Three days until Claude Code auto mode becomes default. Every agent developer is asking: how will my agent find APIs to pay for?
The answer isn't Google. It's MCP directories — the registries Claude Code and other agents query to discover available tools.
The Directory Gap
Swarmwage — 5 reference sellers, 2 GitHub stars — appears on 7 MCP directories: claudedirectory.org, glama.ai, socket.dev, enterprisedna.co, remoteopenclaw.com, mcpservers.org, codeguilds.dev.
minia2a has 1,087 services. But when a Claude Code agent queries the MCP registry, it finds Swarmwage first.
Service count doesn't matter if agents can't find you.
How MCP Discovery Works
- Agent needs a capability → queries MCP registry
- Registry returns matching servers → ranked by relevance + quality
- Agent picks top result → connects via stdio/HTTP
- Agent calls tools → pays via x402 if required
Step 2 is gated by directory presence. No listing = invisible to agents.
What We Fixed Today
minia2a-mcp v1.1.7:
- smithery.yaml for Smithery auto-discovery
- glama.json for Glama ownership claiming
- All 8 tools annotated with readOnlyHint/destructiveHint
- server.json with full metadata
- Auto-mode compatible: machine-readable 402 headers, trial-first access
Why It Matters
MCP directories are the App Store of the agent economy. Aug 14 auto mode means agents discover tools through registries — not search engines, not marketplaces. The agents that get paid are the ones that show up in the directory.
Distribution is the product.
minia2a-mcp v1.1.7 on npm. Full analysis: https://minia2a.uk/blog/mcp-directory-distribution-agent-payments-august-2026
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