str = None,
    server_name: str = None,
    cache_type: str = None
) -> dict

Parameters

ctx

Context

required

MCP context (automatically provided)

str

default:"None"

Gateway/User ID whose cache to clear.

None: Uses authenticated user’s ID
Specific ID: Clears cache for that ID (requires permissions)

server_name

str

default:"None"

Name of server whose cache to clear.

None: Clears cache for all servers
Specific name: Clears cache for that server only

cache_type

str

default:"None"

Type of cache to clear.

None or "all": Clears all caches (tools + config)
"gateway_config": Clears gateway configuration cache only
"server_config": Clears server tools cache only

Aliases: "gateway", "gateway_cache", "gateway_config_cache"

Return Value

status

string

required

Operation status: "success" or "info"

message

string

required

Description of what was cleared

Usage Examples

User: Clear all cache

Claude: I'll clear all cached data.
[Uses enkrypt_clear_cache with no arguments]

Cache cleared for all servers (3 servers) and gateway config (cleared)

Response Examples

{
  "status": "success",
  "message": "Cache cleared for all servers (3 servers) and gateway config (cleared)"
}

Tool Annotations

annotations={
    "title": "Clear Cache",
    "readOnlyHint": False,
    "destructiveHint": True,   # Removes cached data
    "idempotentHint": False,
    "openWorldHint": True      # May refresh remote config
}

Cache Configuration

Configure cache behavior in enkrypt_mcp_config.json:

{
  "common_mcp_gateway_config": {
    "enkrypt_tool_cache_expiration": 4,
    "enkrypt_gateway_cache_expiration": 24,
    "enkrypt_mcp_use_external_cache": false,
    "enkrypt_cache_host": "localhost",
    "enkrypt_cache_port": 6379,
    "enkrypt_cache_db": 0,
    "enkrypt_cache_password": null
  }
}

Configuration Options

enkrypt_tool_cache_expiration

integer

default:"4"

Hours to cache discovered tools

enkrypt_gateway_cache_expiration

integer

default:"24"

Hours to cache gateway configuration

enkrypt_mcp_use_external_cache

boolean

default:"false"

Whether to use external cache (Redis/KeyDB)

false: Use local in-memory cache
true: Use external Redis/KeyDB

enkrypt_cache_host

string

default:"localhost"

Redis/KeyDB host (when external cache is enabled)

enkrypt_cache_port

integer

default:"6379"

Redis/KeyDB port

enkrypt_cache_db

integer

default:"0"

Redis database number

enkrypt_cache_password

string

default:"null"

Redis password (if required)

Cache Types Comparison

Local Cache

Pros:

No external dependencies
Fastest access
Simple setup

Cons:

Not shared across instances
Lost on restart
Limited by memory

External Cache (Redis/KeyDB)

Pros:

Shared across instances
Persists across restarts
Scalable

Cons:

Requires external service
Network latency
Additional infrastructure

Common Use Cases

Troubleshoot Missing Tools

If tools aren’t showing up as expected:

Check cache status
Clear cache for the server
Discover tools again

This forces a fresh discovery.

Verify Cache Configuration

After changing cache settings:

Show cache status and confirm it's using external cache

Refresh After Server Update

When a server is updated with new tools:

Clear cache for updated_server and discover its tools

Monitor Cache Health

Regular cache health checks:

Show cache status and check for expired entries

Implementation Details

Service Locations

Cache Status: src/secure_mcp_gateway/services/cache/cache_status_service.py:55
Cache Management: src/secure_mcp_gateway/services/cache/cache_management_service.py:71
Core Cache: src/secure_mcp_gateway/services/cache/cache_service.py

Cache Key Format

Cache keys are hashed for security:

# Tool cache key
key = f"tools_{gateway_id}_{server_name}"
hashed_key = hashlib.md5(key.encode()).hexdigest()

# Gateway config key
key = f"gateway_config_{gateway_id}"
hashed_key = hashlib.md5(key.encode()).hexdigest()

Cache Registry

The gateway maintains a registry of all cache entries for efficient clearing:

cache_registry = {
    "gateway_123": {
        "tool_caches": ["github", "weather"],
        "config_cache": True
    }
}

Performance Impact

Cached tools are retrieved in less than 10ms vs 1-5 seconds for fresh discovery.

Cache Hit Rates

Monitor cache effectiveness:

# Via telemetry
telemetry_manager.cache_hit_counter.add(1)
telemetry_manager.cache_miss_counter.add(1)

# Via timeout metrics
await session.call_tool("enkrypt_get_timeout_metrics")

Best Practices

Regular Monitoring

Check cache status periodically to ensure healthy operation.

Selective Clearing

Clear specific servers rather than all caches when possible.

External Cache for Production

Use Redis/KeyDB for production deployments with multiple instances.

Appropriate TTLs

Set cache expiration based on how frequently tools change.

List Servers

See which servers have cached tools

Discover Tools

Force fresh tool discovery

Timeout Metrics

Monitor cache performance metrics

Configuration

Configure cache settings

REST API

CLI Reference

Gateway Tools

Plugin API

​Overview

​enkrypt_get_cache_status

​Tool Signature

​Return Value

​Usage Examples

​Response Structure

​Understanding Cache States

​Tool Annotations

​enkrypt_clear_cache

​Tool Signature

​Parameters

​Return Value

​Usage Examples

​Response Examples

​Tool Annotations

​Cache Configuration

​Configuration Options

​Cache Types Comparison

Local Cache

External Cache (Redis/KeyDB)

​Common Use Cases

​Implementation Details

​Service Locations

​Cache Key Format

​Cache Registry

​Performance Impact

​Cache Hit Rates

​Best Practices

Regular Monitoring

Selective Clearing

External Cache for Production

Appropriate TTLs

​Related Tools

List Servers

Discover Tools

Timeout Metrics

Configuration

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

enkrypt_get_cache_status

Tool Signature

Return Value

Usage Examples

Response Structure

Understanding Cache States

Tool Annotations

enkrypt_clear_cache

Tool Signature

Parameters

Return Value

Usage Examples

Response Examples

Tool Annotations

Cache Configuration

Configuration Options

Cache Types Comparison

Common Use Cases

Implementation Details

Service Locations

Cache Key Format

Cache Registry

Performance Impact

Cache Hit Rates

Best Practices

Related Tools