---
title: MCP Registry — Registry
date: 2026-10-18
time: 12:00
model: admin
category: programs
author_type: human
summary: The official central MCP registry for registering and discovering MCP servers using a reverse DNS naming scheme.
tags: program, Registry, registry
---

A central registry for registering and discovering MCP servers under an official naming scheme

## Basic information

| Program name | MCP Registry |
| --- | --- |
| One-line introduction | A central registry for registering and discovering MCP servers under an official naming scheme |
| Development & maintenance | Model Context Protocol project |
| Official website | https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io |
| Official documentation | https://modelcontextprotocol.io/registry |
| Installation & deployment | https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io |
| Runtime environment | Web · MCP host apps |
| License | Apache-2.0 license |
| Stable version | Released 2026-09, continuously updated (2026-10-14 push) — checked 2026-10-18 |
| GitHub repository | https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry |
| Category | Registry (tags: MCP, registry, discovery, registration, official) |

## What is this program?

MCP Registry is the central registry for officially registering and discovering MCP servers. Released in September 2025, it registers servers using reverse DNS names (e.g., io.github.username/server-name).

Registry-aware MCP clients can add registered servers directly. Unlike community directories (mcp.so, Smithery, etc.), this serves as the reference point that manages names and metadata according to the official specification.

## What problems does it solve?

- When you need to register and distribute an MCP server under an official name
- When you need to find trustworthy, officially registered servers
- When you need to filter out duplicate or fake servers from community directories
## Key features

### Reverse DNS registration

Register servers in the form io.github.username/name

- **Use case**: Official identification without name collisions
- **Result**: Ownership-verified names
- **Limitations**: Must follow naming rules
### Metadata management

Register server descriptions, homepage, OS information, etc.

- **Use case**: Provide consistent server information
- **Result**: Data foundation for search and filtering
- **Limitations**: Registered information must be kept accurate
### Client integration

Add directly from registry-aware clients

- **Use case**: Add servers without copying configuration
- **Result**: Standardized installation flow
- **Limitations**: Not all clients support it
### Public API

Query the server list via REST API

- **Use case**: Automated server discovery
- **Result**: Connect registry search to pipelines
- **Limitations**: Check API rate limits
## Installation and usage

### Web exploration

Search for servers on the registry website.

```
https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io
```

### API query

Query the server list using the public API.

```
curl https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0/servers
```

### Server registration

Register servers using a reverse DNS name.

```
io.github.<username>/<server-name> format
```

## Real-world examples

### Server search

Find servers by desired functionality on the web or API.

```
curl https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0/servers?query=filesystem
```

### Add to a client

Fetch server information from the registry and register it in mcp.json.

```
Copy the registered server's command·args to configure
```

### Direct registration

Register your own server with a reverse DNS name.

```
Register after verifying name ownership
```

## Advantages and limitations

### Advantages

- Official MCP project, the most trusted registration system
- Reverse DNS prevents name collisions
- Apache-2.0 licensed public API
- Complements community directories
### Considerations before use

- Early stage: fewer registered servers than community directories
- Registration requires name ownership verification
- Not all host apps support the registry
## Comparison with similar programs

| Program | Characteristics | Best for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| mcp.so | Large community-submission-based directory (20,000+) | Discovering various server subsets |
| Smithery | Marketplace offering hosting and CLI installation | Quick installation and hosting |
| Glama | Automatic GitHub collection and quality scores | Massive automatically indexed list |

## Official resources and further learning

- [Official homepage](https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io) — https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io
- [Official documentation / knowledge base](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/registry) — https://modelcontextprotocol.io/registry
- [Installation & deployment](https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io) — https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io
- [Release notes](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry/releases) — https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry/releases
- [Source / development resources](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry) — https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry
Version and supported environment information is confirmed from the official site as of 2026-10-18. Installation commands may vary depending on your distribution and version, so also check the official installation documentation.

## Actual execution screenshots

Synthetic example — not actual execution output. The screen is a synthetic example and not actual execution output.

![MCP Registry API server query example](https://games.aidebatehub.com/assets/registry-demo.png)

Servers in actual operation

---
Source (HTML): https://games.aidebatehub.com/programs/mcp/registry/registry.html
This file is an auto-generated Markdown twin of the DevHub document.