registry/docs/reference/api/generic-registry-api.md
Preeti Dewani bb84ea69e8
Publisher-managed "deleted" support (#893)
(Updated auto-generated PR description from @tadasant / Claude on Feb
22, 2026)

## Motivation and Context

Fixes #637

Server lifecycle management (deprecation and yanking) is a standard
requirement for package registries. Use cases like rebranding, security
vulnerabilities, and end-of-life servers demand the ability to mark
servers as deprecated or deleted, with optional messaging to guide
consumers toward alternatives.

## Changes

### New API endpoints

- **`PATCH /v0/servers/{serverName}/versions/{version}/status`** —
Update the lifecycle status of a single server version
- **`PATCH /v0/servers/{serverName}/status`** — Update the lifecycle
status of all versions of a server in a single transaction

Both endpoints accept:
```json
{
  "status": "active|deprecated|deleted",
  "statusMessage": "Optional message (max 500 chars) explaining the change"
}
```

### New CLI command

- **`mcp-publisher status <serverName> [version]`** — Update server
lifecycle status from the command line
  - `--status` (required): `active`, `deprecated`, or `deleted`
  - `--message`: Optional status message
- `--all-versions`: Apply to all versions of the server (replaces the
`<version>` argument)

### API response changes

`RegistryExtensions` now includes two new fields:
- `statusChangedAt` — Timestamp of the last status change
- `statusMessage` — Optional free-form message (e.g., deprecation
reason, migration guidance)

### List endpoint changes

- New `include_deleted` query parameter on `GET /v0/servers` — defaults
to `false`, hiding deleted servers from listings
- When `updated_since` is provided, `include_deleted` is automatically
set to `true` for incremental sync

### Database

- Migration `013_add_status_fields.sql`: Adds `status_changed_at` (NOT
NULL, initialized from `published_at`) and `status_message` columns to
the `servers` table

### Design decisions (from review discussion)

- **Dedicated status endpoints** rather than overloading the existing
edit endpoint
- **Bidirectional status transitions** — all transitions between
`active`, `deprecated`, and `deleted` are allowed
- **`statusMessage` as free-form text** — no structured `nextName` or
`alternativeUrl` fields (per maintainer feedback, to avoid complexity
around chaining, trust transfer, etc.)
- **Publish permission** grants status change access (not limited to
admin/edit)
- **Status message auto-cleared** when transitioning back to `active`
Good, now I have the full picture. Here's the addendum:

### Consumer-facing API changes

The new status fields live inside
`_meta["io.modelcontextprotocol.registry/official"]` on every
`ServerResponse`. This is the existing `RegistryExtensions` object — two
new fields are added alongside the existing ones:

**Before:**
```json
{
  "server": { "name": "com.example/my-server", "...": "..." },
  "_meta": {
    "io.modelcontextprotocol.registry/official": {
      "status": "active",
      "publishedAt": "2025-06-01T00:00:00Z",
      "updatedAt": "2025-06-15T00:00:00Z",
      "isLatest": true
    }
  }
}
```

**After:**
```json
{
  "server": { "name": "com.example/my-server", "...": "..." },
  "_meta": {
    "io.modelcontextprotocol.registry/official": {
      "status": "deprecated",
      "statusChangedAt": "2026-02-01T12:00:00Z",
      "statusMessage": "Deprecated in favor of com.example/my-server-v2",
      "publishedAt": "2025-06-01T00:00:00Z",
      "updatedAt": "2026-02-01T12:00:00Z",
      "isLatest": true
    }
  }
}
```

| New field | Type | Present when |
|-----------|------|-------------|
| `statusChangedAt` | `string` (RFC3339) | Always — initialized to
`publishedAt` for existing records |
| `statusMessage` | `string` (max 500 chars) | Only when set —
`null`/omitted for active servers (auto-cleared on transition to active)
|

These fields appear on **every endpoint that returns a
`ServerResponse`**: `GET /v0/servers`, `GET /v0/servers/{name}`, `GET
/v0/servers/{name}/versions/{version}`, and the new PATCH status
endpoints.

