registry/docs/reference/server-json/generic-server-json.md
Wolfe-James 685e354b2f
feat: add cargo (crates.io) as a package registry type (#1207)
> **Update — 2026-06-01 (commit 1f3be53)**
>
> - **All @P4ST4S review feedback addressed** — positive-path hermetic
mock + live anchor against `rust-faf-mcp v0.3.1`; 5xx routed as
transient; doc comment qualified. See the [close-out
comment](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry/pull/1207#issuecomment-4589711057)
for the per-item breakdown.
> - **Runtime-model question RESOLVED** — `package-types.mdx` documents
cargo and MCPB as both first-class Rust MCP distribution paths (cargo
for source-distributed, MCPB for prebuilt-binary). The "Open question"
section below was the original draft framing; the doc now ships the
resolution.
> - **Cargo-specific gotcha discovered and documented** — crates.io
strips HTML comments during README rendering, unlike PyPI/NuGet.
`package-types.mdx` now spells this out so cargo authors don't ship
invisible mcp-name tokens (which is exactly what happened to
`rust-faf-mcp v0.3.0`; fixed in v0.3.1).
> - **Stale reference removed in this update** — the "Out of scope" line
mentioning `docs/guides/publishing/publish-cargo.md` pointed at a path
that doesn't exist. The canonical per-type doc is
`docs/modelcontextprotocol-io/package-types.mdx`; the Cargo section has
been added there directly.
> - **Two real-world Rust MCP servers queued for day-one register**:
`rust-faf-mcp v0.3.1` (live, end-to-end validated by the new live test)
and `perfetto-mcp-rs` ([@0xZOne](https://github.com/0xZOne) in #1055).
> - **Tests:** 19/19 cargo tests pass (16 existing + 2 hermetic + 1 live
anchor). `make validate` clean. `golangci-lint` 0 issues.

---

Adds support for `registryType: cargo` so Rust MCP servers published to
crates.io can be registered through the
documented validation flow rather than the MCPB binary-packaging
workaround. Closes #1055.

  ## Motivation and Context

#1055 noted that crates.io has ~1,800 MCP-related packages with no
direct path into the registry — only the MCPB
binary-packaging workaround. This PR adds first-class support for cargo
as a package registry type: schema +
API surface, validator, integration tests, and a documented example. The
publishing guide
(`docs/guides/publishing/publish-cargo.md`) follows on this branch once
the runtime-model direction in
  **Additional context** is settled.

  ## How Has This Been Tested?

- **`make validate`** — clean. Schema-vs-openapi sync verified; 17/17
examples in `generic-server-json.md`
validate against the schema; `expectedServerJSONCount` bumped 16 → 17 to
match the new Cargo example.
- **`go test ./internal/validators/...`** — passes. 16 cargo validator
sub-cases across 4 test functions, run
  against real crates.io (~2.5s wall):
    - Input validation rejection paths
- Registry-baseURL rejection (4 variants: different host, trailing
slash, http-not-https, subdomain typo)
- Ownership validation against real crates (`serde`, `tokio`, `rand`) —
all correctly rejected for missing
  `mcp-name` token
- Server-name format variations (canonical `io.github.OWNER/REPO`,
multi-hyphen, underscore, numeric suffix)
- **Positive-path test** — gated on `rust-faf-mcp` v0.2.3+ being
published with `mcp-name:
io.github.Wolfe-Jam/rust-faf-mcp` in its README. Reserved as a TODO in
`cargo_test.go`; uncomments to become the
   live anchor once that publish lands.
- **Local `make test-unit`** — not run due to a Go toolchain version
quirk on my workstation (project
auto-downloads 1.26.0; my local `go` is 1.25.6, causing compile
mismatch). CI will exercise the full
  PostgreSQL-backed suite.

  ## Breaking Changes

None. This is an additive change — `cargo` joins the supported
`registryType` enum alongside
`npm`/`pypi`/`nuget`/`oci`/`mcpb`. Existing publishes continue to work
unchanged.

