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Endpoint
| Method | GET |
| Path | /public/v1/mcp |
| Ring | public (unauthenticated, cacheable) |
Parameters
None. A discovery read.
Response
A JSON server card describing the MCP server — its name, protocol version and advertised capabilities — so an MCP client can discover and configure itself before opening a session with POST /public/v1/mcp. The card is read-only and safe to cache.
Errors
A 429 on rate-limit; otherwise 200. See the public error table.
Discovery flow
A well-behaved MCP client reads the server card first, learns the protocol version and advertised capabilities, and only then opens a session with an initialize call to POST /public/v1/mcp. Configuring from the card rather than hard-coding assumptions keeps your client forward-compatible if the server advertises new capabilities later. Because the card is read-only and public, you can fetch it on start-up and cache it for the life of the process, refreshing periodically to pick up changes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the server card for?
Discovery. An MCP client reads the card to learn the server's name, protocol version and capabilities before it initialises a session, so it can configure itself without hard-coded assumptions.
Can I cache the server card?
Yes — it is read-only and changes rarely, so it is safe to cache. Re-fetch periodically to pick up capability changes.
Do I have to read the card before initializing?
It is good practice rather than strictly required — the card lets your client configure itself to the server's actual capabilities and protocol version instead of assuming them. Read it once on start-up, cache it, and then initialize.
Related reading
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