### List endpoint filtering

`GET /v0/servers` gains an `include_deleted` query parameter:

| Scenario | Behavior |
|----------|----------|
| No `include_deleted` param | Deleted servers hidden (default `false`)
|
| `include_deleted=true` | Deleted servers included in results |
| `updated_since` provided | `include_deleted` forced to `true` for
incremental sync |

## How Has This Been Tested?

- Unit tests for status handler (`status_test.go`) covering status
transitions, permission checks, validation errors, and the all-versions
endpoint
- Unit tests for the CLI command (`status_test.go`)
- Integration with existing server/edit handler tests
- Database layer tests for the new status update and query methods
- Tested locally with `make dev-compose`

## Types of changes

- [x] New feature (non-breaking change which adds functionality)

## 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

## Open items from review

- [ ] `include_deleted` silent override: When `updated_since` is
provided and `include_deleted=false` is explicitly passed, should return
a 400 error rather than silently overriding
([thread](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry/pull/893#discussion_r2100879360))
— agreed upon but may not yet be implemented
2026-02-27 09:00:07 -08:00

76 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown

# Generic Registry API Specification
A standardized RESTful HTTP API for MCP registries to provide consistent endpoints for discovering and retrieving MCP servers.
Also see:
- For authentication and authorization, see the [registry authorization specification](./registry-authorization.md).
## Browse the Complete API Specification
**📋 View the full API specification interactively**: Open [openapi.yaml](./openapi.yaml) in an OpenAPI viewer like [Stoplight Elements](https://elements-demo.stoplight.io/?spec=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry/refs/heads/main/docs/reference/api/openapi.yaml).
The official registry has some more endpoints and restrictions on top of this. See the [official registry API spec](./official-registry-api.md) for details.
## Quick Reference
### Core Endpoints
- **`GET /v0.1/servers`** - List all servers with pagination
- **`GET /v0.1/servers/{serverName}/versions`** - List all versions of a server
- **`GET /v0.1/servers/{serverName}/versions/{version}`** - Get specific version of server. Use the special version `latest` to get the latest version.
- **`POST /v0.1/publish`** - Publish new server (optional, registry-specific authentication)
- **`PUT /v0.1/servers/{serverName}/versions/{version}`** - Update specific server version (optional, not implemented by official registry)
- **`DELETE /v0.1/servers/{serverName}/versions/{version}`** - Delete specific server version (optional, not implemented by official registry)
- **`PATCH /v0.1/servers/{serverName}/versions/{version}/status`** - Update server version status (optional)
- **`PATCH /v0.1/servers/{serverName}/status`** - Update status for all versions (optional)
Server names and version strings should be URL-encoded in paths.
### Authentication
No authentication required by default. Subregistries may optionally require authentication following the [registry authorization specification](./registry-authorization.md).
### Content Type
All requests and responses use `application/json`
### Pagination
List endpoints use cursor-based pagination for efficient, stable results.
#### Usage
1. **Initial request**: Omit the `cursor` parameter
2. **Subsequent requests**: Use the `nextCursor` value from the previous response
3. **End of results**: When `nextCursor` is null or empty, there are no more results
**Important**: Always treat cursors as opaque strings. Never manually construct or modify cursor values.
### Basic Example: List Servers
```bash
curl https://registry.example.com/v0.1/servers?limit=10
```
```json
{
"servers": [
{
"server": {
"name": "io.modelcontextprotocol/filesystem",
"description": "Filesystem operations server",
"version": "1.0.2"
},
"_meta": {
"io.modelcontextprotocol.registry/official": {
"status": "active",
"publishedAt": "2025-01-01T10:30:00Z",
"isLatest": true
}
}
}
],
"metadata": {
"count": 10,
"nextCursor": "com.example/my-server:1.0.0"
}
}
```
For complete endpoint documentation, view the OpenAPI specification in a schema viewer.