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MCP Server Catalog

The MCP (Model Context Protocol) Server Catalog is DeployStack’s comprehensive system for discovering, managing, and deploying MCP servers. It provides a centralized repository where you can find pre-configured MCP servers, contribute your own, and manage deployments across your teams.

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What is the MCP Catalog?

The MCP Catalog serves as a marketplace and management system for MCP servers, offering:

• Server Discovery: Browse available MCP servers by category, language, and functionality
• Official Registry Integration: Automatic synchronization with the official MCP Registry at registry.modelcontextprotocol.io
• Team-Based Management: Organize servers within your teams with proper access control
• Version Management: Track different versions of MCP servers with changelog support
• GitHub Integration: Automatic synchronization with GitHub repositories
• Global and Team Servers: Support for both community-wide and team-specific servers

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Catalog Structure

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Server Visibility Levels

The catalog supports two types of servers:

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Global Servers

• Visibility: Available to all users across the platform
• Management: Only Global Administrators can create, edit, and delete
• Purpose: Community-contributed servers, official integrations, popular tools
• Examples: Official OpenAI MCP server, popular GitHub integrations, common utilities

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Team Servers

• Visibility: Only visible to team members
• Management: Team administrators can create, edit, and delete within their teams
• Purpose: Custom integrations, private tools, team-specific configurations
• Examples: Internal API integrations, custom business logic, proprietary tools

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Server Sources

The catalog contains servers from two sources:

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Official Registry Servers

• Source: Synced automatically from registry.modelcontextprotocol.io
• Identification: Marked with synced_from_official_registry flag
• Updates: Periodically refreshed via background jobs
• Enhanced Data: Enriched with GitHub metadata (stars, README, topics)
• Official Name: Stored in reverse-DNS format (e.g., “io.github.upstash/context7”)

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Manual Servers

• Source: Created manually by administrators
• Purpose: Custom integrations not in official registry
• Flexibility: Full control over all server properties
• Team Servers: Can be created by team administrators

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Categories

Servers are organized into categories for easy discovery and filtering. Categories are simple organizational labels that group servers by their purpose or functionality. For a complete explanation of how MCP categories work, see the MCP Categories Guide. Note: Only Global Administrators can create and manage categories.

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User Permissions

Access to the MCP catalog is controlled by your role and team membership:

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Permission Matrix

Role	Global Servers	Team Servers	Can Create	Can Edit	Can Delete	Categories
global_admin	✅ View/Manage All	✅ View All Teams	✅ Global only	✅ Global only	✅ Global only	✅ Full CRUD
team_admin	✅ View only	✅ View/Manage own team	✅ Team only	✅ Team only	✅ Team only	❌ View only
team_user	✅ View only	✅ View team servers	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No	❌ View only
global_user	✅ View only	❌ No access	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No	❌ View only
unauthenticated	❌ No access	❌ No access	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No access

Note: Authentication is required for all MCP catalog access. Unauthenticated users cannot access any servers or catalog features.

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Detailed Permissions

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Global Administrator

• Global Servers: Full management capabilities - create, edit, delete, and feature servers
• Team Servers: Read-only access to all team servers across the platform for administrative oversight
• Categories: Complete category management - create, edit, delete, and organize categories
• Special Privileges: Can mark servers as “featured” and manage server visibility

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Team Administrator

• Global Servers: Can browse and view all global servers but cannot modify them
• Team Servers: Full management within their own teams - create, edit, delete team-specific servers
• Server Creation: Can create new servers that are automatically scoped to their team
• Team Scope: All created servers are marked with team visibility and ownership

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Team User

• Global Servers: Can browse and view all global servers
• Team Servers: Can view servers within their teams but cannot modify them
• Read-Only Access: Cannot create, edit, or delete any servers
• Discovery: Can search and filter servers for deployment purposes

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Global User

• Global Servers: Can browse and view all global servers
• Team Servers: No access to any team-specific servers
• Limited Scope: Most restricted authenticated access level for catalog browsing

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Unauthenticated Users

• No Access: Cannot access any MCP catalog features
• Authentication Required: Must log in to view any servers
• Security: All MCP endpoints require valid authentication

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Server Management

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Creating Servers

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Global Servers (Global Admin Only)

1. Navigate to Catalog: Access the MCP catalog from your admin dashboard
2. Create Global Server: Click “Create Global Server” button
3. Server Details: Fill in comprehensive server information:
   • Basic Info: Name, description, category
   • Technical Details: Language, runtime, minimum version requirements
   • Installation: Supported installation methods (npm, pip, docker, etc.)
   • Capabilities: Tools, resources, and prompts provided
   • Repository: GitHub URL for automatic synchronization
   • Metadata: Author information, license, organization
4. Visibility Settings: Configure as global server
5. Featured Status: Optionally mark as featured for prominence

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Team Servers (Team Admin)

1. Team Context: Navigate to your team’s MCP catalog section
2. Create Team Server: Click “Create Server” within your team
3. Server Configuration: Same detailed form as global servers
4. Team Scope: Server is automatically assigned to your team
5. Team Visibility: Only your team members can see and use this server

