TL;DR
- Start with one publish. The official MCP Registry is free and has no review, and aggregators and marketplaces are designed to pull from it. Glama, mcp.directory and PulseMCP import from it, and it's the first step toward GitHub's registry and VS Code's gallery.
- Then the larger submissions: ChatGPT, Claude and Meta's Muse, plus Microsoft's and Google's enterprise paths. Each has its own process.
- Most clients just take your URL. For those, give users a config snippet or a one-click link.
Does anything find your server automatically?
No. The 2026-07-28 spec added a server/discover RPC that servers must implement, but clients only call it once they already have your URL. It isn't a directory.
Server cards are the closest thing. SEP-2127 merged as a Final, optional extension on Oct 6, 2026. A card can live at <your-mcp-url>/server-card, and a domain can advertise cards at /.well-known/ai-catalog.json. That lets a client or crawler describe your server if it looks. We couldn't find a client that documents using cards to find servers yet.
Step 1: Publish to the official MCP Registry
Free, no review.
- Write a
server.jsonwith acom.<yourdomain>/<server>name and aremotesentry for your Streamable HTTP URL. No package is needed for a remote server. - Authenticate with
mcp-publisher login dnsorlogin http, so the name reflects a domain you control. A GitHub login gives youio.github.<user>/*instead. Authentication guide. - Run
mcp-publisher publish, then confirm with a search onregistry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/servers.
The registry verifies your namespace, not that the URL works, and it's still in preview. Clients aren't meant to read it directly; what matters is who pulls from it.
Registries and directories
Two of these have dependencies: Glama before awesome-remote (the PR needs a Glama connector badge), and the official registry before GitHub. Nothing else has to wait.
| Channel | How to list | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Glama | Imports from the official registry. Claim it by verifying your domain (DNS TXT or .well-known/glama.json) | Free |
| GitHub MCP Registry | Publish to the official registry, then post an onboarding request in GitHub's discussion. Manual curation; needs a public repo and license | Free |
| awesome-remote-mcp-servers | One PR. Needs a public endpoint that answers initialize, open sign-up and a Glama connector badge. The main Awesome MCP Servers list takes only repos | Free |
| Smithery | Enter your public HTTPS URL at smithery.ai/new, then finish its verification checklist | Free |
| Docker MCP Catalog | Remote servers accepted. Run the remote wizard and open a PR; live about 24 hours after approval | Free |
| PulseMCP, mcp.directory | Both import from the official registry. PulseMCP's submit page said submissions were paused as of Sep 29 | Free |
| mcp.so | $39 publishing fee | $39 |
| MCP Market | Free queue (about 4-6 weeks) or a listing within 24 hours | $0 or $29 |
These host or run servers and don't list yours: Composio, Apify and Cloudflare. Zapier MCP and Pipedream MCP expose their catalogs to AI clients; if you already have a Zapier integration, you're reachable there. Pipedream Workflows shuts down Mar 31, 2027; Connect and its MCP servers are unaffected.
ChatGPT, Claude, Muse, Microsoft and Google
Each has its own submission. Audience tiers: XL is hundreds of millions of users, L is millions or a dominant niche.
| Channel | How to list | Audience |
|---|---|---|
| Claude | Submit at claude.ai/directory/manage, as an MCP connector first. An automated scan lists you as Community; Anthropic may escalate to Verified | Tens of millions of MAU, XL |
| ChatGPT | Upload a plugin ZIP that includes your MCP server, pass automated checks, submit for review, publish when you choose. Replaced the App Directory in July | 1.2B weekly users, XL |
| Meta Muse | Submit at platform.muse.ai. Meta reviews "functional, security, and legal requirements", then editors choose featured placements | US and Canada only, L |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot | Certify in Partner Center under Apps and Agents for M365 and Copilot. Separately, Copilot Studio makers can add any MCP server by URL, no review | Microsoft 365 install base, XL |
| Google Gemini Enterprise | Customers add your URL as a custom MCP server, no approval. Cloud Marketplace listing is built for A2A agents; we found no public form for MCP | 8M+ paid seats, 2,800+ companies (Q4 2025), L-XL |
To prepare:
- Claude requires OAuth 2.0 for account-level tools, a
titleandreadOnlyHintordestructiveHinton every tool, docs, a privacy policy URL and a reviewer test account. Any paid plan can submit. - ChatGPT requires individual or business verification and public HTTPS website, support, privacy and terms URLs. OpenAI states no review time.
- Muse also asks for a data-processing questionnaire and a test account. Meta doesn't review custom connectors users add themselves, isn't approving new money-movement tools, and publishes no fees.
- Microsoft requires a verified publisher account.
- Google needs Streamable HTTP and a publicly trusted TLS certificate for the custom server route.
