Publication Methodology
MCPserver.in publishes only what can be evidenced. Server eligibility requires a non-placeholder implementation, documented capabilities, identifiable maintainer, and verifiable source provenance. Editorial content requires published status, required sections, and source references. Comparisons are published only when both sides are evidence-backed and meaningful differences exist. Unknown remains unknown — no fabricated ratings, rankings, or certifications.
Key takeaways
- Server publication: isServerIndexable() = published + evidence + verified + no noindex.
- Editorial publication: isContentIndexable() = published + no noindex + required content + required evidence.
- Comparisons require two qualified entities, real decision context, and non-trivial differences.
- No fake ratings, stars, or compliance claims without authoritative evidence.
- Stale content is flagged at 90 days; corrections update reviewedAt with a change note.
- Indexed legacy URLs are evaluated via Milestone 7 canonical-owner analysis before any redirect.
Server eligibility
A server entity becomes a public, indexable page on MCPserver.in only when it satisfies the centralized publication authority isServerIndexable(). This function evaluates four conditions:
- Published status — The server entry in the registry has
publicationStatus: "published". Draft, unverified, and archived entries are never indexable. - Evidence exists — At least one evidence reference is recorded in the ledger (
evidenceRefs.length > 0). - Evidence is verified — At least one evidence reference has
status: "verified", meaning the capability was independently confirmed against a primary source. - No noindex flag — The entry does not carry an explicit
noindex: trueoverride.
These conditions are necessary and sufficient. Historical Google indexing, popularity, or maintainer reputation do not override the Evidence Ledger rules.
What qualifies as a non-placeholder implementation
- Source code is publicly accessible (repository URL in ledger).
- The server implements the MCP initialization handshake and at least one primitive (tools, resources, or prompts).
- The server exposes at least one tool with a declared input schema.
- The server is installable/runnable (package, container, or binary with documented launch instructions).
What disqualifies a server
- Security-holding package names (e.g., npm
*-securityplaceholders). - Initial-upload placeholders on PyPI/npm with no implementation.
- Announcements, RFCs, or design docs without working code.
- Forks or copies without independent maintenance.
Editorial content eligibility
Editorial pages (Learn, Clients, Build, Guides, Security) use a separate predicate:isContentIndexable(). This predicate never overrides server publication rules. It evaluates:
- Status =
published - No
noindexflag - Required content sections exist (TL;DR, substantive body, evidence/sources)
- Required evidence/source references exist for factual claims
Draft, review, quarantine, and retired editorial entries are never indexable.
Comparisons and recommendations
MCPserver.in publishes a comparison page only when all of the following are true:
- Two or more server entities satisfy the server publication authority (both are indexable).
- A real search intent exists — users face a genuine decision between the options.
- Meaningful, evidenced differences exist (capabilities, transport, auth, read/write behavior, limitations).
Comparison tables are structured data drawn from the Evidence Ledger. They compare:
- Capabilities exposed (tools, resources, prompts)
- Transport (stdio, Streamable HTTP, SSE)
- Authentication (none, bearer, OAuth, API key)
- Read/write behavior (read-only, mutating, mixed)
- Known limitations (from ledger findings)
- Use-case fit
We never use: numeric scores, star ratings, "#1" claims, "fastest", "most popular", "best" without qualification. Recommendations are framed as "qualified for [use case] because [evidenced reason]".
Freshness and review cadence
Every indexable entity has a reviewedAttimestamp sourced from the Evidence Ledger. The review cadence:
- Server entities — Reviewed when a new version is released, when the repository has significant commits, or at least every 90 days.
- Editorial pages — Reviewed when the underlying protocol, client, or ecosystem changes materially, or at least every 180 days.
- Trust routes (/evidence, /methodology, /editorial-policy, /about) — Reviewed on process changes or quarterly.
The reviewedAt date on each page is the ledger's most recent review date. It is not a "last modified" timestamp for typographical edits.
Unknown-data handling
The core truth rule: Unknown remains unknown. We never fabricate:
- Ratings, reviews, or scores
- Pricing, downloads, or usage statistics
- Popularity rankings
- Security or compliance certifications
- Uptime, latency, or region claims
- Maintainer status (active/inactive/abandoned)
- Compatibility matrices without evidence
- Transport or authentication support without verification
- Official status or endorsement
When evidence is absent, the page states "Unknown" or "Not verified" explicitly. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence — it is simply unknown.
Corrections process
When an error is identified in the Evidence Ledger or on a public page:
- The ledger entry is updated with the corrected finding.
- The
reviewedAttimestamp is updated to the correction date. - A correction note is added to the ledger entry describing what changed and why.
- The affected public page(s) are regenerated on the next build.
- If the correction changes publication eligibility (indexable → non-indexable or vice versa), the sitemap and llms.txt are regenerated accordingly.
Corrections are not hidden. The ledger is the source of truth; public pages are a projection of it.