MCP Project Update (Part 2): Ecosystem, Registries & Governance

Following the technical insights from Part 1, this update focuses on the broader MCP ecosystem, developer tooling, and the future governance model shaping the protocol’s evolution.

Developer Ecosystem & Tooling

The MCP team is enhancing the developer experience with several foundational tools:

• Inspector Tool: Visual debugging utility to trace server-client interactions.
• Multi-language SDKs: Community-driven SDKs in Python, TypeScript, and more, enabling diverse implementation scenarios.

Remote MCP Servers

Open source remote MCP servers are in development to help:

• Learn the protocol by example
• Enable client-side testing
• Accelerate project bootstrapping

Reference MCP Client

A comprehensive reference client will be open-sourced to showcase:

• Elicitation patterns
• Output schema support
• Streamable HTTP workflows

This client aims to reduce barriers for developers experimenting with advanced MCP features.

MCP Registry & Discoverability

To improve discoverability across the ecosystem, a public MCP registry is under development. This will allow servers to self-register with metadata, making them easier to find and integrate.

Features include:

• Metadata for capabilities, authentication methods, and categories
• Health checks and service status indicators
• Tagging for easier classification

Example registry entry:

Both human-browsable and machine-queryable interfaces will be supported, enabling client applications to dynamically discover and assess MCP services.

Governance & Protocol Stewardship

As MCP adoption grows, establishing a governance framework is a priority. The aim is to transition MCP to an open, community-led protocol while preserving development agility.

Governance Model Considerations

• Decentralized oversight inspired by Python’s PEP process
• Working groups dedicated to specific areas like the specification, tools, and registries
• Structured decision-making to streamline contributions without creating bottlenecks

Anthropic is actively inviting collaboration from experts in protocol and standards governance to help guide this transition.

Key Takeaways

• MCP’s ecosystem is expanding with essential developer tools and reference implementations.
• A public registry will improve service discoverability and integration.
• Governance efforts are underway to ensure MCP remains robust and community-driven.

These developments position MCP for sustained growth and broader adoption across LLM applications.

Acknowledgements

This article is informed by Jerome Swannack's session at the MCP Summit – "MCP Project Update", detailing the protocol’s progress and roadmap.

Special thanks to the Anthropic team and the MCP open-source community for driving continuous innovation in the LLM ecosystem.