cli-use × Waypoint cross-registry MCP index: discovery endpoint proposal

[graydeveloper01]

Came across cli-use after your Reddit r/mcp Showcase on 2026-05-12. "Turn any MCP server into a CLI in one command" with 60-80% token savings and the SKILL.md emission pattern is one of the cleanest takes on the "MCP framing is overhead for agent workflows" problem. Daemon mode dropping per-call latency from 300-500 ms to under 10 ms is the kind of thing that becomes invisible infrastructure once it lands.

What I run at Waypoint (waypoint.ing):

• 41,856 MCPs indexed across Smithery, Glama, Anthropic Official, GitHub direct
• Per-listing probe data: liveness, latency, schema score, tool count, error rate (roughly half the index is dead at any given probe pass)
• Cross-registry presence as a ranking dimension when the same server is mirrored

Sample listing with score breakdown: https://waypoint.ing/agents/shree-git/sendit/score

Where I see the cross-feed:

1. cli-use add <alias> <install-command> today is manually configured per-MCP. The discovery half ("which MCP should I add for X?") is the gap we partially fill. Would cli-use add --waypoint <pattern> style discovery (where pattern picks from the alive cross-registry index) be useful, or do you see discovery staying out of cli-use's scope?
2. SKILL.md emission per alias is a great wedge for agent-readable metadata. Waypoint already publishes per-listing score data (latency, schema, error rate). Could the SKILL.md template absorb reliability metadata so agents know "this CLI alias is currently scoring X on liveness," or would that pollute the surface?
3. Auth handling: many alive MCPs in our index still require API keys despite being reachable. Does cli-use handle the auth-required path during add, or assume the install command captures any needed env config?

If there's a fit, I'd be up for shipping a waypoint.ing/exports/cli-use.json discovery feed covering the alive MCPs (~1,200 servers) with normalized install commands, ready for cli-use sync waypoint style ingestion, within 2 weeks. Worth a 15-min compare-notes call first?

Narasimhan (Waypoint)

[JustVugg]

Hi Narasimhan,
thank you for the detailed message and for the kind words about cli-use — really glad the token savings, SKILL.md pattern and daemon mode resonated with you!
I completely agree that discovery is a missing piece for most users right now.
That said, cli-use is still early-stage and I’m currently focused on making the core (add, daemon mode, reliability of the generated CLIs, SKILL.md quality) as solid as possible before expanding into discovery features. So while I love the idea of cli-use add --waypoint or a sync command, I see it as something for a later phase (once the foundation is stronger).
Quick thoughts anyway:
• SKILL.md + reliability metadata: I’m open to this. An optional reliability section feels clean and useful for agents. We can discuss the schema if/when we move forward.
• Auth handling: Currently relies on the install command + env vars. Works reasonably well but definitely room for improvement.
• The feed: A cli-use.json export from Waypoint would still be very valuable even if I don’t integrate it immediately — I can at least point users to it or use it for manual recommendations.
I’d still be happy to hop on a quick 15-min call to better understand your data model and keep the option open for the future.
Let me know if you’re still up for it!
Best,

[graydeveloper01]

Hi Vincenzo,

Thank you for the considered reply. The "core solid before discovery" framing is the right call: shipping a discovery-coupled extension before the core is solid would dilute the wedge cli-use already has on token savings and daemon mode. No pressure on the integration timeline; the seam still holds, just on a different clock.

On the cli-use.json export: I'll ship it regardless within 2 weeks, since you noted it's valuable as a manual reference even without formal integration. Target: waypoint.ing/exports/cli-use.json published by Tue May 27 covering the alive cross-registry subset (~1,200 servers, normalized install commands, per-server liveness/latency/schema/error-rate). You can point users at it whenever it's useful; the integration into cli-use add --waypoint or cli-use sync lives on your roadmap, not blocked by us.

For the call, two questions ahead of time:

1. SKILL.md reliability metadata: when you're ready to discuss the schema, would a single nested object (e.g., reliability: { liveness: 0.94, latency_p50_ms: 220, schema_score: 0.88, last_probed: "2026-05-12T..." }) be the right shape, or would you prefer flat top-level fields? I have no skin in the schema fight; just want to hand you whatever your add flow can absorb cleanly.
2. The "manual recommendations" use case you mentioned: if I shipped a simple search filter on the export (so users could query "what's the highest-scoring filesystem MCP I should cli-use add?"), would that be more useful than just the raw feed?

For the 15-min call: I'm in PT, calendar is fairly open Thu May 14 and Fri May 15. What timezone are you in, and what works on your end? Happy to do Google Meet / Zoom / whatever's easiest once we lock a slot.

Best,
Narasimhan