Where to Find the MCP Service Registry and Ports in reverse-skill

The MCP service registry and their ports are defined in the bootstrap-manifest.json files located under skills/scripts/ and kali/scripts/, which map capability identifiers to their listening ports, URLs, and logical names.

The reverse-skill repository implements a Micro-Capability Platform (MCP) architecture that requires precise port configuration for both local and remote services. Understanding where this registry lives and how to parse it is essential for troubleshooting connectivity issues or extending the platform with new capabilities according to the source code.

Locating the MCP Service Registry Files

The authoritative list of all MCP services resides in JSON manifest files that act as the central service registry for the platform.

Main Platform Manifest

The primary registry is stored at skills/scripts/bootstrap-manifest.json. This file contains the complete catalog of capabilities available in the standard reverse-skill distribution, including their network endpoints and port assignments.

Kali-Specific Manifest

For Kali Linux environments, a separate registry exists at kali/scripts/bootstrap-manifest.json. This variant maintains the same schema but may include security-focused tools specific to the Kali distribution.

Understanding the Registry Structure

Each entry in the manifest follows a consistent schema that defines how clients connect to the service:

• mcpNames: Logical identifiers used by client configurations to reference the service
• mcpUrl: The base HTTP endpoint (e.g., http://localhost:23816/mcp)
• servicePort or servicePortRange: The TCP port on which the MCP server listens

Example Registry Entries

The manifest defines ports for various capabilities:

• anything-analyzer: Listens on port 23816 with URLs accessible at http://localhost:23816/mcp
• idapro: Uses port 13337 with an available range up to 13350 for multi-instance scenarios
• xquik-mcp: Remote service accessed via OAuth without a local port assignment

Burp MCP Implementation Details

The built-in Burp Suite MCP implementation uses a Java HTTP server class to expose the tool list. In burp-mcp-full/src/main/java/com/burpmcp/McpHttpServer.java, the constructor accepts a port parameter that originates from the manifest:

public McpHttpServer(MontoyaApi api, int port) {
    super("127.0.0.1", port);   // Port derived from manifest entry
    this.api = api;
    this.authToken = resolveAuthToken();
}

By default, the Burp MCP server initializes on port 9876, though this value is configurable through the registry.

Querying MCP Services and Ports

You can verify active services by querying their HTTP endpoints directly using the ports defined in the manifest.

Listing Burp MCP Tools

To retrieve the tool list from the default Burp MCP endpoint:

curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $(cat ~/.burp-mcp-token)" \
     http://127.0.0.1:9876/tools | jq .

Direct Capability Queries

For local HTTP services like the Anything Analyzer on port 23816:

curl -s http://localhost:23816/mcp/tools | jq .

Programmatic Port Lookup

Extract port assignments dynamically from the registry using Python:

import json
import pathlib

manifest = pathlib.Path('skills/scripts/bootstrap-manifest.json')
data = json.loads(manifest.read_text())

def get_port(name):
    for cap in data['capabilities']:
        if cap['name'] == name:
            return cap.get('servicePort')
    return None

print('Anything Analyzer port:', get_port('anything-analyzer'))  # 23816

print('IDA Pro port:', get_port('idapro'))                    # 13337

Bootstrap and Service Discovery Mechanisms

The bootstrap-reverse.sh and bootstrap-reverse.ps1 scripts automate the initialization process by reading bootstrap-manifest.json, extracting the servicePort values, and launching the corresponding MCP processes on those ports.

Additionally, skills/scripts/lib/ToolDiscovery.ps1 contains PowerShell helpers that validate TCP connectivity to these ports and perform HTTP-level MCP handshakes, ensuring services specified in the registry are actually reachable before client configuration proceeds.

Summary

• The MCP service registry is stored in bootstrap-manifest.json files under both skills/scripts/ and kali/scripts/
• Each registry entry specifies mcpNames, mcpUrl, and servicePort (or servicePortRange)
• The Burp MCP server defaults to port 9876 as defined in McpHttpServer.java
• Bootstrap scripts automatically read the registry to launch services on their designated ports
• Use the provided curl or Python examples to query services and verify port assignments programmatically

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the MCP service registry stored in reverse-skill?

The registry is located in skills/scripts/bootstrap-manifest.json for the main platform and kali/scripts/bootstrap-manifest.json for Kali-specific tools. These JSON files contain the complete mapping of capability names to their listening ports and endpoint URLs.

What port does the Burp MCP server use by default?

The Burp MCP server uses port 9876 by default. This value is passed to the McpHttpServer class constructor in burp-mcp-full/src/main/java/com/burpmcp/McpHttpServer.java, though it can be configured via the manifest entry if needed.

How do I find the port for a specific MCP capability?

Open skills/scripts/bootstrap-manifest.json and locate the capability entry by its name field. The servicePort field contains the TCP port number. For services supporting multiple instances, check the servicePortRange field instead, which lists the available port range.

What is the difference between the main and Kali manifests?

Both files use identical schemas to define the MCP service registry, but kali/scripts/bootstrap-manifest.json typically includes penetration testing tools specific to the Kali Linux distribution, while skills/scripts/bootstrap-manifest.json contains the general reverse-skill capability set used across platforms.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}