Skip to content

limitations.mdx

Latest commit

 

History

History
148 lines (105 loc) · 4.97 KB

limitations.mdx

File metadata and controls

148 lines (105 loc) · 4.97 KB
Raw
title Platform Limitations
description Understand when DeployStack global satellites work and when you need local MCP or team satellites instead

DeployStack runs MCP servers on remote satellite infrastructure - not on your local machine. This architecture provides zero-installation convenience but means some MCP servers won't work on global satellites.

This page helps you understand what works, what doesn't, and your alternatives.

How Satellites Work

When you install an MCP server from the DeployStack catalog, the satellite:

  1. Spawns the MCP server process on remote infrastructure
  2. Executes tool calls on the satellite, not your machine
  3. Returns results back to your AI client

This means the MCP server has access to the satellite's environment, not yours.

What Doesn't Work on Global Satellites

Local File Access

MCP servers that need to read or write files on your machine won't work:

MCP Server Why It Doesn't Work
SQLite MCP Cannot access your local .db files
Filesystem MCP Cannot browse your local directories
Obsidian MCP Cannot access your local vault
Desktop Commander Cannot control your local desktop
Any MCP server that reads `~/Documents`, `/home/user/`, or similar local paths will only see the satellite's filesystem - not yours.

Local Network Resources

MCP servers that connect to localhost or internal network services:

Resource Example
Local databases localhost:5432 (PostgreSQL), localhost:3306 (MySQL)
Local APIs http://localhost:8080/api
Internal services http://internal.company.com (behind firewall)
Development servers Your local dev environment

The satellite cannot reach services running on your machine or inside your corporate network.

Desktop & GUI Applications

MCP servers requiring graphical interfaces or desktop integration:

MCP Server Limitation
Playwright (headed mode) No display server on satellites
Puppeteer (headed mode) Same issue - no visible browser
Screenshot tools No desktop to capture
Clipboard MCP No access to your clipboard
**Playwright and Puppeteer can work in headless mode**, but require browser binaries pre-installed on the satellite. This is not available on global satellites by default.

Hardware Access

MCP servers that interact with physical devices:

  • USB devices
  • Printers
  • Cameras and microphones
  • Serial ports
  • Bluetooth devices

Your Alternatives

Option 1: Run Locally

For MCP servers that need local resources, run them on your machine i.e.:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sqlite": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@anthropic/mcp-sqlite", "/path/to/your/database.db"]
    }
  }
}

You can use DeployStack for most MCP servers and run specific ones locally.

Option 2: Deploy a Team Satellite

For internal network access, deploy a Team Satellite inside your infrastructure:

  • Runs within your corporate network
  • Can access internal databases and APIs
  • You control what's installed (including browser binaries)
  • Full process isolation with nsjail

Team satellites connect to your DeployStack control plane but run on your hardware.

Option 3: Use Cloud-Accessible Resources

Instead of local resources, use cloud alternatives:

Local Resource Cloud Alternative
Local SQLite Turso, PlanetScale, Supabase
Local files S3, Google Drive, Dropbox
Local PostgreSQL Neon, Supabase, RDS
Internal APIs Expose via tunnel (Cloudflare, ngrok)

What Works Well on Global Satellites

Global satellites excel at MCP servers that:

  • Call external APIs - GitHub, Slack, Notion, Linear, etc.
  • Process data - Text manipulation, calculations, transformations
  • Search the web - Brave Search, Exa, web scraping (headless)
  • Interact with SaaS - Any service with a public API
  • Generate content - Image generation, text processing

These MCP servers only need internet access and API credentials - both available on satellites.

Quick Reference

MCP Server Type Global Satellite Team Satellite Local
GitHub, Slack, Notion � � �
External APIs � � �
Web scraping (headless) �� Requires setup � �
Local SQLite files L L �
Local filesystem L L �
Internal databases L � �
Internal APIs L � �
Desktop automation L L �
Hardware access L L �
**Team Satellites** bridge the gap between convenience and local access. They run on your infrastructure but integrate with DeployStack's control plane for credential management and team governance.

Need help deciding? Join our Discord community and we'll help you figure out what works best for your use case.