MCP Registry — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Name: MCP Registry MCP Server
Author: modelcontextprotocol

Why use it

Key features

Search MCPs by name, capability, or runtime
Verified publishers and signed manifests
Public REST API (no key for reads)
Self-hostable for internal/private registries
Compatible with the Smithery and PulseMCP ecosystems

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

mcp-registry.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-registry": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/registry-mcp"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-registry": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/registry-mcp"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-registry": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/registry-mcp"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-registry": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/registry-mcp"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "mcp-registry",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/registry-mcp"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "mcp-registry": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": [
          "-y",
          "@modelcontextprotocol/registry-mcp"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add mcp-registry -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/registry-mcp

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use MCP Registry

Let Claude search the official registry to find an MCP for a task

👤 Anyone who knows what they want to do but not which MCP does it ⏱ ~10 min beginner

When to use: You need a Postgres MCP / Notion MCP / etc. and want the canonical pick.

Flow

Search

Use registry MCP. Find the top 3 results for keyword 'postgres' and tell me their stars + last update.✓ Copied

→ Three candidates with metadata
Inspect manifests

For each, show config + tool list so I can pick.✓ Copied

→ Manifests rendered
Install the chosen one

Install the top result into Claude Desktop.✓ Copied

→ Config block written to claude_desktop_config.json

Outcome: MCP picked from authoritative source rather than random search results.

Pitfalls

Newer MCPs may not be registered yet — Cross-check FreeMCPLab and direct GitHub for community-driven picks

Publish your MCP to the official registry so others can find it

👤 MCP authors with a stable, useful server ⏱ ~30 min intermediate

When to use: Your MCP has 3+ users and you want discoverability.

Prerequisites

GitHub repo with manifest — server.json at repo root following the registry schema

Flow

Validate manifest

Use registry MCP to validate my server.json against the official schema. Tell me what's missing.✓ Copied

→ Schema validation report
Submit

Submit via the registry CLI. Auth using my GitHub identity.✓ Copied

→ Submission accepted; URL returned
Verify discoverability

Search for my MCP by name; confirm it appears.✓ Copied

→ Visible in search

Outcome: Your MCP listed in the official registry.

Run an internal MCP registry for your company

👤 Platform teams at orgs with internal MCPs ⏱ ~60 min advanced

When to use: You have proprietary MCPs you don't want on the public registry.

Prerequisites

Go runtime or Docker — go install or docker pull

Flow

Run the server

Start the registry server on internal.mcp.corp. Configure auth.✓ Copied

→ Server up; readable schema endpoint
Mirror or curate

Mirror selected public entries; add private ones from internal teams.✓ Copied

→ Hybrid catalog
Point Claude at it

Configure Claude Desktop to use the internal registry URL for discovery.✓ Copied

→ Discovery now uses internal source

Outcome: Internal MCPs governed and discovered via your own registry.

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

mcp-registry + mcp-go-mark3labs + mcp-python-sdk

SDK + registry — build then publish

Build with mcp-python-sdk; once stable, validate via registry MCP and submit.✓ Copied

mcp-registry + awesome-mcp-servers-appcypher

Cross-reference registry with curated awesome list

If a server isn't in the registry yet, check the awesome list for community status.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call
search_servers	query, runtime?, limit?	Discovery
get_server	id	Detail page
validate_manifest	manifest_json	Pre-submission check
submit_server	manifest, github_token	Publish your MCP

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: Public reads unauthenticated; submissions need GitHub auth
Tokens per call: Small — manifests are JSON
Monetary: Free
Tip: Cache manifest results client-side; they don't change often

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Minimum scopes: github:read (for submission)

Credential storage: GitHub token in env var for submission only

Data egress: registry.modelcontextprotocol.io

Never grant: github:write to private orgs

Public registry is centralized; verify provenance before installing untrusted MCPs

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

Schema validation failure

Compare your server.json against the canonical schema in /schemas; missing fields are common

Submission rejected

Check GitHub identity matches manifest publisher; verify repo is public

Server not visible after submission

Indexing can take a few minutes; refresh search after 5

Alternatives

MCP Registry vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
Smithery / PulseMCP	You want a polished commercial directory	Third-party indexes; this one is upstream
FreeMCPLab (this site)	Curated guides and hands-on demos rather than raw catalog	Different shape — playgrounds vs index

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

🔍 Browse all 400+ MCP servers and Skills