|
| 1 | +--- |
| 2 | +title: Explore the registry |
| 3 | +description: How to use the built-in or custom registry to find MCP servers. |
| 4 | +--- |
| 5 | + |
| 6 | +import useBaseUrl from '@docusaurus/useBaseUrl'; |
| 7 | +import ThemedImage from '@theme/ThemedImage'; |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +ToolHive includes a built-in registry of MCP servers with verified |
| 10 | +configurations that meet a |
| 11 | +[minimum quality standard](../concepts/registry-criteria.md), allowing you to |
| 12 | +discover and deploy high-quality tools effortlessly. You can browse the |
| 13 | +registry, select servers, and run them securely through the user interface. |
| 14 | + |
| 15 | +You can also configure ToolHive to use a custom registry instead. This is useful |
| 16 | +for organizations that want to maintain their own private registry of MCP |
| 17 | +servers. |
| 18 | + |
| 19 | +## Find MCP servers |
| 20 | + |
| 21 | +The ToolHive interface includes a dedicated **Registry** section in the main |
| 22 | +menu. This section lets you explore the various MCP servers available in either |
| 23 | +the built-in or custom registry. |
| 24 | + |
| 25 | +<ThemedImage |
| 26 | + alt='Toolhive Registry Page' |
| 27 | + sources={{ |
| 28 | + light: useBaseUrl('/img/toolhive/toolhive-ui-registry-light.webp'), |
| 29 | + dark: useBaseUrl('/img/toolhive/toolhive-ui-registry-dark.webp'), |
| 30 | + }} |
| 31 | + title='Toolhive Registry Page' |
| 32 | +></ThemedImage> |
| 33 | + |
| 34 | +The registry interface displays servers with their: |
| 35 | + |
| 36 | +- **Name and description**: Brief overview of what the server does |
| 37 | +- **Tier**: Shows whether the server is **Official** (verified by ToolHive) or |
| 38 | + **Community** (contributed by the community) |
| 39 | +- **Status**: Indicates if the server is currently **Active** and available |
| 40 | +- **Tools**: List of capabilities the server provides |
| 41 | +- **Popularity**: Star count and download statistics to help identify |
| 42 | + widely-used servers |
| 43 | + |
| 44 | +You can browse through the list, use search functionality, and click on any |
| 45 | +server to view detailed information before installing it. |
| 46 | + |
| 47 | +## View server details |
| 48 | + |
| 49 | +Click on any server in the registry to view detailed information including: |
| 50 | + |
| 51 | +- Complete description and usage information |
| 52 | +- List of available tool names |
| 53 | +- Server metadata (tier, transport, popularity, provenance) |
| 54 | +- Installation and configuration options |
| 55 | + |
| 56 | +This detailed view helps you understand the server's purpose and requirements |
| 57 | +before adding it to your ToolHive installation. |
| 58 | + |
| 59 | +## Registry settings |
| 60 | + |
| 61 | +To configure your registry, ToolHive provides a dedicated **Registry** settings |
| 62 | +section in **Settings** → **Registry** with three options: |
| 63 | + |
| 64 | +- **Default Registry** - Use ToolHive's built-in verified registry |
| 65 | +- **Remote Registry (URL)** - Specify a custom URL for a remote registry hosted |
| 66 | + on a web server |
| 67 | +- **Local Registry (File Path)** - Specify a local file path to a JSON registry |
| 68 | + file on your system |
| 69 | + |
| 70 | +When you select **Local Registry (File Path)**, an additional **Registry File |
| 71 | +Path** field appears where you need to provide the absolute path to your local |
| 72 | +JSON registry file (for example: `/path/myregistry/db.json`). Click **Save** to |
| 73 | +apply your configuration. |
| 74 | + |
| 75 | +For detailed information on creating a custom registry, see the |
| 76 | +[custom registry tutorial](../tutorials/custom-registry.mdx). |
| 77 | + |
| 78 | +<ThemedImage |
| 79 | + alt='Registry settings showing Local Registry File Path option selected with Registry File Path input field' |
| 80 | + sources={{ |
| 81 | + light: useBaseUrl('/img/toolhive/toolhive-ui-registry-settings-light.webp'), |
| 82 | + dark: useBaseUrl('/img/toolhive/toolhive-ui-registry-settings-dark.webp'), |
| 83 | + }} |
| 84 | + title='Local Registry configuration with file path input field' |
| 85 | +></ThemedImage> |
| 86 | + |
| 87 | +## Next steps |
| 88 | + |
| 89 | +After exploring the registry and finding servers you want to use: |
| 90 | + |
| 91 | +- **Install servers**: Click on servers from the registry to install and |
| 92 | + configure them for your environment |
| 93 | +- **Manage running servers**: Use the **MCP Servers** section to start, stop, |
| 94 | + and monitor your installed servers |
| 95 | +- **Create custom registries**: Set up your own private registry for |
| 96 | + organization-specific servers |
| 97 | + |
| 98 | +## Related information |
| 99 | + |
| 100 | +- [Install ToolHive UI](./install.mdx) - Get started with ToolHive |
| 101 | +- [Run MCP servers](./run-mcp-servers.md) - Install and manage servers from the |
| 102 | + registry |
| 103 | +- [Custom registry tutorial](../tutorials/custom-registry.mdx) - Create your own |
| 104 | + MCP server registry |
| 105 | +- [Registry criteria](../concepts/registry-criteria.md) - Quality standards for |
| 106 | + built-in registry servers |
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