Curl

You can run a dedicated MCP server that exposes curl functionality with full network access. This lets you execute curl commands through a managed MCP endpoint, including support for HTTPS, custom headers, authentication, and a local network reachability via host networking.

How to use

Use this MCP server through your MCP client to run curl commands with the same options you’d use locally. You can issue requests that reach both the internet and devices on your local network (thanks to host networking). Include headers, authentication, and certificates as needed, and rely on a graceful 5-minute timeout for long-running requests.

How to install

Prerequisites: you need Docker installed on your machine. Docker Compose is recommended for a simple setup, but you can also run the container directly with Docker CLI.

# Option 1: Using Docker Compose (Recommended)
cd curl-mcp-server

docker-compose up -d --build

docker-compose ps

# Option 2: Using Docker CLI
# Build the image

docker build -t curl-mcp-server .

# Run the container with host networking

docker run -d --name curl-mcp-server --network host curl-mcp-server

Configuration with Claude Desktop

To use this MCP server with Claude Desktop, add the following to your MCP settings configuration file.

On macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json On Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "curl": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["exec", "-i", "curl-mcp-server", "python", "/app/server.py"]
    }
  }
}

After adding this configuration: 1) Restart Claude Desktop 2) The curl tool should now be available

Usage examples

Once configured, you can issue curl commands through Claude to reach local networks or the internet. Examples include using self-signed certificates, sending authentication headers, and performing standard HTTP requests.

curl -k https://192.168.1.1

curl -k -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" https://192.168.1.1/api/v2/monitor/system/status

curl -X POST https://api.example.com/endpoint -d '{"key":"value"}'

Network access

This container is configured to run with host networking, which gives it direct access to your local network (including 192.168.x.x addresses), the internet, and all network interfaces on your machine.

Troubleshooting

If the container is not starting, check the logs to identify the issue.

docker-compose logs

You can test the container manually by running curl inside the container to verify network access.

docker exec -it curl-mcp-server curl -k https://192.168.1.1

If you need to rebuild after changes, bring the stack down and start it again with build.

docker-compose down

docker-compose up -d --build

To confirm network access from inside the container, test a couple of endpoints.

docker exec -it curl-mcp-server curl https://google.com

docker exec -it curl-mcp-server curl -k https://192.168.1.1

Stopping the Server

To stop the server, use the appropriate command for how you started it.

# If you started with Docker Compose

docker-compose down

# If you started with Docker CLI

docker rm -f curl-mcp-server

Security notes

Be aware that this server has full network access when using host networking. Exercise caution with the commands you run, and consider firewall rules if you need stricter control over outbound traffic.

Available tools

curl

Executes curl commands with full options, supporting custom headers, HTTPS, and various HTTP methods through the MCP server.