Other assistants: Grok has a public form for plugins and MCP servers (it targets Grok Bot and Cursor, with Grok "coming soon"). Perplexity lets paid users add custom connectors and asks you to email api@perplexity.ai to request a catalog listing. Mistral's directory is administrator-managed, and its connectors terms describe no public form. The consumer Gemini app lets users add a custom MCP URL (US, English, personal accounts) but has no directory submission.
IDE and agent clients
Most have no listing to submit to. Put a config snippet and, where one exists, an install link in your docs.
| Client | How to list or connect |
|---|---|
| VS Code + GitHub Copilot | Get into GitHub's registry (above). Add a vscode:mcp/install link to your docs. Its gallery is in preview |
| Cursor | Marketplace: a public repo with a plugin manifest and mcp.json, hand-reviewed, open source only. cursor.directory takes a repo URL. Add a deeplink |
| Cline | Open an issue on its marketplace repo. Remote servers are supported |
| Raycast | Open a PR adding your endpoint to the MCP Registry extension, or publish a Store extension that bundles your server |
| Zed | Don't build an extension; publish to the official registry |
| Goose | Its registry stopped accepting new servers on Jul 30; publish to the official registry |
| Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf), Warp | No documented third-party submission (Warp); contact the vendor |
| Continue, LibreChat, JetBrains | No catalog (Continue, LibreChat, JetBrains); users paste a config block |
Cursor's marketplace, cursor.directory and Cline all work from a repo, so a remote-only vendor needs a public docs repo.
Enterprise marketplaces
Each marketplace runs its own partner program, and the MCP listing sits on top of it.
| Marketplace | How to list |
|---|---|
| Salesforce AgentExchange | Join the ISV partner program, then List an MCP Server in your Agentforce listing. Security review may apply |
| HubSpot | Only a platform's owner or delegate may list its server; third-party connectors aren't permitted at this time. Needs a demo video. Certification needs 60+ installs and a 95%+ success rate |
| Slack | Standard Slack review plus mcp:connect and an HTTPS URL. Slack's MCP guide and its marketplace guidelines disagree on whether an MCP-only app is accepted |
| Atlassian | Customer admins add your server themselves. The agent gallery has no public application. Forge's rovo:mcp (Preview) exposes Forge-hosted actions, not a remote server |
| ServiceNow | Customers register and approve your URL. The registry has a third-party certified type; the criteria aren't published |
What we'd do, in order
- Publish to the official MCP Registry under a domain you own.
- Claim Glama, then request GitHub onboarding. Submit to Smithery and Docker, and open the awesome-remote PR.
- Submit to Claude (as a connector first), ChatGPT and Muse. Reuse one test account and one set of tool annotations.
- Developers are your buyers? Open the repo-based submissions: Cursor, Cline, Raycast.
- Enterprise buyers? Pick one marketplace and start its partner process.
- Document it: a config snippet for every client with no listing, plus
vscode:and Cursor install links. - Optionally, publish a server card.
What changed recently (through Oct 2026)
- Oct 6: server cards (SEP-2127) merged as a Final, optional extension. The official registry is still in preview.
- Sep 29: at DevDay, OpenAI let ChatGPT plugins open beside a conversation as panels, sidebars and viewers. Custom GPTs retire Dec 11, 2026, with migration to plugins.
- September: Meta opened the Muse Connector Platform to developers.
- Jul 30: Goose stopped accepting new registry contributions and pointed publishers to the official registry.
- Renames: Windsurf is now Devin Desktop (Jun 2). As of Jul 9 the ChatGPT app directory is the Plugin Directory. Azure AI Foundry is now Microsoft Foundry (Ignite, Nov 2025). Vertex AI evolved into the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform (Apr 22). AppExchange is now AgentExchange.
- May 1: Microsoft Agent 365, the control plane IT uses to govern agents, went GA.
- Jul 28: the
2026-07-28spec shipped, still with no registration or discovery mechanism.
FAQ
Appendix: Every channel — with info & submission links
The complete list from this guide — all four tiers, each with a link to learn more plus an action link. Not every row is a place you can get listed. Registries and marketplaces take a real submission; many clients are connect-only — there's nothing to list into, and the link just shows a user how to add any MCP server by URL. The link text says which is which (see the key below the table). Grab the raw CSV for the full detail (what-it-is, audience, remote-MCP support, and both URLs per channel).
