MCP Proxy

MCP Proxy is a command-line tool that translates between MCP server transports, specifically stdio and SSE/StreamableHTTP.

MCP Proxy functions as a bridge for Model Context Protocol servers by switching between transport modes. It supports two primary configurations: converting stdio to SSE/StreamableHTTP, or exposing an SSE server that connects to a local stdio process. This allows applications like Claude Desktop to communicate with remote servers over SSE, even when those clients lack native support for it. The tool includes support for OAuth2 authentication, custom headers, and named server configurations defined via CLI arguments or JSON files. It can be installed as a package from PyPI or used as a container image.

MCP Proxy at a glance

Best for: Software engineer
Runs on: CLI, self-hosted
Pricing: Free
Released: December 2024
Category: AI coding tool
Website: github.com/sparfenyuk/mcp-proxy

Key features

Conversion between stdio and SSE transport protocols
StreamableHTTP transport support
Support for remote connections to local stdio servers
Named server definitions via CLI or JSON config files
OAuth2 authentication support
Custom header and environment variable configuration
CORS and origin restriction settings

Use it for

Connecting MCP clients to remote SSE-based MCP servers
Exposing local stdio MCP servers for remote access
Integrating multiple MCP servers under a single proxy endpoint

Alternatives to MCP Proxy

mcp-router — Reduces Claude Code tokens by 13% to 44% using tool search and JSON shaping
Coding Tools MCP — Turns any chat app into a coding agent with strict workspace safety boundaries.
Awesome Remote MCP Servers — Browse thousands of hosted endpoints without local installation.
MCP Java SDK — Official Java implementation with core STDIO, SSE, and Streamable HTTP transports.
MCP Python SDK — Builds protocol servers and clients using standard Python type hints.
AWS MCP Servers — Provides real-time access to official AWS documentation and infrastructure tools.
MetaMCP — Centralizes MCP server management with enterprise authentication and scaling.
MCP Registry — It enables discovery of Model Context Protocol servers.
MCP Inspector — Test and debug MCP servers via web, CLI, and terminal interfaces.
MCP.so — Browse curated servers and clients for Claude, Cursor, and other AI tools.
MCP C# SDK — Official C# implementation for the Model Context Protocol.
MCP TypeScript SDK — Official TypeScript implementation of the Model Context Protocol.

All MCP Proxy alternatives