  ## Types of changes

  - [x] New feature (non-breaking change which adds functionality)
- [x] Documentation update (new Cargo example in
`generic-server-json.md`)

  ## Checklist

- [x] I have read the [MCP
Documentation](https://modelcontextprotocol.io)
  - [x] My code follows the repository's style guidelines
  - [x] New and existing tests pass locally
  - [x] I have added appropriate error handling
  - [x] I have added or updated documentation as needed

  ## Additional context

  ### Validator design — two-call retrieval on the documented API

`internal/validators/registries/cargo.go` mirrors the PyPI validator's
README-token approach (substring-match
`mcp-name: <serverName>`), with a two-call retrieval pattern to stay on
the documented public crates.io API:

1. `GET /api/v1/crates/{name}/{version}/readme` returns 200 OK with a
JSON pointer (`{"url":
"https://static.crates.io/readmes/.../...html"}`) — crates.io hands us
the URL rather than emitting a 302.
2. Follow the pointer to the rendered HTML; substring-match for the
token.

The two-call pattern stays on the documented public surface. The CDN URL
layout is observed-stable, but treating
it as the entry point would mean depending on an undocumented path. With
two calls, crates.io controls where
the README lives — if they move it, the metadata endpoint hands us the
new URL.

Missing crates and missing versions surface as **403** from the CDN
(S3's default for missing keys), not 404.
The validator treats any non-200 as "not found" and surfaces the actual
status code in the error message.

  ### Open question — runtime model

Cargo's runtime model is genuinely different from npm/PyPI/NuGet. `cargo
install` is one-time (binary lands on
PATH at `~/.cargo/bin`), not per-invocation like `npx`, `uvx`, or `dnx`
(the new one in .NET 10 SDK Preview 6+).
The new Cargo example in `generic-server-json.md` annotates this
honestly and omits `runtimeHint`.

If a different framing is preferred — e.g. recommending **MCPB**
(prebuilt binary distribution via GitHub
Releases) as the primary path for Rust MCP servers instead of cargo —
happy to adjust the documentation
accordingly. The schema + validator code in this PR is **additive** and
doesn't force a recommendation either
way; a Rust author who chooses cargo can use it, and one who prefers
MCPB still can.

  ### Out of scope (deferred)

- **`docs/guides/publishing/publish-cargo.md`** — follows on this branch
once the runtime-model direction above
  is settled.
- **Publisher CLI `Cargo.toml` autodetect** in
`cmd/publisher/commands/init.go` — separate concern, separate PR.
- **Positive-path validator test** — gated on `rust-faf-mcp` v0.2.3+
publishing as noted in *How Has This Been
  Tested?*.

---------

Co-authored-by: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
Co-authored-by: Radoslav Dimitrov <radoslav@stacklok.com>
2026-06-03 10:56:43 -04:00

