Smithery MCP Guide: Install, Browse, and Publish in 2026

Table of Contents

1. What Is Smithery?
2. Smithery vs Other MCP Registries
3. How to Install an MCP from Smithery
4. 10 MCP Servers Worth Installing from Smithery Today
5. Smithery vs PulseMCP vs Glama vs LobeHub
6. Publishing Your Own MCP to Smithery
7. Security and Verification
8. Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Smithery?

Smithery is a registry, CLI, and playground for Model Context Protocol servers. The registry lives at smithery.ai and indexes thousands of MCP servers across categories like browser automation, databases, knowledge bases, communication, and developer tools. The CLI (@smithery/cli on npm) handles installation - it fetches the server, generates the right config block, and merges it into your Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, or Continue setup with one command.

The project started as a community response to the early MCP ecosystem's installation friction. In late 2024 every MCP server had its own README install steps, and adding a server to your config meant editing JSON by hand in a deep filesystem path. Smithery fixed that by standardizing the install flow - one CLI, one flag for your client, one command per server.

By mid-2026 Smithery indexes more MCP servers than any other registry except Skiln (which aggregates across all of them). For server discovery alone, our recommendation is to use Skiln's cross-registry search. For installation, Smithery's CLI is unmatched.

Smithery vs Other MCP Registries

The four registries that matter most in 2026 are Smithery, PulseMCP, Glama, and LobeHub. They overlap heavily but each has a distinct strength:

• Smithery: best installation experience. The CLI is mature and supports every major MCP client. Strongest for builders who add new servers frequently.
• PulseMCP: best curation and security signals. Weekly editorial cadence, vetted submissions, clean changelog newsletter.
• Glama: best for hosted MCP execution. Offers managed MCP hosting for servers that need cloud-side state.
• LobeHub: best for non-Anthropic clients. Strong coverage of Cline, Continue, and self-hosted setups, with an APAC-leaning community.

You can use them in parallel without conflict. The MCPs they index are mostly the same set of open-source projects - what differs is how each surface, install, and curate them. Heavy users typically rely on Smithery for installs, PulseMCP for trust signals, and Skiln to search across all four at once.

How to Install an MCP from Smithery

There are two flows: the Smithery CLI (recommended) and manual config editing (works when you need fine control).

1. The Smithery CLI Flow

This is the path most users take. The CLI handles discovery, config generation, and merging in one command.

Install the CLI globally or invoke through npx:

npx -y @smithery/cli install <server-name> --client claude

For example, to install the Smithery-listed Ref server to Claude Desktop:

npx -y @smithery/cli install ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp --client claude

The CLI fetches the server's manifest, generates the right config block, and writes it to your Claude Desktop config file. Restart Claude Desktop and the new MCP shows up in the tools sidebar.

Supported clients: claude (Claude Desktop), claude-code (Claude Code CLI), cursor, windsurf, cline, continue. Pass the matching flag for your client.

Search and discover from the CLI:

npx -y @smithery/cli search "browser automation"

2. Manual Config Flow

If you do not want to run the CLI - or you are bundling several servers into one config and want full control - click "install" on any Smithery server detail page and copy the generated config block. Paste it into your client's MCP config file:

• Claude Desktop: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows).
• Claude Code: ~/.config/claude-code/mcp.json on macOS/Linux, %APPDATA%\claude-code\mcp.json on Windows.
• Cursor: open Settings > MCP and paste into the editor.
• Cline / Windsurf / Continue: client-specific settings panels.

3. Claude Desktop and Claude Code Setup

The cleanest universal pattern works in both Claude Desktop and Claude Code:

{   "mcpServers": {     "smithery-server-name": {       "command": "npx",       "args": ["-y", "@smithery/cli", "run", "<server-id>"]     }   } }

Replace with the Smithery-assigned ID (visible on the server's detail page). The @smithery/cli run command boots the server on demand, which keeps your startup time fast even if you have 20+ servers configured.

If a server requires environment variables (API keys, tokens), add them under an env block:

{   "mcpServers": {     "stripe": {       "command": "npx",       "args": ["-y", "@smithery/cli", "run", "stripe-mcp"],       "env": { "STRIPE_SECRET_KEY": "sk_test_..." }     }   } }

For more setup detail on Claude Desktop and Claude Code specifically, read our Best Desktop MCP Servers guide.

10 MCP Servers Worth Installing from Smithery Today

These are the 10 most-installed and best-rated MCPs from Smithery's catalog right now. All work in Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and most third-party clients.

1. GitHub MCP - read and write repos, issues, PRs, Actions. The single most useful MCP for developers. Full review in our Best GitHub MCP Servers guide.

1. Ref - AI-native documentation search across thousands of dev docs. Covered in depth in our companion Ref MCP Server Guide.

