Server Cards: recommend /server-card over .well-known (resolves #12) (#22)

Resolves #12.

## What & why

Moves the **single-server Server Card** off a `.well-known` path. We
reserve `GET <streamable-http-url>/server-card` as the recommended
location while allowing **any unreserved URI** — the Catalog
(`/.well-known/mcp/catalog.json`) is the discovery entrypoint and
already carries each card's `url`, so clients never need to guess where
a card lives.

Adopts wording close to the resolution discussed in #12 (credit: Darrel
Miller's point that `.well-known` is for *site-wide* metadata, not
application-level metadata like an individual server's card; proposed
wording from @SamMorrowDrums and @tadasant):

> MCP Servers MAY host their Server Card at `GET
<streamable-http-url>/server-card`, which we reserve for this purpose,
though any unreserved URI is valid. MCP Servers SHOULD respect the
agreed media type wherever they choose to host it. After a client
identifies a Server Card URL from an AI Catalog or MCP Catalog, it
SHOULD request that URL expressing the Server Card media type.

### Content negotiation

A client fetching a Server Card requests its preferred representation
with the `Accept` header (`Accept: application/mcp-server-card+json`) —
the request-side content-negotiation header for a GET. The server echoes
the type it actually served back in the response's `Content-Type`.

> **Note on media type:** this PR is scoped to *placement* only and does
**not** perform the `application/mcp-server+json` →
`application/mcp-server-card+json` rename — that is handled in a
separate PR. So the two coexist deliberately here:
> - **Pre-existing strings** (catalog-entry description, the four
example `mediaType` values, validation prose, and the "Server Cards use
the media type" line) are left as `application/mcp-server+json`,
untouched, for the rename PR to sweep.
> - **New prose introduced by this PR** (the reserved-location
blockquote and the `Accept`-header example in the "Server Card Location"
section) names the type explicitly as the **post-rename
`application/mcp-server-card+json`**, since the rename PR's diff is
against `main` and would not touch text that doesn't yet exist there.
>
> The temporary mix resolves to a single consistent type once both PRs
land.

## Rationale for `/server-card` (also captured permanently in
`docs/discovery.md` → "Alternatives considered")

- **Not `.well-known`:** site-wide vs. application-level metadata; the
Catalog already provides the `url`, so `.well-known` adds no value for
the card.
- **Not the bare streamable-HTTP endpoint** (`GET <url>` with no
suffix): a GET there already opens the SSE stream in Streamable HTTP.
Hosting the card there overloads the connection-establishing endpoint
and forces content negotiation to disambiguate. Spec-*allowed*,
explicitly **not recommended** — this is the primary motivation for a
distinct suffix.
- **Not domain-root `/mcp/` nesting:** `/mcp` denotes the *transport
endpoint itself* in MCP's canonical-URI examples; there's no precedent
for `/mcp/` as a metadata sub-namespace, and it collides conceptually
with "the JSON-RPC endpoint."
- **Elegant consequence:** because the suffix is appended to the
streamable-HTTP URL, a server at `https://host/mcp` naturally yields
`https://host/mcp/server-card` — path-namespacing for free.

## Scope guardrail

This applies **only to the single-server Server Card**. `.well-known` is
unchanged and remains correct for the **Catalog**
(`/.well-known/mcp/catalog.json`) and OAuth metadata
(`/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource`, etc.) — those are genuinely
site-wide. The doc calls this out explicitly so it doesn't read as
"abandon `.well-known` everywhere."

## Files changed

- **`docs/discovery.md`** — new "Server Card Location" section with the
reserved convention + `Accept`-header guidance; permanent "Alternatives
considered" subsection; rewritten single- and multi-server example URLs
(`https://example.com/mcp/server-card`;
`https://acme.com/code-review/server-card`, `/docs-search/server-card`,
`/ci-cd/server-card`).
- **`schema.ts`** — updated the two `.well-known` doc comments
(`ServerCard` and `Server`) to the new convention.
- **`schema.json`** — regenerated from `schema.ts` (`npm run generate`).
- **`README.md`** — updated the "What is a Server Card?" line to the new
convention, normalizing the pre-existing README-vs-schema `.well-known`
mismatch.

