The $0 Distribution Playbook for MCP Servers: 12 Channels, 30 Days, Real Numbers

A month ago I shipped aicraft-code-review - 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. One 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.

The channels, ranked by effort-to-reach

What actually moved the needle

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.

2. Product Hunt gave us the roadmap. We only got 3 upvotes - but two comments became our next release:

   • "Team-shared rule profiles so my whole squad syncs rules" → shipped MCP_CODE_REVIEW_CONFIG
   • "Custom rule sets per repo" → shipped .mcp-code-review.yaml auto-discovery

   Real users telling you what to build beats any amount of guessing.

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.

What didn't work (so you don't waste a week)

• 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.
• HN is a lottery. One point, zero comments. Fine - the post is still a permanent backlink.
• Paid directories come early. mcp.so wants $39. OpenTools is paid-only. Skip them at the start.

The bug that almost sank fresh installs

Two weeks after 0.1.0 shipped, mcp 2.0.0 dropped with a breaking API change - and fresh installs of my server crashed at import. I had pinned mcp>=1.6 without an upper bound.

If 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.

The honest numbers

• PyPI: 650+ installs, 150/month
• Product Hunt: 3 upvotes, 12 followers, 7 comments (all replied)
• GitHub: 2 stars (yes, two)
• Revenue: $0 so far - distribution first, monetization is the next chapter

The playbook in 5 steps

1. Ship on PyPI/npm first. Every other channel references your package.
2. Prepare the common requirements once: Dockerfile, LICENSE, SECURITY.md, glama.json, install docs. Every directory asks for a subset of these.
3. Submit to free directories in parallel. Fast approvals build momentum.
4. Capture feedback (PH comments, issues) and ship it - then tell people you shipped it.
5. Do the two big PRs last: awesome-mcp-servers and the Docker MCP Registry, once your listing quality score is in shape.

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. aicraft-code-review is MIT-licensed and installs with pip install aicraft-code-review.