How Nacos MCP Router Enables Seamless Multi‑Protocol Support and One‑Click Conversion

Nacos MCP Router is a standard MCP server built on the official MCP SDK, offering intelligent search, installation, and proxy capabilities for MCP clients, and works together with Nacos MCP Registry to manage the full lifecycle of MCP servers and tools.

Key Updates in the Latest Release

The new version adds comprehensive support for SSE and Streamable HTTP protocols, provides a Docker container deployment option, and introduces a one‑click protocol conversion that turns Stdio or SSE MCP servers into Streamable HTTP servers.

Application Scenarios

Heterogeneous System Integration : Protocol conversion breaks barriers between different MCP services.

Micro‑service Architecture : Acts as a supplement to service discovery and configuration centers, enabling efficient MCP service discovery.

AI Assistant Capability Extension : Integrates with AI assistants such as Cline, Cursor, and Claude to provide MCP search, installation, and proxy services.

Cloud‑Native Applications : Docker support makes Nacos MCP Router a true cloud‑native component that can be deployed on Kubernetes and other orchestration platforms.

Multi‑Protocol Support

The router now supports the traditional stdio protocol as well as SSE (Server‑Sent Events) and Streamable HTTP, addressing diverse communication needs in modern distributed systems.

SSE Support

SSE enables event‑push communication, improving real‑time interaction. Example Docker command to run the router with SSE:

docker run -i --rm --network host -e NACOS_ADDR=$NACOS_ADDR -e NACOS_USERNAME=$NACOS_USERNAME -e NACOS_PASSWORD=$NACOS_PASSWORD -e TRANSPORT_TYPE=sse nacos-mcp-router:latest

Note: set the environment variable TRANSPORT_TYPE=sse.

Streamable HTTP Support

Streamable HTTP retains SSE streaming capabilities while offering greater flexibility, lightweight operation, and better compatibility. Example Docker command to enable Streamable HTTP:

docker run -i --rm --network host -e NACOS_ADDR=$NACOS_ADDR -e NACOS_USERNAME=$NACOS_USERNAME -e NACOS_PASSWORD=$NACOS_PASSWORD -e TRANSPORT_TYPE=streamable_http nacos-mcp-router:latest

Configuration JSON for MCP clients using Streamable HTTP:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nacos-mcp-router": {
      "url": "http://$nacos_mcp_router_addr/streamable_http"
    }
  }
}

Limitations of SSE

Connection cannot be recovered after interruption; clients must reconnect and re‑initialize context.

Maintaining long‑lived connections consumes significant server resources and hampers horizontal scaling.

Only supports one‑way server‑to‑client push; client messages still require separate HTTP requests, increasing implementation complexity.

Long‑connection compatibility issues with firewalls, CDNs, load balancers, and serverless platforms.

One‑Click Protocol Conversion (Stdio/SSE → Streamable HTTP)

The router provides a Proxy mode that converts Stdio or SSE MCP servers to Streamable HTTP without code changes. Set MODE=proxy and specify PROXIED_MCP_NAME to let the router fetch the target MCP configuration from Nacos and establish a transparent proxy.

Example Docker command for Proxy mode with Stdio conversion:

docker run -i --rm --network host -e NACOS_ADDR=$NACOS_ADDR -e NACOS_USERNAME=$NACOS_USERNAME -e NACOS_PASSWORD=$NACOS_PASSWORD -e TRANSPORT_TYPE=streamable_http -e MODE=proxy -e PROXIED_MCP_NAME=$PROXIED_MCP_NAME nacos-mcp-router:latest

Demo: Converting an Amap (Gaode) MCP Server

Start the latest Nacos Server in standalone mode:

git clone https://github.com/alibaba/nacos.git
sh $NACOS_DIR/bin/startup.sh -m standalone

Register the Amap MCP service in Nacos (illustrated in the accompanying diagram).

Launch Nacos MCP Router in Proxy mode to convert the Stdio server:

docker run -i --rm --network host -e NACOS_ADDR=127.0.0.1:8848 -e NACOS_USERNAME=nacos -e NACOS_PASSWORD=nacos -e TRANSPORT_TYPE=streamable_http -e MODE=proxy -e PROXIED_MCP_NAME=amap-mcp-server nacos/nacos-mcp-router:latest

Configure the AI assistant (e.g., CherryStudio) to use the Streamable HTTP endpoint, then the tool list becomes visible.

Docker Deployment

Docker images bundle common dependencies (Python, Node, etc.), eliminating the need for manual dependency management and enhancing security. A single command starts the router with the desired transport type:

docker run -i --rm --network host -e NACOS_ADDR=$NACOS_ADDR -e NACOS_USERNAME=$NACOS_USERNAME -e NACOS_PASSWORD=$NACOS_PASSWORD -e TRANSPORT_TYPE=$TRANSPORT_TYPE nacos-mcp-router:latest

For scenarios requiring protocol conversion, combine the transport type with Proxy mode as shown earlier.

Conclusion

The release of Nacos MCP Router marks a significant step toward a more open, flexible, and efficient MCP service ecosystem. Multi‑protocol support, one‑click conversion, and containerized deployment improve developer experience and lay the groundwork for broader adoption and innovation in cloud‑native AI agent applications.