MCP Skill Registry
A self-hostable MCP server that turns a folder of skills into callable tools via MCP and REST APIs.
README
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🧩 MCP Skill Registry
A self-hostable Model Context Protocol server that turns a folder of "skills" into tools any MCP client can discover and run.
What it does · How it works · Connect a client · Authoring skills · Deployment
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🎯 What It Does
MCP Skill Registry is one server that hosts many skills and exposes each one as a callable tool.
A skill is just a folder containing a SKILL.md manifest and a small script. Drop the folder in, and the server:
- Discovers it automatically (reads the manifest at startup).
- Publishes it on two interfaces at once:
- as an MCP tool — usable from Claude Code, Claude Desktop, VS Code, or any MCP client;
- as a REST endpoint — usable from
curl, scripts, or any HTTP app.
- Executes it safely in an isolated subprocess with a hard timeout.
You add capabilities by adding folders or uploading a ZIP — never by editing the server.
┌─────────────┐ "list/run tools" ┌────────────────────┐
│ MCP client │ ────────────────────────► │ │
│ Claude Code │ │ MCP Skill │
│ Claude Dsk. │ ◄──────────────────────── │ Registry server │
│ VS Code │ tool results │ │
└─────────────┘ │ discovers every │
┌─────────────┐ POST /api/v1/... │ skills/<name>/ │
│ REST caller │ ◄────────────────────────►│ folder │
└─────────────┘ └─────────┬──────────┘
│ runs in
▼ subprocess
skills/text-statistics/
skills/your-skill/ ...
⚙️ How It Works
Architecture
The server is a small, layered FastAPI application. Each layer depends only on the layers beneath it, so it stays testable and easy to extend.
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ FastAPI application (port 7860) │
│ │
│ api/ Routers: / · /health · /mcp · /api/v1/skills │ ← transport
│ │ │
│ mcp/ Streamable HTTP transport · JSON-RPC 2.0 · sessions │ ← MCP protocol
│ │ │
│ services/ SkillRegistry (facade) │ ← application
│ │ ├─ loader parse & validate SKILL.md │ logic
│ │ ├─ validator check inputs against the manifest │
│ │ ├─ executor run skill in a sandboxed subprocess │
│ │ ├─ search keyword / optional semantic ranking │
│ │ ├─ installer safe ZIP upload (zip-slip / bomb guard) │
│ │ └─ audit append-only event log │
│ │ │
│ repositories/ execution history · audit trail │ ← persistence
│ │ │
│ db/ models/ config/ container/ main │ ← storage, types,
│ SQLite + schema.sql · pydantic models · settings · wiring │ wiring
└───────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────── ┘
│ discovers & executes
▼
skills/ self-contained skill folders
└─ <name>/ SKILL.md · scripts/ · references/ · assets/
Request lifecycle (running a tool)
client → tools/call (MCP) or POST /api/v1/skills/{name}/execute (REST)
│
├─ 1. look up the skill in the in-memory catalogue (404 if unknown)
├─ 2. validate inputs against SKILL.md (types, required, enums)
├─ 3. spawn subprocess: python _runner.py <skill> run (isolated, timed)
│ inputs → JSON via stdin · output → JSON via stdout
├─ 4. enforce timeout + output-size cap (kill child on overrun)
├─ 5. record execution + audit entry (SQLite)
└─ 6. return { status, output | error, duration_ms }
Why subprocesses? Process-level isolation, a clean import namespace per call, and a reliable hard timeout — a misbehaving skill can never hang or crash the server.
Each skill's entrypoint is a single function:
def run(inputs: dict) -> dict:
... # inputs are pre-validated; return a JSON-serializable dict
✨ Features
- 🔌 Dual interface — every skill is an MCP tool and a REST resource.
- 🧭 Zero-config discovery — skills are plain folders; no registration code.
- 🛡️ Sandboxed execution — subprocess isolation, per-skill timeouts, output caps.
- 📤 Live uploads — install a skill from a ZIP via the API; no restart.
- 🌐 Native MCP — Streamable HTTP transport with sessions; no bridge needed.
- 🔍 Search — keyword out of the box, optional semantic (vector) search.
- 🧱 Clean codebase — layered, typed, 37 tests, CI on Python 3.10–3.12.
🚀 Quick Start (local)
git clone https://github.com/sarveshtalele/mcp-skills-registry.git
cd mcp-skills-registry
python -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e ".[dev]"
skill-registry # serves on http://localhost:7860
curl http://localhost:7860/health
# {"status":"ok","version":"0.2.0","skills_loaded":1}
A public instance runs at https://sarveshtalele-mcp-skills-registry.hf.space.
🔗 Connect an MCP Client
The server speaks the Streamable HTTP MCP transport at /mcp, so modern clients
connect directly. Use your local URL (http://localhost:7860/mcp) or the hosted one
(https://sarveshtalele-mcp-skills-registry.hf.space/mcp).
Claude Code
claude mcp add --transport http skill-registry \
https://sarveshtalele-mcp-skills-registry.hf.space/mcp
Verify inside a session:
/mcp # lists connected servers and their tools
Remove it again with claude mcp remove skill-registry.
