Manifest Reference

The manifest.json file describes your MCP server and how to run it.

Minimal Example

{
  "name": "@yourorg/your-server",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "What your server does",
  "server": {
    "type": "python",
    "entry_point": "your_package.server",
    "mcp_config": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "your_package.server"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "name": "@yourorg/your-server",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "What your server does",
  "server": {
    "type": "node",
    "entry_point": "dist/index.js",
    "mcp_config": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["${__dirname}/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "name": "@yourorg/your-server",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "What your server does",
  "server": {
    "type": "binary",
    "entry_point": "bin/server",
    "mcp_config": {
      "command": "${__dirname}/bin/server",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

Required Fields

Field	Type	Description
`name`	string	Package name in `@scope/name` format
`version`	string	Semantic version (e.g., `1.0.0`)
`description`	string	Short description of what your server does
`server.type`	string	Runtime type: `python`, `node`, or `binary`
`server.mcp_config`	object	How to run the server

Full Schema

{
  "$schema": "https://cdn.mpak.dev/schemas/2025-10-19/mpak.json",
  "name": "@yourorg/your-server",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "What your server does",
  "display_name": "Your Server",
  "author": {
    "name": "Your Name",
    "email": "you@example.com",
    "url": "https://example.com"
  },
  "license": "MIT",
  "homepage": "https://github.com/yourorg/your-server",
  "repository": {
    "type": "git",
    "url": "https://github.com/yourorg/your-server"
  },
  "keywords": ["mcp", "example", "demo"],
  "server": {
    "type": "python",
    "entry_point": "your_package.server",
    "mcp_config": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "your_package.server"],
      "env": {
        "PYTHONPATH": "${__dirname}/deps"
      }
    }
  },
  "user_config": {
    "api_key": {
      "type": "string",
      "title": "API Key",
      "description": "Your API key from example.com",
      "sensitive": true,
      "required": true
    }
  }
}

server.mcp_config

The mcp_config object defines how the CLI runs your server:

Field	Type	Description
`command`	string	Executable to run
`args`	string[]	Arguments to pass
`env`	object	Environment variables

Path Variables

Use ${__dirname} to reference the bundle’s extraction directory:

{
  "mcp_config": {
    "command": "node",
    "args": ["${__dirname}/dist/index.js"]
  }
}

user_config

Define configuration that users need to provide (API keys, etc.):

{
  "user_config": {
    "api_key": {
      "type": "string",
      "title": "API Key",
      "description": "Your API key from example.com",
      "sensitive": true,
      "required": true,
      "default": ""
    }
  },
  "server": {
    "mcp_config": {
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "${user_config.api_key}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Field	Type	Description
`type`	string	`string`, `number`, `boolean`
`title`	string	Human-readable label
`description`	string	Help text
`sensitive`	boolean	Mask in output (default: false)
`required`	boolean	Must be provided (default: false)
`default`	any	Default value if not provided

See User Configuration for more details.

Runtime-Specific Notes

Python

For Python servers, use module execution to handle imports correctly:

{
  "server": {
    "type": "python",
    "entry_point": "your_package.server",
    "mcp_config": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "your_package.server"]
    }
  }
}

Your server must have a if __name__ == "__main__" block:

if __name__ == "__main__":
    mcp.run()  # Required for mpak bundle run

Node.js

For Node.js servers, reference the compiled JavaScript:

{
  "server": {
    "type": "node",
    "entry_point": "dist/index.js",
    "mcp_config": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["${__dirname}/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Binary

For compiled binaries, the command points directly to the executable:

{
  "server": {
    "type": "binary",
    "entry_point": "bin/server",
    "mcp_config": {
      "command": "${__dirname}/bin/server",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}