Provider Registry - Simplified MCP Setup

Overview

The Provider Registry makes adding popular MCP servers incredibly easy. Instead of manually configuring commands and authentication, users can simply run ncp add <provider> and NCP handles the rest.

User Experience

Before (Complex):

bash

# User had to figure out:
# 1. What transport to use (stdio vs HTTP)
# 2. What command to run
# 3. How to authenticate
# 4. All the configuration details

$ ncp add canva npx -y @canva/cli@latest mcp
# But wait, need to authenticate first...
$ npx @canva/cli@latest login
# Now try again...
$ ncp add canva npx -y @canva/cli@latest mcp
# 😞 Too complicated!

After (Simple):

bash

$ ncp add canva

🌐 Canva MCP
   Design and creative tools
   Website: https://www.canva.com

   ✓ Recommended transport: stdio

   Authenticate with Canva CLI
   Command: npx @canva/cli@latest login

   Run authentication now? (y/n): y

   🔐 Running authentication...
   # Browser opens automatically
   ✅ Authentication complete!

   Adding Canva to profile...
   ✅ Added Canva to profile: all

💡 Next steps:
  • Test: ncp find <query>
  • View profiles: ncp list

Supported Providers

Currently in Registry:

Provider	Recommended	Auth Method	Status
Canva	stdio	Canva CLI	✅ Ready
Slack	stdio	Slack CLI	✅ Ready
GitHub	stdio	GitHub CLI	✅ Ready
Notion	http	API Key	✅ Ready
Linear	http	API Key	✅ Ready

Commands

Simple Provider Add

bash

# Auto-detects and guides through setup
ncp add canva
ncp add slack
ncp add github

Force Transport Type

bash

# Use HTTP instead of stdio
ncp add canva --transport http

# Use stdio (if available)
ncp add notion --transport stdio

Manual Add (Advanced)

bash

# For custom/unknown stdio providers
ncp add my-server npx @my/cli mcp

# For HTTP/SSE: use manual config edit
# (Manual HTTP URLs not supported via CLI)

How It Works

1. Provider Registry

Located at src/registry/providers.json, contains configuration for popular providers:

json

{
  "canva": {
    "id": "canva",
    "name": "Canva",
    "description": "Design and creative tools",
    "recommended": "stdio",
    "stdio": {
      "setup": {
        "description": "Authenticate with Canva CLI",
        "command": "npx @canva/cli@latest login",
        "needsSetup": true
      },
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@canva/cli@latest", "mcp"]
    },
    "http": {
      "url": "https://mcp.canva.com/mcp",
      "auth": "oauth",
      "docs": "https://www.canva.dev/docs/connect/mcp-server/"
    }
  }
}

2. Auto-Detection Flow

User: ncp add canva
    ↓
Check registry → Found: canva
    ↓
Recommended transport: stdio
    ↓
Setup needed? Yes
    ↓
Prompt: Run authentication?
    ↓
If yes → Execute: npx @canva/cli@latest login
    ↓
Add to profile with stdio config
    ↓
Done!

3. Fallback for Unknown Providers

User: ncp add custom-mcp npx @custom/cli mcp
    ↓
Check registry → Not found
    ↓
Use manual configuration
    ↓
Add with provided command/args
    ↓
Done!

Adding New Providers

For Users

Submit a provider request:

Open issue: https://github.com/portel/ncp/issues
Include: Provider name, documentation URL, setup instructions
We'll add it to the registry!

