Gateways Documentation

Overview

The Gateways section of the application allows users to connect Ctxpack to external services through MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers. These gateways act as bridges that enable AI agents and LLM clients to interact with your existing tools and services, from GitHub repositories to Slack workspaces to custom databases.

To learn more about what gateways are and how they function, take a look at the What are Ctx Gateways section.

Gateways in Ctxpack

Gateways serve as the foundation for many of the tools available in Ctxpack. When you register a gateway, you're establishing a connection to an external MCP server that exposes various capabilities. These capabilities can then be used in your context packs.

There are two primary ways gateways function in the Ctxpack ecosystem:

1. Tool Providers: Gateways expose tools from external MCP servers, making them available for use in your context packs. All tools that a registered gateway exposes are automatically registered as tools in the Ctxpack application.

2. Service Connectors: Gateways connect your AI workflows to external services like GitHub, Slack, databases, and more. This allows your AI agents to interact directly with these services through natural language.

By using gateways, you can leverage existing MCP servers rather than building everything from scratch. This saves time and ensures compatibility with established services.

Getting Started

Importing Your First Pack

If you're new to Ctxpack and want to quickly get started with pre-configured tools and resources, you can import an existing context pack. This is often the fastest way to begin using the platform effectively.

Our Importing Your First Pack guide provides a step-by-step tutorial on finding, importing, and using context packs in your workflows.

Registering a Gateway

The "Ctx Gateways/create" section allows users to register a new MCP gateway connection. Within this section, you can provide gateway details, specify the transport protocol, define capabilities, and configure authentication.

When registering a gateway, you'll need to provide:

• Gateway Name: A descriptive name for the gateway
• Gateway URL: The URL where the MCP server is running
• Description: Information about what the gateway does
• Scope: Whether the gateway is available to just you or your entire organization
• Authentication: Credentials required to access the MCP server

Once registered, the gateway's capabilities become available as tools that you can include in your context packs.

Best Practices

Choose the Right Gateways

Select gateways that align with your specific workflows and use cases. Consider:

• What external services your AI needs to interact with
• The specific capabilities you need from those services
• The reliability and performance of the MCP server
• Security and authentication requirements

Manage Authentication Securely

When configuring gateways that require authentication:

• Use dedicated API keys with appropriate permissions rather than personal credentials
• Regularly rotate credentials and update your gateway configurations
• Grant only the minimum permissions necessary for your use case
• Monitor gateway usage to detect any unexpected activity

Monitor Gateway Health

Keep an eye on the status of your gateways:

• Check connection status regularly
• Verify that all expected capabilities are available
• Test gateway functionality after updates or changes
• Have fallback plans for when gateways are unavailable

Document Gateway Configurations

Maintain documentation about your gateway configurations:

• Record which gateways are used in which context packs
• Document any custom configuration parameters
• Note any specific limitations or requirements
• Share configuration details with team members who need to use the same gateways

By following these best practices, you can ensure that your gateways remain reliable, secure, and effective components of your AI workflows.