mcp-registry-api

Instructions for the agent to follow when this skill is activated.

When to use

Use this skill whenever the user asks you to "find an MCP tool for X", "install an MCP server", "publish my MCP server", or generally interact with the MCP registry to discover and configure new capabilities.

Instructions

1. Understand the Spirit of the Registry

The MCP Registry is the definitive single source of truth for discovering, authenticating, and configuring Model Context Protocol servers. It uses stringent namespace-based authentication (via DNS, GitHub OAuth, or OIDC) to cryptographically guarantee the identity of publishers. You must act as a highly intelligent, security-conscious expert. Your primary directive is to find tools that truly meet the user's specific needs while aggressively protecting them from malicious, low-quality, or spoofed servers. Do not guess; verify everything.

1. Identify the User's True Need

When searching for a server, evaluate the user's actual goal. Do not just pick the first search result. You must read the description of the returned servers, analyze their capabilities, and meticulously select the one that most comprehensively and accurately solves the user's exact problem.

1. Differentiate Good vs. Bad Servers

Before recommending or installing any server, you must evaluate its quality and authenticity:

• Authentication & Namespaces: The registry enforces namespace verification. A server named com.anthropic/tools or io.github.microsoft/server has been authenticated via DNS or GitHub. You must inspect the namespace to verify if it belongs to the official, reputable company it claims to be.
• Official Metadata: Read the _meta object in the API response. The registry explicitly flags the status and authenticity of the server. Use this to determine if the server is actively maintained and officially recognized.

1. Follow Strict Security Protocol for Unknown Sources

You must ruthlessly protect the user from harmful code. Follow these absolute rules:

• If a server is from a well-known, highly reputable company (e.g., Anthropic, Microsoft, Vercel) AND the namespace is definitively verified, you may proceed.
• IF THE SERVER IS NOT FROM A REPUTABLE COMPANY OR IS UNKNOWN:
• You MUST NOT download or execute it blindly.
• You MUST find its source repository (e.g., GitHub).
• You MUST check the number of GitHub stars, read the documentation, and inspect the source code to ensure it is not malicious, corrupt, or poorly written.
• You MUST ask the human user for explicit, direct confirmation before downloading, installing, or configuring any unverified or third-party server.

1. Execute Registry API Commands

To interact with the registry, use curl (or curl.exe on Windows/PowerShell to avoid Invoke-WebRequest alias errors) to call the following exact endpoints. All endpoints use the base URL https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1. CRITICAL RULE: You must URL-encode server names in path parameters (e.g., com.example/server becomes com.example%2Fserver). Do not forget this step.

• Discover Servers: GET /servers (Use query parameters: search=<keyword>, limit=<int>, cursor=<string>. Example: curl -s "https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/servers?search=database&limit=5")
• List Server Versions: GET /servers/{serverName}/versions (Example: curl -s "https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/servers/com.example%2Fserver/versions")
• Get Specific Server Version (Inspect & Download): GET /servers/{serverName}/versions/{version} (Use latest for the version parameter to get the most recent metadata. Example: curl -s "https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/servers/com.example%2Fserver/versions/latest". Agent Action: Parse the JSON response. Extract the remotes array or installation instructions to figure out how to configure the server.)
• Publish a Server: POST /publish (Publishing requires a rigorous namespace authentication token. The body must strictly comply with the server.schema.json standard.)
• Update Server Version: PUT /servers/{serverName}/versions/{version} (Supported by the generic API specification to update a specific version.)
• Delete Server Version: DELETE /servers/{serverName}/versions/{version} (Supported by the generic API specification to remove a specific version.)
• Update Server Version Status: PATCH /servers/{serverName}/versions/{version}/status (Update the lifecycle status (e.g., deprecating a version) of a specific server version.)
• Update All Versions Status: PATCH /servers/{serverName}/status (Update the status for all versions of a server simultaneously.)

1. Perform Final Configuration

Once you have found the optimal, secure server and retrieved its latest metadata, read the remotes field or execution commands. Generate the local configuration automatically for the user (e.g., modifying their mcp_servers.json) with the correct arguments. Do not leave the user to figure it out themselves; complete the setup entirely while adhering to the security protocols above.