Model Context ProtocolPreviewVerified 2026-10-18

Official MCP Registry API (keyless server discovery)

Keyless REST API for the official list of public MCP servers: names, descriptions, packages and remote URLs. Still in preview, and meant mainly for aggregators rather than direct use by host apps.

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Verified factsChecked 2026-10-18

PriceFree. Reads need no account or key.3 [Verified 2026-10-18]
API key / authNone for reads: our GET /v0.1/servers requests on 2026-10-18 returned HTTP 200 with no credentials. Publishing needs GitHub OAuth or OIDC, or DNS or HTTP verification of your domain.3 [Verified 2026-10-18]
Rate limitNo numeric limit is published and our responses carried no rate-limit headers. The registry asks aggregators to sync about once an hour. Search was slow in our tests: one call took about 19 seconds and others timed out at 20–30 seconds.1 [Verified 2026-10-18]
TermsOfficial MCP Registry Terms of Service (effective 2025-09-02): provided as is, users must be 18+, and submitted server metadata is dedicated to the public domain under CC0 1.0.4 [Verified 2026-10-18]
StatusPreview: the registry says breaking changes or data resets may occur before general availability. The live service reported version 1.8.1 on 2026-10-18.1 [Verified 2026-10-18]
Intended useMeant mainly for downstream aggregators and marketplaces; the registry says host applications should use a downstream registry that implements the same OpenAPI spec. Security scanning is left to package registries and aggregators.1 [Verified 2026-10-18]

FeaturesChecked 2026-10-18

YesNoN/ANot published
CapabilityValueNote
StatusBreaking changes or data resets may occur before general availability.Preview1 [Verified 2026-10-18 on https://modelcontextprotocol.io/registry/about]Breaking changes or data resets may occur before general availability.
API key requiredNo key for reads. GET /v0.1/servers returned HTTP 200 without credentials.No2 [Verified 2026-10-18 by test request to https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/servers?search=gitlab&version=latest&limit=2]No key for reads. GET /v0.1/servers returned HTTP 200 without credentials.
Free tierFree. Reads are open; publishing needs namespace verification.Yes3 [Verified 2026-10-18 on https://raw.githubusercontent.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry/main/docs/reference/api/official-registry-api.md]Free. Reads are open; publishing needs namespace verification.
Rate limitNo numeric limit published and no rate-limit headers seen; aggregators are asked to sync about hourly. Searches took up to ~19 s or timed out in our tests.Not published1 [Not published by vendor: checked 2026-10-18 on https://modelcontextprotocol.io/registry/about]No numeric limit published and no rate-limit headers seen; aggregators are asked to sync about hourly. Searches took up to ~19 s or timed out in our tests.
Official MCP serverIt is a REST directory of MCP servers, not an MCP server itself.N/A1 [Verified 2026-10-18 on https://modelcontextprotocol.io/registry/about]It is a REST directory of MCP servers, not an MCP server itself.
Official SDKOpenAPI spec + publisher CLI. An OpenAPI spec is published; the CLI is for publishing, not reading.No3 [Verified 2026-10-18 on https://raw.githubusercontent.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry/main/docs/reference/api/official-registry-api.md]OpenAPI spec + publisher CLI. An OpenAPI spec is published; the CLI is for publishing, not reading.
Data license / termsSubmitted server metadata is dedicated to the public domain; registry code is Apache-2.0/MIT.Metadata CC0 1.04 [Verified 2026-10-18 on https://modelcontextprotocol.io/registry/terms-of-service]Submitted server metadata is dedicated to the public domain; registry code is Apache-2.0/MIT.
Commercial use allowedCC0 metadata. Public-domain metadata; the terms cite a company pulling registry data as a permitted example.Yes4 [Verified 2026-10-18 on https://modelcontextprotocol.io/registry/terms-of-service]CC0 metadata. Public-domain metadata; the terms cite a company pulling registry data as a permitted example.
CORS / browser useAccess-Control-Allow-Origin: *. Preflight returned 204 with *.Yes5 [Verified 2026-10-18 by test request to https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/servers]Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *. Preflight returned 204 with *.
Freshness / coveragePublishers push updates; deleted entries show with include_deleted.Live; updated_since for sync3 [Verified 2026-10-18 on https://raw.githubusercontent.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry/main/docs/reference/api/official-registry-api.md]Publishers push updates; deleted entries show with include_deleted.

