---
title: "1. Introduction"
description: "MCP Description specification v0.7.0 — 1. Introduction."
source: "https://mcpdesc.org/docs/specification/0.7.0/introduction/"
---

Mirrored specification

This page mirrors **1\. Introduction** of the MCP Description specification **v0.7.0**. The canonical source of truth is [cisco-open/mcptoolkit-contract](https://github.com/cisco-open/mcptoolkit-contract/blob/main/spec/sections/01-introduction.md). Where this page differs from upstream, upstream wins.

## 1\. Introduction

### 1.1 Purpose

The MCP Description Specification defines a standard format for describing the capabilities of a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server as a static, curated document.

The MCP ecosystem currently relies on runtime discovery through protocol initialization and capability inspection. While effective for dynamic interactions, this approach limits offline tooling, cross-platform interoperability, and contract-driven development workflows.

This specification addresses these limitations by providing a **portable contract format** for MCP servers — analogous to the role OpenAPI plays for HTTP APIs.

### 1.2 Goals

An MCP Description document enables:

* **Standardized server descriptions** — a consistent structure for declaring server metadata, transports, tools, resources, prompts, and capabilities.
* **Offline discoverability** — platforms can index and display server capabilities without establishing a runtime connection.
* **Tooling interoperability** — documentation generators, testing frameworks, agent discovery tools, IDE integrations, and governance platforms can operate on a common format.
* **Contract-driven development** — teams can define and validate MCP server capabilities before deployment.

### 1.3 Audience

This specification is intended for:

* MCP server developers who publish capability descriptions
* MCP client and agent developers who consume server descriptions
* Platform developers building registries, documentation portals, and governance tools
* Tool authors creating validators, generators, and IDE integrations

### 1.4 Relationship to the MCP Protocol

The MCP Description Specification does **not** replace the MCP protocol. It complements the protocol by providing a static description format for server capabilities.

| MCP Protocol          | MCP Description      |
| --------------------- | -------------------- |
| Runtime communication | Static declaration   |
| Initialize handshake  | Server metadata      |
| Tool invocation       | Tool definitions     |
| Resource fetching     | Resource definitions |

The MCP protocol defines **runtime behavior**. An MCP Description defines the **server contract**.

### 1.5 Scope

This specification defines:

* The structure and semantics of an MCP Description document
* JSON Schema validation rules for MCP Description documents
* The specification extension mechanism for vendor-specific metadata

This specification does NOT define:

* The MCP protocol itself
* Runtime behavior of MCP servers or clients
* The content or structure of vendor extensions (these are defined independently by extension authors)