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24 KiB
Markdown

# server.json Format Specification
A `server.json` file is a standardized way to describe MCP servers for registry publishing, client discovery, and package management.
Also see:
- For step-by-step instructions on creating and using server.json files, see the [publishing guide](../../modelcontextprotocol-io/quickstart.mdx).
- For understanding the validation requirements when publishing to the official registry, see [official registry requirements](./official-registry-requirements.md).
## Browse the Complete Schema
**📋 View the full specification interactively**: Open [server.schema.json](./draft/server.schema.json) in a schema viewer like [json-schema.app](https://json-schema.app/view/%23?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.modelcontextprotocol.io%2Fschemas%2F2025-09-29%2Fserver.schema.json).
The schema contains all field definitions, validation rules, examples, and detailed descriptions.
The official registry has some more restrictions on top of this. See the [official registry requirements](./official-registry-requirements.md) for details.
## Extension Metadata with `_meta`
The optional `_meta` field allows publishers to include custom metadata alongside their server definitions using reverse DNS namespacing.
```jsonc
{
"_meta": {
"io.modelcontextprotocol.registry/publisher-provided": {
// Your custom metadata here
}
}
}
```
When publishing to the official registry, custom metadata must be placed under the key `io.modelcontextprotocol.registry/publisher-provided`. See the [official registry requirements](./official-registry-requirements.md) for detailed restrictions and examples.
## Examples
<!-- As a heads up, these are used as part of tests/integration/main.go -->
### Basic Server with NPM Package
```json
{
"$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
"name": "io.modelcontextprotocol.anonymous/brave-search",
"description": "MCP server for Brave Search API integration",
"title": "Brave Search",
"websiteUrl": "https://anonymous.modelcontextprotocol.io/examples",
"repository": {
"url": "https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers",
"source": "github"
},
"version": "1.0.2",
"packages": [
{
"registryType": "npm",
"registryBaseUrl": "https://registry.npmjs.org",
"identifier": "@modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search",
"version": "1.0.2",
"transport": {
"type": "stdio"
},
"environmentVariables": [
{
"name": "BRAVE_API_KEY",
"description": "Brave Search API Key",
"isRequired": true,
"isSecret": true
}
]
}
],
"_meta": {
"io.modelcontextprotocol.registry/publisher-provided": {
"tool": "npm-publisher",
"version": "1.0.1",
"build_info": {
"timestamp": "2023-12-01T10:30:00Z"
}
}
}
}
```
### Server in a Monorepo with Subfolder
For MCP servers located within a subdirectory of a larger repository (monorepo structure), use the `subfolder` field to specify the relative path:
```json
{
"$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
"name": "io.modelcontextprotocol/everything",
"description": "MCP server that exercises all the features of the MCP protocol",
"title": "Everything",
"repository": {
"url": "https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers",
"source": "github",
"subfolder": "src/everything"
},
"version": "0.6.2",
"packages": [
{
"registryType": "npm",
"registryBaseUrl": "https://registry.npmjs.org",
"identifier": "@modelcontextprotocol/everything",
"version": "0.6.2",
"transport": {
"type": "stdio"
}
}
],
"_meta": {
"io.modelcontextprotocol.registry/publisher-provided": {
"tool": "npm-publisher",
"version": "1.0.1",
"build_info": {
"timestamp": "2023-12-01T10:30:00Z"
}
}
}
}
```
### Constant (fixed) arguments needed to start the MCP server
Suppose your MCP server application requires a `mcp start` CLI arguments to start in MCP server mode. Express these as positional arguments like this:
```json
{
"$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
