diff --git a/Dockerfile.smithery b/Dockerfile.smithery
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6c93bdea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Dockerfile.smithery
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+FROM node:24-alpine AS builder
+
+WORKDIR /app
+
+COPY package.json package-lock.json ./
+
+# Install all dependencies (including devDependencies for build)
+RUN npm ci --ignore-scripts
+
+COPY src ./src
+COPY tsconfig.json ./
+
+RUN npm run build
+
+FROM node:24-alpine AS release
+
+WORKDIR /app
+
+# Copy only the necessary files from the build stage
+COPY --from=builder /app/dist ./dist
+COPY package.json package-lock.json ./
+
+ENV NODE_ENV=production
+ENV APIFY_TOKEN=your-api-key-here
+
+# Install production dependencies only
+RUN npm ci --ignore-scripts --omit=dev
+
+# Set the entry point for the container
+ENTRYPOINT ["node", "dist/smithery.js"]
diff --git a/docs/smithery.md b/docs/smithery.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..04d6ecd8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/smithery.md
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+# Smithery integration
+
+- The Smithery entrypoint is `src/smithery.ts`.
+- It exports `configSchema` and a default sync function returning the MCP server instance.
+- On startup, if `apifyToken`/`APIFY_TOKEN` is provided, tools load asynchronously and the first `listTools` is gated via a one-time barrier (`blockListToolsUntil`).
+- If no token is provided, tools are loaded with placeholder token `PLACEHOLDER_TOKEN` to allow the server to start without real secrets.
+
+Run with Smithery:
+
+```bash
+npx @smithery/cli build
+# optional, recommended for actors
+export APIFY_TOKEN="your-apify-token"
+npx @smithery/cli dev
+```
+
+Notes:
+- The barrier is used only by Smithery; stdio/SSE/HTTP flows are unaffected.
+- We use a placeholder token (`your-apify-token`) in non-interactive environments (Smithery scans) to allow tool-loading paths to run without real secrets. It does not grant access; when detected, the client runs unauthenticated to let the server start and list tools where possible.
+
+## Deployment
+
+- Publishing to Smithery uses a personal account due to group account functionality issues.
+- Publication happens through a repository fork at https://github.com/apify-projects/apify-mcp-server since Smithery requires repository write access, which cannot be granted to the main Apify account (https://github.com/apify/apify-mcp-server).
+- The fork requires manual synchronization to stay current, as automatic syncing is not configured.
+- As of August 22nd, Smithery supports external server publishing with the requirement of an `/mcp` endpoint.
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 095a1be2..5b4a3bfa 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
     "node": ">=18.0.0"
   },
   "main": "dist/index.js",
+  "module": "./src/smithery.ts",
   "exports": {
     ".": "./dist/index.js",
     "./internals": "./dist/index-internals.js",
diff --git a/smithery.yaml b/smithery.yaml
index 01616594..5c1b681e 100644
--- a/smithery.yaml
+++ b/smithery.yaml
@@ -1,17 +1,6 @@
-# Smithery configuration file: https://smithery.ai/docs/config#smitheryyaml
-
+runtime: "container"
+build:
+  dockerfile: "Dockerfile.smithery"
+  dockerBuildPath: "."
 startCommand:
-  type: stdio
-  configSchema:
-    # JSON Schema defining the configuration options for the MCP.
-    type: object
-    required:
-      - apifyToken
-    properties:
-      apifyToken:
-        type: string
-        description: The API token for accessing Apify's services.
-  commandFunction:
-    # A function that produces the CLI command to start the MCP on stdio.
-    |-
-    (config) => ({ command: 'node', args: ['dist/main.js'], env: { APIFY_TOKEN: config.apifyToken } })
\ No newline at end of file
+  type: "stdio"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/apify-client.ts b/src/apify-client.ts
index 026ba79d..84ec8fe3 100644
--- a/src/apify-client.ts
+++ b/src/apify-client.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import type { ApifyClientOptions } from 'apify';
 import { ApifyClient as _ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';
 import type { AxiosRequestConfig } from 'axios';
 
