MTGO OCI

Run Magic: The Gathering Online on Linux and macOS using Docker.

Pre-built images running MTGO in Docker using Wine are available on Docker Hub, with additional containers for building and running MTGOSDK-based applications.

Quick Start

Install Docker Desktop (macOS) or Docker Engine (Linux).

Tip

Automatic Installation: MTGO will automatically download and install on the first run of a new container. You can disable this by setting AUTO_INSTALL_MTGO=false. once setup, launch the game with mtgo.

Then run the command for your platform:

Linux (Wayland)

For modern desktops (GNOME 45+, KDE Plasma 6):

docker run -it --name mtgo \
  -e DISPLAY=$DISPLAY \
  -e WAYLAND_DISPLAY=$WAYLAND_DISPLAY \
  -e XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/tmp/runtime-dir \
  -v ${XDG_RUNTIME_DIR}/wayland-0:/tmp/runtime-dir/wayland-0 \
  videreproject/mtgo:wayland

Linux (X11)

For X11-based desktops or NVIDIA GPU users:

xhost +local:docker
docker run -it --name mtgo \
  -e DISPLAY=$DISPLAY \
  -v /tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix \
  videreproject/mtgo:x11

macOS (Headless + VNC) — Recommended

Runs a virtual desktop inside the container. All windows stay together.

docker run -it --name mtgo \
  -e DISPLAY=:99 \
  -e START_VNC=true \
  -p 5900:5900 \
  videreproject/mtgo:headless

Then open Screen Sharing (⌘+Space → "Screen Sharing") and connect to vnc://localhost:5900.

[!TIP] MTGO's UI is not responsive in headless mode. The resolution is fixed at startup. Use "Scale to Fit" in Screen Sharing to adjust the view, or set a different RESOLUTION (see Configuration).

macOS (XQuartz) — High Performance

Lower latency by forwarding windows directly to your desktop.

[!WARNING] Pop-up windows and dialogs may sometimes get stuck behind the main window or lose focus.

1. brew install --cask xquartz
2. Open XQuartz → Preferences → Security → Check "Allow connections from network clients."
3. Restart XQuartz, then run xhost +localhost.
4. Run:

   docker run -it --name mtgo-x11 \
     -e DISPLAY=host.docker.internal:0 \
     -v /tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix \
     videreproject/mtgo:x11

Persistent Setup (Docker Compose)

The commands above work for quick sessions but do not persist data between runs. For regular use, use the Compose files in this repository to automatically manage volumes for your Wine settings, decklists, and login data.

1. Download this repo as a ZIP or clone it with Git.
2. Run from the project root:

   # Linux (Wayland)
   docker compose -f mtgosdk/docker-compose.yml up -d mtgosdk-wayland
   
   # Linux (X11)
   docker compose -f mtgosdk/docker-compose.yml up -d mtgosdk-x11
   
   # macOS / headless
   docker compose -f mtgosdk/docker-compose.yml up -d mtgosdk-headless

Available Images

Image	Description
videreproject/mtgo	MTGO runtime (Wine + .NET 4.8 + fonts)
videreproject/mtgosdk	Development environment (adds .NET SDK + auto-clones MTGOSDK)

Replace videreproject/mtgo with videreproject/mtgosdk in any command above to use the SDK variant.

Configuration

Note

These variables primarily control the Headless environment. In Wayland/X11 modes, your host desktop manages the display natively.

Variable	Description	Default
START_VNC	Starts the x11vnc server (Headless only)	false
WINE_VIRTUAL_DESKTOP	Enables Wine's "Emulate Virtual Desktop" for window stability (Headless only)	true
RESOLUTION	Sets the Xvfb and Virtual Desktop resolution (Headless only)	1280x1024x24
AUTO_INSTALL_MTGO	Automatically runs install-mtgo.sh if MTGO is missing	true
MTGOSDK_PATH	Path to your local MTGOSDK repository	../../MTGOSDK

Reference

Action	Command
Install MTGO	install-mtgo.sh
Run MTGO	mtgo
Pull latest image	docker pull videreproject/mtgo:latest
Open a shell	docker exec -it mtgo /bin/bash
Stop	docker stop mtgo
Remove	docker rm mtgo
View logs	docker logs -f mtgo

Building Locally

To modify and rebuild the images yourself:

git clone https://github.com/videre-project/mtgo-oci.git && cd mtgo-oci
docker compose -f mtgo/docker-compose.yml build
docker compose -f mtgosdk/docker-compose.yml build

License

This project is licensed under the Apache-2.0 License.