An MCP registry is a catalog that lists MCP servers, so you can find them. Each entry holds a name, a description and a pointer to where the server lives, such as an npm package or a URL. It never holds the server's code, and it doesn't run anything for you.
A simple way to picture it
Think of a phone book. It tells you a business exists and where to find it. It doesn't answer the phone. Say you search a registry for "postgres" and get a package name back. You still have to install it, give it credentials and keep it running. That is the gap a hosted gateway fills.
What an entry contains
The official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io) publishes each server as a server.json file. It has a name, a description, a package pointer, and the command, arguments and environment variables a host needs to launch it.
Names use a reverse-DNS format to stop squatting. A GitHub-verified publisher gets io.github.<user>/<server-name>, and a domain owner gets com.example/<server-name>.
Registry, marketplace and gateway
People use these words interchangeably, but they're three layers:
- Registry. Raw discovery data: a name mapped to a package or URL. Nothing is vetted beyond who owns the name.
- Marketplace. A curated set of servers with real config fields and tool lists, not just a package name.
- Gateway. The runtime layer. It runs the MCP server, holds its credentials and controls which tools a client can call.
A registry answers "what exists, and where?" It doesn't tell you whether a server is safe to call today.
The official MCP Registry today
As of October 2026, the official registry is still labeled a preview, and its docs warn that breaking changes or data resets may occur before general availability. It launched on September 8, 2025, backed by Anthropic, GitHub, PulseMCP and Microsoft. Publishers submit entries with the mcp-publisher CLI.
Host apps aren't meant to query it directly. Aggregators and marketplaces poll it and re-serve curated results. It checks namespace ownership, not code safety, and it doesn't accept private servers.
After you find a server
An entry hands you a package name or URL, not a working connection. With MCPifex, you skip the install step. Create an instance in the portal, save its credentials, pick the tools and connect any client to https://mcp.mcpifex.com/mcp. The quickstart walks through it.
If you relied on Smithery for discovery, note that its connection services shut down on October 31, 2026. See what the Smithery shutdown means and the best MCP marketplaces for alternatives.
For more background, see Model Context Protocol and the best MCP servers.
Quick answers
It is the community-run catalog at registry.modelcontextprotocol.io, launched in preview on September 8, 2025. Publishers submit server.json entries with the mcp-publisher CLI. As of October 2026 it is still labeled a preview.
No. A registry maps a name to a package or URL. A marketplace curates servers with config fields and tool lists. Neither runs the server for you; a gateway does that.
No. It stores metadata only, such as a name, description and package pointer. You still install, configure and run the server, or use a hosted gateway like MCPifex.
Sources
- About the MCP Registry — Model Context Protocol
- modelcontextprotocol/registry — GitHub
- Introducing the MCP Registry — Model Context Protocol Blog
- What Is an MCP Registry? — Kong
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