> Fetch clean Markdown by appending `.md` to any page URL under https://signalwire.com/docs or requesting it with the HTTP header `Accept: text/markdown`. The root index at https://signalwire.com/docs/llms.txt lists the available documentation indexes.

# MCP Gateway

> Bridge MCP servers with SignalWire SWAIG functions via an HTTP gateway.

[agentbase-addmcpserver]: /docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/agent-base/add-mcp-server

[mcp-gateway-cli-command]: /docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/cli/mcp-gateway

[mcp-gateway]: /docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/mcp-gateway

[session-manager]: /docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/session-manager

[mcp-manager]: /docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/mcp-manager

[mcp-client]: /docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/mcp-client

The MCP Gateway module provides an HTTP/HTTPS server that bridges
[Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) (MCP) servers with
SignalWire SWAIG functions. It manages sessions, handles authentication, and
translates between the MCP JSON-RPC protocol and SignalWire's tool-calling
interface.

Use the MCP Gateway when you want to expose tools from one or more MCP servers
as SWAIG functions that a SignalWire AI agent can call during a conversation.

```python
from signalwire.mcp_gateway import MCPGateway

gateway = MCPGateway("config.json")
gateway.run()
```

> **Info**
>
> For agent-side MCP integration, see
> [`AgentBase.add_mcp_server()`][agentbase-addmcpserver].
> For the CLI entry point, see the
> [`mcp-gateway` CLI command][mcp-gateway-cli-command].

## **Learn More**

#### [MCPGateway](/docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/mcp-gateway)

The main gateway service class. Loads configuration, sets up routes, and runs the HTTP server.

#### [Session Management](/docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/session-manager)

Session and SessionManager classes for tracking MCP session lifecycles.

#### [MCP Management](/docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/mcp-manager)

MCPService and MCPManager classes for spawning and managing MCP servers.

#### [MCPClient](/docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/mcp-client)

Client for communicating with a single MCP server subprocess via JSON-RPC.

> Bridge MCP servers with SignalWire SWAIG functions via an HTTP gateway.

## Docs

- [MCPClient](https://signalwire.com/docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/mcp-client.md): Manage a single MCP server subprocess with JSON-RPC communication.
- [MCPGateway](https://signalwire.com/docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/mcp-gateway.md): The main HTTP gateway service bridging MCP servers with SignalWire SWAIG functions.
- [run](https://signalwire.com/docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/mcp-gateway/run.md): Start the MCP Gateway HTTP server.
- [shutdown](https://signalwire.com/docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/mcp-gateway/shutdown.md): Gracefully shut down the MCP Gateway service.
- [MCPService, MCPClient & MCPManager](https://signalwire.com/docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/mcp-manager.md): Spawn, communicate with, and manage MCP server processes.
- [create_client](https://signalwire.com/docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/mcp-manager/create-client.md): Create and start a new MCP client for a service.
- [get_service_tools](https://signalwire.com/docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/mcp-manager/get-service-tools.md): Discover a service's available tools without maintaining a persistent session.
- [shutdown](https://signalwire.com/docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/mcp-manager/shutdown.md): Stop all active MCP clients.
- [validate_services](https://signalwire.com/docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/mcp-manager/validate-services.md): Validate that all configured services can be started successfully.
- [Session & SessionManager](https://signalwire.com/docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/session-manager.md): Manage MCP session lifecycles with automatic timeout and cleanup.
- [close_session](https://signalwire.com/docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/session-manager/close-session.md): Close and remove a session.
- [create_session](https://signalwire.com/docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/session-manager/create-session.md): Create and register a new MCP session.
- [get_session](https://signalwire.com/docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/session-manager/get-session.md): Retrieve an active session by ID.
- [list_sessions](https://signalwire.com/docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/session-manager/list-sessions.md): List all active sessions with their metadata.
- [shutdown](https://signalwire.com/docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/session-manager/shutdown.md): Close all sessions and stop the background cleanup thread.