MCP Registry Supported Package Types

yes

Editorial Notes

The MCP registry supports multiple package types and choosing the wrong one constrains how clients can discover and install your server. Understanding the distinction between npm packages, Docker images, and other supported formats is critical before you publish, because changing package type after initial publication creates migration headaches for existing consumers. Focus on the compatibility matrix between package types and host applications, since not every MCP client supports every format equally well.


Original Documentation

Documentation Index#

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/llms.txt Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

The MCP Registry is currently in preview. Breaking changes or data resets may occur before general availability. If you encounter any issues, please report them on GitHub.

Package Types#

The MCP Registry supports several different package types, and each package type has its own verification method.

npm Packages#

For npm packages, the MCP Registry currently supports the npm public registry (https://registry.npmjs.org) only.

npm packages use "registryType": "npm" in server.json. For example:

{
  "$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
  "name": "io.github.username/email-integration-mcp",
  "title": "Email Integration",
  "description": "Send emails and manage email accounts",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "packages": [
    {
      "registryType": "npm",
      "identifier": "@username/email-integration-mcp",
      "version": "1.0.0",
      "transport": {
        "type": "stdio"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Ownership Verification#

The MCP Registry verifies ownership of npm packages by checking mcpName in package.json. The mcpName property MUST match the server name from server.json. For example:

{
  "name": "@username/email-integration-mcp",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "mcpName": "io.github.username/email-integration-mcp"
}

PyPI Packages#

For PyPI packages, the MCP Registry currently supports the official PyPI registry (https://pypi.org) only.

PyPI packages use "registryType": "pypi" in server.json. For example:

{
  "$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
  "name": "io.github.username/database-query-mcp",
  "title": "Database Query",
  "description": "Execute SQL queries and manage database connections",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "packages": [
    {
      "registryType": "pypi",
      "identifier": "database-query-mcp",
      "version": "1.0.0",
      "transport": {
        "type": "stdio"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Ownership Verification#

The MCP Registry verifies ownership of PyPI packages by checking for the existence of an mcp-name: $SERVER_NAME string in the package README (which becomes the package description on PyPI). The string may be hidden in a comment, but the $SERVER_NAME portion MUST match the server name from server.json. For example:

# Database Query MCP Server

This MCP server executes SQL queries and manages database connections.

<!-- mcp-name: io.github.username/database-query-mcp -->

NuGet Packages#

For NuGet packages, the MCP Registry currently supports the official NuGet registry (https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json) only.

NuGet packages use "registryType": "nuget" in server.json. For example:

{
  "$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
  "name": "io.github.username/azure-devops-mcp",
  "title": "Azure DevOps",
  "description": "Manage Azure DevOps work items and pipelines",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "packages": [
    {
      "registryType": "nuget",
      "identifier": "Username.AzureDevOpsMcp",
      "version": "1.0.0",
      "transport": {
        "type": "stdio"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Ownership Verification#

The MCP Registry verifies ownership of NuGet packages by checking for the existence of an mcp-name: $SERVER_NAME string in the package README. The string may be hidden in a comment, but the $SERVER_NAME portion MUST match the server name from server.json. For example:

# Azure DevOps MCP Server

This MCP server manages Azure DevOps work items and pipelines.

<!-- mcp-name: io.github.username/azure-devops-mcp -->

Docker/OCI Images#

For Docker/OCI images, the MCP Registry currently supports:

  • Docker Hub (docker.io)
  • GitHub Container Registry (ghcr.io)
  • Google Artifact Registry (any *.pkg.dev domain)
  • Azure Container Registry (*.azurecr.io)
  • Microsoft Container Registry (mcr.microsoft.com)

Docker/OCI images use "registryType": "oci" in server.json. For example:

{
  "$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
  "name": "io.github.username/kubernetes-manager-mcp",
  "title": "Kubernetes Manager",
  "description": "Deploy and manage Kubernetes resources",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "packages": [
    {
      "registryType": "oci",
      "identifier": "docker.io/yourusername/kubernetes-manager-mcp:1.0.0",
      "transport": {
        "type": "stdio"
      }
    }
  ]
}

The format of identifier is registry/namespace/repository:tag. For example, docker.io/user/app:1.0.0 or ghcr.io/user/app:1.0.0. The tag can also be specified as a digest.

Ownership Verification#

The MCP Registry verifies ownership of Docker/OCI images by checking for an io.modelcontextprotocol.server.name annotation. The value of the io.modelcontextprotocol.server.name annotation MUST match the server name from server.json. For example:

LABEL io.modelcontextprotocol.server.name="io.github.username/kubernetes-manager-mcp"

MCPB Packages#

For MCPB packages, the MCP Registry currently supports MCPB artifacts hosted via GitHub or GitLab releases.

MCPB packages use "registryType": "mcpb" in server.json. For example:

{
  "$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
  "name": "io.github.username/image-processor-mcp",
  "title": "Image Processor",
  "description": "Process and transform images with various filters",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "packages": [
    {
      "registryType": "mcpb",
      "identifier": "https://github.com/username/image-processor-mcp/releases/download/v1.0.0/image-processor.mcpb",
      "fileSha256": "fe333e598595000ae021bd27117db32ec69af6987f507ba7a63c90638ff633ce",
      "transport": {
        "type": "stdio"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Verification#

The MCPB package URL (identifier in server.json) MUST contain the string “mcp”. That can be as part of the .mcpb file extension or in the name of the repository.

The package metadata in server.json MUST include a fileSha256 property with a SHA-256 hash of the MCPB artifact, which can be computed using the openssl command:

openssl dgst -sha256 image-processor.mcpb

The MCP Registry does not validate this hash; however, MCP clients do validate the hash before installation to ensure file integrity. Downstream registries may also implement their own validation.

Link last verified June 7, 2026. View original ↗
Source: MCP Docs
Link last verified: 2026-02-26