What is MCP Registry?

The MCP Registry is a directory of metadata, not a place that hosts server code. A publisher submits a server.json file that gives the server's unique name, where to find it (an npm package name or a remote server URL, for example), how to run it, and discovery details such as a description. The registry's own example maps a weather server to an npm package hosted elsewhere. Packages themselves stay on registries such as npm, PyPI and Docker Hub.

Names use a reverse DNS format, such as io.github.username/server or com.example/server. Publishers must prove they own the GitHub account or domain behind the namespace, which is how the registry ties a server to its claimed source. The registry delegates security scanning of the actual code to package registries and downstream aggregators.

The documentation says the registry is meant to be consumed mostly by downstream aggregators, such as marketplaces, which can add curation or ratings. Host applications are expected to read those aggregators through an API that follows the registry's OpenAPI spec, not the registry directly. Private servers are not supported, so organizations are pointed to running their own registry.

At the time this entry was checked (2026-10-26) the docs described the registry as in preview, with breaking changes or data resets possible before general availability.