# Where should an AI-agent marketplace be listed in 2026?

**Organic distribution memo for pact0 — verified 2026-08-24**

## Recommendation

pact0 already exposes a public MCP endpoint at [`https://pact0.com/mcp`](https://pact0.com/mcp), alongside OpenAPI and agent-onboarding documentation. The highest-leverage sequence is therefore: establish the canonical record in the Official MCP Registry; add Smithery and mcpservers.org; verify Glama ingestion; then launch to human builders through Product Hunt, r/AI_Agents, and Show HN. Use the awesome-mcp-servers route only after publishing an actual reference repository.

This plan excludes paid ads and paid directory upgrades.

| Priority | Venue | Exact route | Cost / gate | Recommendation |
|---:|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Official MCP Registry | `mcp-publisher` + `server.json` | No listing fee documented; public remote server | Publish first |
| 2 | Smithery | [`smithery.ai/new`](https://smithery.ai/new) | No publication fee stated; public Streamable HTTP | Submit after auth scan |
| 3 | Glama | Official-registry ingestion | Free direct listing only for qualifying GitHub repos | Verify ingestion |
| 4 | mcpservers.org | [Submission form](https://mcpservers.org/submit) | Standard listing free; skip $39 Premium | Submit now |
| 5 | awesome-mcp-servers | GitHub pull request | Free; repository-linked entry required | Submit after repo exists |
| 6 | Product Hunt | Submit → New Product → draft/schedule | 100% free; eligible personal account | Launch when onboarding is polished |
| 7 | r/AI_Agents | Current Weekly Project Display highlight | No posting fee shown; community rules | Post for builder feedback |
| 8 | Hacker News Show HN | [`news.ycombinator.com/submit`](https://news.ycombinator.com/submit) | Free; working product; founder-written copy | Launch after low-friction demo |

## Venue findings

### 1. Official MCP Registry

- **URL:** [Registry](https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/) · [official overview](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/registry/about) · [remote-server guide](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/registry/remote-servers) · [publishing quickstart](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/registry/quickstart)
- **What it is:** The MCP project's canonical metadata registry for publicly accessible MCP servers; downstream marketplaces can ingest its API.
- **Alive in 2026:** The production API returned `ee.stacktr/publish` v0.6.0, published and updated **2026-08-20**, during verification. The official documentation still labels the registry preview. [Live API evidence](https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/servers?search=ee.stacktr%2Fpublish)
- **Submission mechanics and cost:** Create a valid `server.json` whose `remotes` entry points to pact0's public endpoint, authenticate with `mcp-publisher login`, then run `mcp-publisher publish`. A remote-only server does not need an npm package. No registry listing fee is documented; hosting remains pact0's responsibility.
- **Why / why not for pact0:** **Yes—publish first.** This creates one vendor-neutral record that other catalogs can ingest.

### 2. Smithery

- **URL:** [Directory](https://smithery.ai/servers) · [publish form](https://smithery.ai/new) · [official publishing guide](https://smithery.ai/docs/build/publish)
- **What it is:** A searchable MCP catalog with tool metadata, configuration, verification, and usage signals.
- **Alive in 2026:** On **2026-08-24**, Smithery's directory showed **6,814 servers**, live use counts, current categories, and a 2026 copyright notice.
- **Submission mechanics and cost:** At `/new`, submit the public HTTPS Streamable HTTP URL and complete the scan; the documented CLI alternative is `smithery mcp publish`. OAuth is expected for authenticated URL submissions, while MCPB is the documented local-server alternative. No publishing fee is stated in the guide; hosting/gateway products are separate.
- **Why / why not for pact0:** **Yes, after an auth compatibility test.** pact0 currently advertises Bearer API-key auth, so confirm Smithery's scanner accepts that model or add a supported OAuth flow before listing.

### 3. Glama

- **URL:** [MCP directory](https://glama.ai/mcp/servers) · [indexing methodology](https://glama.ai/mcp/methodology) · [listing route](https://glama.ai/)
- **What it is:** An MCP discovery and evaluation layer with tool-level indexing, categories, quality signals, and full ingestion of the Official MCP Registry.
- **Alive in 2026:** The official directory reported **77,350 servers** and “Updated 2026-08-24 13:13,” with dedicated Developer Tools, Autonomous Agents, Agent Orchestration, and Coding Agents paths.
- **Submission mechanics and cost:** Preferred route: publish to the Official MCP Registry and let Glama ingest the record. The direct **Add Server** route is explicitly free but is designed for GitHub repositories; the maintainer must control the repo and Glama must reproduce the build. Paid managed hosting is separate.
- **Why / why not for pact0:** **Yes—via registry ingestion.** A remote-only or closed-source pact0 server should not be forced through the public-repository form; claim richer metadata later if a qualifying reference repo is released.

### 4. mcpservers.org

- **URL:** [Directory](https://mcpservers.org/) · [submission form](https://mcpservers.org/submit) · [2026 sitemap](https://mcpservers.org/sitemaps/servers/1.xml)
- **What it is:** A browsable MCP server directory with Development, Finance, Remote, Official, and coding-agent topic paths.
- **Alive in 2026:** Its official server sitemap contained entries last modified **2026-08-20**, and the live site exposed a populated Latest MCPs feed and working submission form when checked.
- **Submission mechanics and cost:** Supply server name, a one-sentence description, GitHub or documentation URL, category, and contact email. The standard listing is explicitly free. An optional $39 Premium route exists and is outside this no-paid-placement plan.
- **Why / why not for pact0:** **Yes—quick secondary coverage.** Link to technical MCP documentation and categorize it under Development rather than presenting only a generic marketplace homepage.

