MCP server never registers: manifest references ./mcp.json but the file ships as .mcp.json

[Casey-Hemingway]

What happens

After installing the plugin from the Claude marketplace, all the skills load fine, but the Raisely MCP server never registers. It does not appear in claude mcp list or the /mcp panel, and no mcp__raisely__* tools are available in any session. There is no error output, so it fails silently.

Root cause

.claude-plugin/plugin.json declares:

"mcpServers": "./mcp.json"

but the file shipped at the plugin root is .mcp.json (dot-prefixed). Claude Code follows the manifest path, finds no file at ./mcp.json, and registers no server. The skills still load via directory convention, which masks the problem: the plugin looks installed and healthy.

Verified in the installed plugin cache for v0.1.2:

~/.claude/plugins/cache/raisely/raisely/0.1.2/
  .claude-plugin/plugin.json   <- points to ./mcp.json
  .mcp.json                    <- actual file

Fix

One character either way: rename .mcp.json to mcp.json, or change the manifest to "mcpServers": "./.mcp.json".

Workaround for anyone hitting this

Register the hosted server directly:

claude mcp add --scope user --transport http raisely https://mcp.raisely.com/mcp

Then authenticate via /mcp. Once connected it works well, including in headless (claude -p) sessions after the initial OAuth.

Environment: Claude Code on macOS, plugin v0.1.2 from the marketplace.