## Verification

- [x] `npm run check` passes (schema.json in sync with schema.ts + `tsc
--noEmit` clean)
- [x] `npm run generate` run and regenerated `schema.json` committed in
the same change
- [x] `npm run validate` passes — all 7 examples validate against the
regenerated schema
- [x] `npm run format` run (prettier clean)
- [x] No single-server-card `.well-known` references remain in
`README.md`, `schema.ts`, `schema.json`, or `docs/discovery.md`
(verified via grep); remaining `.well-known` references are
Catalog/OAuth/the "Alternatives considered" explainer only
- [x] Pre-existing media-type strings left untouched — `git diff
origin/main` shows zero changes to existing
`application/mcp-server+json` strings (rename owned by a separate PR);
only the new placement prose names the post-rename
`application/mcp-server-card+json`
- [x] Examples updated and internally consistent with the new prose
- [x] Fresh-eyes subagent review performed; its one cosmetic finding was
addressed and CI re-confirmed green
- [x] CI green (see checks on this PR)

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

---------

Co-authored-by: Agent (Claude) <peter@tadasant.com>
Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>

README.md

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ A prior attempt to land these types directly in the core spec ([modelcontextprot
 
 ## What is a Server Card?
 
-A **Server Card** is a JSON document, typically published at `https://<host>/.well-known/mcp/server-card`, describing:
+A **Server Card** is a JSON document — hosted at any unreserved URI, with `GET <streamable-http-url>/server-card` reserved as the recommended location (see [discovery.md](docs/discovery.md)) — describing:
 
 - The server's identity (`name`, `version`, `description`, optional `title` / `icons` / `repository` / `websiteUrl`)
 - Its remote transport endpoints (URLs, headers, variable templates, supported protocol versions)

docs/discovery.md

@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ A domain hosting a single MCP server, using only the required fields:
       "identifier": "urn:mcp:server:com.example/weather",
       "displayName": "Weather Service",
       "mediaType": "application/mcp-server-card+json",
-      "url": "https://example.com/.well-known/mcp-server-card"
+      "url": "https://example.com/mcp/server-card"
     }
   ]
 }
@@ -90,19 +90,19 @@ A domain hosting several MCP servers, each with its own server card:
       "identifier": "urn:mcp:server:com.acme/code-review",
       "displayName": "Code Review Assistant",
       "mediaType": "application/mcp-server-card+json",
-      "url": "https://acme.com/.well-known/mcp-server-card/code-review"
+      "url": "https://acme.com/code-review/server-card"
     },
     {
       "identifier": "urn:mcp:server:com.acme/docs-search",
       "displayName": "Documentation Search",
       "mediaType": "application/mcp-server-card+json",
-      "url": "https://acme.com/.well-known/mcp-server-card/docs-search"
+      "url": "https://acme.com/docs-search/server-card"
     },
     {
       "identifier": "urn:mcp:server:com.acme/ci-cd",
       "displayName": "CI/CD Pipeline",
       "mediaType": "application/mcp-server-card+json",
-      "url": "https://acme.com/.well-known/mcp-server-card/ci-cd"
+      "url": "https://acme.com/ci-cd/server-card"
     }
   ]
 }
@@ -124,7 +124,9 @@ flowchart TD
 
 1. Fetch `https://{domain}/.well-known/mcp/catalog.json`
 2. If a valid MCP Catalog is returned, iterate over the `entries` array
-3. For each entry, retrieve the server card from the entry's `url`
+3. For each entry, retrieve the server card from the entry's `url`, expressing the
+   Server Card media type via the `Accept` header (see
+   [Server Card Location](#server-card-location))
 4. Use the server card metadata to configure and establish an MCP connection
 
 Clients SHOULD validate that each entry has `mediaType` set to `application/mcp-server-card+json`
@@ -148,6 +150,61 @@ A Server Card includes:
 For the full Server Card specification, see
 [SEP-2127: MCP Server Cards](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/pull/2127).
 