⬇ Download the full table (CSV)| # | Channel | Category | Effort | Tier | Info | Submit / add |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ChatGPT (Apps SDK / Plugin Directory) | Reviewed client | Review | XL | Docs | Submit → |
| 2 | Claude (Connectors Directory) | Reviewed client | Submit + scan (human review for Verified) | XL | Docs | Submit → |
| 3 | Microsoft 365 Copilot (Agent Store) | Reviewed client | Review | XL | Docs | Submit → |
| 4 | Google Gemini Enterprise (Agent Marketplace / Agent Gallery) | Reviewed client | Review | L–XL | Docs | Submit → † |
| 5 | Meta Muse (Connector Platform) | Reviewed client | Review | L (unproven) | Docs | Submit → |
| 6 | VS Code + GitHub Copilot | Plug-in client | Submit / Connect | XL | Docs | Submit → † |
| 7 | Cursor | Plug-in client | Review (marketplace) / Connect | L | Docs | Submit → |
| 8 | Cline | Plug-in client | Submit / Connect | M | Docs | Submit → |
| 9 | Continue.dev | Plug-in client | Connect | M | Docs | Add-server docs → |
| 10 | Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) | Plug-in client | Connect | M–L | Docs | Add-server docs → |
| 11 | Zed | Plug-in client | Connect | M | Docs | Build docs → |
| 12 | Perplexity | Plug-in client | Connect | L | Docs | Add-server docs → |
| 13 | Raycast | Plug-in client | PR to registry extension / Store extension | M–L | Docs | Submit → |
| 14 | Goose (Block) | Plug-in client | Connect | S–M | Docs | Add-server docs → |
| 15 | Warp | Plug-in client | Connect | M | Docs | Add-server docs → |
| 16 | LibreChat | Plug-in client | Connect | M | Docs | Add-server docs → |
| 17 | JetBrains (AI Assistant / Junie) | Plug-in client | Connect | L | Docs | Add-server docs → |
| 18 | Microsoft Copilot Studio | Plug-in client | Connect | L | Docs | Add-server docs → |
| 19 | Claude Desktop / Claude Code | Plug-in client | Connect | L–XL | Docs | Add-server docs → |
| 20 | Official MCP Registry | Registry | Submit-only | L | Docs | Submit → |
| 21 | GitHub MCP Registry | Registry | Manual curation (onboarding request) | L | Docs | Submit → † |
| 22 | Glama | Registry | Imports from official registry + claim | L | Docs | Claim → † |
| 23 | PulseMCP | Registry | Paused (late Sep) | M–L | Docs | Submit → |
| 24 | mcp.so | Registry | Paid ($39) | M | Docs | Submit → |
| 25 | Smithery | Registry | Submit + hosting | L | Docs | Submit → |
| 26 | Docker MCP Catalog | Registry | Review-gated PR (remote servers accepted) | L | Docs | Submit → |
| 27 | Composio | Registry | Hosting | L | Docs | Build → † |
| 28 | LobeHub MCP Marketplace | Registry | Submit-only | M | Docs | Submit → |
| 29 | Awesome MCP Servers (GitHub; remote-only servers: awesome-remote-mcp-servers) | Registry | PR (needs Glama connector badge) | M | Docs | Submit → |
| 30 | MCP Market | Registry | Free queue / $29 fast-track | S–M | Docs | Submit → |
| 31 | mcpservers.org | Registry | Submit-only | S | Docs | Submit → |
| 32 | Apify | Registry | Hosting | M–L | Docs | Publish → † |
| 33 | Cloudflare | Registry | Hosting / deploy | L (infra) | Docs | Build → |
| 34 | Zapier MCP (9,000+ apps) | Indirect | Ride integration | XL (indirect) | Docs | Build → |
| 35 | Pipedream MCP (Connect; Workflows shut down Mar 2027) | Indirect | Ride integration | S–M (indirect) | Docs | Build → |
| 36 | Salesforce AgentExchange (+ Hosted MCP) | Marketplace | Review | XL | Docs | Add MCP servers → † |
| 37 | HubSpot App Marketplace | Marketplace | Review (certification: 60 installs; MCP: owner-only) | L | Docs | Submit → |
| 38 | Slack Marketplace | Marketplace | Review | XL | Docs | MCP guide → |
| 39 | Atlassian (Rovo / Marketplace) | Marketplace | Review | L | Docs | Marketplace listing guide → |
| 40 | ServiceNow (Now Assist / Store) | Marketplace | Review | L | Docs | Partner → † |
| 41 | Microsoft Partner Center / Microsoft Foundry | Marketplace | Review | XL | Docs | Submit → |
| 42 | Google Workspace Marketplace | Marketplace | Review | XL (indirect) | Docs | Submit → |
Link key: Submit → = submit to get listed, so others discover you (registries, marketplaces, curated client catalogs). Add-server docs → = connect-only client — there's no listing to submit to; the link just shows an end user how to add any MCP server by URL, so you reach these users by getting them to paste your URL, not by appearing in a catalog. Build → = indirect endpoint (Zapier/Pipedream/Cloudflare) — build/host to ride it. † = a listing exists but has no open self-serve form (curated or partner-gated); the link goes to the closest official onboarding path.
Audience and server-count figures live in the CSV; they're public proxies (Oct 2026) that drift week to week, so treat the effort and tier columns as the durable signal.