{"slug": "the-0-distribution-playbook-for-mcp-servers-12-channels-30-days-real-numbers", "title": "The $0 Distribution Playbook for MCP Servers: 12 Channels, 30 Days, Real Numbers", "summary": "A developer shipped an open-source MCP server for code review with zero marketing budget and gained 650+ PyPI installs and listings in five directories within a month. The playbook highlights directory listings, Product Hunt feedback, and the importance of pinning dependencies after a breaking API change in the MCP package.", "body_md": "A month ago I shipped [aicraft-code-review](https://github.com/GoodJobwilliam/aicraft) — an open-source MCP server that reviews code locally (OWASP scanning, N+1 detection, style rules) for Claude Code, Cursor and Cline. I had **$0 marketing budget** and no audience.\n\nOne month later: **650+ PyPI installs, 12 Product Hunt followers, and listings in 5 directories** — with more pending. Zero dollars spent. Here's the exact playbook, including what didn't work.\n\n| Channel | Cost | Status | What it took |\n|---|---|---|---|\nPyPI |\n$0 | ✅ 650+ installs | One afternoon: `pyproject.toml` , wheel build, `twine upload`\n|\nSmithery |\n$0 | ✅ Live | Deploy via their CLI, quality score 52/100 |\nmcpservers.org |\n$0 | ✅ Approved in ~1 day | Simple submit form |\ncursor.directory |\n$0 | ✅ Live | Submit plugin + MCP server + rule |\nProduct Hunt |\n$0 | ✅ Launched | Free launch, real user feedback |\nGlama |\n$0 | ⏳ Reviewing | Submit + `glama.json` + Dockerfile |\nawesome-mcp-servers |\n$0 | ⏳ PR open | Needs Glama listing + badge first |\nDocker MCP Registry |\n$0 | ⏳ PR open | Root `Dockerfile` , `LICENSE` , `SECURITY.md`\n|\nOfficial MCP Registry |\n$0 | ⏳ Next |\n`mcp-publisher publish` from the PyPI package |\nMCPFind / Cline marketplace |\n$0 | ⏳ PRs open | YAML metadata, waiting on maintainers |\nHacker News |\n$0 | ✅ 1 point | Honest \"Show HN\" style post |\nReddit r/mcp |\n$0 | ❌ Failed | See below |\n\n**1. Directory listings compound.** Every listing adds an install path, a backlink, and social proof for the next directory. mcpservers.org approved me in a day; that listing made the cursor.directory submission stronger.\n\n**2. Product Hunt gave us the roadmap.** We only got 3 upvotes — but two comments became our next release:\n\n`MCP_CODE_REVIEW_CONFIG`\n\n`.mcp-code-review.yaml`\n\nauto-discoveryReal users telling you what to build beats any amount of guessing.\n\n**3. The awesome-mcp-servers repo is the prize.** It has 92k stars and its README is how most people discover MCP servers. But the bar is real: your server must be listed on Glama with a quality score badge. Budget 2 weeks for review.\n\n**Reddit with a new account = spam filter.** Both my r/mcp posts got silently removed. New accounts can't message mods either. Lesson: build karma in technical subreddits *before* you have something to promote.\n\n**HN is a lottery.** One point, zero comments. Fine — the post is still a permanent backlink.\n\n**Paid directories come early.** mcp.so wants $39. OpenTools is paid-only. Skip them at the start.\n\nTwo weeks after 0.1.0 shipped, `mcp`\n\n2.0.0 dropped with a breaking API change — and fresh installs of my server crashed at import. I had pinned `mcp>=1.6`\n\n**without an upper bound**.\n\nIf you ship a Python MCP server today: **pin mcp>=1.6,<2 in your dependencies right now.** The 0.1.1 release with the fix went out the same week.\n\n`Dockerfile`\n\n, `LICENSE`\n\n, `SECURITY.md`\n\n, `glama.json`\n\n, install docs. Every directory asks for a subset of these.Next up: the official MCP Registry publish and the Glama badge. If you're building an MCP server, steal this list — and tell me which channel I'm missing.\n\n[aicraft-code-review](https://github.com/GoodJobwilliam/aicraft) is MIT-licensed and installs with `pip install aicraft-code-review`\n\n.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-0-distribution-playbook-for-mcp-servers-12-channels-30-days-real-numbers", "canonical_source": "https://dev.to/goodjobwilliam/the-0-distribution-playbook-for-mcp-servers-12-channels-30-days-real-numbers-b4o", "published_at": "2026-08-16 05:34:13+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-16 05:41:20.229301+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["developer-tools", "ai-tools", "ai-infrastructure"], "entities": ["aicraft-code-review", "PyPI", "Product Hunt", "Smithery", "mcpservers.org", "cursor.directory", "Glama", "MCP"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-0-distribution-playbook-for-mcp-servers-12-channels-30-days-real-numbers", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-0-distribution-playbook-for-mcp-servers-12-channels-30-days-real-numbers.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-0-distribution-playbook-for-mcp-servers-12-channels-30-days-real-numbers.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-0-distribution-playbook-for-mcp-servers-12-channels-30-days-real-numbers.jsonld"}}