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# MCPService, MCPClient & MCPManager

> Spawn, communicate with, and manage MCP server processes.

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

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

[getservicetools]: /docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/mcp-manager/get-service-tools

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

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

These classes handle the low-level lifecycle of MCP server processes: defining
service configurations, spawning sandboxed subprocesses, communicating over
JSON-RPC, and managing multiple services.

```python
from signalwire.mcp_gateway import MCPService, MCPClient, MCPManager
```

---

## MCPService

A dataclass that holds the configuration for a single MCP service. Loaded
automatically from the gateway configuration file by
[`MCPManager`](#mcpmanager).

### Properties

**`name`** `str`

Unique name identifying this MCP service.

---

**`command`** `list[str]`

The command and arguments used to spawn the MCP server process (e.g.,
`["python3", "my_server.py"]`).

---

**`description`** `str`

Human-readable description of what this service provides.

---

**`enabled`** `bool` — default: True

Whether this service is enabled. Disabled services are skipped during loading.

---

**`sandbox_config`** `dict[str, Any]`

Sandbox configuration controlling process isolation. Defaults to:

```python
{"enabled": True, "resource_limits": True, "restricted_env": True}
```

---

**`sandbox_config.enabled`** `bool` — default: True

Enable process sandboxing. When `False`, the MCP server runs with full
environment access.

---

**`sandbox_config.resource_limits`** `bool` — default: True

Apply CPU, memory, process count, and file size limits to the spawned process.

---

**`sandbox_config.restricted_env`** `bool` — default: True

Run with a minimal environment (PATH, HOME, TMPDIR only). When `False`, the
full parent environment is inherited.

---

**`sandbox_config.drop_privileges`** `bool` — default: False

Drop to the `nobody` user when running as root.

---

**`sandbox_config.working_dir`** `str`

Working directory for the spawned process. Defaults to the current directory.

---

---

## MCPManager

Manages multiple MCP services and their client lifecycles. Loads service
definitions from the gateway configuration, creates clients on demand, and
handles bulk shutdown.

### Properties

**`services`** `dict[str, MCPService]`

Dictionary mapping service names to their [`MCPService`](#mcpservice) definitions.

---

## **Methods**

#### [create\_client](/docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/mcp-manager/create-client)

Create and start a new MCP client for a service.

#### [get\_service\_tools](/docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/mcp-manager/get-service-tools)

Discover a service's available tools.

#### [validate\_services](/docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/mcp-gateway/mcp-manager/validate-services)

Validate that all configured services can start.

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

Stop all active MCP clients.

> **Info**
>
> For the MCPClient class (created by `create_client()`), see the
> [MCPClient reference][mcpclient-reference].

> Spawn, communicate with, and manage MCP server processes.

## Docs

- [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.