MCP gateway
An MCP gateway you don't have to run
An MCP gateway sits between your agents and the apps they use. Each agent connects to one address instead of one MCP server per app, and the gateway handles sign-in, permissions and which tools the agent sees. Lug is a hosted one: claim yourname.lug.dev, connect your apps, and paste the URL into Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or Codex.
Four servers, or one URL
Without a gateway, every client keeps its own copy of the first file, tokens included. With Lug, every client gets the second one.
{
"mcpServers": {
"github": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
"env": { "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "ghp_…" }
},
"slack": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-slack"],
"env": { "SLACK_BOT_TOKEN": "xoxb-…", "SLACK_TEAM_ID": "T…" }
},
"linear": { "url": "https://mcp.linear.app/mcp" },
"notion": { "url": "https://mcp.notion.com/mcp" }
}
}{
"mcpServers": {
"lug": {
"url": "https://maya.lug.dev/work"
}
}
}What an MCP gateway does
One address for every app
Agents connect to one URL. Add or remove an app in the gateway and every agent on that URL sees the change, with no config to edit on each machine or in each client.
Sign-in in one place
OAuth tokens and API keys stay in the gateway instead of in plain-text config files. Lug encrypts them with a key per connected account and the agent never sees them. Revoke one app and keep the rest.
Rules for each agent
Paths give each agent its own apps: /work for Claude, /personal for ChatGPT, and the work agent can't reach your personal calendar. Each path has a mode: Read, Cautious (deletes wait for your approval), Strict (every write waits) or Open.
A short tool list
An agent that loads every server's tools fills its context window before it starts. Through Lug it sees at most 14 tools however many apps are connected, and looks up an app's operations only when it needs them.
500+ apps, nothing to install
Gmail, Slack, GitHub, Linear, Notion, HubSpot and the rest connect with a sign-in on Corsair Hub. There is no server to install, update or keep running.
How Lug works
- 01
Claim your address
Pick a handle and get yourname.lug.dev.
- 02
Connect your apps
Sign in to each app once. Group them into paths such as /work and /personal.
- 03
Paste the URL into each agent
Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Codex, OpenCode, VS Code, Windsurf, Zed, or any client that accepts a remote MCP URL.
Lug or a gateway you run yourself
Lug
Hosted by Corsair. Claim an address and connect apps that are already wired up; nothing to deploy. Made for people and small teams who use several agents.
Self-hosted gateways
Open-source gateways such as Microsoft's MCP Gateway (on Kubernetes) and Docker's MCP Gateway (in Docker Desktop or its CLI). You run them, bring your own MCP servers and credentials, and keep everything on your own machines.
Enterprise gateways
Platforms such as Kong, TrueFoundry and Traefik, for platform teams putting many internal MCP servers behind single sign-on, audit logs and company-wide policies.
Questions
What is an MCP gateway?
A single endpoint that sits between AI agents and the MCP servers or apps they use. The agent connects to the gateway, and the gateway handles sign-in, decides which tools the agent may use and routes each call to the right app.
Do I need an MCP gateway?
Not for one agent and one server. Once you use several MCP servers, or the same ones in more than one agent, a gateway saves you a config block per app in every client, keeps tokens out of those files and keeps the agent's tool list short.
What is the difference between an MCP gateway and an MCP server?
An MCP server exposes the tools of one app or system. A gateway sits in front of many of them and adds one address, one place to sign in, access rules and routing.
Is an MCP gateway the same as an API gateway?
No. An API gateway fronts REST APIs for apps and services. An MCP gateway speaks the Model Context Protocol to agents and decides which tools each agent sees and what it may do with them.
Is Lug self-hosted?
No, Corsair hosts it. Lug runs on the Corsair SDK, which is open source under Apache 2.0, if you need to run the same thing in your own infrastructure.
How many tools does my agent see through Lug?
At most 14, such as search, list_operations and run_script, however many apps you connect. The agent asks for an app's operations when it needs them, so connected apps don't fill its context window.
How do I add my Lug URL to Claude?
In Claude, open Customize, then Connectors, then Add custom connector, and paste your address, such as yourname.lug.dev/work. Claude sends you to Corsair to sign in and allow that one path. Cursor, ChatGPT, Codex and the rest take the same URL in their own MCP settings.
Is it safe to connect my Gmail and Slack to Lug?
Lug encrypts every token and synced record with a key per connected account, and the keys that unlock them are held in AWS Key Management Service. Agents never see a token, and each path's mode decides which actions need your approval. The details are on corsair.dev/security.
What does Lug cost?
You can start on the free Hobby plan. Apps that run on Corsair's own account, such as Exa and Firecrawl, cost Corsair credits per call: 100 free credits a month, then $1 buys 100 credits.