---
title: "Create via Dashboard"
description: "Create and configure MCP Gateways using the Arcade dashboard"
---

import Image from "next/image";
import { SignupLink } from "@/app/_components/analytics";

export const IMAGE_SCALE_FACTOR = 2;
export const TOOL_FILTER_LIGHT_WIDTH = 2052;
export const TOOL_FILTER_LIGHT_HEIGHT = 1412;
export const TOOL_FILTER_DARK_WIDTH = 2052;
export const TOOL_FILTER_DARK_HEIGHT = 1412;

# Create via Dashboard

<GuideOverview>
<GuideOverview.Outcomes>

Create and configure an MCP Gateway using the Arcade dashboard with full control over settings.

</GuideOverview.Outcomes>

<GuideOverview.Prerequisites>

1. Create an <SignupLink linkLocation="docs:mcp-gateways-dashboard">Arcade account</SignupLink>

</GuideOverview.Prerequisites>

</GuideOverview>

## Create a Gateway

To create an MCP Gateway, go to the [MCP Gateways dashboard](https://api.arcade.dev/dashboard/mcp-gateways) and click the "Create MCP Gateway" button.

When configuring an MCP Gateway, you can select the tools you want to include in the Gateway from any MCP Servers available to the project:

<Image
  alt={"MCP Gateway Tool Filter"}
  className="max-w-full dark:hidden mt-4"
  src={"/images/mcp-gateway-tool-filter-light.png"}
  width={TOOL_FILTER_LIGHT_WIDTH / IMAGE_SCALE_FACTOR}
  height={TOOL_FILTER_LIGHT_HEIGHT / IMAGE_SCALE_FACTOR}
/>
<Image
  alt={"MCP Gateway Tool Filter"}
  className="hidden max-w-full dark:block mt-4"
  src={"/images/mcp-gateway-tool-filter-dark.png"}
  width={TOOL_FILTER_DARK_WIDTH / IMAGE_SCALE_FACTOR}
  height={TOOL_FILTER_DARK_HEIGHT / IMAGE_SCALE_FACTOR}
/>

## Configuration Options

The options available when configuring an MCP Gateway are:

- **Name**: The name of the MCP Gateway. Informative only.
- **Description**: The description of the MCP Gateway. This is useful for humans and some MCP clients may surface this information to the user.
- **LLM Instructions**: Optional instructions for the LLM about how to use the MCP Gateway.
- **Slug**: The slug of the MCP Gateway. This is the URL slug that will be used to access the MCP Gateway. It must be unique.
- **Authentication**: The authentication mode to use for the MCP Gateway. This determines how the MCP Gateway will authenticate requests to the MCP Servers. Users will still need to authenticate to the tools within the MCP Gateway as normal.
  - **Arcade Auth**: To access the MCP Gateway, you'll need to authenticate with your Arcade account. This authentication mode is recommended for MCP Gateways in development or testing phase, or for internal use when you know all the users will have Arcade accounts.
  - **Arcade Headers**: To access the MCP Gateway, you'll need to authenticate with your Arcade account by passing an Arcade API key in the `Authorization` header and the user ID of your end-user in the `Arcade-User-ID` header. This authentication mode is recommended for MCP Gateways in production when your agent or application has users without Arcade accounts.
- **Allowed Tools**: A selection of tools in the Arcade Tool Catalog that will be available to the MCP Gateway.

## After Creating a Gateway

Once you've created a gateway, you'll need to add it to your chat client. The assistant will provide the MCP URL (for example, `https://api.arcade.dev/mcp/<YOUR-GATEWAY-SLUG>`).

See [Connect to MCP clients](/get-started/mcp-clients) for setup instructions specific to your client.