-import { USER_AGENT_ORIGIN } from './const.js';
+import { PLACEHOLDER_APIFY_TOKEN, USER_AGENT_ORIGIN } from './const.js';
 
 /**
  * Adds a User-Agent header to the request config.
@@ -25,12 +25,14 @@ export function getApifyAPIBaseUrl(): string {
 export class ApifyClient extends _ApifyClient {
     constructor(options: ApifyClientOptions) {
         /**
-         * In order to publish to DockerHub, we need to run their build task to validate our MCP server.
-         * This was failing since we were sending this dummy token to Apify in order to build the Actor tools.
-         * So if we encounter this dummy value, we remove it to use Apify client as unauthenticated, which is sufficient
-         * for server start and listing of tools.
+         * Placeholder token handling (Smithery/Docker Hub).
+         *
+         * We use a placeholder token to allow non-interactive environments (Smithery scans,
+         * Docker Hub builds) to traverse tool-loading paths without real secrets. The placeholder
+         * does not authorize any API calls. If detected here, we drop it and run unauthenticated,
+         * which is enough for server startup and listing tools (where possible).
          */
-        if (options.token?.toLowerCase() === 'your-apify-token') {
+        if (options.token?.toLowerCase() === PLACEHOLDER_APIFY_TOKEN) {
             // eslint-disable-next-line no-param-reassign
             delete options.token;
         }
diff --git a/src/const.ts b/src/const.ts
index 2e6797c9..2c647660 100644
--- a/src/const.ts
+++ b/src/const.ts
@@ -80,3 +80,13 @@ export const ALGOLIA = {
 export const PROGRESS_NOTIFICATION_INTERVAL_MS = 5_000; // 5 seconds
 
 export const APIFY_STORE_URL = 'https://apify.com';
+
+/**
+ * Placeholder token used during non-interactive environments (e.g., Docker Hub builds, Smithery scans)
+ * to allow tool-loading code paths to execute without failing hard when a real APIFY_TOKEN is unavailable.
+ *
+ * IMPORTANT: This token does not authorize any API calls. It is only a sentinel to:
+ * - Unblock Smithery's initial tool scan so tools can be listed after deployment
+ * - Avoid crashes in Docker Hub image builds where secrets are not present
+ */
+export const PLACEHOLDER_APIFY_TOKEN = 'your-apify-token';
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index 555d3645..c63752b3 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
 /*
  This file provides essential functions and tools for MCP servers, serving as a library.
  The ActorsMcpServer should be the only class exported from the package
 */
-
-import { ActorsMcpServer } from './mcp/server.js';
-
-export { ActorsMcpServer };
+export { ActorsMcpServer } from './mcp/server.js';
diff --git a/src/mcp/server.ts b/src/mcp/server.ts
index 36c9f50c..8f746cb0 100644
--- a/src/mcp/server.ts
+++ b/src/mcp/server.ts
@@ -51,6 +51,11 @@ export class ActorsMcpServer {
     private options: ActorsMcpServerOptions;
     private toolsChangedHandler: ToolsChangedHandler | undefined;
     private sigintHandler: (() => Promise<void>) | undefined;
+    // Barrier to gate the first listTools until initial load settles.
+    // NOTE: This mechanism is intended to be used ONLY by the Smithery entrypoint
+    // (see src/smithery.ts). Other server entrypoints (stdio/SSE/HTTP) do not
+    // use this and are unaffected.
+    private listToolsBarrier: Promise<void> | null = null;
 
