Show HN: MCPBar – Open-Source Package Manager with Open Registry for MCP Servers

2 points

a year ago

I've built MCPBar (https://www.mcp.bar), an open-source CLI tool that brings npm-like package management to the Model Context Protocol (MCP) ecosystem, solving the fragmentation problem for AI tools.

What is MCPBar?

- A package manager for discovering and installing MCP servers (which connect AI models to tools/APIs)

- Uses a standardized mcp.json manifest format (similar to package.json) (link: https://github.com/in-fun/mcpbar/blob/main/doc/proposal.md)

- Works across multiple MCP clients like Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf

- Includes an open registry with standardized metadata for MCP servers

Why I built it:

The MCP ecosystem is growing rapidly but lacks standardization. Each AI client implements MCP differently, making discovery and installation frustratingly manual. MCPBar creates a decentralized-yet-standardized approach to package management for AI tools.

Technical highlights:

- Decentralized registry pattern inspired by npm and ESM imports

- Manifest files contain standardized metadata and installation instructions

- Cross-platform support (works on macOS/Windows/Linux)

- Simple CLI interface: mcpbar install github/github-mcp-server

Try it:

npm install -g mcpbar

mcpbar search github # Find GitHub-related MCP servers

mcpbar install github/github-mcp-server # Install a GitHub MCP server

GitHub: https://github.com/in-fun/mcpbar

Project site: https://www.mcp.bar

I'd love feedback on the manifest format, the CLI interface, and whether this approach makes sense for the evolving MCP ecosystem. Are there other features you'd want this to support?