diff --git a/src/mcpd/src/services/agent.service.ts b/src/mcpd/src/services/agent.service.ts
index caadcf2..601d0dc 100644
--- a/src/mcpd/src/services/agent.service.ts
+++ b/src/mcpd/src/services/agent.service.ts
@@ -228,8 +228,18 @@ export class AgentService {
     const out: AgentView[] = [];
     for (const a of inputs) {
       const llm = await this.llms.getByName(a.llmName);
+      // v6: auto-create the project if it doesn't exist. Publishers
+      // commonly want their virtual agents pinned to a team-scoped
+      // project; pre-v6 they had to ask an admin to create the
+      // project first. ensureByName is idempotent — the second
+      // publisher landing on the same name reuses the existing row.
+      // Owner is the publishing user (first writer wins).
       const projectId = a.project !== undefined
-        ? (await this.projects.resolveAndGet(a.project)).id
+        ? (await this.projects.ensureByName(
+            a.project,
+            ownerId,
+            { auditNote: `Auto-created by virtual-agent registrar for '${a.name}'` },
+          )).id
         : null;
       const existing = await this.repo.findByName(a.name);
       if (existing !== null) {
diff --git a/src/mcpd/src/services/project.service.ts b/src/mcpd/src/services/project.service.ts
index 38f49be..712d4f3 100644
--- a/src/mcpd/src/services/project.service.ts
+++ b/src/mcpd/src/services/project.service.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,41 @@ export class ProjectService {
     throw new NotFoundError(`Project not found: ${idOrName}`);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * v6: idempotent get-or-create by name. Used by virtual-agent
+   * registration so a publisher can declare `project: "my-team"` in
+   * their mcplocal config and have mcpd auto-create the project on
+   * first publish, with sensible defaults (description carries an
+   * audit trail of who created it; proxyModel + gated take their
+   * schema defaults). Subsequent registers from the same or other
+   * publishers reuse the existing project — only the publishing user
+   * who wins the create race owns the row.
+   *
+   * Caller passes `ownerId` so the project is owned by whoever first
+   * triggered the auto-create. Returns the resolved row whether it
+   * was found or just created.
+   */
+  async ensureByName(name: string, ownerId: string, opts: { auditNote?: string } = {}): Promise<ProjectWithRelations> {
+    const byName = await this.projectRepo.findByName(name);
+    if (byName !== null) return byName;
+    // Validate the name client-side to surface a clean error before
+    // we touch the DB. Same regex CreateProjectSchema enforces.
+    if (!/^[a-z0-9-]+$/.test(name) || name.length > 100) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `Cannot auto-create project '${name}' — name must be lowercase alphanumeric with hyphens (max 100 chars)`,
+      );
+    }
+    const description = opts.auditNote ?? 'Auto-created by mcplocal virtual-agent registrar';
+    return this.projectRepo.create({
+      name,
+      description,
+      prompt: '',
+      ownerId,
+      proxyModel: '',
+      gated: true,
+    });
+  }
+
   async create(input: unknown, ownerId: string): Promise<ProjectWithRelations> {
     const data = CreateProjectSchema.parse(input);
 
diff --git a/src/mcpd/tests/virtual-agent-service.test.ts b/src/mcpd/tests/virtual-agent-service.test.ts
index d5c8989..282f3e0 100644
--- a/src/mcpd/tests/virtual-agent-service.test.ts
+++ b/src/mcpd/tests/virtual-agent-service.test.ts
@@ -140,14 +140,40 @@ function mockLlms(): LlmService {
   } as unknown as LlmService;
 }
 
-function mockProjects(): ProjectService {
-  return {
-    getById: vi.fn(async (id: string) => ({ id, name: 'mcpctl-dev' })),
-    resolveAndGet: vi.fn(async (idOrName: string) => ({
-      id: idOrName === 'mcpctl-dev' ? 'proj-1' : 'proj-other',
-      name: idOrName,
-    })),
-  } as unknown as ProjectService;
+function mockProjects(opts: { existingNames?: string[] } = {}): ProjectService & { _created: string[] } {
+  const existing = new Set(opts.existingNames ?? ['mcpctl-dev']);
+  const created: string[] = [];
+  // Reverse-lookup id → name so toView's getById finds the project we
+  // ensured/created (instead of always returning a hardcoded name).
+  const idToName = new Map<string, string>();
+  const remember = (name: string): { id: string; name: string } => {
+    const id = `proj-${name}`;
+    idToName.set(id, name);
+    return { id, name };
+  };
+  // Pre-seed the lookup so existing projects round-trip correctly.
+  for (const n of existing) remember(n);
+  const svc = {
+    _created: created,
+    getById: vi.fn(async (id: string) => ({ id, name: idToName.get(id) ?? 'mcpctl-dev' })),
+    resolveAndGet: vi.fn(async (idOrName: string) => {
+      if (!existing.has(idOrName)) {
+        const err = new Error(`Project not found: ${idOrName}`);
+        err.name = 'NotFoundError';
+        throw err;
+      }
+      return remember(idOrName);
+    }),
+    // v6: ensureByName auto-creates when missing.
+    ensureByName: vi.fn(async (name: string, ownerId: string, _opts?: { auditNote?: string }) => {
+      if (existing.has(name)) return remember(name);
+      created.push(name);
+      existing.add(name);
+      const row = remember(name);
+      return { ...row, ownerId };
+    }),
+  };
+  return svc as unknown as ProjectService & { _created: string[] };
 }
 
 describe('AgentService — virtual-agent lifecycle (v3 Stage 2)', () => {
@@ -192,6 +218,37 @@ describe('AgentService — virtual-agent lifecycle (v3 Stage 2)', () => {
     expect(out[0]!.status).toBe('active');
   });
 
+  it('registerVirtualAgents auto-creates a missing project (v6 Stage 2)', async () => {
+    // Pre-v6 the publisher had to ask an admin to create the project
+    // first; otherwise registerVirtualAgents 404'd. v6: ensureByName
+    // creates with sensible defaults and the publishing user as owner.
+    const repo = mockAgentRepo();
+    const projects = mockProjects({ existingNames: [] });
+    const svc = new AgentService(repo, mockLlms(), projects);
+    const out = await svc.registerVirtualAgents(
+      'sess-1',
+      [{ name: 'team-coder', llmName: 'vllm-local', project: 'platform' }],
+      'owner-platform',
+    );
+    expect(out).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(out[0]!.project?.name).toBe('platform');
+    expect(projects._created).toEqual(['platform']);
+  });
+
+  it('registerVirtualAgents reuses an existing project without re-creating it (v6 Stage 2)', async () => {
+    // ensureByName must be idempotent — second publisher landing on
+    // the same project name doesn't try to re-create (would 409).
+    const repo = mockAgentRepo();
+    const projects = mockProjects({ existingNames: ['platform'] });
+    const svc = new AgentService(repo, mockLlms(), projects);
+    await svc.registerVirtualAgents(
+      'sess-2',
+      [{ name: 'team-reviewer', llmName: 'vllm-local', project: 'platform' }],
+      'owner-other',
+    );
+    expect(projects._created).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
   it('registerVirtualAgents refuses to overwrite a public agent (409)', async () => {
     const repo = mockAgentRepo([makeAgent({ name: 'reviewer', kind: 'public', providerSessionId: null })]);
     const svc = new AgentService(repo, mockLlms(), mockProjects());