Where to Launch an MCP Server: Registries, Directories and Lists
Publish an MCP server to the official MCP Registry first, using its publisher tool and a server.json file, then submit the same repository to community directories such as mcp.so and Glama and open a pull request to an awesome list. The registry is a metadata index in preview, not a host, so your package or remote URL has to exist before you list it.
Where do people actually discover MCP servers?
Unlike an app, an MCP server is rarely found by browsing. Someone with a client already open wants a tool for a job, searches a directory, copies a configuration snippet and moves on. Discovery therefore happens in three layers, and a launch that touches all three costs less than an afternoon.
| Layer | Examples | What gets listed | Your effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official index | MCP Registry | Metadata that points at your package or URL | A metadata file and a verified namespace |
| Community directories | mcp.so, Glama, PulseMCP | A page generated from your repository | A submission, then a good README |
| Curated lists and catalogs | Awesome lists, Docker catalog | A line, or a built image | A pull request or a review |
Everything on the page reads your README, so write it as the listing. Put the tool names, what each returns and a copy-paste client configuration at the top.
Which registries and lists are worth submitting to?
Facts below were read on each platform’s own pages on 13 November 2026. The registry and the aggregators change quickly, so recheck before you rely on a detail.
01 Official MCP Registry
The official metadata repository for publicly reachable MCP servers, currently in preview.
- Status
- Its docs say breaking changes or data resets may occur before general availability
- Backers named in the docs
- Anthropic, GitHub, PulseMCP and Microsoft
- Publishing
- The mcp-publisher command-line tool and a server.json file
- Ownership
- You prove control of a namespace through GitHub, DNS or HTTP
The registry stores metadata only. Your server must already be published as a package (npm, PyPI, NuGet, OCI and MCPB are named in its docs) or run at a public address, and for packages the ownership check differs by type. For a remote server, its quickstart says the registry verifies the namespace but not the URL you point to.
Version metadata is immutable once published, similar to npm, so check the file before you publish and bump the version for every change. Its moderation policy calls itself permissive and removes illegal content, malware, spam and servers that are completely broken, and it says downstream aggregators may moderate more.
Visit Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io) →
02 mcp.so
An independent community directory of servers, clients and related tools.
- Official?
- No, its own page says it is not the official registry
- Submitting
- A Submit button; you enter a repository or server URL and it fetches the details
- Also lists
- Remote servers, clients and skills in separate sections
Submission is quick because the details come from your repository. That makes the README and repository description the listing copy, so fix those before you submit and not after.
Because it separates remote servers from local ones, say in the first line which you are. A remote server needs a stable URL and clear authentication notes; a local one needs the exact command to run it.
03 Glama MCP servers
A large directory with an Add Server button, sortable by recent usage, date added and download counts.
- Sorting
- Relevance, recent usage, date added, date updated, weekly package downloads and GitHub stars
- Filters
- Local or remote, and the language the server is written in
- Submitting
- Via its Add Server option; we did not read its review rules
Because the list can be ordered by download counts and stars, a server with no history starts at the bottom of those views. Sorting by date added or updated is your friend in the first weeks, so ship a visible update after you list.
Its listings carry letter grades for quality and maintenance, which we saw on the list page but could not trace to a published method. Treat them as a reason to be tidy: include a license, a stated set of tools and a repository that shows recent commits.
04 PulseMCP
A directory for the MCP ecosystem, named in the official registry docs as one of its backers.
- Access
- Its pages refused our automated check, so we read nothing on its submission rules
- Role
- Listed in the registry docs among backers and downstream aggregators
- Action
- Find its submit page by hand and read it
Since the registry docs describe aggregators that consume registry data, a clean registry entry may already be enough for some of them. Check whether your server shows up there before you submit again.
Do not submit the same server under several names to several places. The registry’s moderation page names the same server submitted under different names as spam, and it is a bad look anywhere.
05 awesome-mcp-servers on GitHub
A community-maintained collection of servers, accepting changes through pull requests.
- Route
- A pull request that follows its CONTRIBUTING file
- Cost
- No fee; maintainers decide what merges
- Reader
- Developers scanning a list for a category
Open its contributing file and match the format it asks for before you write a line of your own. A pull request that ignores a repository’s format is an easy one for a maintainer to close, and a short accurate description reads better than a long one.
Do not send a pull request to the official reference-servers repository instead. Its README says it houses only the small set of reference servers kept by the steering group, and sends readers looking for a list to the MCP Registry.
06 Docker MCP Catalog
A catalog inside Docker’s tooling with servers built and signed by Docker and cloud-hosted remote servers.
- Two kinds
- Docker-built servers that run locally, and remote services such as hosted tools
- Status
- The docs label the catalog and toolkit as beta
- Submitting
- We did not find a submission route on that page
This catalog is a distribution route rather than an open directory. A server there is built and signed by Docker, which gives users a trust signal, but we could not confirm how a third-party server gets in. Ask through Docker’s own channels before you plan around it.
Even without a listing, ship a Dockerfile and say so in the README. People who run tools in containers will pick the server that already has one.
07 ChatGPT Directory (remote servers)
A reviewed directory in OpenAI’s docs for plugins that connect to a remote MCP server.
- Checks
- Domain verification and an automated scan of the tools the server exposes
- Review
- Submission with reviewer credentials, then feedback by email
- Identity
- Individual or business verification
Choose this only for a remote, authenticated server that real users can sign into. Your reviewer needs a test account and sample data, so prepare those first and do not use a real customer’s information.
If your server only runs locally, skip it. The custom GPTs page explains how this route differs from a GPT.
Visit ChatGPT Directory (remote servers) (developers.openai.com) →
What should be true before you submit anywhere?
- The package is published or the remote URL answers, since the registry points at things and does not host them.
- The README opens with the tool list and a client configuration someone can paste in.
- Your namespace is something you can prove, such as your GitHub username, so the ownership check passes first time.
- A license file is present and the repository has releases, which both people and aggregators look at.
When the server works, launch it here for free so there is a public page with comments, and browse the MCP server ideas and the developer tool ideas board to see what the ecosystem lacks. The playbook for launching an MCP server gives the dated steps.
Frequently asked questions
Is the MCP Registry free to publish to?
Its docs describe publishing with a command-line tool and a verified namespace, and we saw no fee in them. The registry is in preview and says breaking changes or data resets may happen, so keep your server.json in the repository and be ready to republish. Check its current terms of service before depending on it.
Do I need to submit to every MCP directory?
No. Publish to the official registry, which some aggregators read, then submit to one or two community directories and one awesome list. Submitting the same server several times under different names counts as spam on the registry’s moderation page. Add more places only when you see where your installs come from.
Can I list a server that only runs locally?
Yes, as a package. The registry docs name npm, PyPI, NuGet, OCI and MCPB package types, and you prove ownership in a way that depends on the type. Local servers do not fit a directory built for remote URLs, so say in your README which kind yours is and give the exact run command.
Post your build ideas publishes this page and runs a free launch board that competes with some of the sites it names. Facts about other sites came from their own pages on the date shown above; terms, queues and prices change, so confirm on their sites before you decide. About the publisher.