+### Server Card Location
+
+The Catalog is the discovery entrypoint, and every Catalog Entry already carries the
+`url` where its Server Card can be retrieved. Clients therefore never need to _guess_ a
+Server Card's location — they follow the `url` the Catalog gives them. As a result, a
+Server Card MAY be hosted at any unreserved URI.
+
+To give servers a predictable default, MCP reserves one location:
+
+> MCP Servers MAY host their Server Card at `GET <streamable-http-url>/server-card`,
+> which we reserve for this purpose, though any unreserved URI (on any domain) is valid.
+> MCP Servers SHOULD respect the `application/mcp-server-card+json` media type wherever
+> they choose to host it. After a client identifies a Server Card URL from an AI Catalog
+> or MCP Catalog, it SHOULD request that URL expressing the `application/mcp-server-card+json`
+> media type.
+
+Concretely:
+
+- A client requesting a Server Card SHOULD send `Accept: application/mcp-server-card+json`
+  on the GET request. (`Accept` is the representation-negotiation header for a GET; the
+  server echoes the negotiated type back in the response `Content-Type`.)
+- The `/server-card` suffix is appended to the server's **streamable-HTTP URL**, not to
+  the domain root. A server that lives at `https://host/mcp` therefore naturally yields
+  `https://host/mcp/server-card` — you get path-namespacing for free without inventing a
+  separate convention.
+
+#### Alternatives considered
+
+The following placements were considered and **not** recommended:
+
+- **A `.well-known` URI** (e.g., `/.well-known/mcp/server-card`). `.well-known` is for
+  _site-wide_ metadata, whereas an individual server's card is _application-level_
+  metadata. Because the Catalog is the discovery entrypoint and already provides each
+  card's `url`, hosting the card under `.well-known` adds no value — the card can live
+  anywhere the Catalog points. (Note: `.well-known` remains correct for the **Catalog**
+  itself at `/.well-known/mcp/catalog.json` and for OAuth metadata such as
+  `/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource` — those are genuinely site-wide. This change
+  applies only to the single-server Server Card.)
+- **The bare streamable-HTTP endpoint** (`GET <streamable-http-url>` with no suffix).
+  In the Streamable HTTP transport a `GET` on the MCP endpoint already has a reserved
+  meaning — it opens the SSE stream. Serving the card there overloads that endpoint and
+  forces content negotiation to disambiguate "give me the card" from "open the stream."
+  This remains spec-_allowed_ (any unreserved URI is valid) but is explicitly **not
+  recommended**; avoiding the overload of the connection-establishing endpoint is the
+  primary motivation for reserving a distinct `/server-card` suffix.
+- **Nesting under a domain-root `/mcp/`** (e.g., `/mcp/server-card`). In MCP, `/mcp` denotes
+  the _transport endpoint itself_ (canonical-URI examples: `https://mcp.example.com/mcp`,
+  `https://mcp.example.com/server/mcp`). There is no precedent for `/mcp/` as a metadata
+  sub-namespace relative to a server URL. Nesting under `/mcp/` collides conceptually with
+  "the JSON-RPC endpoint" and creates ambiguity about whether the path is relative to the
+  server URL or the domain root. (This is distinct from a server that simply happens to
+  live at `https://host/mcp`: there, `https://host/mcp/server-card` is just
+  `<streamable-http-url>` + `/server-card` — the recommended convention — not a domain-root
+  `/mcp/` metadata namespace.)
+
 ## Relationship to AI Catalog
 