"name": "io.github.joelverhagen/knapcode-samplemcpserver",
"description": "Sample NuGet MCP server for a random number and random weather",
"version": "0.4.0-beta",
"packages": [
{
"registryType": "nuget",
"registryBaseUrl": "https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json",
"identifier": "Knapcode.SampleMcpServer",
"version": "0.4.0-beta",
"transport": {
"type": "stdio"
},
"packageArguments": [
{
"type": "positional",
"value": "mcp"
},
{
"type": "positional",
"value": "start"
}
]
}
],
"_meta": {
"io.modelcontextprotocol.registry/publisher-provided": {
"tool": "nuget-publisher",
"version": "2.1.0",
"build_info": {
"timestamp": "2023-11-15T14:22:00Z",
"pipeline_id": "nuget-build-456"
}
}
}
}
```
This will essentially instruct the MCP client to execute `dnx Knapcode.SampleMcpServer@0.4.0-beta -- mcp start` instead of the default `dnx Knapcode.SampleMcpServer@0.4.0-beta` (when no `packageArguments` are provided).
### Filesystem Server with Multiple Packages
```json
{
"$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
"name": "io.github.modelcontextprotocol/filesystem",
"description": "Node.js server implementing Model Context Protocol (MCP) for filesystem operations.",
"title": "Filesystem",
"repository": {
"url": "https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers",
"source": "github",
"id": "b94b5f7e-c7c6-d760-2c78-a5e9b8a5b8c9"
},
"version": "1.0.2",
"packages": [
{
"registryType": "npm",
"registryBaseUrl": "https://registry.npmjs.org",
"identifier": "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
"version": "1.0.2",
"transport": {
"type": "stdio"
},
"packageArguments": [
{
"type": "positional",
"valueHint": "target_dir",
"description": "Path to access",
"default": "/Users/username/Desktop",
"isRequired": true,
"isRepeated": true
}
],
"environmentVariables": [
{
"name": "LOG_LEVEL",
"description": "Logging level (debug, info, warn, error)",
"default": "info"
}
]
},
{
"registryType": "oci",
"identifier": "docker.io/mcp/filesystem:1.0.2",
"transport": {
"type": "stdio"
},
"runtimeArguments": [
{
"type": "named",
"description": "Mount a volume into the container",
"name": "--mount",
"value": "type=bind,src={source_path},dst={target_path}",
"isRequired": true,
"isRepeated": true,
"variables": {
"source_path": {
"description": "Source path on host",
"format": "filepath",
"isRequired": true
},
"target_path": {
"description": "Path to mount in the container. It should be rooted in `/project` directory.",
"isRequired": true,
"default": "/project"
}
}
}
],
"packageArguments": [
{
"type": "positional",
"valueHint": "target_dir",
"value": "/project"
}
],
"environmentVariables": [
{
"name": "LOG_LEVEL",
"description": "Logging level (debug, info, warn, error)",
"default": "info"
}
]
}
],
"_meta": {
"io.modelcontextprotocol.registry/publisher-provided": {
"tool": "ci-publisher",
"version": "3.2.1",
"build_info": {
"commit": "a1b2c3d4e5f6789",
"timestamp": "2023-12-01T10:30:00Z",
"pipeline_id": "filesystem-build-789",
"environment": "production"
}
}
}
}
```
The same `registryType` / `identifier` pattern works for other supported OCI hosts. For example, an image on Quay.io:
```json
{
"$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
"name": "io.github.example/quay-sample-mcp",
"description": "Example MCP server distributed as an OCI image on Quay.io",
"version": "1.0.0",
"packages": [
{
"registryType": "oci",
"identifier": "quay.io/myorg/my-mcp-server:1.0.0",
"transport": {
"type": "stdio"
}
}
]
}
```
### Remote Server Example
```json
{
"$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
"name": "io.modelcontextprotocol.anonymous/mcp-fs",
"description": "Cloud-hosted MCP filesystem server",
"repository": {
"url": "https://github.com/example/remote-fs",
"source": "github",
"id": "xyz789ab-cdef-0123-4567-890ghijklmno"
},
"version": "2.0.0",
"remotes": [
{
"type": "streamable-http",
"url": "https://mcp-fs.anonymous.modelcontextprotocol.io/http"
}
],
"_meta": {
"io.modelcontextprotocol.registry/publisher-provided": {
