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Registry observability and zero-downtime operations

This week delivers capabilities that production teams need: vMCP now auto-discovers backend servers without restarts and reports operational health in CRD status fields, the Registry gains OpenTelemetry support and tool definition APIs, and both the CLI and Desktop UI add custom header configuration for remote MCP connections. We've also added custom CA support for organizations running private identity providers.

Virtual MCP Server: Dynamic discovery and operational status​

vMCP gains capabilities that eliminate manual intervention and improve visibility:

  • Dynamic backend discovery detects servers added or removed from an MCPGroup and updates routing automatically, eliminating pod restarts when changing your MCP backend topology.
  • Static configuration mode provides an alternative for security-conscious deployments where vMCP requires zero Kubernetes API access; choose between operational convenience and minimal attack surface based on your security requirements.
  • Operational status reporting now surfaces deployment health and backend server status in the CRD status field for improved debugging and monitoring integration.

Registry: OpenTelemetry and tool metadata​

The ToolHive Registry Server expands its observability and developer experience:

  • OpenTelemetry support enables integration with your existing observability stack for tracing and monitoring registry operations.
  • Tool definitions can now be specified in MCPServer CRDs and are exposed via the API, so MCP server entries in the registry can display their available tools.

CLI and Desktop UI: Header configuration for remote servers​

The CLI and Desktop UI now support custom header configuration for remote MCP connections, useful when services require specific headers beyond standard authentication. Configure non-sensitive headers directly, or reference encrypted secrets for sensitive values like API keys.

Kubernetes Operator: Custom CA support​

The MCPServer CRD now supports custom certificate authorities, enabling ToolHive to validate OAuth tokens issued by private on-premises identity provider instances, essential for organizations with internal PKI infrastructure.

Getting started​

For detailed release notes, check the project repositories:

You can find all ToolHive documentation on the Stacklok documentation site.