How we verify

The sources

Four, all public: the official MCP registry's complete version history (24,867 servers as of 2026-08-25); the GitHub API (stars, commit dates, archive status, licenses) for every linked repository; npm and PyPI download counts for every installable package; and our own probes of every registered remote endpoint. The full sweep re-runs nightly.

Liveness - the four verdicts

A repo-backed server is active if its code saw a commit in the last 90 days; stale past 90; dead if the repository is archived, the registry entry is deprecated, or there's been no commit in over a year; vanished if the linked repository no longer exists. Remote-only servers count as active unless deprecated - their endpoint health is probed and reported separately. Anything we can't check is labeled unverifiable, never guessed.

The endpoint probe

For every registered remote endpoint we send an unauthenticated MCP initialize request nightly. A well-formed MCP reply means alive (open); an auth challenge means alive (auth required); connection failures and non-MCP replies are recorded as what they are. We never bypass authentication.

The ranking

rank = log₁₀(monthly installs) × 3 + log₁₀(stars) × 2 + a freshness bonus. Installs outweigh stars because stars measure attention, not usage - the report shows heavily-starred servers almost nobody installs. No listing can pay to move - rankings are computed from the formula above, nothing else.

Extracted content

Tool lists, required credentials, and descriptions are extracted verbatim from each project's README - never generated. When a README doesn't document something, the page says so instead of filling the gap.

What we don't claim

We have not hands-on tested these servers. "Active" means the code is maintained and the endpoint answers - not that the server is good, safe, or right for you. If we ever publish hands-on reviews, they will be clearly labeled as opinions - separate from the verified data on this site. Until then: facts, dated, with receipts.

Common questions

What does 'actively maintained' mean on MCPhq?

A repo-backed server is active if its code saw a commit in the last 90 days; stale past 90; no longer maintained if the repository is archived, the registry entry is deprecated, or there's been no commit in over a year. Remote-only servers count as active only when their endpoint answers our nightly probe.

How are MCP servers ranked?

rank = log10(monthly installs) × 3 + log10(GitHub stars) × 2 + a freshness bonus. Installs outweigh stars because stars measure attention, not usage. No listing can pay to move - rankings are computed from that formula, nothing else.

How often is the data updated?

The full sweep re-runs nightly: the official MCP registry, the GitHub API, npm and PyPI download counts, and our own probes of every registered remote endpoint. Every verdict is dated.