For Contributors

1. Add to src/registry/providers.json:

json

{
  "newprovider": {
    "id": "newprovider",
    "name": "New Provider",
    "description": "What this provider does",
    "website": "https://newprovider.com",
    "recommended": "stdio",  // or "http"
    "stdio": {
      "setup": {
        "description": "Authenticate with Provider CLI",
        "command": "npx @provider/cli login",
        "needsSetup": true
      },
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@provider/cli", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

2. Test:

bash

npm run build
ncp add newprovider

3. Submit PR:

Include test results
Link to provider's documentation
Verify authentication flow works

Benefits

For Users:

✅ Simple setup - Just one command ✅ Guided authentication - NCP handles it ✅ No documentation needed - Built-in knowledge ✅ Works out of the box - No configuration

For Provider Authors:

✅ Easy adoption - Lower barrier to entry ✅ Consistent UX - All providers setup the same way ✅ Built-in discovery - Users find your MCP easily

For NCP Project:

✅ Better onboarding - New users succeed quickly ✅ Community contributions - Easy to add providers ✅ Scalable - Registry grows with ecosystem

Future Enhancements

Planned Features:

[ ] ncp providers list - Show all available providers
[ ] ncp providers search <query> - Search providers
[ ] ncp providers info <provider> - Show provider details
[ ] Auto-update registry from remote source
[ ] Community provider submissions via API
[ ] Provider verification/trust badges

Technical Details

File Structure:

src/registry/
├── providers.json          # Provider definitions
└── provider-registry.ts    # Loader and utilities

TypeScript Interfaces:

typescript

interface Provider {
  id: string;
  name: string;
  description: string;
  website: string;
  recommended: 'stdio' | 'http';
  stdio?: ProviderStdioConfig;
  http?: ProviderHttpConfig;
}

Registry Functions:

typescript

loadProviderRegistry()  // Load all providers
getProvider(id)        // Get specific provider
listProviders()        // Get all providers
searchProviders(query) // Search providers

Migration Guide

Existing Users

Manual stdio commands still work:

bash

# Manual stdio still supported:
ncp add canva npx -y @canva/cli@latest mcp

Simplified registry-based commands recommended:

bash

# Registry-based (auto-detects transport):
ncp add canva
ncp add notion

Note: The old add-http and add-stdio subcommands have been unified into a single add command that auto-detects the transport type from the registry.

Updating Profiles

Profiles created with old commands work fine. No migration needed!

FAQ

Q: What if a provider isn't in the registry? A: Use manual commands: ncp add <name> <command> [args...]

Q: Can I override registry settings? A: Yes! Specify command manually: ncp add canva custom-command

Q: How often is the registry updated? A: With each NCP release. Check ncp --version for updates.

Q: Can I use HTTP for a provider that recommends stdio? A: Yes: ncp add canva --transport http

Q: What if authentication fails? A: NCP provides the command to run manually. You can retry after.

Q: Are there community providers? A: Coming soon! We'll enable community submissions.

Making MCP setup delightful, one provider at a time. 🚀

Provider Registry - Simplified MCP Setup ​

Overview ​

User Experience ​

Before (Complex): ​

After (Simple): ​

Supported Providers ​

Currently in Registry: ​

Commands ​

Simple Provider Add ​

Force Transport Type ​

Manual Add (Advanced) ​

How It Works ​

1. Provider Registry ​

2. Auto-Detection Flow ​

3. Fallback for Unknown Providers ​

Adding New Providers ​

For Users ​

For Contributors ​

Benefits ​

For Users: ​

For Provider Authors: ​

For NCP Project: ​

Future Enhancements ​

Planned Features: ​

Technical Details ​

File Structure: ​

TypeScript Interfaces: ​

Registry Functions: ​

Migration Guide ​

Existing Users ​

Updating Profiles ​

FAQ ​

Provider Registry - Simplified MCP Setup

Overview

User Experience

Before (Complex):

After (Simple):

Supported Providers

Currently in Registry:

Commands

Simple Provider Add

Force Transport Type

Manual Add (Advanced)

How It Works

1. Provider Registry

2. Auto-Detection Flow

3. Fallback for Unknown Providers

Adding New Providers

For Users

For Contributors

Benefits

For Users:

For Provider Authors:

For NCP Project:

Future Enhancements

Planned Features:

Technical Details

File Structure:

TypeScript Interfaces:

Registry Functions:

Migration Guide

Existing Users

Updating Profiles

FAQ