Registry Access Documentation

Learn how to access the Registry via REST API or MCP

🔐 How to Generate Authentication Token

The Agent Registry API uses OAuth2 Bearer tokens issued by IAB Tech Lab Tools Portal.

Generate Token via OAuth API

POST your credentials to the authorization endpoint to obtain an authorization token.

Method: POST

URL: https://api.iabtechlab.com/oauth/authmobile

Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

Form Parameters

Form Field	Value	Description
response_type	token	Must be "token"
username	[your username]	Your IAB Tech Lab account username
password	[your password]	Your IAB Tech Lab account password
redirect_uri	oob	Must be "oob" (out-of-band)
client_id	tagapp	Must be "tagapp"
type	oauth	Optional: "oauth"

Example Request

curl --location 'https://api.iabtechlab.com/oauth/authmobile' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded' \
--data-urlencode 'response_type=token' \
--data-urlencode 'username=user@example.com' \
--data-urlencode 'password=password' \
--data-urlencode 'redirect_uri=oob' \
--data-urlencode 'client_id=tagapp' \
--data-urlencode 'type=oauth'

Response:

eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9...

The response will be a raw access token. Save this token for use as the authorization bearer token.

📝 Note: Tokens expire after a set period. You can generate a new token anytime by repeating the OAuth flow.

Using the Token in API Requests

Include the token in the Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9...

📋 Field Enumerations (Allowed Values)

The following fields accept only predefined values. Use these exact strings when making API requests.

protocol_type

The communication protocol supported by the agent.

Value	Description
`mcp`	Model Context Protocol
`a2a`	Agent-to-Agent Protocol

iab_category

Primary category for MadTech MCP servers (single selection).

Value	Description
`identity`	Identity resolution, matching, and onboarding
`cdp`	Customer Data Platforms
`dmp`	Data Management Platforms
`dsp`	Demand-Side Platforms
`ssp`	Supply-Side Platforms
`ad-server`	Ad serving platforms
`measurement`	Attribution, MMM, incrementality
`clean-room`	Privacy-safe data collaboration
`data-provider`	Data enrichment and providers
`consent`	Consent management platforms
`email`	Email and marketing automation
`personalization`	Content and experience personalization
`analytics`	Web/app analytics
`other`	Other madtech tools

pricing

Pricing model for the agent service.

Value	Description
`free`	Completely free to use
`freemium`	Free tier available with paid upgrades
`paid`	Requires payment, pricing publicly available
`enterprise`	Enterprise pricing, typically custom quotes
`contact`	Contact vendor for pricing information

status

Maturity status of the agent.

Value	Description
`alpha`	Early development, may have breaking changes
`beta`	Feature complete but still in testing
`ga`	Generally available, production ready
`deprecated`	No longer actively maintained, will be removed

verification_status

Current verification status of the agent (read-only, set by system).

Value	Description
`pending`	Agent registered but verification incomplete
`active`	All verifications passed (GPP, domain, endpoint) and agent is active
`failed`	One or more verifications failed

📖 Retrieve Agent Data (GET)

GET Get All Agents

Retrieve a list of all registered agents with optional filtering.

Endpoint: GET /api/agents

Authentication: REQUIRED

Query Parameters (Optional)

Parameter	Type	Description	Example
protocol_type	string	Filter by protocol	mcp, a2a, both
verified	boolean	Show only verified agents	true, false
search	string	Search by name or domain	example
iab_category	string	Filter by IAB Tech Lab category	ad_tech, analytics
limit	integer	Limit number of results	50

Example Request

curl -X GET "/agents?protocol_type=mcp&verified=true" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {your_token}"

Example Response

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "agents": [
      {
        "id": 1,
        "agent_name": "Example MCP Agent",
        "primary_domain": "example.com",
        "protocol_type": "mcp",
        "endpoint_url": "https://mcp.example.com",
        "verification_status": "active",
        "gpp_id": 123,
        "iab_category": "ad_tech"
      }
    ],
    "count": 1
  }
}

GET Get Agent by ID

Retrieve detailed information about a specific agent.