What it does

The official MCP Registry stores a server.json for each public MCP server: a namespaced name tied to a verified GitHub account or domain, a description, the npm, PyPI, Docker or other package that installs it, and any hosted remote URL. Reads need no auth: GET /v0.1/servers lists servers with cursor paging and supports search (a substring match on names), version=latest and updated_since for incremental sync, and /v0.1/servers/{name}/versions/{version} returns one entry. An agent can use it to check whether an official server exists for a product and what URL or package to install. Publishing requires namespace verification.

Working exampleRun 2026-10-18

curl -sS "https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/servers?search=gitlab&version=latest&limit=2"

Response (trimmed)

HTTP 200 (application/json), run 2026-10-18
{"servers":[
  {"server":{"name":"com.gitlab/mcp","description":"Official GitLab MCP Server","version":"0.0.1",
    "remotes":[{"type":"streamable-http","url":"https://gitlab.com/api/v4/mcp"}]},
   "_meta":{"io.modelcontextprotocol.registry/official":{"status":"active","isLatest":true, ...}}},
  {"server":{"name":"com.mcparmory/gitlab","version":"1.0.3",
    "packages":[{"registryType":"pypi","identifier":"mcparmory-gitlab", ...}, ...]}, ...}],
 "metadata":{"nextCursor":"com.mcparmory/gitlab:1.0.3","count":2}}

Agent setup

Prompt to give your agent

Before installing an MCP server for <product>, query the official MCP Registry (GET https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/servers?search=<product>&version=latest). Prefer entries whose namespace matches the vendor’s own domain (for example com.gitlab/...). Show me the name, remote URL or package, and repository, and flag third-party servers as unofficial. Don’t install anything without my go-ahead.

Agent / MCP-style tool snippet

// Minimal agent tool
{
  "name": "find_mcp_server",
  "description": "Search the official MCP Registry for public MCP servers by name.",
  "input_schema": {
    "type": "object",
    "properties": { "q": { "type": "string", "description": "Substring of the server name, e.g. gitlab" } },
    "required": ["q"]
  }
}
// Implementation: GET https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/servers?search={q}&version=latest&limit=10
// Allow 30 s timeouts; search can be slow.

Fit and safety

Good for

  • Checking whether a vendor publishes an official MCP server and its URL
  • Building or syncing an MCP marketplace with updated_since
  • Auditing which package or remote a server name points to

Watch out

  • Do not treat a listing as a safety check. The registry verifies namespaces, not code; scanning is left to package registries and aggregators.
  • Do not wire a host app straight to it for every user request. The registry says host apps should use a downstream registry, and searches can be slow.
  • Do not rely on it staying stable yet. It is in preview and warns of breaking changes or data resets.
  • Do not expect full-text search. search is a simple substring match on server names.

Alternatives

SmitheryDownstream MCP marketplace with hosted servers and its own search.
PulseMCPCurated MCP directory and a contributor to the official registry.
AgentAPIList MCPOur keyless MCP with verified limits and terms for the agent tools listed here.

FAQ

Does the MCP Registry API need a key?

No. Reads are open; only publishing requires GitHub or domain verification.

Is the official MCP Registry production-ready?

Not yet. It is in preview, and the maintainers warn of possible breaking changes or data resets before general availability.

How do I search the MCP Registry?

GET https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/servers?search=<name>&version=latest. search matches substrings of server names.

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SourcesFootnotes

  1. 1modelcontextprotocol.io/registry/aboutVerified 2026-10-18
  2. 2registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/servers?search=gitlab&version=lateTested 2026-10-18
  3. 3raw.githubusercontent.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry/main/docs/refereVerified 2026-10-18
  4. 4modelcontextprotocol.io/registry/terms-of-serviceVerified 2026-10-18
  5. 5registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/serversTested 2026-10-18