Claude Desktop
-
Open Settings → Developer → Edit Config (opens
claude_desktop_config.json). -
Add the server:
{ "mcpServers": { "skill-registry": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "mcp-remote", "https://sarveshtalele-mcp-skills-registry.hf.space/mcp" ] } } }Claude Desktop launches MCP servers as local processes, so it reaches a remote HTTP server through the
mcp-remotebridge (npxfetches it automatically; requires Node.js). Alternatively, Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector accepts the/mcpURL directly on supported plans. -
Restart Claude Desktop. The skills appear as tools (look for the 🔌 icon).
VS Code (GitHub Copilot / Continue)
Create .vscode/mcp.json:
{
"servers": {
"skill-registry": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://sarveshtalele-mcp-skills-registry.hf.space/mcp"
}
}
}
Any MCP client (raw protocol)
The endpoint is JSON-RPC 2.0 over HTTP POST.
# 1. initialize — returns an Mcp-Session-Id header
curl -i -X POST http://localhost:7860/mcp \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"initialize","params":{}}'
# 2. list tools
curl -X POST http://localhost:7860/mcp \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"tools/list"}'
# 3. call a tool
curl -X POST http://localhost:7860/mcp \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":3,"method":"tools/call",
"params":{"name":"text-statistics","arguments":{"text":"Hello world."}}}'
| Method | Behaviour |
|---|---|
POST /mcp |
initialize, tools/list, tools/call, ping (single or batch). |
GET /mcp |
405 — no server-initiated stream (spec-permitted). |
DELETE /mcp |
Terminate the session in the Mcp-Session-Id header. |
🧰 REST API
Prefer plain HTTP? Every skill is reachable without MCP.
| Method & Path | Description |
|---|---|
GET / |
Service metadata + entry points. |
GET /health |
Liveness probe + skill count. |
GET /api/v1/skills |
List / search skills (q, category, limit, offset). |
GET /api/v1/skills/{name} |
Full skill manifest. |
POST /api/v1/skills/{name}/execute |
Run a skill — body {"inputs": {...}}. |
POST /api/v1/skills/upload |
Install a skill from a ZIP (?overwrite=true). |
POST /api/v1/admin/reload |
Re-scan the skills directory. |
Interactive Swagger UI is served at /docs.
curl -X POST http://localhost:7860/api/v1/skills/text-statistics/execute \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"inputs": {"text": "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."}}'
🧩 Authoring a Skill
A skill is one self-contained folder:
skill-name/
├── SKILL.md # Required: YAML frontmatter (manifest) + instructions
├── scripts/ # Optional: code — entrypoint exposes run(inputs) -> dict
├── references/ # Optional: supporting docs
├── assets/ # Optional: templates, resources, extra requirements.txt
└── ... # Any additional files
1. Scaffold
python scripts/new_skill.py my-skill
2. SKILL.md
---
name: my-skill
version: 1.0.0
description: What it does and the phrases that should trigger it.
execution:
type: python-script
entrypoint: scripts/main.py:run
timeout_seconds: 30
inputs:
- name: text
type: string
required: true
description: Text to process.
outputs:
- name: result
type: string
description: Processed text.
---
# My Skill
Instructions for the agent.
3. scripts/main.py
def run(inputs: dict) -> dict:
return {"result": inputs["text"].upper()}
4. Register
curl -X POST http://localhost:7860/api/v1/admin/reload # local rescan
# or upload a packaged skill (no restart):
zip -r my-skill.zip my-skill/
curl -X POST http://localhost:7860/api/v1/skills/upload -F 'file=@my-skill.zip'
Full guide: docs/ADDING_A_SKILL.md.
🌍 Deployment
Runs anywhere Docker runs, and ships to a Hugging Face Docker Space out of the box.
docker build -t mcp-skill-registry .
docker run -p 7860:7860 -v "$(pwd)/data:/data" mcp-skill-registry
Pushing to main on GitHub auto-mirrors to the Space, which rebuilds from the
Dockerfile. Full instructions (tokens, persistence): docs/DEPLOYMENT.md.
🔧 Configuration
Environment variables, prefixed SKILLREG_ (see .env.example):
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
SKILLREG_PORT |
7860 |
HTTP port. |
SKILLREG_SKILLS_DIR |
skills |
Skill catalogue directory. |
SKILLREG_DB_PATH |
data/registry.db |
SQLite path. |
SKILLREG_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_SECONDS |
30 |
Default execution timeout. |
SKILLREG_MAX_TIMEOUT_SECONDS |
120 |
Upper bound on any timeout. |
SKILLREG_ENABLE_UPLOADS |
true |
Allow the upload endpoint. |
SKILLREG_ENABLE_SEMANTIC_SEARCH |
false |
Vector search (needs the search extra). |
🧪 Development
make install # editable install with dev extras
make test # pytest (37 tests)
make lint # ruff + black --check
make format # ruff --fix + black
make run # local dev server
CI runs lint + tests on Python 3.10, 3.11, and 3.12.
📁 Project Structure
mcp-skills-registry/
├── src/skill_registry/ # the server (layered package)
│ ├── api/ mcp/ services/ repositories/ db/ models/
│ └── config.py · container.py · main.py
├── skills/ # self-contained skills (auto-discovered)
│ ├── _template/ # scaffold skeleton
│ └── text-statistics/ # worked example
├── scripts/ # new_skill.py · HF entrypoint
├── tests/ # pytest suite
├── docs/ # architecture · deployment · authoring
└── Dockerfile · pyproject.toml · Makefile · .github/workflows/
📄 License
MIT — see LICENSE.
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