"tool": "cloud-deployer",
"version": "2.4.0",
"build_info": {
"commit": "f7e8d9c2b1a0",
"timestamp": "2023-12-05T08:45:00Z",
"deployment_id": "remote-fs-deploy-456",
"region": "us-west-2"
}
}
}
}
```
### Python Package Example
```json
{
"$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
"name": "io.github.example/weather-mcp",
"description": "Python MCP server for weather data access",
"title": "Weather",
"repository": {
"url": "https://github.com/example/weather-mcp",
"source": "github",
"id": "def456gh-ijkl-7890-mnop-qrstuvwxyz12"
},
"version": "0.5.0",
"packages": [
{
"registryType": "pypi",
"registryBaseUrl": "https://pypi.org",
"identifier": "weather-mcp-server",
"version": "0.5.0",
"runtimeHint": "uvx",
"transport": {
"type": "stdio"
},
"environmentVariables": [
{
"name": "WEATHER_API_KEY",
"description": "API key for weather service",
"isRequired": true,
"isSecret": true
},
{
"name": "WEATHER_UNITS",
"description": "Temperature units (celsius, fahrenheit)",
"default": "celsius"
}
]
}
],
"_meta": {
"io.modelcontextprotocol.registry/publisher-provided": {
"tool": "poetry-publisher",
"version": "1.8.3",
"build_info": {
"python_version": "3.11.5",
"timestamp": "2023-11-28T16:20:00Z",
"build_id": "pypi-weather-123",
"dependencies_hash": "sha256:a9b8c7d6e5f4"
}
}
}
}
```
### Cargo (Rust) Package Example
`cargo install <crate>` places the binary on PATH (via `~/.cargo/bin`); MCP clients invoke it directly by name. There is no single-shot equivalent of `npx` (npm), `uvx` (PyPI), or `dnx` (NuGet, .NET 10 SDK) for cargo — install once, run by name.
```json
{
"$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
"name": "io.github.example/widget-mcp",
"description": "Rust-native MCP server",
"title": "Widget",
"repository": {
"url": "https://github.com/example/widget-mcp",
"source": "github"
},
"version": "0.3.0",
"packages": [
{
"registryType": "cargo",
"registryBaseUrl": "https://crates.io",
"identifier": "widget-mcp",
"version": "0.3.0",
"transport": {
"type": "stdio"
}
}
]
}
```
### NuGet (.NET) Package Example
The `dnx` tool ships with the .NET 10 SDK, starting with Preview 6.
```json
{
"$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
"name": "io.github.joelverhagen/knapcode-samplemcpserver",
"description": "Sample NuGet MCP server for a random number and random weather",
"repository": {
"url": "https://github.com/joelverhagen/Knapcode.SampleMcpServer",
"source": "github",
"id": "example-nuget-id-0000-1111-222222222222"
},
"version": "0.5.0",
"packages": [
{
"registryType": "nuget",
"registryBaseUrl": "https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json",
"identifier": "Knapcode.SampleMcpServer",
"version": "0.5.0",
"runtimeHint": "dnx",
"transport": {
"type": "stdio"
},
"environmentVariables": [
{
"name": "WEATHER_CHOICES",
"description": "Comma separated list of weather descriptions to randomly select.",
"isRequired": true,
"isSecret": false
}
]
}
],
"_meta": {
"io.modelcontextprotocol.registry/publisher-provided": {
"tool": "dotnet-publisher",
"version": "8.0.100",
"build_info": {
"dotnet_version": "8.0.0",
"timestamp": "2023-12-10T12:15:00Z",
"configuration": "Release",
"target_framework": "net8.0",
"build_number": "20231210.1"
}
}
}
}
```
### Complex Docker Server with Multiple Arguments
```json
{
"$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
"name": "io.github.example/database-manager",
"description": "MCP server for database operations with support for multiple database types",
"repository": {
"url": "https://github.com/example/database-manager-mcp",
"source": "github",
"id": "ghi789jk-lmno-1234-pqrs-tuvwxyz56789"
},
"version": "3.1.0",
"packages": [
{
"registryType": "oci",
"identifier": "docker.io/example/database-manager-mcp:3.1.0",
"transport": {
"type": "stdio"
},
"runtimeArguments": [
{
"type": "named",
"name": "--network",
"value": "host",
"description": "Use host network mode"
},
{
"type": "named",
"name": "-e",
"value": "DB_TYPE={db_type}",