     constructor(options: ActorsMcpServerOptions = {}, setupSigintHandler = true) {
         this.options = {
@@ -89,6 +94,20 @@ export class ActorsMcpServer {
         });
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Block the first listTools request until the provided promise settles or a timeout elapses.
+     * Subsequent listTools calls are not blocked unless this method is invoked again.
+     *
+     * This is used exclusively by the Smithery entrypoint to satisfy its synchronous
+     * factory requirement while ensuring initial tools are available on the first
+     * listTools call. Other entrypoints should not rely on this.
+     */
+    public blockListToolsUntil(promise: Promise<unknown>, timeoutMs = 8_000) {
+        const done = Promise.resolve(promise).then(() => undefined).catch(() => undefined);
+        const timeout = new Promise<void>((resolve) => { setTimeout(resolve, timeoutMs); });
+        this.listToolsBarrier = Promise.race([done, timeout]).then(() => undefined);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Returns an array of tool names.
      * @returns {string[]} - An array of tool names.
@@ -391,6 +410,10 @@ export class ActorsMcpServer {
          * @returns {object} - The response object containing the tools.
          */
         this.server.setRequestHandler(ListToolsRequestSchema, async () => {
+            if (this.listToolsBarrier) {
+                await this.listToolsBarrier;
+                this.listToolsBarrier = null;
+            }
             const tools = Array.from(this.tools.values()).map((tool) => getToolPublicFieldOnly(tool.tool));
             return { tools };
         });
diff --git a/src/smithery.ts b/src/smithery.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..afaa1d69
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/smithery.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+/*
+ This file serves as the main entry point for smithery deployment.
+*/
+import type { z } from 'zod';
+
+import { PLACEHOLDER_APIFY_TOKEN } from './const.js';
+import { ActorsMcpServer } from './mcp/server.js';
+import type { Input, ToolCategory } from './types';
+import { serverConfigSchemaSmithery as configSchema } from './types.js';
+import { loadToolsFromInput } from './utils/tools-loader.js';
+
+// Export the config schema for Smithery. The export must be named configSchema
+export { configSchema };
+
+/**
+ * The Main entrypoint for Smithery deployment do not change signature of this function.
+ * @returns
+ */
+// eslint-disable-next-line import/no-default-export
+export default function ({ config: _config }: { config: z.infer<typeof configSchema> }) {
+    try {
+        const apifyToken = _config.apifyToken || process.env.APIFY_TOKEN || '';
+        const enableAddingActors = _config.enableAddingActors ?? true;
+        const actors = _config.actors || '';
+        const actorList = actors ? actors.split(',').map((a: string) => a.trim()) : [];
+        const toolCategoryKeys = _config.tools ? _config.tools.split(',').map((t: string) => t.trim()) : [];
+
+        process.env.APIFY_TOKEN = apifyToken; // Ensure token is set in the environment
+        const server = new ActorsMcpServer({ enableAddingActors, enableDefaultActors: false });
+
+        const input: Input = {
+            actors: actorList.length ? actorList : [],
+            enableAddingActors,
+            tools: toolCategoryKeys as ToolCategory[],
+        };
+
+        // Load tools asynchronously and block initial listTools call (Smithery-specific behavior)
+        // Refer to docs/smithery.md for details on how this entrypoint integrates with Smithery
+        // Smithery uses an unknown token during deployment, requiring this fallback approach
+        const loadPromise = (async () => {
+            try {
+                const tools = await loadToolsFromInput(input, apifyToken, actorList.length === 0);
+                server.upsertTools(tools);
+            } catch (error) {
+                // eslint-disable-next-line no-console
+                console.error('Failed to load tools with provided token. Retrying with placeholder token, error', error);
+                try {
+                    const tools = await loadToolsFromInput(input, PLACEHOLDER_APIFY_TOKEN, actorList.length === 0);
+                    server.upsertTools(tools);
+                } catch (retryError) {
+                    // eslint-disable-next-line no-console
+                    console.error('Retry failed to load tools with placeholder token, error:', retryError);
+                }
+            }
+        })();
+        server.blockListToolsUntil(loadPromise);
+        return server.server;
+    } catch (e) {
+        // eslint-disable-next-line no-console
+        console.error(e);
+        throw e;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/stdio.ts b/src/stdio.ts
index a4a52c02..1b9443d0 100644
--- a/src/stdio.ts
+++ b/src/stdio.ts
@@ -24,23 +24,9 @@ import log from '@apify/log';
 
 import { ActorsMcpServer } from './mcp/server.js';
 import { toolCategories } from './tools/index.js';
-import type { Input, ToolCategory } from './types.js';
+import type { Input, ServerConfigCli, ToolCategory } from './types.js';
 import { loadToolsFromInput } from './utils/tools-loader.js';
 
