# How to submit an MCP server to Official MCP Registry

By [Jonah Ease](https://manycp.com/about) Published 1 Oct 2026 Last checked 1 Oct 2026

The official registry has no form and no reviewer in the route. You write a `server.json`, prove you own the package it points to, sign in with the `mcp-publisher` tool, and publish[1]. It stores metadata only, and the packages stay on npm, PyPI, Docker Hub or wherever you put them[7]. Most of the work is getting the name and the proof to agree.

## A server.json that validates

Three fields are required: `name`, `description` and `version`. The schema caps the description at 100 characters and requires the name to look like `namespace/server` [8]. This is the quickstart's file after its edit[1]:

server.json

```
{
  "$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
  "name": "io.github.my-username/weather",
  "description": "An MCP server for weather information.",
  "repository": {
    "url": "https://github.com/my-username/mcp-weather-server",
    "source": "github"
  },
  "version": "1.0.1",
  "packages": [
    {
      "registryType": "npm",
      "identifier": "@my-username/mcp-weather-server",
      "version": "1.0.1",
      "transport": { "type": "stdio" }
    }
  ]
}
```

For a hosted server, replace `packages` with a `remotes` entry holding `type` (`streamable-http` is the one to use) and a public `url` [4].

## Your namespace decides how you sign in

| Sign-in | Name must start with |
| --- | --- |
| GitHub | `io.github.username/` or `io.github.orgname/` |
| Your own domain (DNS or HTTP proof) | `com.example.*/`, your domain written backwards |

Registry docs, read 1 Oct 2026 [2]

## Proof you own the package

| Package | Proof, inside the published package |
| --- | --- |
| npm | `"mcpName"` in package.json, equal to the server name |
| PyPI, NuGet, Cargo | `mcp-name: your-server-name` in the README. Crates.io strips HTML comments, so a Cargo README needs it as visible text. |
| Docker / OCI | `LABEL io.modelcontextprotocol.server.name="your-server-name"` |
| MCPB | A URL containing "mcp", and a `fileSha256` in server.json |
| Remote URL | None named in the docs; the server must be publicly reachable. |

1 Oct 2026 [3] [4]. Publish the package version first: the registry hosts metadata only, and the quickstart publishes the package before the server.

## Sign in and publish

The three commands, then a check

```
mcp-publisher init
mcp-publisher login github
mcp-publisher publish

curl "https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/servers?search=io.github.my-username/weather"
```

`login github` prints a code and the page `github.com/login/device`; you enter the code there yourself[2]. Every change after that needs a new `version`. Published metadata is immutable, and there is no way to unpublish today[6] [5]. Version ranges such as `^1.2.3` or `1.x` are refused.

## Errors people hit

- **"Registry validation failed for package"**: the proof is missing from the published version. Add `mcpName` or the README line, publish the package again, then retry[1].
- **"You do not have permission to publish this server"**: your sign-in method and the name's namespace do not match[1]. For an organisation namespace a user reported a 403 as an organisation owner, and a maintainer called it a bug on the registry's side[11].
- **"cannot publish duplicate version"**. In one reported case the cause was a server.json that still said the old version, and the fix was to put the new one in it[9].
- **"Expected mcpName X, got x"**: a casing mismatch between the organisation name and the namespace. This report was still open on 1 Oct 2026 [10].
- **"Invalid or expired Registry JWT token"**: run `mcp-publisher login github` again[1].

The duplicate-version response, from issue 1615

```
Error: publish failed: server returned status 400:
{"title":"Bad Request","status":400,"detail":"Failed to publish server",
 "errors":[{"message":"invalid version: cannot publish duplicate version"}]}
```

## By hand or with help

Everything above is the by-hand route: three commands and one approval in your browser. The registry expects downstream aggregators to pull from it[7], and two of them have their own pages: [PulseMCP](https://manycp.com/directories/pulsemcp) and the [GitHub MCP Registry](https://manycp.com/directories/github-mcp-registry).

## Current status, 1 Oct 2026

The registry's own pages still call it a preview, where breaking changes or data resets may occur[7]. The latest release of the registry software was v1.8.1, published 6 Aug 2026 [12].

## Sources

1. [MCP Registry docs: Quickstart](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/registry/quickstart) · checked 1 Oct 2026
2. [MCP Registry docs: How to authenticate when publishing](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/registry/authentication) · checked 1 Oct 2026
3. [MCP Registry docs: Supported package types](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/registry/package-types) · checked 1 Oct 2026
4. [MCP Registry docs: Publishing remote servers](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/registry/remote-servers) · checked 1 Oct 2026
5. [MCP Registry docs: Versioning](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/registry/versioning) · checked 1 Oct 2026
6. [MCP Registry docs: Frequently asked questions](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/registry/faq) · checked 1 Oct 2026
7. [MCP Registry docs: About the registry (preview notice)](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/registry/about) · checked 1 Oct 2026
8. [server.json schema, 2025-12-11](https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json) · checked 1 Oct 2026
9. [Registry issue 1615: publish rejected as a duplicate version](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry/issues/1615) · checked 1 Oct 2026
10. [Registry issue 1525: mcpName rejected for a casing mismatch](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry/issues/1525) · checked 1 Oct 2026
11. [Registry issue 1468: 403 publishing under an organisation namespace](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry/issues/1468) · checked 1 Oct 2026
12. [Registry repository: releases](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry/releases) · checked 1 Oct 2026

ManyCP is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any directory, Docker, OpenAI, Anthropic or GitHub named here. Names are used to say which service a fact is about.

---

Source: [ManyCP](https://manycp.com/directories/official-mcp-registry)