diff --git a/.github/copilot-instructions.md b/.github/copilot-instructions.md
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+# Copilot Instructions for MCP Registry
+
+## Important: Publishing MCP servers
+
+The `data/seed.json` file is seed data for local development only. Do NOT create pull requests that add or modify server entries in `data/seed.json` to publish a server.
+
+To publish an MCP server to the registry, use the `mcp-publisher` CLI tool. See `docs/modelcontextprotocol-io/quickstart.mdx` for instructions.
+
+## Development
+
+- Use `make` targets where possible (run `make help` to see available targets)
+- Run `make check` to run lint, unit tests, and integration tests
+- Run `make dev-compose` to start the local development environment
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diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
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+++ b/CLAUDE.md
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 _Guidance for Claude Code (claude.ai/code) when working in this repository. If it's also useful to humans (probably most things!), put the instructions in README.md instead._
 
 Import @README.md
+
+## Important: Publishing MCP servers
+
+The `data/seed.json` file is seed data for local development only. Do NOT create pull requests or commits that add server entries to `data/seed.json` as a way to publish a server to the registry.
+
+To publish an MCP server, use the `mcp-publisher` CLI tool. See `docs/modelcontextprotocol-io/quickstart.mdx` for instructions.
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
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+# Contributing to the MCP Registry
+
+Thank you for your interest in contributing!
+
+## Want to publish an MCP server?
+
+**Do NOT open a pull request to add your server to `data/seed.json`.**
+
+The `data/seed.json` file is seed data used only for local development. Modifying it will not publish your server to the registry.
+
+To publish an MCP server, use the official `mcp-publisher` CLI tool. See the [publishing quickstart guide](docs/modelcontextprotocol-io/quickstart.mdx) for step-by-step instructions.
+
+## Contributing to the registry codebase
+
+We welcome contributions to the registry itself! Here's how to get started:
+
+### Communication channels
+
+We use multiple channels for collaboration - see [modelcontextprotocol.io/community/communication](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/community/communication).
+
+Often (but not always) ideas flow through this pipeline:
+
+- **[Discord](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/community/communication)** - Real-time community discussions
+- **[Discussions](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry/discussions)** - Propose and discuss product/technical requirements
+- **[Issues](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry/issues)** - Track well-scoped technical work
+- **[Pull Requests](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry/pulls)** - Contribute work towards issues
+
+### Development setup
+
+See the [README](README.md#quick-start) for prerequisites and instructions on running the server locally.
+
+### Running checks
+
+```bash
+# Run lint, unit tests and integration tests
+make check
+```
+
+Run `make help` for more available commands.
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