The MCP Registry

The MCP Registry is the official centralized metadata repository for publicly accessible MCP servers, backed by major contributors such as Anthropic, GitHub, PulseMCP and Microsoft.

Adapted from The MCP Registry. Status: preview — breaking changes or data resets may occur before GA.

The Registry points hosts and marketplaces at installable or reachable servers.

Executive summary

Publish server.json metadata (name, package or remote URL, install/run instructions, capabilities). The Registry does not host private servers or replace npm/PyPI/Docker — it maps namespaced server identity to those packages.

What it provides

• Single place to publish server metadata
• Namespace management via DNS / GitHub verification
• REST API for clients and aggregators
• Standardised installation and configuration information

Metadata follows server.json: unique name (io.github.user/server-name), location, execution instructions, description and capabilities.

Ecosystem relationships

Actor	Relationship
Package registries	Host code/binaries; MCP Registry stores pointers
Server developers	Publish public install methods or public remote URLs
Aggregators / marketplaces	Pull metadata periodically; add curation/ratings
Other registries	May implement the same OpenAPI for host compatibility
Host apps	Prefer consuming marketplaces/aggregators, not scraping the official registry directly

Private servers are out of scope — run a private registry instead.

Trust and security

• Namespace authentication ties names to verified GitHub accounts or domains
• Security scanning is delegated to underlying package registries and aggregators
• Spam controls: namespace auth, field validation, moderation/takedown (policy)

Related official guides

Topic	Official link
Quickstart publish	Quickstart
Authentication	Publishing auth
GitHub Actions	Automate publishing
Package types	Supported packages
Remote servers	Publishing remotes
Versioning	Versioning published servers
Aggregators	Registry aggregators
FAQ	FAQ
Terms	Terms of Service

Negative cases

• Publishing private Artifactory-only packages → rejected model; use private registry.
• Impersonating a namespace → blocked by DNS/GitHub verification.
• Treating Registry listing as a security review → still vet code and scopes.

Key takeaways

• Registry = public metadata + namespaces, not a code host.
• Designed for aggregators; hosts consume curated downstreams.
• Preview status — expect change before GA.

What to do next

Follow the official quickstart when you are ready to publish.