Authentication failed: "Failed to mint token" and 401 errors when publishing remote HTTP MCP server #690
Description
Description
I'm trying to publish a remote HTTP MCP server to the Smithery registry but authentication consistently fails with different methods.
Environment
- OS: macOS (Apple Silicon)
- Node.js: v20+
- CLI:
npx @smithery/cli(latest)
Steps to Reproduce
Attempt 1: npx @smithery/cli publish
$ npx @smithery/cli publish
? Please enter your Smithery API key (get one for free from https://smithery.ai/account/api-keys): ****
Publishing to Smithery Registry...
∴ Fetching namespaces...Authentication failed: 401 Invalid API key or session token. Please check your credentials.
Run "smithery login" to re-authenticate.
Attempt 2: smithery login
$ smithery login
zsh: command not found: smithery
Attempt 3: npx @smithery/cli auth login
This also fails with a "Failed to mint token" error.
Attempt 4: npx @smithery/cli mcp publish <url> -n <name>
Same authentication failure.
What I'm Trying to Do
Publish a remote HTTP MCP server (not a local/stdio server):
- Endpoint:
https://api-createos.nodeops.network/mcp - Transport: HTTP (Streamable HTTP)
- Auth: API Key via
X-Api-Keyheader
Expected Behavior
Should be able to authenticate via API key or OAuth and publish the remote MCP server URL to the registry.
Actual Behavior
- API key generated from https://smithery.ai/account/api-keys is rejected with 401
smithery logindoesn't work (not a global command)npx @smithery/cli auth loginfails with "Failed to mint token"- No alternative web-based submission path exists
Questions
- Is there a known issue with API key authentication for publishing?
- Is there an alternative way to publish a remote HTTP MCP server (e.g., web UI, GitHub PR)?
- Does publishing require a specific API key scope or account type?
Additional Context
The MCP server is live and functional — it's a production endpoint with 75+ tools for cloud infrastructure management. We've successfully listed it on mcp.so, Glama, Cursor Directory, and other registries, but Smithery's CLI auth is the blocker here.