# Docker Deployment Guide for Home Assistant MCP Server

This guide explains how to run the Home Assistant MCP Server in Docker, similar to the MCP Toolkit in Docker Desktop.

## Table of Contents

- [Quick Start](#quick-start)
- [Docker Compose Setup](#docker-compose-setup)
- [Configuration](#configuration)
- [Using with Docker Desktop MCP Support](#using-with-docker-desktop-mcp-support)
- [Using with Claude Desktop](#using-with-claude-desktop)
- [Networking Considerations](#networking-considerations)
- [Building the Image](#building-the-image)
- [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)
- [Advanced Configuration](#advanced-configuration)

---

## Quick Start

### Prerequisites

- Docker installed (Docker Desktop 4.34+ for MCP support)
- Home Assistant instance running
- Home Assistant long-lived access token

### 1. Create Environment File

Create a `.env` file in the project root:

```bash
# Copy the example
cp .env.example .env

# Edit with your details
nano .env
```

Add your Home Assistant details:

```env
HA_BASE_URL=http://homeassistant.local:8123
HA_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_long_lived_access_token_here
```

### 2. Build and Run

```bash
# Build and start the container
docker-compose up -d

# Check logs
docker-compose logs -f

# Stop the container
docker-compose down
```

---

## Docker Compose Setup

The provided `docker-compose.yml` includes:

- **Multi-stage build** for optimized image size
- **Host networking** for easy Home Assistant access
- **Security hardening** (read-only filesystem, non-root user)
- **Resource limits** (256MB RAM, 0.5 CPU)
- **Health checks** for container monitoring
- **Automatic restarts** unless manually stopped

### Basic Usage

```bash
# Start in background
docker-compose up -d

# View logs
docker-compose logs -f ha-mcp-server

# Restart
docker-compose restart

# Stop
docker-compose down

# Rebuild after code changes
docker-compose up -d --build
```

---

## Configuration

### Environment Variables

Configure via `.env` file or docker-compose environment section:

| Variable | Required | Default | Description |
|----------|----------|---------|-------------|
| `HA_BASE_URL` | Yes | - | Home Assistant URL (e.g., `http://homeassistant.local:8123`) |
| `HA_ACCESS_TOKEN` | Yes | - | Long-lived access token from HA |
| `NODE_ENV` | No | `production` | Node environment |

### Getting a Home Assistant Access Token

1. Log into Home Assistant
2. Click your profile (bottom left)
3. Scroll to "Long-Lived Access Tokens"
4. Click "Create Token"
5. Give it a name (e.g., "MCP Server")
6. Copy the token immediately (shown only once)

---

## Using with Docker Desktop MCP Support

Docker Desktop 4.34+ includes native MCP support in the AI tools section.

### Setup

1. **Build the image:**
   ```bash
   docker-compose build
   ```

2. **Tag for Docker Desktop:**
   ```bash
   docker tag ha-mcp-server:latest ha-mcp-server:latest
   ```

3. **Configure in Docker Desktop:**

   Open Docker Desktop settings and add to MCP servers:

   ```json
   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "home-assistant": {
         "command": "docker",
         "args": [
           "run",
           "--rm",
           "-i",
           "--network=host",
           "-e", "HA_BASE_URL=http://homeassistant.local:8123",
           "-e", "HA_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_token_here",
           "ha-mcp-server:latest"
         ]
       }
     }
   }
   ```

4. **Restart Docker Desktop** to load the MCP server

### Verification

The MCP server should appear in Docker Desktop's AI tools section. You can then use it with any integrated AI assistant.

---

## Using with Claude Desktop

### Method 1: Using Docker Directly

Add to `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` (macOS) or `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json` (Windows):

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "home-assistant": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "--network=host",
        "-e", "HA_BASE_URL=http://homeassistant.local:8123",
        "-e", "HA_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_long_lived_access_token",
        "ha-mcp-server:latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Method 2: Using Docker Compose

Create a wrapper script `run-mcp.sh`:

```bash
#!/bin/bash
docker-compose run --rm ha-mcp-server
```