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Server Information

Each server in the catalog includes comprehensive metadata:

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Basic Information

• Name & Description: Clear identification and purpose
• Official Name: Reverse-DNS identifier from official registry (for synced servers)
• Version: Current version number from official registry or manual entry
• Category: Organizational classification
• Tags: Searchable keywords and labels
• Status: Active, deprecated, or maintenance mode
• Sync Status: Whether server is synced from official registry

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Technical Specifications

• Language: Programming language (TypeScript, Python, etc.)
• Runtime: Specific runtime requirements (Node.js, Python, etc.)
• Transport Type: Communication method (stdio, HTTP, SSE)
• Packages: npm, pip, docker package definitions
• Remotes: HTTP/SSE endpoint configurations
• Minimum Version: Required runtime version
• Dependencies: External dependencies and requirements

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Capabilities

• Tools: Available MCP tools and their functions
• Resources: Data sources and resource types
• Prompts: Pre-configured prompts and templates
• Configuration Schema: Template definitions for team and user configuration options

For details on how configuration schemas work in DeployStack’s three-tier system, see MCP Configuration System.

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Repository Integration

• Repository URL: Source code repository (GitHub, GitLab, etc.)
• Repository Source: Platform identifier (github, gitlab)
• Repository ID: Platform-specific repository identifier
• Repository Subfolder: Monorepo subfolder path (if applicable)
• Branch: Target branch for synchronization
• GitHub Stars: Star count from GitHub
• GitHub README: Automatically fetched and stored README content
• Last Sync: When repository was last synchronized
• Version Tracking: Automatic version detection from repository
• Organization: Repository owner organization

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Version Management

The catalog supports comprehensive version tracking:

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Version Information

• Version Numbers: Semantic versioning (e.g., 1.2.3)
• Official Registry Version: Version ID from official registry (for synced servers)
• Git Commits: Linked to specific repository commits
• Changelog: Detailed change descriptions
• Stability: Stable vs. beta/alpha versions
• Latest Flag: Automatic latest version detection
• Registry Updates: Automatic version updates from official registry sync

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Version Operations

• Create Version: Add new versions manually or via GitHub sync
• Update Version: Modify version information and changelog
• Version History: Complete timeline of all versions
• Rollback Support: Deploy specific versions as needed

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Official MCP Registry Integration

DeployStack automatically syncs with the official MCP Registry at registry.modelcontextprotocol.io to provide instant access to all publicly available MCP servers. Sync Process: The registry sync uses DeployStack’s background job queue system to process servers sequentially with rate limiting. This prevents API overload and ensures reliable synchronization. For technical details on how the job queue system works, see Job Queue System. Key Features:

• Automatic Sync: One-click sync from official registry
• Background Processing: Non-blocking sync via job queue
• Rate Limiting: Sequential processing with configurable delays
• Progress Tracking: Real-time monitoring of sync operations
• GitHub Enhancement: Automatic enrichment with GitHub metadata
• Version Tracking: Syncs version information from registry
• Transport Detection: Automatic detection of stdio, HTTP, or SSE transport
• Environment Variable Mapping: Intelligent mapping to three-tier configuration system

For Global Administrators: Use the “Sync Registry” button in the MCP Server Catalog admin interface to trigger a sync operation.

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GitHub Integration

Integration with GitHub repositories for automatic synchronization and metadata extraction. For complete details on setting up and using GitHub integration, see the GitHub App Integration Guide. Key Features:

• Automatic Repository Sync: Pull server metadata from GitHub repositories
• README Fetching: Automatically fetch and store GitHub README content
• Star Tracking: Track GitHub stars for social proof
• Version Detection: Automatic version tracking from repository tags
• Metadata Extraction: Import descriptions, licenses, topics, and organization info
• Security: XSS prevention and content sanitization (2MB size limit)
• Manual and Scheduled Sync: Flexible synchronization options

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Browsing and Discovery

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Catalog Interface

The catalog provides multiple ways to discover servers:

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Browse by Category

• Category Navigation: Organized browsing by functional categories
• Category Descriptions: Clear explanations of each category’s purpose
• Server Counts: Number of servers in each category

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Search and Filtering

• Text Search: Search by name, description, and tags
• Language Filter: Filter by programming language
• Runtime Filter: Filter by runtime environment
• Status Filter: Show only active, deprecated, or maintenance servers
• Featured Filter: Highlight featured and recommended servers

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Server Listings

• Grid View: Visual cards showing server information
• List View: Detailed table with comprehensive information
• Sorting Options: Sort by name, popularity, recent updates, or featured status
• Pagination: Efficient browsing of large server collections

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Server Details

Detailed server pages provide comprehensive information:

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Overview Section

• Server Description: Detailed explanation of functionality
• Quick Stats: Language, runtime, last update, version count
• Installation Preview: Quick installation commands
• Author Information: Creator and maintainer details

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Technical Details

• Capabilities Breakdown: Detailed tool, resource, and prompt listings
• Configuration Options: Available settings and customizations
• Environment Variables: Required and optional environment settings
• Dependencies: External requirements and compatibility

