Big news dropped last week that nobody's really talking about: Anthropic launched the Model Context Protocol (MCP) Registry—an open catalog and API for publicly available MCP servers.
Finally, right? Or... is it?
The NPM Moment We've Been Waiting For
The MCP Registry is now available at https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io as the official MCP Registry. Think of it as npm for MCP servers - a centralized place to discover, publish, and manage MCP servers.
The tech is solid:
- Open source with OpenAPI spec
- Namespace system (io.github.yourname/* or com.yourcompany/*)
- Integration with existing package managers (npm, PyPI, Docker Hub)
- Sub-registry support for companies building their own marketplaces
But Here's What Has Me Worried
1. The Timing Problem
In February 2025, it began as a grassroots project - that's 3+ months after MCP launched. In that time:
- 100+ unofficial registries popped up
- There is a registry for registry as well 😅
- Developers already picked their favorites
- Companies built proprietary discovery systems
Is it too late to unify the ecosystem?
2. The Verification Nightmare
The namespace system requires:
- GitHub auth for io.github.* namespaces
- DNS/HTTP verification for custom domains
- Package metadata validation
Great for security, but I've already seen developers complaining about the friction. One dev told me it took 3 days to get their server approved.
3. The Sub-Registry Fragmentation
Organizations can choose to create sub-registries based on custom criteria. This sounds flexible, but what if we end up with:
- Claude's curated registry
- OpenAI's "verified" servers
- Microsoft's "enterprise-grade" catalog
- Google's "performance-optimized" list
Aren't we back to square one?
What This Actually Means for Developers
The Good:
- Discovery is finally possible: No more GitHub spelunking
- Trust through verification: Namespace ownership proves legitimacy
- API access: Build your own tools on top of the registry
The Concerning:
- Late to the party: Major companies already built alternatives
- Adoption uncertainty: Will OpenAI, Microsoft, Google actually use it?
- Quality control: Who decides what's "good enough" to list?
The Collaboration That's... Interesting
Registry Maintainer Tadas Antanavicius from PulseMCP spearheaded the initial effort in collaboration with Alex Hancock from Block. They were soon joined by Registry Maintainer Toby Padilla, Head of MCP at GitHub.
Notice who's NOT on that list? OpenAI. Google. Microsoft (directly).
GitHub's involvement is huge, but are the other giants going to play ball?
My Take: It's Complicated
The registry solves a real problem - Until now, there are 100s of unofficial registries for MCP. But launching months after the ecosystem fragmented feels like trying to herd cats that have already found comfortable homes.
The technical implementation is solid. The namespace system makes sense. But success depends on adoption, and I'm seeing three possible futures:
- Unity wins: Everyone adopts it, MCP thrives
- Parallel tracks: Official registry exists alongside proprietary systems
- Too little, too late: Momentum stays with existing solutions
Questions for the Community
1. Are you publishing to the official registry, or sticking with what works?
2. Does the namespace requirement help or hurt adoption?
3. Should there have been a registry from day one?
4. Will sub-registries fragment or strengthen the ecosystem?
5. What happens if OpenAI launches their own "standard"?
Honestly curious - is anyone else worried that we're standardizing after the wild west already settled? Or am I overthinking this?
P.S. - If you're building MCP servers, Storm MCP already indexes from the official registry AND the major unofficial ones and verifies them before listing. Because why choose?
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