### 5. `punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers`

- **URL:** [Repository](https://github.com/punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers) · [contribution rules](https://github.com/punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) · [latest observed commit](https://github.com/punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers/commit/6c929cdf022f57cf954ab1b504cc266c0908373b)
- **What it is:** A widely followed, GitHub-curated list of MCP servers organized by capability.
- **Alive in 2026:** The latest observed commit was made **2026-08-17T21:28:42Z**. The repository also showed a very large audience and roughly 3,400 open pull requests, which signals both reach and a material review backlog.
- **Submission mechanics and cost:** Fork the repository, edit `README.md`, add one concise repository-linked entry in the correct category and alphabetical position, then open a pull request. The rules permit agent-authored PRs when the title ends in `🤖🤖🤖`. GitHub contribution has no listing fee.
- **Why / why not for pact0:** **Yes, but only after a real MCP reference repository is public.** A homepage-only entry violates the repository-link rule, and the PR backlog means this is not a fast channel.

### 6. Product Hunt

- **URL:** [launch hub](https://www.producthunt.com/launch) · [how it works](https://www.producthunt.com/launch/how-product-hunt-works) · [current draft flow](https://help.producthunt.com/en/articles/9823193-where-did-launch-now-go) · [scheduling](https://help.producthunt.com/en/articles/2724119-how-to-schedule-a-post)
- **What it is:** A launch community of makers, developers, entrepreneurs, investors, and early adopters, with categories including AI Agents, AI Coding Agents, and AI Infrastructure Tools.
- **Alive in 2026:** Its scheduling help was updated **2026-02-02**; its personal-account policy was updated **2026-04-26**; the current launch hub and workflow were live during verification.
- **Submission mechanics and cost:** A human maker uses a personal account at least one week old, chooses **Submit → New Product**, then **Create Draft** or schedules a launch within 30 days. Add the product URL, media, makers, and a first comment. Product Hunt says use is **100% free**; do not buy hunters/traffic or solicit upvotes.
- **Why / why not for pact0:** **Yes, once the product is demonstrably usable.** Launch with a self-serve onboarding demo, real job examples, and an understandable agent-to-payment flow—not a concept-only announcement.

### 7. Reddit `r/AI_Agents`

- **URL:** [Community and submission route](https://www.reddit.com/r/AI_Agents/) · [dated 2026 weekly-thread example](https://www.reddit.com/r/AI_Agents/comments/1v3kc6x/weekly_thread_project_display/)
- **What it is:** A community focused on building, operating, and evaluating AI agents; its designated Weekly Project Display invites agent and LLM-app projects.
- **Alive in 2026:** On **2026-08-24**, the page displayed about **262,000 members**, **7,300 online**, and a current Weekly Project Display as a Community Highlight with recent comments.
- **Submission mechanics and cost:** Open the subreddit, use the current highlighted Weekly Project Display thread, and post a founder-disclosed comment with the working link, target user, and one specific feedback question. Current rules direct project links to that thread and recommend roughly one self-promotional contribution per ten useful posts/comments. No posting fee is shown.
- **Why / why not for pact0:** **Yes—best direct community fit for first-time agent builders.** Participate genuinely and use the designated thread; do not mass-post the link.

### 8. Hacker News Show HN

- **URL:** [Show HN rules](https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html) · [live Show HN feed](https://news.ycombinator.com/shownew) · [general guidelines](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html) · [submit](https://news.ycombinator.com/submit)
- **What it is:** Hacker News's launch format for non-trivial products the maker personally built and readers can try.
- **Alive in 2026:** The live Show HN feed contained submissions only minutes old on **2026-08-24**, including coding and agent tools.
- **Submission mechanics and cost:** A maker submits the original product URL with a title beginning `Show HN:` and remains available for discussion. The product must work; Show HN rejects landing pages and fundraisers, prefers minimal signup friction, and forbids vote solicitation. HN's current guidelines also prohibit generated or AI-edited text, so the founder must hand-write the title, body, and comments. Posting is free.
- **Why / why not for pact0:** **Yes, later.** First provide a no-login walkthrough or sandbox so technical readers can evaluate the protocol before connecting money.

## 30-day execution order

1. **Days 0–3:** Validate `https://pact0.com/mcp` from a clean MCP client; finalize narrow tool descriptions, accurate read/write/destructive annotations, privacy/support pages, and the remote `server.json`.
2. **Days 3–7:** Publish the Official MCP Registry record; verify it through the public API. Submit Smithery and the free mcpservers.org form.
3. **Days 7–14:** Verify Glama ingestion. Release the reference repository and open the awesome-list PR only if its README fully documents installation, authentication, permissions, and security.
4. **Days 10–21:** Prepare a founder-run Product Hunt launch and contribute usefully in r/AI_Agents before using the current project thread.
5. **Days 21–30:** Run Show HN only after a low-friction demo exists and the founder has personally written all HN copy.

## Deliberate non-priorities

- **PulseMCP:** active, but its current banner says new submissions and listing changes are paused; rely on Official Registry ingestion and recheck later.
- **DEV Community:** current rules prohibit AI-assisted/generated articles that promote a business; use only if the founder independently writes a genuinely technical, value-first article.
- **OpenAI and Anthropic directories:** their current policies create serious constraints for tools that sell digital services or execute financial transactions. Seek written policy clarification before pursuing a read-only surface; do not submit pact0's transactional connector as-is.

Re-check each form and policy immediately before submission. Counts, account gates, and financial-transaction rules can change after the verification date.