Use whenever the user wants to find, rank, or shortlist directories and registries where they can submit or list an MCP server (Model Context Protocol server) — to get backlinks, referral traffic, and discovery by agent builders. Triggers on "where do I list my MCP server", "best MCP directories", "MCP registries to submit to", "get my MCP server discovered", or "pull submission details for these MCP-directory domains", even when described indirectly (we built an MCP server, where do we publish it). Drives the ServiceGraph API (api.servicegraph.co) — a catalog of 1,000+ product directories enriched with Domain Rating, backlinks, and organic traffic. Defer to find-ai-directories for general AI-tool / AI-agent / agent-skill listings, and to find-product-directories for general SaaS/software launches. Skip building an MCP server or asking how MCP works (DIY), finding a firm to build one (use find-ai-consultancy / find-software-developer), and MCP link-building *services*.
Use whenever the user wants to find, rank, or shortlist directories and registries where they can submit or list an MCP server (Model Context Protocol server) — to get backlinks, referral traffic, and discovery by agent builders. Triggers on "where do I list my MCP server", "best MCP directories", "MCP registries to submit to", "get my MCP server discovered", or "pull submission details for these MCP-directory domains", even when described indirectly (we built an MCP server, where do we publish it). Drives the ServiceGraph API (api.servicegraph.co) — a catalog of 1,000+ product directories enriched with Domain Rating, backlinks, and organic traffic. Defer to find-ai-directories for general AI-tool / AI-agent / agent-skill listings, and to find-product-directories for general SaaS/software launches. Skip building an MCP server or asking how MCP works (DIY), finding a firm to build one (use find-ai-consultancy / find-software-developer), and MCP link-building *services*.
Drive the ServiceGraph API (https://api.servicegraph.co) to find and
rank directories and registries where a builder can list an MCP server
(Model Context Protocol) via the product_directory dataset. The catalog has
1,000+ directories; ~20 are dedicated MCP registries (e.g.
registry.modelcontextprotocol.io, smithery.ai, mcp.so, glama.ai,
pulsemcp.com), each enriched with Domain Rating (dr), backlinks, and
organic traffic.
This is a "where to publish / where to get backlinks" skill, not a "who to
hire" skill. Each row is a registry you submit to, not a firm and not a
server. The payoff is a backlink from a high-authority domain (SEO) plus
discovery by agent builders browsing for servers.
Any HTTP client works (curl, fetch, requests). Examples below use curl.
Sibling skills — defer when the niche is broader
General AI tools / AI agents / agent skills ("where to list my AI tool",
"agent-skills directories") → find-ai-directories. (Several registries list
MCP servers and skills/tools — if the artifact is specifically an MCP
server, this skill is the right pick.)
the ServiceGraph MCP server (https://mcp.servicegraph.co) loaded in
your harness — this plugin's .mcp.json wires it up; OAuth 2.1 + PKCE
keeps credentials in the harness sandbox — or
a ServiceGraph API key (vk_…, minted at
https://servicegraph.co/profile/api-keys) available as
SERVICEGRAPH_API_KEY in the environment or .env.local for the REST
path (setup steps under Auth below).
An HTTP client for the REST path — the examples use curl.
Instructions
The loop is free-first: discovery, validation, search, and brief reads cost
nothing; only unlock after the user confirms the spend.
Pick the call path — the ServiceGraph MCP tools if loaded, otherwise the
REST flow (MCP server and Auth sections below).
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/fields?include_values=1 — confirm the
fields and values you plan to filter on exist.
Build the filter (Filter DSL below) and validate it with
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/check — or draft it from plain English via
POST /v1/datasets/product_directory/translate-intent.
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/search — present the free brief cards and
let the user pick.
Quote the unlock cost (10 credits per row, 30-day TTL) and get an explicit
go-ahead.
POST /v1/datasets/product_directory/unlocks with the chosen apexes; report the
revealed detail.
GET /v1/me/credits to report the remaining balance when asked.
MCP server (preferred for authed calls)
If your harness has the ServiceGraph MCP server loaded (tool names contain
servicegraph), prefer those tools — credentials stay in the harness sandbox
via OAuth 2.1 + PKCE, no token in LLM context. Otherwise use the REST flow.
API surface (dataset id: product_directory)
Every endpoint requires the bearer (Authorization: Bearer vk_…).
Endpoint
Cost
Use it for
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/fields[?include_values=1&q=]
free
Filter-field catalog + DSL grammar. Call first per session.
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/values/:field[?q=&limit=]
free
Enumerate values for one field.
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/check?filter=…
free
Validate a filter.
POST /v1/datasets/product_directory/translate-intent
free
{intent} → DSL filter + sanity count.
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/search?filter=…&limit=&offset=
free
Brief cards (incl. dr) + per-row unlock hint + total.
Cost model. Discovery / search / brief reads are free — including the dr
ranking signal. Unlocking a row costs 10 credits, lasts 30 days, and
reveals the gated fields: editor_note (how to submit + whether the
listing gives a backlink), organic_traffic, and total_visits.