Endpoint: GET /api/agents/{id}

Authentication: REQUIRED

Example Request

curl -X GET "/agents/1" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {your_token}"

Example Response

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "id": 1,
    "agent_name": "Example MCP Agent",
    "legal_name": "Example Company, Inc",
    "primary_domain": "example.com",
    "endpoint_url": "https://mcp.example.com",
    "protocol_type": "mcp",
    "gpp_id": 123,
    "verification_status": "active",
    "iab_category": "ad_tech",
    "discovered_tools": [
      {
        "name": "get_campaign",
        "description": "Retrieve campaign details"
      }
    ]
  }
}

✍️ Register New Agent (POST)

POST Register New Agent

Create a new agent registration. The system will automatically verify GPP ID, domain ownership, and endpoint health.

Endpoint: POST /api/agents

Authentication: REQUIRED

Content-Type: application/json

⚠️ Important: You must be authenticated with a valid Bearer token to register agents.

Required Fields

Field	Type	Description	Example
agent_name Required	string	Display name for your agent	My MCP Agent
primary_domain Required	string	Your company's domain	example.com
endpoint_url Required	string	Agent endpoint URL	https://mcp.example.com

Optional Fields

Field	Type	Description	Default
protocol_type	string	Protocol: mcp, a2a, or both	mcp
gpp_id	integer	Global Privacy Protocol ID (will be validated)	0
iab_category	string	Primary category (ad_tech, analytics, creative, etc.)	-
pricing	string	Pricing model (free, freemium, paid, enterprise)	-
status	string	Maturity status (alpha, beta, production, deprecated)	-
description	string	Agent description (max 500 chars)	-
image_url	string	Logo URL	-

Example Request (Minimal)

curl -X POST "/agents" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {your_token}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "agent_name": "My MCP Agent",
    "primary_domain": "example.com",
    "endpoint_url": "https://mcp.example.com"
  }'

Note: protocol_type defaults to "mcp" if not specified

Example Request (Complete)

curl -X POST "/agents" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {your_token}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "agent_name": "My Company MCP Agent",
    "legal_name": "My Company, Inc",
    "primary_domain": "mycompany.com",
    "endpoint_url": "https://mcp.mycompany.com",
    "protocol_type": "mcp",
    "gpp_id": 123,
    "iab_category": "ad_tech",
    "pricing": "enterprise",
    "status": "production",
    "description": "Enterprise MCP agent for advertising technology",
    "image_url": "https://mycompany.com/logo.png"
  }'

Example Success Response

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Agent registered successfully",
  "data": {
    "id": 42,
    "agent_name": "My MCP Agent",
    "primary_domain": "example.com",
    "verification_status": "pending",
    "created_at": "2024-02-18T10:30:00.000Z"
  },
  "verification": {
    "status": "pending",
    "gpp_verified": false,
    "domain_verified": false,
    "endpoint_health_verified": true,
    "verification_token": "iab-agent-verify-abc123def456",
    "instructions": {
      "domain": {
        "method": "dns_txt",
        "instructions": "Add this TXT record to your DNS..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Example Error Response

{
  "success": false,
  "error": "Missing required fields: endpoint_url, agent_name, primary_domain"
}

🌐 Base URLs

Environment	Base URL
Current Environment	`Loading...`

Support

For Support, please email us at support@iabtechlab.com

🤖 Agent Registry MCP Server

The IAB Tech Lab Agent Registry provides a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants to programmatically search, discover, and access information about registered agents.

📖 What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open protocol that standardizes how applications provide context to LLMs. Learn more at modelcontextprotocol.io.

MCP Server Details

Property	Value
Server Name	iab-agent-registry
Protocol	MCP (Model Context Protocol)
Transport	SSE (Server-Sent Events)
Endpoint URL	`Loading...`
Authentication	Bearer Token (OAuth2)

🔧 Available Tools

The Agent Registry MCP server provides the following tools for interacting with the registry:

🔍 search_agents

Search and filter registered agents by various criteria including protocol type, category, verification status, and more.