"description": "Database type to connect to",
"isRepeated": true,
"variables": {
"db_type": {
"description": "Type of database",
"choices": [
"postgres",
"mysql",
"mongodb",
"redis"
],
"isRequired": true
}
}
}
],
"packageArguments": [
{
"type": "named",
"name": "--host",
"description": "Database host",
"default": "localhost",
"isRequired": true
},
{
"type": "named",
"name": "--port",
"description": "Database port",
"format": "number"
},
{
"type": "positional",
"valueHint": "database_name",
"description": "Name of the database to connect to",
"isRequired": true
}
],
"environmentVariables": [
{
"name": "DB_USERNAME",
"description": "Database username",
"isRequired": true
},
{
"name": "DB_PASSWORD",
"description": "Database password",
"isRequired": true,
"isSecret": true
},
{
"name": "SSL_MODE",
"description": "SSL connection mode",
"default": "prefer",
"choices": [
"disable",
"prefer",
"require"
]
}
]
}
],
"_meta": {
"io.modelcontextprotocol.registry/publisher-provided": {
"tool": "docker-buildx",
"version": "0.12.1",
"build_info": {
"docker_version": "24.0.7",
"timestamp": "2023-12-08T14:30:00Z",
"platform": "linux/amd64,linux/arm64",
"registry": "docker.io",
"image_digest": "sha256:1a2b3c4d5e6f7890"
}
}
}
}
```
### Server with Remote and Package Options
```json
{
"$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
"name": "io.modelcontextprotocol.anonymous/hybrid-mcp",
"description": "MCP server available as both local package and remote service",
"title": "Hybrid",
"repository": {
"url": "https://github.com/example/hybrid-mcp",
"source": "github",
"id": "klm012no-pqrs-3456-tuvw-xyz789abcdef"
},
"version": "1.5.0",
"packages": [
{
"registryType": "npm",
"registryBaseUrl": "https://registry.npmjs.org",
"identifier": "@example/hybrid-mcp-server",
"version": "1.5.0",
"runtimeHint": "npx",
"transport": {
"type": "stdio"
},
"packageArguments": [
{
"type": "named",
"name": "--mode",
"description": "Operation mode",
"default": "local",
"choices": [
"local",
"cached",
"proxy"
]
}
]
}
],
"remotes": [
{
"type": "streamable-http",
"url": "https://mcp.anonymous.modelcontextprotocol.io/http",
"headers": [
{
"name": "X-API-Key",
"description": "API key for authentication",
"isRequired": true,
"isSecret": true
},
{
"name": "X-Region",
"description": "Service region",
"default": "us-east-1",
"choices": [
"us-east-1",
"eu-west-1",
"ap-southeast-1"
]
}
]
},
{
"type": "sse",
"url": "https://mcp.anonymous.modelcontextprotocol.io/sse"
}
],
"_meta": {
"io.modelcontextprotocol.registry/publisher-provided": {
"tool": "hybrid-deployer",
"version": "1.7.2",
"build_info": {
"timestamp": "2023-12-03T11:00:00Z",
"deployment_strategy": "blue-green",
"npm_version": "10.2.4",
"node_version": "20.10.0",
"service_endpoints": {
"sse": "deployed",
"streamable": "deployed"
}
}
}
}
}
```
### MCP Bundle (MCPB) Package Example
```json
{
"$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
"name": "io.modelcontextprotocol/text-editor",
"description": "MCP Bundle server for advanced text editing capabilities",
"title": "Text Editor",
"repository": {
"url": "https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/text-editor-mcpb",
"source": "github"
},
"version": "1.0.2",
"packages": [
{
"registryType": "mcpb",
"identifier": "https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/text-editor-mcpb/releases/download/v1.0.2/text-editor.mcpb",
"fileSha256": "fe333e598595000ae021bd27117db32ec69af6987f507ba7a63c90638ff633ce",
"transport": {
"type": "stdio"
}
}
],
"_meta": {
"io.modelcontextprotocol.registry/publisher-provided": {
"tool": "mcpb-publisher",
"version": "1.0.0",
"build_info": {
"timestamp": "2023-12-02T09:15:00Z",
"bundle_format": "mcpb-v1"
}
}
}
}
```
This example shows an MCPB (MCP Bundle) package that:
- Is hosted on GitHub Releases (an allowlisted provider)
- Includes a SHA-256 hash for integrity verification
- Can be downloaded and executed directly by MCP clients that support MCPB
