{
  "id": 15856680,
  "title": "Nine reasons your MCP server never shows up in the directories",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/nine-reasons-your-mcp-server-never-shows-up-in-the-directories",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-21T07:12:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/mrpkk/nine-reasons-your-mcp-server-never-shows-up-in-the-directories-no4"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "1. The MCP server description must be 100 characters or fewer. If longer, the validation process returns an error without publishing the server. A real server experienced this issue, with no clear indication of the problem.\n2. When there are no resources or prompts, the directory expects an empty list instead of a \"method not found\" response. Servers providing an error instead of an empty list are flagged as broken and fail directory scans.\n3. Tool annotations are essential for proper display in directories. Missing annotations or incomplete ones prevent tools from being seen by buyers. An example server omitted required annotations and was not listed in any directories.\n4. If a tool fails, the response should clearly indicate the failure instead of returning a generic JSON-RPC error. This provides context for reviewers and prevents servers from being marked as broken due to unexplained issues.\n5. The llms-install.md file should contain real installation instructions instead of placeholders. Using a placeholder leads to confusion and a broken installation process for users following the instructions blindly.\n6. A missing or inaccessible privacy policy URL is treated as a rejection by many directories. Providing a clear and accessible privacy policy statement is crucial for compliance and acceptance in directories.\n7. The Gemini extension should point directly to the MCP endpoint, not the root web page. This ensures that the Gemini CLI can properly discover and index the server, preventing listings with broken tool functionality.\n8. Outdated or non-existent endpoints listed in the OpenAPI specification give a false impression of the server's functionality. Buyers who read the spec and encounter 404 errors assume the server is abandoned, when in reality, the specification and actual server are out of sync.\n9. Each remote URL specified in the registry must correspond to a unique server entry. Attempting to register multiple servers with the same URL results in a 400 error, preventing the duplication of entries and ensuring a clean registry.",
  "summary": "Nine reasons your MCP server never shows up in the directories I spent one night making three MCP servers visible to the directories, and almost every hour of it went into things that have nothing to do with how good your server is. This is the list I wish I had before I started, with the exact evidence for each item. Nothing here is theory. Every item below is something that was broken in a real…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}