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
query	string	Optional	Search term to match against agent name, domain, or description
protocol_type	string	Optional	Filter by protocol: "mcp", "a2a", or "both"
iab_category	string	Optional	Filter by IAB Tech Lab category (identity, cdp, dsp, ssp, etc.)
verified_only	boolean	Optional	If true, only return IAB Tech Lab-verified agents
iab_member_only	boolean	Optional	If true, only return agents from IAB Tech Lab members
limit	number	Optional	Maximum number of results to return (default: 50)

Example Usage

{
  "name": "search_agents",
  "arguments": {
    "query": "advertising",
    "protocol_type": "mcp",
    "verified_only": true,
    "limit": 10
  }
}

Example Response

{
  "agents": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "agent_name": "AdTech MCP Server",
      "domain": "adtech.example.com",
      "protocol_type": "mcp",
      "endpoint_url": "https://mcp.adtech.example.com/sse",
      "verification_status": "active",
      "iab_category": "dsp",
      "description": "MCP server for programmatic advertising",
      "discovered_tools": [...],
      "is_iab_member": true
    }
  ],
  "count": 1,
  "filters_applied": {
    "query": "advertising",
    "protocol_type": "mcp",
    "verified_only": true
  }
}

📋 get_agent_details

Retrieve complete details for a specific agent by ID or domain name.

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
agent_id	number	Required*	Numeric ID of the agent
domain	string	Required*	Domain name of the agent (alternative to agent_id)

*Either agent_id or domain must be provided

Example Usage (by ID)

{
  "name": "get_agent_details",
  "arguments": {
    "agent_id": 1
  }
}

Example Usage (by Domain)

{
  "name": "get_agent_details",
  "arguments": {
    "domain": "adtech.example.com"
  }
}

Example Response

{
  "id": 1,
  "agent_name": "AdTech MCP Server",
  "legal_name": "AdTech Solutions Inc.",
  "domain": "adtech.example.com",
  "protocol_type": "mcp",
  "mcp_endpoint_url": "https://mcp.adtech.example.com/sse",
  "gpp_id": 123,
  "verification_status": "active",
  "iab_category": "dsp",
  "iab_subcategories": ["programmatic", "rtb"],
  "description": "Enterprise MCP server for programmatic advertising",
  "discovered_tools": [
    {
      "name": "create_campaign",
      "description": "Create a new advertising campaign",
      "inputSchema": {...}
    }
  ],
  "endorsements": [...],
  "is_iab_member": true,
  "pricing_model": "enterprise",
  "maturity_status": "ga",
  "authentication_required": true,
  "created_at": "2024-01-15T10:00:00.000Z",
  "updated_at": "2024-02-18T14:30:00.000Z"
}

📂 list_categories

Get a list of all available IAB Tech Lab categories and their agent counts.

Input Parameters

This tool takes no parameters.

Example Usage

{
  "name": "list_categories"
}

Example Response

{
  "categories": [
    {
      "id": "identity",
      "name": "Identity Resolution",
      "description": "Identity resolution, matching, and onboarding",
      "agent_count": 12
    },
    {
      "id": "dsp",
      "name": "Demand-Side Platform",
      "description": "Demand-Side Platforms",
      "agent_count": 8
    },
    {
      "id": "cdp",
      "name": "Customer Data Platform",
      "description": "Customer Data Platforms",
      "agent_count": 15
    }
  ],
  "total_categories": 14
}

⚙️ Setup Instructions

Follow these steps to connect to the Agent Registry MCP server from your AI assistant:

Step 1: Obtain Authentication Token

First, generate an OAuth2 bearer token using the IAB Tech Lab authentication API (see REST API tab for details).

curl --location 'https://api.iabtechlab.com/oauth/authmobile' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded' \
--data-urlencode 'response_type=token' \
--data-urlencode 'username=your-email@example.com' \
--data-urlencode 'password=your-password' \
--data-urlencode 'redirect_uri=oob' \
--data-urlencode 'client_id=tagapp'

Step 2: Configure MCP Client

Add the Agent Registry MCP server to your MCP client configuration. For Claude Desktop, add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "iab-agent-registry": {
      "url": "Loading...",
      "transport": "sse",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_TOKEN_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Verify Connection

Restart your MCP client and verify the connection is established. You should see the Agent Registry tools available in your assistant.

💡 Tip: Store your authentication token securely. Tokens expire after a set period and will need to be refreshed.

💡 Example Use Cases

Here are some common scenarios where the Agent Registry MCP server can help:

Discovery & Search

"Find all verified MCP servers in the identity resolution category"
"Show me DSP agents that are IAB Tech Lab members"
"Search for advertising measurement tools"

Integration Planning

"What MCP tools does the AdTech platform provide?"
"Get details about agent example.com including authentication requirements"
"List all available CDP platforms and their capabilities"

Ecosystem Analysis

"How many verified agents are in each category?"
"Show me all beta-stage MCP servers"
"Find free or freemium advertising technology tools"