-// Keeping this interface here and not types.ts since
-// it is only relevant to the CLI/STDIO transport in this file
-/**
- * Interface for command line arguments
- */
-interface CliArgs {
-    actors?: string;
-    enableAddingActors: boolean;
-    /** @deprecated */
-    enableActorAutoLoading: boolean;
-    /** Tool categories to include */
-    tools?: string;
-}
-
 // Configure logging, set to ERROR
 log.setLevel(log.LEVELS.ERROR);
 
@@ -88,7 +74,7 @@ Note: Tools that enable you to search Actors from the Apify Store and get their
         + ' and set the environment variable `APIFY_TOKEN` to your Apify API token.\n',
     )
     .epilogue('For more information, visit https://mcp.apify.com or https://github.com/apify/apify-mcp-server')
-    .parseSync() as CliArgs;
+    .parseSync() as ServerConfigCli;
 
 const enableAddingActors = argv.enableAddingActors && argv.enableActorAutoLoading;
 const actors = argv.actors as string || '';
diff --git a/src/types.ts b/src/types.ts
index 497cd515..d2a70ca7 100644
--- a/src/types.ts
+++ b/src/types.ts
@@ -3,12 +3,41 @@ import type { RequestHandlerExtra } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/shared/proto
 import type { Notification, Prompt, Request } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/types.js';
 import type { ValidateFunction } from 'ajv';
 import type { ActorDefaultRunOptions, ActorDefinition, ActorStoreList, PricingInfo } from 'apify-client';
+import { z } from 'zod';
 
 import type { ACTOR_PRICING_MODEL } from './const.js';
 import type { ActorsMcpServer } from './mcp/server.js';
 import type { toolCategories } from './tools/index.js';
 import type { ProgressTracker } from './utils/progress.js';
 
+export const serverConfigSchemaCli = z.object({
+    actors: z
+        .string()
+        .optional()
+        .describe('Comma-separated list of Actor full names to add to the server'),
+    enableAddingActors: z
+        .boolean()
+        .default(true)
+        .describe('Enable dynamically adding Actors as tools based on user requests'),
+    tools: z
+        .string()
+        .optional()
+        .describe('Comma-separated list of specific tool categories to enable (docs,runs,storage,preview)'),
+    /** @deprecated */
+    enableActorAutoLoading: z
+        .boolean()
+        .default(true)
+        .describe('Deprecated: use enable-adding-actors instead.'),
+});
+
+export const serverConfigSchemaSmithery = serverConfigSchemaCli.extend({
+    apifyToken: z
+        .string()
+        .describe('Apify token, learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/api#api-token'),
+});
+
+export type ServerConfigCli = z.infer<typeof serverConfigSchemaCli>;
+
 export interface ISchemaProperties {
     type: string;
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/smithery.test.ts b/tests/unit/smithery.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3deba187
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/smithery.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+
+import log from '@apify/log';
+
+import { ActorsMcpServer } from '../../src/mcp/server.js';
+import smithery from '../../src/smithery.js';
+import * as toolsLoader from '../../src/utils/tools-loader.js';
+
+// Silence logs in unit tests
+log.setLevel(log.LEVELS.OFF);
+
+describe('smithery entrypoint barrier behavior', () => {
+    beforeEach(() => {
+        vi.restoreAllMocks();
+    });
+
+    it('calls blockListToolsUntil', async () => {
+        // Arrange
+        const blockSpy = vi.spyOn(ActorsMcpServer.prototype, 'blockListToolsUntil');
+        const loadSpy = vi.spyOn(toolsLoader, 'loadToolsFromInput').mockResolvedValue([]);
+
+        // Act
+        const server = smithery({ config: { apifyToken: 'TEST_TOKEN', enableAddingActors: true, enableActorAutoLoading: true } });
+
+        // Assert
+        expect(server).toBeTruthy();
+        expect(blockSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+        expect(loadSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    });
+});