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Installation

This guide will help you install and set up MCP Gatekeeper on your local machine.

Prerequisites​

Before installing MCP Gatekeeper, ensure you have the following installed:

  • Node.js: >= 18.0.0
  • npm: >= 9.0.0
  • Python: >= 3.9
  • pip: Latest version

Verify Prerequisites​

Check your installed versions:

node --version  # Should be >= 18.0.0
npm --version   # Should be >= 9.0.0
python3 --version  # Should be >= 3.9
pip3 --version

Installation Steps​

1. Clone the Repository​

git clone https://github.com/your-org/mcp-gatekeeper.git
cd mcp-gatekeeper

2. Install Root Dependencies​

npm install

This will install dependencies for all workspaces (frontend, backend, docs) using Turborepo.

3. Install Backend Dependencies​

cd apps/backend
pip install -r requirements.txt
cd ../..

Alternatively, if you're using a virtual environment:

cd apps/backend
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
cd ../..

4. Configure Environment Variables​

Create .env files for backend and frontend:

Backend Configuration​

Create apps/backend/.env:

# Database
DATABASE_URL=sqlite:///./gatekeeper.db

# Server
HOST=127.0.0.1
PORT=8000

# Authentication
AUTH_TOKEN=your-secret-token-here
AUTH_TOKEN_HEADER_NAME=X-MCPGK-Token

# CORS
CORS_ORIGINS=http://localhost:5173,http://127.0.0.1:5173

Frontend Configuration​

Create apps/frontend/.env:

VITE_API_URL=http://127.0.0.1:8000

Verification​

Run in Development Mode​

Test your installation by running both backend and frontend:

# Run all services
npm run dev

Or run individually:

# Run backend only
npm run backend:dev

# Run frontend only (in another terminal)
npm run frontend:dev

Access the Application​

Once running, access:

Troubleshooting​

Port Already in Use​

If ports 8000 or 5173 are already in use, you can change them in the configuration files:

  • Backend: Update PORT in apps/backend/.env
  • Frontend: Update the dev server port in apps/frontend/vite.config.ts

Python Module Not Found​

Ensure you've installed the backend dependencies:

cd apps/backend
pip install -r requirements.txt

Node Modules Issues​

Try clearing and reinstalling:

npm run clean
npm install

Next Steps​