# Official MCP Registry quickstart

## Metadata

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Institute | Molodetz Institute - Research and Retrieval Division |
| Subject | mcp-client-support |
| Document type | Source Dossier |
| Tier | 1 |
| Source title | Official MCP Registry quickstart |
| Source URL | https://modelcontextprotocol.io/registry/quickstart.md |
| Source publisher / author | MCP maintainers (Anthropic-led) |
| Source type | documentation |
| Source date (published) | Unknown, not stated (marked "currently in preview. Breaking changes or data resets may occur.") |
| Date researched | 2026-10-18 |
| Researched by | tai (agent), model: Claude Sonnet 5, on behalf of retoor |
| Research method | gather-subagent direct page fetch, parent synthesis from evidence pack |
| Confidence | High |
| Status | Active |

## Summary

The official MCP Registry quickstart: a metadata-only registry (never artifacts) where npm linkage runs through an `mcpName` field in `package.json` matched by `server.json`, publishing runs through the `mcp-publisher` CLI, and the `server.json` schema (packages, transports, environment variables) forms a machine-readable run contract queryable over a discovery API.

## Key findings

- "The MCP Registry only hosts metadata, not artifacts. Before publishing... we will publish the MCP server's package to npm": a registry entry points at a real npm/PyPI/etc. package.
- npm linkage: add `"mcpName": "io.github.my-username/weather"` to `package.json`; "The `name` property in `server.json` **must** match the `mcpName` property"; GitHub auth forces the `io.github.<user>/` namespace.
- `mcp-publisher` CLI: `init` (generates `server.json`), `login` (GitHub device flow shown), `publish`; install via release tarball or `brew install mcp-publisher`.
- `server.json` schema includes `$schema`, `name`, `repository.url`, `version`, `packages[]` with `registryType`/`identifier`/`version`/`transport: {type: stdio}` and `environmentVariables[]` (`description`, `isRequired`, `isSecret`, `name`): a machine-readable run contract.
- Verification/discovery API: `curl "https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/servers?search=io.github.my-username/weather"` returns `{"servers":[...]}`; follow-ups cover other package types, remote servers, DNS auth for custom namespaces.

## Pros / strengths

- The registry entry is a machine-readable run contract (package id, transport, required and secret env vars), which is exactly what a resolver needs without README scraping.
- The `mcpName`/`server.json` linkage rule is stated as a MUST, so namespace-to-package mapping is mechanical.
- Discovery API gives a keyed search endpoint for verification and lookup.

## Cons / limitations / caveats

- Explicitly "currently in preview. Breaking changes or data resets may occur": anything tai builds on the registry schema or API must tolerate resets.
- No publish date; preview status means the quickstart itself can change shape.
- Companion pages (package types, remote servers, authentication) were cited but not opened, so non-npm and remote-server entries are not covered by this dossier.

## Relevance to tai

First lookup for a GitHub URL: `server.json`/`mcpName` to registry metadata gives package id, transport, and required env vars without scraping READMEs. The preview caveat constrains how hard tai may depend on the API.

## Changelog

| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-18 | Initial dossier created. |