### Embedded MCP inside a CLI tool
Some CLI tools bundle an MCP server, without a standalone MCP package or a public repository. In these cases, reuse the existing `packages` shape by pointing at the host CLI package and supplying the `packageArguments` and `runtimeHint` if needed to start the MCP server.
```json
{
"$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
"name": "io.snyk/cli-mcp",
"description": "MCP server provided by the Snyk CLI",
"title": "Snyk",
"version": "1.1298.0",
"packages": [
{
"registryType": "npm",
"registryBaseUrl": "https://registry.npmjs.org",
"identifier": "snyk",
"version": "1.1298.0",
"transport": {
"type": "stdio"
},
"packageArguments": [
{ "type": "positional", "value": "mcp" },
{
"type": "named",
"name": "-t",
"description": "Transport type for MCP server",
"default": "stdio",
"choices": ["stdio", "sse"]
}
]
}
]
}
```
### Server with Custom Installation Path
For MCP servers that follow a custom installation path or are embedded in applications without standalone packages, use the `websiteUrl` field to direct users to setup documentation:
```json
{
"$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
"name": "io.modelcontextprotocol.anonymous/embedded-mcp",
"description": "MCP server embedded in a Desktop app",
"websiteUrl": "https://anonymous.modelcontextprotocol.io/embedded-mcp-guide",
"version": "0.1.0"
}
```
### Remote Server with URL Templating
This example demonstrates URL templating for remote servers, useful for multi-tenant deployments where each instance has its own endpoint. Unlike Package transports (which reference parent arguments/environment variables), Remote transports define their own variables:
```json
{
"$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
"name": "io.modelcontextprotocol.anonymous/multi-tenant-server",
"description": "MCP server with configurable remote endpoint",
"title": "Multi-Tenant Server",
"version": "1.0.0",
"remotes": [
{
"type": "streamable-http",
"url": "https://anonymous.modelcontextprotocol.io/mcp/{tenant_id}",
"variables": {
"tenant_id": {
"description": "Tenant identifier (e.g., 'us-cell1', 'emea-cell1')",
"isRequired": true
}
}
}
]
}
```
Clients configure the tenant identifier, and the `{tenant_id}` variable in the URL gets replaced with the provided variable value to connect to the appropriate tenant endpoint (e.g., `https://anonymous.modelcontextprotocol.io/mcp/us-cell1` or `https://anonymous.modelcontextprotocol.io/mcp/emea-cell1`).
The same URL templating works with SSE transport:
```json
{
"$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
"name": "io.modelcontextprotocol.anonymous/events-server",
"description": "MCP server using SSE with tenant-specific endpoints",
"version": "1.0.0",
"remotes": [
{
"type": "sse",
"url": "https://events.anonymous.modelcontextprotocol.io/sse/{tenant_id}",
"variables": {
"tenant_id": {
"description": "Tenant identifier",
"isRequired": true
}
}
}
]
}
```
### Local Server with URL Templating
This example demonstrates URL templating for local/package servers, where variables reference parent Package arguments or environment variables:
```json
{
"$schema": "https://static.modelcontextprotocol.io/schemas/2025-12-11/server.schema.json",
"name": "io.github.example/configurable-server",
"description": "Local MCP server with configurable port",
"title": "Configurable Server",
"version": "1.0.0",
"packages": [
{
"registryType": "npm",
"registryBaseUrl": "https://registry.npmjs.org",
"identifier": "@example/mcp-server",
"version": "1.0.0",
"transport": {
"type": "streamable-http",
"url": "http://localhost:{--port}/mcp"
},
"packageArguments": [
{
"type": "named",
"name": "--port",
"description": "Port for the server to listen on",
"default": "3000"
}
]
}
]
}
```
The `{--port}` variable in the URL references the `--port` argument `name` from packageArguments. For positional arguments, an argument with the `valueHint` of `port` could similarly be referenced as `{port}`. When the package runs with `--port 8080`, the URL becomes `http://localhost:8080/mcp`.