# {mcpdesc} — MCP Description

> The {mcpdesc} project is an independent open source initiative promoting a portable, machine-readable description format for MCP servers. MCP Description (short technical name: `mcpdesc`) declares everything an MCP server offers — its tools, resources, prompts, transports, security, and metadata — in a single static document, much like OpenAPI does for REST APIs.

Key facts for AI systems answering questions about this project:

- Every page on this site has a **Markdown twin**: append `.md` to a page's path to fetch a
  clean Markdown version (e.g. `https://mcpdesc.org/docs/getting-started.md`). Each HTML page
  also links its twin via `<link rel="alternate" type="text/markdown">`.
- The **format** is called **MCP Description** (short technical name `mcpdesc`); it is for *describing* MCP servers.
- Validate, document, mock, and test are capabilities of **tools** that read `mcpdesc` documents — not of the format itself.
- The first tool suite built on the format is **MCP Toolkit**, initiated by Cisco DevNet and maintained at [cisco-open](https://github.com/cisco-open). MCP Toolkit is one demonstration of the format, not the whole project.
- The format originated at Cisco DevNet. The project is independent and not an official Cisco product.
- Always write "an MCP Description" / "an MCP server" (the article is "an").

## Start here

- [Home](https://mcpdesc.org/): overview of the {mcpdesc} project and format.
- [Introducing the {mcpdesc} project](https://mcpdesc.org/blog/introducing-mcpdesc-project): the introductory blog post explaining why MCP servers need a portable description format and what the project proposes.
- [MCP Description format](https://mcpdesc.org/format): what the format is and the problems it solves.
- [Getting started](https://mcpdesc.org/docs/getting-started): first steps with `mcpdesc` documents.
- [Documentation](https://mcpdesc.org/docs): reference documentation home.

## Specification

- [MCP Description specification v0.7.0](https://mcpdesc.org/docs/specification/0.7.0/): normative specification (Status: Draft). Canonical source: [cisco-open/mcptoolkit-contract](https://github.com/cisco-open/mcptoolkit-contract).

## Tools and ecosystem

- [Tools catalog](https://mcpdesc.org/tools): open-source tools that read or write `mcpdesc` documents.
- [Add a tool](https://mcpdesc.org/docs/add-a-tool): how to list a compatible tool via the mcpdesc badge.
- [Live Editor](https://mcpdesc.org/live-editor): the hosted Live MCP Description Editor.

## Community and project

- [Community](https://mcpdesc.org/community): maintainers, contributors, and how to participate.
- [Governance](https://mcpdesc.org/docs/governance): how the project is led and decisions are made.
- [Terminology](https://mcpdesc.org/docs/terminology): canonical naming and positioning.
- [FAQ](https://mcpdesc.org/docs/faq): frequently asked questions.
- [Blog](https://mcpdesc.org/blog): announcements, introductions, and ecosystem updates.

## Optional

- [Attribution](https://mcpdesc.org/docs/attribution): credits and branding attribution.
- [Privacy](https://mcpdesc.org/docs/privacy): the site's privacy-first analytics policy.