Make it executable:
```bash
chmod +x run-mcp.sh
```

Configure Claude Desktop:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "home-assistant": {
      "command": "/Users/felix/Nextcloud/AI/projects/ha-mcp-server/run-mcp.sh"
    }
  }
}
```

### Restart Claude Desktop

After configuration changes, fully quit and restart Claude Desktop.

---

## Networking Considerations

### Host Network Mode (Default)

The default configuration uses `network_mode: host`, which:

- ✅ Simplest setup
- ✅ Direct access to Home Assistant on local network
- ✅ No port mapping needed
- ⚠️ Linux-only feature (works differently on macOS/Windows)

### Bridge Network Mode

If your Home Assistant is also in Docker, use bridge networking:

1. **Update docker-compose.yml:**

   ```yaml
   version: '3.8'

   services:
     ha-mcp-server:
       build: .
       environment:
         - HA_BASE_URL=http://homeassistant:8123
         - HA_ACCESS_TOKEN=${HA_ACCESS_TOKEN}
       networks:
         - ha-network
       # Remove network_mode: host

   networks:
     ha-network:
       external: true  # If HA network exists
       # Or create new network:
       # driver: bridge
   ```

2. **Connect to Home Assistant network:**

   ```bash
   # Find HA network
   docker network ls

   # Update docker-compose.yml with correct network name
   # Then start
   docker-compose up -d
   ```

### macOS/Windows Considerations

On macOS and Windows, Docker runs in a VM:

- `host` networking works differently
- Use explicit URLs like `http://host.docker.internal:8123`
- Or use bridge networking with proper network setup

---

## Building the Image

### Build Locally

```bash
# Using docker-compose
docker-compose build

# Using docker directly
docker build -t ha-mcp-server:latest .

# Build with no cache
docker-compose build --no-cache
```

### Build Arguments

The Dockerfile supports Node.js version customization:

```bash
docker build \
  --build-arg NODE_VERSION=20 \
  -t ha-mcp-server:latest \
  .
```

### Multi-Architecture Builds

For running on different platforms (e.g., Raspberry Pi):

```bash
# Enable buildx
docker buildx create --use

# Build for multiple architectures
docker buildx build \
  --platform linux/amd64,linux/arm64,linux/arm/v7 \
  -t ha-mcp-server:latest \
  --push \
  .
```

---

## Troubleshooting

### Container Won't Start

**Check logs:**
```bash
docker-compose logs ha-mcp-server
```

**Common issues:**

1. **Missing environment variables**
   - Ensure `.env` file exists
   - Check variable names match exactly

2. **Cannot reach Home Assistant**
   - Verify `HA_BASE_URL` is correct
   - Check network connectivity: `docker exec ha-mcp-server ping homeassistant.local`
   - Try IP address instead of hostname

3. **Permission denied**
   - Container runs as non-root user
   - Check file permissions if mounting volumes

### Connection Errors

**Test Home Assistant connection:**

```bash
# Enter container
docker exec -it ha-mcp-server sh

# Test connection (requires curl installation for this test)
# Note: Base image is alpine, so use wget instead
wget -O- http://homeassistant.local:8123/api/
```

**Check environment variables:**

```bash
docker exec ha-mcp-server env | grep HA_
```

### MCP Communication Issues

**Verify stdio communication:**

The MCP server communicates via stdio (stdin/stdout), not network ports.

```bash
# Test directly
echo '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"initialize","params":{},"id":1}' | \
  docker run -i --rm \
  -e HA_BASE_URL=http://homeassistant.local:8123 \
  -e HA_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_token \
  ha-mcp-server:latest
```

### Performance Issues

**Check resource usage:**

```bash
docker stats ha-mcp-server
```

**Adjust resource limits** in docker-compose.yml:

```yaml
deploy:
  resources:
    limits:
      cpus: '1.0'      # Increase CPU limit
      memory: 512M     # Increase memory limit
```

### Container Restarting Every 30 Seconds

**Symptom:** You see repeated connection messages in the logs:
```
Home Assistant MCP Server running on stdio
Successfully connected to Home Assistant
Home Assistant MCP Server running on stdio
Successfully connected to Home Assistant
...
```

**Cause:** MCP servers communicate via stdio (stdin/stdout). Docker healthchecks interfere with stdio, causing the healthcheck to fail and Docker to restart the container.

**Solution:** The healthcheck is now disabled by default in docker-compose.yml:

```yaml
# In docker-compose.yml
healthcheck:
  disable: true

# And restart policy is set to "no" since MCP servers run on-demand
restart: "no"
```

If you have an older version, update your docker-compose.yml with these settings and rebuild:

```bash
docker-compose down
docker-compose up -d --build
```

---

## Advanced Configuration

### Running Multiple Instances

Run multiple MCP servers for different Home Assistant instances:

```yaml
# docker-compose.yml
version: '3.8'

services:
  ha-mcp-server-home:
    build: .
    container_name: ha-mcp-home
    environment:
      - HA_BASE_URL=http://home.local:8123
      - HA_ACCESS_TOKEN=${HA_TOKEN_HOME}
    network_mode: host

  ha-mcp-server-cabin:
    build: .
    container_name: ha-mcp-cabin
    environment:
      - HA_BASE_URL=http://cabin.local:8123
      - HA_ACCESS_TOKEN=${HA_TOKEN_CABIN}
    network_mode: host
```

### Custom Logging

**Change log format:**

```yaml
# docker-compose.yml
logging:
  driver: "json-file"
  options:
    max-size: "50m"
    max-file: "5"
    labels: "ha-mcp-server"
```

**Use external logging:**

```yaml
logging:
  driver: "syslog"
  options:
    syslog-address: "tcp://192.168.1.100:514"
```

### Monitoring with Prometheus

Add labels for monitoring:

```yaml
labels:
  - "prometheus.scrape=true"
  - "prometheus.port=9090"
```

### Read-Only Filesystem

The container uses a read-only root filesystem for security:

```yaml
read_only: true
tmpfs:
  - /tmp      # Allows temp file writes
```

To allow writes to specific locations:

```yaml
volumes:
  - ./data:/app/data:rw
read_only: true
```

### Custom Node.js Options

Pass Node.js flags:

```yaml
command: ["node", "--max-old-space-size=128", "build/index.js"]
```

---

## Docker Image Details

### Image Layers

1. **Base:** `node:20-alpine` (~40MB)
2. **Dependencies:** Production npm packages
3. **Application:** Compiled TypeScript code
4. **Total:** ~100-150MB

### Security Features

- ✅ Non-root user (nodejs:nodejs)
- ✅ Read-only root filesystem
- ✅ No new privileges
- ✅ Minimal base image (Alpine)
- ✅ Multi-stage build (no dev dependencies)
- ✅ No shell access required

### Optimization

- Multi-stage build reduces image size
- Alpine Linux base for minimal footprint
- Production dependencies only in final image
- No development tools included

---

## Integration Examples

### Docker Desktop AI Assistant

Once configured in Docker Desktop, use natural language:

```
You: "Turn on the living room lights"
AI: Uses home-assistant MCP tool to call service
    → Lights turn on

You: "What's the temperature in the bedroom?"
AI: Uses home-assistant resource to get state
    → Returns temperature
```

### CI/CD Pipeline

```yaml
# .github/workflows/docker.yml
name: Build and Push

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Build Docker image
        run: docker build -t ha-mcp-server:latest .

      - name: Test
        run: |
          docker run --rm \
            -e HA_BASE_URL=http://test:8123 \
            -e HA_ACCESS_TOKEN=test \
            ha-mcp-server:latest \
            node -e "console.log('OK')"
```

---

## Comparison with Direct Installation

| Feature | Docker | Direct |
|---------|--------|--------|
| Setup Complexity | Medium | Easy |
| Isolation | ✅ Excellent | ⚠️ None |
| Resource Usage | ~150MB | ~100MB |
| Updates | Rebuild image | `npm update` |
| Portability | ✅ Excellent | ⚠️ Platform dependent |
| Debugging | Harder | Easier |
| Security | ✅ Sandboxed | ⚠️ Full system access |
| MCP Desktop Integration | ✅ Native | ✅ Native |

---

## Next Steps

1. ✅ **Built and configured** the Docker container
2. ✅ **Set up environment** variables
3. ✅ **Started the service** with docker-compose
4. → **Configure Claude Desktop** or Docker Desktop to use it
5. → **Test with commands** like "turn on lights"
6. → **Monitor logs** for issues

---

## Resources

- **Docker Documentation:** https://docs.docker.com/
- **Docker Compose Reference:** https://docs.docker.com/compose/
- **MCP Specification:** https://modelcontextprotocol.io/
- **Home Assistant API:** https://developers.home-assistant.io/docs/api/rest/
- **Docker Desktop MCP:** https://docs.docker.com/desktop/mcp/

---

## Getting Help

If you encounter issues:

1. Check logs: `docker-compose logs -f`
2. Verify environment: `docker exec ha-mcp-server env`
3. Test HA connection from container
4. Review this documentation
5. Check Home Assistant logs for API errors

The MCP server is now fully containerized and ready for use with Docker Desktop's AI tools or Claude Desktop! 🐳🏠🤖