Introduction

What is deco CMS?

deco CMS is an open-source Context Management System for AI-native operations.

If MCP is the standard interface for tool access, deco CMS is the production layer around it: connect MCP servers, enforce governance, and get observability as usage scales across teams and environments. The broader platform also includes a builder framework (MCP Studio — coming soon) and distribution capabilities (pre-built modules and store).

Official links:

• deco CMS: decocms.com
• The MCP Mesh: decocms.com/mesh
• MCP Studio: decocms.com/mcp-studio

If you know us from before (as deco.cx) and you’re looking for headless CMS + storefront capabilities, visit deco.cx. See the deco.cx docs at docs.deco.cx.

Start with the MCP Mesh

Choose one:

Option A: one-command local setup (npx)

 npx @decocms/mesh 

Option B: local setup with Docker Compose

 # 1. Configure environment variables
# Edit .env and configure BETTER_AUTH_SECRET (required)
# Generate a secret: openssl rand -base64 32
cp conf-examples/env.example .env

# 2. Configure authentication
cp conf-examples/auth-config.json.example auth-config.json

# 3. Start the application
docker compose up -d

# 4. Access
open http://localhost:3000 

More details: Local: Docker Compose

Option C: run from source

 git clone https://github.com/decocms/mesh.git
cd mesh
bun install
bun run dev 

Option D: deploy to Kubernetes (Helm)

 # 1. Generate a secure secret for authentication
SECRET=$(openssl rand -base64 32)

# 2. Install the chart with the generated secret
helm install deco-mcp-mesh . \
  --namespace deco-mcp-mesh \
  --create-namespace \
  --set secret.BETTER_AUTH_SECRET="$SECRET"

# 3. Wait for pods to be ready
kubectl wait --for=condition=ready pod \
  -l app.kubernetes.io/instance=deco-mcp-mesh \
  -n deco-mcp-mesh \
  --timeout=300s

# 4. Access via port-forward
kubectl port-forward svc/deco-mcp-mesh 8080:80 -n deco-mcp-mesh 

The application will be available at http://localhost:8080 .

More details: Kubernetes: Helm Chart

Learn the Mesh (concepts + product surfaces)

• MCP Mesh Overview
• Quickstart
• Concepts
• MCP Servers (Connections)
• MCP Agents
• API Keys
• Monitoring

Problem: the production gap

AI is easy to demo and hard to operate.

As tool surfaces and teams grow, most orgs run into the same production constraints:

• Autonomy breaks: shipping gets bottlenecked by bespoke integrations, security reviews, and platform tickets
• Context fragments: knowledge lives across many systems and teams rebuild connectors and retrieval repeatedly
• Governance is inconsistent: no single place for SSO/RBAC, audit trails, and operational visibility

For more context on our platform-level thesis, read The architecture of an AI-native company.

Platform structure: Mesh → Studio → Apps & Store

The MCP Mesh (foundation)

An open-source control plane for MCP traffic. It sits between your MCP clients (Cursor, Claude, VS Code, custom agents) and your MCP servers, providing a unified layer for auth, policy, and observability.

MCP Studio (development)

A no-code admin + SDK to package MCP capabilities as reusable building blocks.

MCP Apps & Store (distribution)

A path to distribute reusable MCP-native capabilities across teams (and eventually a store).

Why MCP?

We’re built on MCP because enterprises need interoperability at the tool layer — and a way to operate that tool access with the rigor of any production surface.

MCP gives you a standard interface. deco CMS provides the control plane around it:

• Portable: self-host on Docker/Kubernetes; cloud hosted option coming soon
• Composable: swap models, swap MCP servers, adopt community tools, build your own
• Auditable: centralized policies, logs, and traces across tool + model calls
• No lock-in: your context, your infrastructure

Legacy Admin quick start (admin.decocms.com)

If you’re using the current SaaS admin at admin.decocms.com (still supported, deprecated soon), start here:

• For AI Builders
• For Developers