CherryHQ/cherry-studio · error · Error

Invalid manifest: missing server.mcp_config

Error message

Invalid manifest: missing server.mcp_config

What it means

Thrown during manifest validation when the server object exists but has no mcp_config field. The mcp_config object holds the command, args, and env that the service ultimately resolves via applyPlatformOverrides and uses to spawn the MCP server process. server.type and server.entry_point are present in the type but mcp_config is the load-bearing field for launch.

Source

Thrown at src/main/ai/mcp/McpPackageService.ts:559

        }
        manifest = { ...parsedManifest, manifest_version: parsedManifest.manifest_version }
      } else {
        if (!parsedManifest.dxt_version) {
          throw new Error('Invalid manifest: missing dxt_version')
        }
        manifest = { ...parsedManifest, dxt_version: parsedManifest.dxt_version }
      }
      if (!manifest.name) {
        throw new Error('Invalid manifest: missing name')
      }
      if (!manifest.version) {
        throw new Error('Invalid manifest: missing version')
      }
      if (!manifest.server) {
        throw new Error('Invalid manifest: missing server configuration')
      }
      if (!manifest.server.mcp_config) {
        throw new Error('Invalid manifest: missing server.mcp_config')
      }
      if (!manifest.server.mcp_config.command) {
        throw new Error('Invalid manifest: missing server.mcp_config.command')
      }
      if (!Array.isArray(manifest.server.mcp_config.args)) {
        throw new Error('Invalid manifest: server.mcp_config.args must be an array')
      }

      // Use server name as the final extract directory for automatic version management
      const serverDirName = `server-${manifest.name}`
      const finalExtractDir = ensurePathWithin(this.mcpDir, path.join(this.mcpDir, serverDirName))

      // Stage the new package first, then swap directories so a failed install
      // does not destroy the last working version.
      await this.replacePackageDirectory(tempExtractDir, finalExtractDir, serverDirName)
      logger.debug(`${packageLabel} server extracted to: ${finalExtractDir}`)

      // Clean up the uploaded package file if it's in temp directory

View on GitHub (pinned to 726446b54c)

Solutions

1. Add server.mcp_config with at minimum { command, args } so the service knows how to launch the server.
2. If you intended to use entry_point only, note that this service still requires mcp_config; set command to the runtime (e.g. "node") and args to ["${__dirname}/<entry_point>"] referencing server.entry_point.
3. Repackage and re-upload.

Example fix

// manifest.json - before
"server": { "type": "node", "entry_point": "./server.js" }
// after
"server": { "type": "node", "entry_point": "./server.js",
  "mcp_config": { "command": "node", "args": ["${__dirname}/server.js"] } }

function serverHasMcpConfig(manifest: any): boolean {
  return !!manifest?.server && typeof manifest.server.mcp_config === 'object' && manifest.server.mcp_config !== null
}

function hasMcpConfig(m: any): m is { server: { mcp_config: object } } {
  return !!m?.server && typeof m.server.mcp_config === 'object' && m.server.mcp_config !== null
}

When it happens

Trigger: manifest.json has a server object that includes type and entry_point but omits mcp_config, or sets it to null. The author may have assumed entry_point alone is enough to launch.

Common situations: Schema confusion: an author who saw both entry_point and mcp_config in examples included only entry_point; a generator that emits server but leaves mcp_config for the user to fill; a manifest copied from a runtime (e.g. Claude Desktop) that nests config under a different key.

Related errors

• Invalid command: command must be a non-empty string
• Invalid command: command cannot be empty
• Invalid args: must be an array
• Invalid args: argument at index ${index} must be a string
• Invalid args: path traversal detected in argument at index $

AI-assisted analysis of CherryHQ/cherry-studio@726446b54c (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/7a96e310a809128f. Report an issue: GitHub.