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Version History

• Version Timeline: Chronological list of all versions
• Changelog Details: Comprehensive change descriptions
• Download/Deploy Options: Direct deployment links
• Stability Indicators: Version stability and recommendation status

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Team Integration

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Team-Scoped Servers

Team servers provide private server management:

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Team Server Benefits

• Privacy: Servers visible only to team members
• Customization: Team-specific configurations and settings
• Control: Full management by team administrators
• Integration: Seamless integration with team deployments

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Team Server Management

• Team Dashboard: Dedicated section for team’s MCP servers
• Member Access: All team members can view team servers
• Admin Control: Team administrators manage server lifecycle
• Deployment Integration: Direct deployment to team environments

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Cross-Team Visibility

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Global Admin Oversight

• Administrative View: Global admins can see all team servers
• Read-Only Access: Cannot modify team servers, only view for support
• System Monitoring: Track server usage and adoption across teams
• Support Capabilities: Assist teams with server-related issues

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Team Isolation

• Secure Boundaries: Teams cannot see other teams’ servers
• Data Protection: Team server configurations remain private
• Access Control: Strict enforcement of team-based permissions

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Server Deployment

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From Catalog to Deployment

The catalog integrates seamlessly with DeployStack’s deployment system:

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Deployment Process

1. Server Selection: Choose server from catalog
2. Version Selection: Pick specific version to deploy
3. Configuration: Customize settings and environment variables
4. Team Context: Deploy within appropriate team context
5. Cloud Provider: Select target deployment platform
6. Launch: Deploy server to chosen environment

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Deployment Options

• Quick Deploy: One-click deployment with default settings
• Custom Deploy: Full configuration customization
• Template Deploy: Use pre-configured deployment templates
• Batch Deploy: Deploy multiple servers simultaneously

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Configuration Management

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Default Configurations

• Server Defaults: Pre-configured settings from catalog
• Team Overrides: Team-specific configuration templates
• Environment Variables: Secure handling of sensitive configuration
• Validation: Configuration validation before deployment

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Custom Configurations

• Parameter Customization: Modify server parameters
• Environment Setup: Configure runtime environment
• Resource Allocation: Set memory, CPU, and storage requirements
• Network Configuration: Configure ports, domains, and routing

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Best Practices

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For Server Contributors

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Creating Quality Servers

• Clear Documentation: Comprehensive README and documentation
• Semantic Versioning: Follow proper version numbering
• Changelog Maintenance: Keep detailed change logs
• Testing: Ensure servers work across different environments
• Security: Follow security best practices for MCP servers

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Repository Management

• Clean Structure: Organize repository with clear structure
• Configuration Files: Include proper MCP configuration
• Examples: Provide usage examples and tutorials
• License: Include appropriate open-source license
• Maintenance: Regular updates and issue resolution

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For Server Users

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Server Selection

• Requirements Analysis: Understand your specific needs
• Version Consideration: Choose stable versions for production
• Documentation Review: Read server documentation thoroughly
• Testing: Test servers in development before production deployment
• Updates: Keep servers updated to latest stable versions

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Team Management

• Server Organization: Organize team servers logically
• Access Control: Manage team member access appropriately
• Documentation: Document team-specific server configurations
• Monitoring: Monitor server performance and usage

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For Administrators

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Catalog Management

• Category Organization: Maintain clear category structure
• Quality Control: Review and curate global servers
• Featured Servers: Highlight high-quality, popular servers
• Community Engagement: Encourage community contributions
• Performance Monitoring: Monitor catalog performance and usage

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User Support

• Documentation: Maintain comprehensive user documentation
• Training: Provide training on catalog usage
• Support Channels: Establish clear support processes
• Feedback Collection: Gather user feedback for improvements

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Security Considerations

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Access Control

• Role-Based Permissions: Strict enforcement of role-based access
• Team Isolation: Secure boundaries between teams
• Admin Oversight: Appropriate administrative visibility
• Audit Logging: Track all catalog operations (future feature)

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Server Security

• Source Verification: Verify server sources and authenticity
• Security Scanning: Scan servers for security vulnerabilities (future feature)
• Safe Defaults: Secure default configurations
• Update Notifications: Alert users to security updates

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Data Protection

• Configuration Security: Secure handling of server configurations and schemas
• Sensitive Data: Encrypted storage through the three-tier configuration system
• Repository Access: Secure GitHub integration
• Privacy Controls: Respect team privacy and data boundaries

For detailed security information about configuration handling, see MCP Configuration System.

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Future Enhancements

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Planned Features

• Server Ratings: Community rating and review system
• Usage Analytics: Server usage statistics and trends
• Automated Testing: Continuous integration for server validation
• Marketplace: Enhanced discovery and recommendation engine
• API Integration: Programmatic catalog access

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Community Features

• Contribution Guidelines: Streamlined server contribution process
• Community Voting: Community-driven server curation
• Discussion Forums: Server-specific discussion and support
• Contributor Recognition: Acknowledge active contributors

The MCP Server Catalog transforms how you discover, manage, and deploy MCP servers, providing a comprehensive platform for both individual users and teams to leverage the power of the Model Context Protocol ecosystem.