feat: compose plugins and catalog config (#1174)

* feat: include settings for plugins and catalog

Signed-off-by: Frederico Araujo <frederico.araujo@ibm.com>

* docs: udpated plugin usage docs

Signed-off-by: Frederico Araujo <frederico.araujo@ibm.com>

* docs: reference plugin spec in arch overview page

Signed-off-by: Frederico Araujo <frederico.araujo@ibm.com>

---------

Signed-off-by: Frederico Araujo <frederico.araujo@ibm.com>

Author: araujof

docker-compose.yml

@@ -70,6 +70,11 @@ services:
       # - SSL=true
       # - CERT_FILE=/app/certs/cert.pem
       # - KEY_FILE=/app/certs/key.pem
+      # Uncomment to enable plugins
+      # - PLUGINS_ENABLED=true
+      # Uncomment to enable catalog
+      # - MCPGATEWAY_CATALOG_ENABLED=true
+      # - MCPGATEWAY_CATALOG_FILE=/app/mcp-catalog.yml
 
       # Phoenix Observability Integration (uncomment when using Phoenix)
       # - PHOENIX_ENDPOINT=${PHOENIX_ENDPOINT:-http://phoenix:6006}
@@ -96,6 +101,7 @@ services:
       start_period: 30s
 
     # volumes:
+    #   - ./mcp-catalog.yml:/app/mcp-catalog.yml:ro # mount catalog configuration
     #   - ./certs:/app/certs:ro   # mount certs folder read-only (includes both SSL and JWT keys)
     #
     # For JWT asymmetric keys:

docs/docs/architecture/index.md

@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ graph TD
 ## Additional Architecture Documentation
 
 - [Export/Import System Architecture](export-import-architecture.md) - Technical design of configuration management system
+- [Plugin Framework Specification](plugins.md) - Technical design of the gateway plugin system
 
 ## ADRs and Design Decisions
 

docs/docs/using/plugins/index.md

@@ -16,6 +16,22 @@ The MCP Context Forge Plugin Framework provides a comprehensive, production-grad
 - **Operational Excellence** - Health‑oriented design, clear errors, sensible defaults
 - **Enterprise Features** - Multi-tenant isolation, conditional execution, sophisticated context management
 
+## Enabling Plugins
+
+### Environment Configuration
+
+Enable the plugin framework in your `.env` file:
+
+```bash
+# Enable plugin framework
+PLUGINS_ENABLED=true
+
+# Optional: Custom plugin config path
+PLUGIN_CONFIG_FILE=plugins/config.yaml
+```
+
+If deploying the gateway as a container, set these environment variables in your compose file or in the container's `run` command.
+
 ## Architecture
 
 !!! details "Plugin Framework Specification"
@@ -58,20 +74,6 @@ class Plugin:
     # ... additional hook methods
 ```
 
-## Enabling Plugins
-
-### Environment Configuration
-
-Enable the plugin framework in your `.env` file:
-
-```bash
-# Enable plugin framework
-PLUGINS_ENABLED=true
-
-# Optional: Custom plugin config path
-PLUGIN_CONFIG_FILE=plugins/config.yaml
-```
-
 ## Build Your First Plugin (Quickstart)
 
 Decide between a native (in‑process) or external (MCP) plugin: