Deploy the MCP Server

Requirements

NVIDIA Run:ai cluster version 2.25 or later.
The MCP server image is available on the NGC catalog with guest access, no NGC account is required to pull it.

Deployment Modes

The MCP server supports two deployment modes:

Mode	Who sets it up	How the AI tool connects
Local (STDIO)	Each user independently	Docker container on the user’s machine
Remote (HTTP)	Cluster administrator	Centrally deployed server, shared across users

Remote Mode (HTTP)

In remote mode, a cluster administrator deploys the MCP server centrally and exposes it at an FQDN. Users connect their AI tools to the shared server using OAuth, without managing service account credentials themselves.

Network Requirements

The following network paths must be open:

User’s AI agent → MCP server
MCP server → NVIDIA Run:ai control plane

Deploy the MCP Server

Run the MCP server container with HTTP transport enabled:

docker run -d -p 8080:8080 \
  -e RUNAI_BASE_URL=https://<your-runai-url> \
  -e RUNAI_TRANSPORT=http \
  nvcr.io/nvidia/runai/runai-mcp-server

Expose the container at an FQDN accessible to users on your network. The MCP endpoint is available at <fqdn>/mcp.

Configuration Reference

The following environment variables apply to both deployment modes unless noted otherwise:

Variable	Description	Applies to	Default
`RUNAI_BASE_URL`	NVIDIA Run:ai control plane URL	Both	Required
`RUNAI_CLIENT_ID`	Service account client ID	STDIO only	Required
`RUNAI_CLIENT_SECRET`	Service account client secret	STDIO only	Required
`RUNAI_TRANSPORT`	Transport mode: `stdio` or `http`	Both	`stdio`
`RUNAI_MCP_LISTEN_PORT`	Listen port	HTTP only	`8080`
`RUNAI_ALLOW_WRITE_TOOLS`	Expose write (mutating) tools	Both	`false`