Publishing MCP server to Foundry catalog

[anildwarepo]

As an ISV, what is the process to publish ISV MCP server in the Microsoft Foundry catalog?

[leestott]

Hi @anildwarepo

ISV options to publish an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server – Microsoft Foundry and other MCP catalogs

Microsoft Foundry catalog (Microsoft‑curated): * There is currently no self‑service flow for ISVs to publish directly into the public Microsoft Foundry catalog. Public catalog entries are curated by Microsoft and onboarding is handled via partner engagement or private preview.

• Microsoft Foundry public catalog: curated, Microsoft‑controlled, no self‑service ISV publishing today.
• Azure MCP Center: open, multi‑vendor MCP catalog suitable for ISV self‑publication.
• Private MCP registries (Azure API Center): enterprise‑only distribution.
• Direct endpoint sharing: simplest ISV distribution path without a marketplace.

See more details below:

Options for Microsoft Foundry (Private Catalog)

• Build a standards‑compliant MCP server (local or remote) that exposes tools over MCP (HTTP or stdio). Guidance and templates are provided for building remote MCP servers (for example using Azure Functions) that connect to Foundry Agent Service. See: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/ai-foundry/mcp/build-your-own-mcp-server?view=foundry
• MCP server endpoint must be publicly reachable and secured (for example with Microsoft Entra ID / OAuth). Foundry Agent Service only connects to publicly accessible MCP servers. https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/ai-foundry/mcp/build-your-own-mcp-server?view=foundry
• You can register the MCP server in a private or organizational tool catalog using Azure API Center so it is discoverable within your tenant. This does not make it public globally. See https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/ai-foundry/mcp/build-your-own-mcp-server?view=foundry

Other MCP catalogs (ISV self‑publish options)

Azure MCP Center (community / partner catalog)

• ISVs can publish remote or local MCP servers to the Azure MCP Center, which acts as a discoverable catalog of MCP servers across vendors and categories (for example Stripe, Supabase, MongoDB, Postman). This is a self‑publish model independent of Microsoft Foundry’s curated catalog. see https://mcp.azure.com/

Custom or private enterprise MCP registries

• Enterprises and ISVs can run their own MCP registry using Azure API Center to govern, register, and expose MCP servers privately to selected tenants or customers. This supports enterprise governance but is not a public marketplace. https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/ai-foundry/mcp/build-your-own-mcp-server?view=foundry

Direct distribution (no central catalog)

• ISVs can distribute MCP server endpoints directly (documentation + endpoint URL) to customers who then manually register the MCP server in their agent configuration or private catalog. This is commonly used for early access or controlled rollout scenarios. (Supported by MCP architecture and Foundry Agent Service connection model.) See: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/ai-foundry/mcp/build-your-own-mcp-server?view=foundry