1. Playwright MCP - real Chromium browser as a tool. Best for scraping, form fills, visual QA.

1. Notion MCP - search, create, update Notion pages and databases. Read the Notion MCP review.

1. Slack MCP - send messages, read channels, search the archive. Pair with the Slack MCP roundup.

1. Postgres MCP - natural language queries against any Postgres database. See our Postgres MCP setup guide.

1. Filesystem MCP - safe sandboxed local file access. Always the first MCP to install on a fresh machine.

1. Sequential Thinking - planning and reflection tool that helps Claude break problems into steps.

1. Perplexity MCP - real-time web search via Perplexity's API. Excellent for research workflows.

1. Memory MCP - persistent knowledge graph for long-running context across sessions.

Smithery vs PulseMCP vs Glama vs LobeHub

Publishing Your Own MCP to Smithery

If you build an MCP server and want it listed on Smithery, there are two paths:

Auto-discovery via GitHub: Add a smithery.yaml manifest to your repo and tag the release. Smithery's crawler picks up new MCP repos with a manifest within 24 hours. The manifest declares your server's name, description, install command, and supported clients.

Direct submit via CLI: Run npx -y @smithery/cli publish from your repo root after preparing the manifest. The CLI walks you through validation and submits the listing.

Both paths produce the same listing. Auto-discovery is the recommended default for open-source projects - it keeps your Smithery listing in sync with your GitHub releases automatically. For a deeper publishing tutorial see our Build an MCP Server in TypeScript guide.

Security and Verification

The MCP registry model puts trust burden on the installer. Smithery surfaces three signals on every server page:

• Source attribution: official Anthropic, verified author, or community submission.
• GitHub stats: star count, last commit, open issues.
• Install command preview: the exact command that will run on your machine.

Before installing any Smithery server, do three things: skim the README, check the GitHub source for the install command's package, and verify the package name on npm or PyPI is what you expect. Typosquats are rare on Smithery but possible.

For an in-depth security framework see our MCP Server Security Guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Smithery in MCP?

Smithery is a registry and installation hub for Model Context Protocol servers. It hosts thousands of community and official MCPs, exposes them through a CLI (npx @smithery/cli) and web UI, and handles config generation so you can add a new server to Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Cline with one command. It is one of the four largest MCP registries alongside PulseMCP, Glama, and LobeHub.

Is Smithery free to use?

Yes - Smithery itself is free for both browsing and installing MCP servers. The underlying servers may have their own costs (some wrap paid APIs like Stripe, OpenAI, or Postgres providers), but the registry, the CLI, and the discovery surface are all free. There is no signup required to install or browse.

How do I install an MCP from Smithery?

The fastest path is the Smithery CLI: run npx -y @smithery/cli install --client claude and it will fetch the server, generate the config, and merge it into your Claude Desktop or Claude Code mcp config file. For Cursor, Cline, Windsurf, and Continue, pass the matching --client flag. You can also click 'install' on any Smithery server page and copy the generated config manually.

What is the difference between Smithery and PulseMCP?

Both are MCP registries with strong server coverage. PulseMCP leans toward production-grade and security-vetted servers and uses a weekly editorial cadence. Smithery is broader and faster-moving - it accepts more community submissions, exposes a more powerful CLI for installation, and includes a built-in playground for testing servers in the browser. Most builders use both: PulseMCP for trust signals, Smithery for one-click install.

Can I publish my own MCP to Smithery?

Yes - Smithery supports both GitHub-based auto-discovery (publish your server with an MCP-compliant manifest and it gets indexed) and direct submission through the publishing CLI. Most servers land on Smithery within 24 hours of being tagged on GitHub. The full publishing flow is covered in the Publishing section below.

Does Smithery work with Claude Code?

Yes. The Smithery CLI supports Claude Code as a target client - pass --client claude-code and the config writes to the right path. Claude Code uses the same MCP spec as Claude Desktop, so any server that runs in Desktop also runs in Code. Read the MCP clients comparison for setup differences.

Is Smithery safe? How does it verify servers?

Smithery flags servers by source (verified author, official Anthropic, community) and surfaces install command, package name, and GitHub source on every detail page. There is no formal code review on every submission - that scale is not feasible - but the registry shows stars, install volume, and last commit date, which together filter out abandoned or malicious projects in practice. Always read the readme and inspect the install command before pasting it into your config.

What is the Smithery playground?

The playground is a hosted environment where you can run a Smithery-listed MCP against a sandbox model client without installing anything locally. Useful for evaluating whether a server is worth a slot in your config before you commit. It lives at smithery.ai/playground and supports a subset of servers - the most popular and well-instrumented ones.

Last updated: June 03, 2026 · Smithery catalog scanned daily via the Skiln indexer.