Tutorial: Managing Tools with Gatekit

This tutorial shows how to filter, rename, and customize tool descriptions using the Tool Manager plugin.

Why Manage Tools?

MCP servers often expose more tools than you need. Extra tools:

Tool Manager lets you curate exactly which tools are visible to your MCP client.

Prerequisites

Step 1: Open the Server Panel

  1. Run gatekit
  2. Select your config file (or use the default)
  3. In the main view, select the server you want to configure
  4. Press Enter to open the server panel

Tool Manager is configured per-server because each server has different tools.

Step 2: Enable Tool Manager

  1. In the server panel, find Tool Manager under the Middleware section
  2. Select it and press Enter to open the configuration modal
  3. Toggle Enabled to on

Step 3: Select Which Tools to Allow

The Tool Manager uses an allowlist - only checked tools are visible to your MCP client.

  1. In the configuration modal, you'll see a list of all tools from this server
  2. Check the tools you want to keep visible
  3. Uncheck tools you want to hide

Tip: Start by unchecking tools you never use. You can always re-enable them later.

Step 4: Rename a Tool (Optional)

Tool names from MCP servers aren't always clear. You can rename them:

  1. Select a tool in the list
  2. Edit the Display Name field
  3. The original tool still works - Gatekit translates the name automatically

Example: Rename fs_read to read_file for clarity.

Step 5: Customize a Description (Optional)

Tool descriptions help the agent understand when to use each tool. Override unclear descriptions:

  1. Select a tool in the list
  2. Edit the Display Description field
  3. Write a clear, specific description

Example: Change puppeteer_screenshot's description from "Take a screenshot" to "Capture the current page for visual debugging. Use after navigation or interactions to verify the expected state rendered correctly."

Step 6: Save and Restart

  1. Press Ctrl+S or click Save to save your configuration
  2. Restart your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.)

Your client will now only see the tools you allowed, with your custom names and descriptions.

Verifying It Works

Ask your MCP client to list available tools. You should see:

Next Steps