{"data":{"slug":"contextforge","name":"ContextForge","tagline":"Apache MCP+A2A+REST/gRPC→MCP gateway with governance + OTel","category":"agents","categoryName":"AI Agents","url":"https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge","github":"https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge","pricing":"open-source","hook":"ContextForge is IBM’s open MCP gateway: federate MCP, A2A, and REST/gRPC into one governed endpoint with discovery, plugins, and OpenTelemetry.","whatsGood":"Apache-2.0 (IBM/mcp-context-forge). Tools/Agent/API gateway surfaces, gRPC→MCP translation, 40+ plugins, OTel to Phoenix/Jaeger/Zipkin-class backends. PyPI (`mcp-contextforge-gateway`) and Docker/K8s deploy paths; runs as a compliant MCP server.","theCatch":"Vs SuperGateway and mcp-remote: ContextForge is a heavier self-host governance/observability gateway, not a thin MCP bridge. Vs Smithery: this is a self-host gate you operate, not a hosted MCP marketplace. Open-issue count is high for the maturity pitch; local/JWT setups need real secrets — do not ship example tokens.","verdict":"Apache MCP/A2A gateway when you need federation + governance + OTel on your own infra and will pay the ops cost; skip if you only needed a thin remote MCP shim.","addedAt":"2026-09-25","featured":false,"domain":"AI Agents","subSpecialty":"MCP","subcategory":"MCP","tags":["mcp","api","self-host","permissive","observability","active"],"capabilities":["mcp","gateway","otel"],"surfaces":["MCP","API","Self-host"],"ecosystem":["Python","Multi-platform"],"licenseModel":"Apache-2.0","githubStars":4650,"starsPerWeek":61,"access":"free","archived":false,"repo":{"createdAt":"2025-05-08","pushedAt":"2026-10-17","license":"Apache-2.0","archived":false,"checkedAt":"2026-10-19"}},"related":[{"slug":"claude-code","name":"Claude Code","tagline":"Terminal-first coding agent with deep repository context"},{"slug":"cursor","name":"Cursor","tagline":"The AI-first code editor that understands your codebase"},{"slug":"devin","name":"Devin","tagline":"Autonomous AI engineer for defined engineering tasks"},{"slug":"stagehand","name":"Stagehand","tagline":"AI-native browser automation that mixes code and natural language"},{"slug":"browser-use","name":"Browser Use","tagline":"Open-source framework for LLM-driven browser agents"}],"links":{"self":"/api/gems/contextforge","html":"/gems/contextforge","markdown":"/gems/contextforge.md","category":"/api/gems?category=agents","categoryPage":"/stacks/agents"}}