 The MCP Catalog is designed as a transitional mechanism. The

schema.json

@@ -456,7 +456,7 @@
       "type": "object"
     },
     "Server": {
-      "description": "A superset of {@link ServerCard} that additionally describes locally-runnable\npackages. This is the shape used by the MCP Registry's `server.json`.\n\n`Server` documents are typically published to a registry rather than served\nfrom a `.well-known` URI, since they may include instructions for installing\nand executing a server on a client's local machine.",
+      "description": "A superset of {@link ServerCard} that additionally describes locally-runnable\npackages. This is the shape used by the MCP Registry's `server.json`.\n\n`Server` documents are typically published to a registry rather than served\nfrom a Server Card URI (e.g., `<streamable-http-url>/server-card`), since they\nmay include instructions for installing and executing a server on a client's\nlocal machine.",
       "properties": {
         "$schema": {
           "description": "The Server Card JSON Schema URI that this document conforms to. Required.\n\nMust be a `/v1/` URL under `static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/`,\nnaming a Server Card / `server.json` schema (e.g.,\n`https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/v1/server-card.schema.json`\nor `https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/v1/server.schema.json`).\nSchema URLs are versioned by the `vN` segment rather than by date so that\nminor, additive revisions of the v1 shape don't bump every published\ndocument's `$schema` URL.",
@@ -527,7 +527,7 @@
       "type": "object"
     },
     "ServerCard": {
-      "description": "A static metadata document describing a remote MCP server, suitable for\npublishing at a `.well-known/mcp-server-card` URI for pre-connection discovery.\n\nServer Cards intentionally describe only what is needed to discover and\nconnect to a remote server: identity, transport, and protocol versions.\nThey do not enumerate primitives (tools, resources, prompts) — those remain\nsubject to runtime listing via the protocol's standard list operations.\n\nThe companion {@link Server} shape is a strict superset that adds local\npackage metadata for use cases like the MCP Registry's `server.json`.",
+      "description": "A static metadata document describing a remote MCP server, suitable for\npre-connection discovery. A Server Card MAY be hosted at any unreserved URI;\nMCP reserves `GET <streamable-http-url>/server-card` as the recommended\nlocation. Clients learn a card's URL from an MCP/AI Catalog rather than\nguessing it.\n\nServer Cards intentionally describe only what is needed to discover and\nconnect to a remote server: identity, transport, and protocol versions.\nThey do not enumerate primitives (tools, resources, prompts) — those remain\nsubject to runtime listing via the protocol's standard list operations.\n\nThe companion {@link Server} shape is a strict superset that adds local\npackage metadata for use cases like the MCP Registry's `server.json`.",
       "properties": {
         "$schema": {
           "description": "The Server Card JSON Schema URI that this document conforms to. Required.\n\nMust be a `/v1/` URL under `static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/`,\nnaming a Server Card / `server.json` schema (e.g.,\n`https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/v1/server-card.schema.json`\nor `https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/v1/server.schema.json`).\nSchema URLs are versioned by the `vN` segment rather than by date so that\nminor, additive revisions of the v1 shape don't bump every published\ndocument's `$schema` URL.",

schema.ts

@@ -11,7 +11,10 @@
 
 /**
  * A static metadata document describing a remote MCP server, suitable for
- * publishing at a `.well-known/mcp-server-card` URI for pre-connection discovery.
+ * pre-connection discovery. A Server Card MAY be hosted at any unreserved URI;
+ * MCP reserves `GET <streamable-http-url>/server-card` as the recommended
+ * location. Clients learn a card's URL from an MCP/AI Catalog rather than
+ * guessing it.
  *
  * Server Cards intentionally describe only what is needed to discover and
  * connect to a remote server: identity, transport, and protocol versions.
@@ -126,8 +129,9 @@ export interface ServerCard {
  * packages. This is the shape used by the MCP Registry's `server.json`.
  *
  * `Server` documents are typically published to a registry rather than served
- * from a `.well-known` URI, since they may include instructions for installing
+ * from a Server Card URI (e.g., `<streamable-http-url>/server-card`), since they
- * and executing a server on a client's local machine.
+ * may include instructions for installing and executing a server on a client's
+ * local machine.
  *
  * @see [SEP-2127: MCP Server Cards](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/pull/2127)
  * @category Server Cards