Auth
Tokens are vk_* API keys. Keep the token out of the LLM context — never
read .env* into context; route authed calls through a shell wrapper.
Try the call through a wrapper that sources .env.local:
On 401, prompt the user (don't accept the key in chat):
"Open https://servicegraph.co/profile/api-keys, sign in, create a key,
and add SERVICEGRAPH_API_KEY=vk_… to .env.local (or export it). Tell me
when done — please don't paste the key into chat."
Retry after the user signals ready.
Filter DSL
GitHub-search-style. AND binds tighter than OR; comma list = OR within one
predicate; negation is -x / NOT x; any bareword is a keyword search
across the directory's name, title, description, listed metadata, and the
niche tag (so mcp matches dirs whose niche is "MCP servers"). Multiple
barewords AND; wrap multi-word phrases in double quotes.
mcp dr>=60
mcp OR "model context protocol"
mcp servers # → keyword:mcp AND keyword:servers
Fields that matter here
Field
Free in brief?
Use it for
dr
yes
Domain Rating 0–100 — the primary authority filter. Briefs come sorted by dr descending, so rank for free.
Real reach. Filterable while hidden (organic_traffic>=1000); value shows after unlock.
editor_note
gated
Submission instructions + backlink yes/no.
industry, has
yes
Coarse refiners; for MCP the mcp keyword on niche is sharpest.
Because dr is free and briefs are pre-sorted by it, rank a shortlist by
authority for zero credits — unlock only to reveal submission notes + traffic.
Identifying rows — apex
Keyed by apex domain (smithery.ai, not a full URL; subdomains like
registry.modelcontextprotocol.io are kept as-is when that's the catalog
key). Strip user-supplied URLs before :apex or unlock calls.
Output
All responses are JSON.
Search returns free brief directory cards — apex, name, and the
dr (Domain Rating) signal, pre-sorted by dr descending — plus a per-row
unlock hint and the match total.
Unlock (POST …/unlocks) reveals each directory's gated fields —
editor_note (how to submit and whether the listing gives a backlink),
organic_traffic, and total_visits — with per-item billing and a 30-day
TTL (was_cached:true rows are free).
Errors arrive as a JSON envelope
{"error": {"code": "…", "message": "…"}} — see Errors below.
Examples
A. The MCP registry shortlist
User: "Where should I list our new MCP server?"
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/search?filter=mcp&limit=20
# → registry.modelcontextprotocol.io (dr 90), smithery.ai (75), glama.ai (72),
# mcp.so (72), cursor.directory (69), pulsemcp.com (68), … sorted by dr desc
Present the top N by dr (free).
B. High-authority only (backlink quality)
User: "Only the registries with real domain authority for SEO."
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/search?filter=mcp+dr>=60&limit=15
# → the ~7 strongest MCP registries by DR
C. Rank by real reach (organic traffic)
organic_traffic is gated but filterable — gate to surface high-traffic
registries, then unlock to see the numbers:
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/search?filter=mcp+organic_traffic>=2000&limit=15
D. Broaden — MCP + agent tooling
Some registries list MCP servers alongside agent skills/tools. Cast wider
when the strict-MCP pool is thin:
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/search?filter=mcp OR "model context protocol" OR (agent skills)&limit=20
If the user's artifact is broader than MCP (general AI tool / agent skill),
defer to find-ai-directories.
E. Unlock submission instructions for the picks
# Present briefs ranked by dr (free). "Unlocking 6 = 60 credits, 30-day TTL —
# reveals each one's submission note (how + backlink yes/no) and traffic."
POST /v1/datasets/product_directory/unlocks
{ "apexes": ["smithery.ai", "mcp.so", "glama.ai", "pulsemcp.com", "cursor.directory", "registry.modelcontextprotocol.io"] }
Surface each editor_note verbatim — MCP registries vary a lot in submission
mechanics (some take a CLI/PR, some a web form) and in whether the listing
actually grants a backlink. The note tells the user before they spend effort.
F. BYO apex list — score MCP registries I already have
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/:apex per domain — free brief with dr
(404 = not in catalog, no charge). Flag misses, rank hits by dr.
User picks N. POST /unlocks (10×N credits, atomic) reveals notes + traffic.
Within 30-day TTL, repeat unlocks are free.
Gotchas
Rows are registries, not firms or servers. Building an MCP server →
find-software-developer / find-ai-consultancy. "How does MCP work" is a
DIY question, not this dataset.
dr is free and briefs are pre-sorted by it — rank for zero credits.
Gated fields are still filterable (organic_traffic>=1000).
Catalog is global, not US-only. Don't refuse non-US asks.
The strict-MCP pool is small (~20). If the user wants more reach, broaden
to agent-skill/AI-tool registries (Recipe D) or defer to find-ai-directories.
Multi-word phrases must be quoted.model context protocol = three AND'd
keywords; "model context protocol" is one phrase.
Unlock is atomic (402 charges nothing) and within-TTL re-views are free.
