mcpship: check and publish MCP servers

io.github.emanueltnsv0.1.0Updated Oct 6, 2026

Checks a remote MCP server against the Claude directory rules and guides its publication.

VerifiedSTDIODesktop onlyDeveloper Tools Productivity & Workflow

Overview

AI-generated overview

Checks a remote MCP server against the Claude connector directory rules and guides its publication step by step.

What it does: mcpship validates a remote MCP server against the Claude connector directory rules: sign-in discovery, protected resource and authorization server metadata, PKCE, client registration, tool titles and annotations, tool descriptions, icon URL, docs and privacy pages, and listing field lengths. It writes a publish.json template, produces the text for each directory form step, reports the live state of npm, the MCP Registry, the plugin repo and the directory, and tells you the next unfinished step with the exact command. It also runs as a local MCP server over stdio so an assistant can drive the same steps.
When to use it: Use it when you maintain a remote MCP server and want to publish it to npm, the official MCP Registry, a Claude Code plugin repo or the Claude connector directory, or when you want to check an existing server against the directory rules before submitting.
Requirements: Runs locally over stdio, typically via npx mcpship. Needs Node.js and npm, and network access to your server, the URLs in publish.json, the MCP Registry API, and whatever npm and gh call. An access token or API key is supplied through the MCPSHIP_TOKEN environment variable for the check command; no other credentials are declared.

Before you install

MCPSHIP_TOKEN is read from the environment and is used to call your server; treat it as a secret. The check command makes requests to your server and to the URLs in publish.json, and the tool invokes npm and gh, so those external calls leave your machine. Commands such as done directory record publication state, and publishing steps act on npm, the MCP Registry and the directory.

Installation

In SourceWeft

Open mcpship: check and publish MCP servers in the dashboard and add it to a workspace.
Enable the server for the chats that should use its tools.

Desktop only via STDIO. STDIO servers start a local process, so they need the SourceWeft desktop host.

Other MCP clients

Follow the launch instructions in the repository.

README

mcpship

Check a remote MCP server against the Claude connector directory rules, then publish it: npm, the official MCP Registry, a Claude Code plugin repo and the Claude connector directory. One step at a time, for people and for agents.

Quick start

npx mcpship init https://example.com/mcp   # writes publish.json; fill in the fieldsMCPSHIP_TOKEN=<access token or API key> npx mcpship checknpx mcpship next                            # the next step, with the exact command

npx mcpship init https://example.com/mcp   # writes publish.json; fill in the fieldsMCPSHIP_TOKEN=<access token or API key> npx mcpship checknpx mcpship next                            # the next step, with the exact command

Commands

Command	What it does
`init <url>`	Writes a publish.json template in the current folder
`check [url]`	Tests sign-in discovery, tools and listing; exit code 1 if a rule fails
`packet`	Writes docs/directory/submission.md: the text for each directory form step
`next`	The first unfinished step, with the command or click
`status`	Live state of npm, the MCP Registry, the plugin repo and the directory
`done directory`	Records that you submitted the directory form
`mcp`	Runs as a local MCP server over stdio

Add --json for machine-readable output and --dir <path> to point at another folder.

npm counts as published only when you are a maintainer of the package. mcpship asks npm whoami; if you publish with a token instead of npm login, set channels.npm.maintainer to your npm user name in publish.json.

What check tests

Rule	Fails when
auth.https	the server URL is not https
auth.www-authenticate	an unauthenticated call does not return 401 with resource_metadata
auth.resource-metadata	protected resource metadata is missing or has no authorization server
auth.as-metadata	authorization server metadata is missing
auth.pkce	S256 is not supported
auth.client-registration	neither Dynamic Client Registration nor Client ID Metadata Documents
tools.reachable	tools/list fails with the given token (skipped without one)
tools.title	a tool has no title
tools.annotations	a tool has neither readOnlyHint nor destructiveHint
tools.instructions	a description tells the model what to do ("use it first", "you must", "call X")
tools.hidden-text	a description holds invisible characters or encoded text
listing.icon-url	the icon URL is not a public https PNG
listing.pages	docs, privacy or terms page does not load
listing.lengths	name, one-liner or description is over the form limit, or a field is empty
listing.unpublished-mention	a page tells users to run `npx <package>` before it is on npm

Warnings: tools.mentions (a description names another tool) and listing.em-dash.

Use it from Claude Code

Then ask Claude to publish your MCP server. The plugin adds the mcpship tools and a skill that walks through each step.

Privacy

mcpship runs on your machine. It calls your server, the URLs in your publish.json, the MCP Registry API, and whatever npm and gh call. It sends no telemetry. MCPSHIP_TOKEN is read from the environment and never printed.

License

MIT

Source: README.md at commit b2d0540

Tools

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Version history

v0.1.0LatestOct 6, 2026