Hashing

You can run a lightweight MCP server that exposes two cryptographic hashing tools. It allows you to compute MD5 and SHA-256 hashes for arbitrary text from MCP clients, such as code editors or AI assistants, and integrates with your workflow without building from scratch.

How to use

Choose a runtime method (Docker-based or direct Python) and then connect your MCP client to the server using the corresponding command. Once connected, send prompts that request calculate_md5 or calculate_sha256 hashes for the text you provide. The server will return the requested hash values for your inputs.

Using Docker is the simplest way to start quickly. Run the container, keep STDIN open, and communicate with your MCP client to send hashing requests. You can run the Docker image and then configure your MCP client to launch the container for each request.

If you prefer to run the server locally in a Python environment, install the package, locate the executable, and configure your MCP client to invoke the local script or module. You can run the server directly with the provided entry point or via Python module execution.

How to install

Prerequisites to install and run the server include Docker for the container-based approach or Python 3.13+ with a virtual environment for the local approach.

Option 1: Running the Server with Docker (Recommended) Install Docker and pull the image. Then configure your MCP client to start the container as needed.

# Pull the latest Docker image
docker pull kunalpathak13/hashing-mcp-server:latest

Configure your MCP client to launch the container using the image name. For example, in a VS Code MCP settings file or Claude Desktop configuration, provide the docker run command as the executable that will be invoked for hashing requests.

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "hashing-docker": {
        "command": "docker",
        "args": [
          "run",
          "-i",
          "--rm",
          "kunalpathak13/hashing-mcp-server:latest"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 2: Running the Server Directly (Python Environment) If you prefer not to use Docker, set up a Python virtual environment and install the package, then run the server directly from the installed executable or as a module.

# Create and activate a virtual environment
mkdir my_mcp_setup && cd my_mcp_setup
uv venv
source .venv/bin/activate

# Install the package in editable or standard mode
uv pip install hashing-mcp-server
# or
# pip install hashing-mcp-server

# Find the absolute path to the installed script (example)
which hashing-mcp-server
# or on Windows
where hashing-mcp-server

Additional notes and configuration

Tools exposed by this MCP server are: calculate_md5 and calculate_sha256. Use them in your prompts to request cryptographic hashes of input text.

Environment and package manager considerations: you can run with Docker (recommended) or in a Python environment using a virtual environment. The commands shown here use standard tooling such as Docker, Python, and the uv tool for virtual environments.

Available tools

calculate_md5

Computes the MD5 hash of a given text and returns the hash string.

calculate_sha256

Computes the SHA-256 hash of a given text and returns the hash string.