---
title: Installation
slug: litmus-mcp-server/installation
docTags: 
createdAt: 2026-05-11T21:38:25.788Z
---

The Litmus MCP Server ships as a single Docker image that runs in two modes:

| Mode          | Page            | When to use                                                                                          |
| ------------- | --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Docker (SSE)  | [Docker](#)     | Default. Remote or shared MCP server. Any HTTP/SSE-capable client.                                   |
| STDIO (local) | [STDIO Mode](#) | Single-user local install for Claude Desktop or other STDIO-only clients. Requires cloning the repo. |

For production deployments, you almost always also want:

- [Persistent Configuration](#) - mount `/app/.env` from the host so the Web UI's saved settings survive container replacement.

## Ports

| Port | Service          | When exposed                                    |
| ---- | ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| 8000 | MCP SSE endpoint | Always, in Docker mode.                         |
| 9000 | Web UI / FastAPI | Optional. Skip if you only want the MCP server. |

The Web UI process supervises the MCP server process; both come up from the same container.

## Minimal command

```bash
docker run -d --name litmus-mcp-server \
  -p 8000:8000 \
  ghcr.io/litmusautomation/litmus-mcp-server:latest
```

See [Docker](#) for the full options (ARM64, Web UI, environment variables) and [Persistent Configuration](#) for the volume mount that retains your settings.