# Advertise an externally hosted MCP server

> Expose a self-hosted MCP server alongside the built-in search MCP server on your docs domain, since Mintlify's discovery endpoints only list servers it hosts.

Mintlify hosts a search MCP server for every site and advertises it through the `/.well-known/mcp`, `/.well-known/mcp.json`, `/.well-known/mcp/server-card.json`, and `/.well-known/mcp/server-cards.json` endpoints described in [Search MCP server](/guides/agent-ready-content-ai-model-context-protocol#discovery-endpoint). These endpoints are generated automatically and only list the MCP servers Mintlify hosts for your site (the public `/mcp` endpoint, and `/authed/mcp` if you use authentication). There is no `docs.json` field for adding a second, externally hosted MCP server to those responses.

The same applies to the `/.well-known/api-catalog` endpoint that Mintlify advertises through the [agent `Link` header](/guides/agent-ready-content-ai-llmstxt#link-header): that catalog lists OpenAPI documents ingested from your `docs.json`, not MCP servers.

If you run your own MCP server outside Mintlify and want it discoverable alongside the built-in one on your docs domain, use one of the options below.

## Option 1: Serve your own discovery document through a reverse proxy

If your docs are already served through a [reverse proxy](/guides/manage-your-site-deploy-reverse-proxy) on your own domain, you own the `/.well-known/*` paths at that domain. Intercept the MCP discovery paths in your proxy and return a JSON document that lists both servers instead of forwarding them to Mintlify.

Use the same shape Mintlify returns for `/.well-known/mcp` so existing MCP clients keep working:

```json theme={null}
{
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "transport": "http",
  "url": "https://your-docs.com/mcp",
  "servers": [
    {
      "name": "public",
      "url": "https://your-docs.com/mcp",
      "transport": "http",
      "authentication": "none"
    },
    {
      "name": "external",
      "url": "https://mcp.your-domain.com",
      "transport": "http",
      "authentication": "oauth2"
    }
  ]
}
```

Example nginx snippet that serves a static file instead of proxying to Mintlify for the MCP discovery paths:

```nginx theme={null}
location = /.well-known/mcp {
    default_type application/json;
    alias /etc/nginx/well-known/mcp.json;
}

location = /.well-known/mcp.json {
    default_type application/json;
    alias /etc/nginx/well-known/mcp.json;
}
```

Notes:

- Serve `Content-Type: application/json` and disable caching (`Cache-Control: no-store`) so agents pick up updates immediately.
- Overriding the discovery paths hides the built-in Mintlify response. Include the Mintlify-hosted `/mcp` (and `/authed/mcp` if applicable) entries in the file you serve so clients that read discovery still find the built-in search server.
- If you also override `/.well-known/mcp/server-card.json` or `/.well-known/mcp/server-cards.json`, mirror the [server-card format](/guides/agent-ready-content-ai-model-context-protocol#server-card-endpoints) so tools that pre-populate metadata from those endpoints still work.

## Option 2: Publish the external MCP URL directly

If you don't run a reverse proxy, or you don't want to maintain a static discovery file, publish the external MCP server URL to your users the same way you publish the built-in one. See [Use your MCP server](/guides/agent-ready-content-ai-model-context-protocol#use-your-mcp-server) for patterns that work with the built-in server and apply equally to a second URL:

- Add a page to your docs that lists both MCP server URLs and how to connect each one in Claude, Cursor, VS Code, or another client.
- Add [contextual menu](/guides/manage-your-site-ai-contextual-menu) entries for the built-in server so users can copy the URL or install commands in one click. The contextual menu options only cover the Mintlify-hosted MCP server, so document the external URL manually alongside them.

Clients that support multiple MCP servers can be pointed at the built-in `/mcp` endpoint and the external URL independently; they do not need to be listed in a single discovery document to be usable.

## What Mintlify does not currently support

- Adding an external MCP server URL to a `docs.json` field so Mintlify includes it in `/.well-known/mcp*` responses.
- Listing MCP servers under `/.well-known/api-catalog`. That endpoint is scoped to OpenAPI documents.

If either of these would unblock your setup, contact support@mintlify.com with your use case.

## Related topics

- [Fonts](/guides/manage-your-site-customize-fonts)
- [Mintlify CLI command reference](/guides/get-started-cli-commands)
- [Icons](/guides/create-content-components-icons)

## Related pages

- [Admin](./admin-index.md)
- [Agent](./agent-2-index.md)
- [Agent](./agent-index.md)
- [Agent-ready content](./agent-ready-content-index.md)
- [AI](./ai-index.md)
- [Analytics](./analytics-index.md)
- [API docs](./api-docs-index.md)
- [API reference](./api-reference-index.md)
- [Assistant](./assistant-2-index.md)
- [Assistant](./assistant-index.md)

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