Verification
The verified badge
Stars measure popularity. Grades measure code signals. The verified badge measures the thing users actually care about: did this server complete our latest protocol check. Verification means we tested the server ourselves, not that the author says it works.
Only claimed servers can be verified, because verification requires cooperation from the maintainer for servers that need credentials or configuration. Verification is requested from your dashboard. Make sure your listing has a working verify command first (npx or uvx, non-interactive, see Editing your listing).
What we test
It responds
We start the server or connect to its endpoint and complete an MCP handshake. Dead servers do not get badges.
Tools can be listed
We request the server’s tool inventory. We do not invoke individual tools or certify their behavior or security.
It stays alive
Verification is re-run on a schedule. A server that stops working loses the badge until it passes again, so the badge reflects the most recent recorded check.
The badge policy is satisfied
The badge is optional for MCPVault's first 100 verified server listings. Pass the live tests during this launch cohort and your listing is permanently grandfathered. After the cohort fills, new free verifications must keep the MCPVault badge visible in the repository README or project site. Pro membership ($19/year for the whole account) waives that future badge requirement. Badge presence is still checked and recorded on every run, but the live handshake above is never waived.
Re-checks and lapsing
Verified servers are re-tested automatically about once a week. Each re-run repeats the full battery: handshake, tool listing and the badge-presence check. For launch-cohort servers, a missing badge does not cause a lapse. A failed technical re-check does not delete anything: your listing stays claimed and editable, the badge and do-follow link are simply paused until a re-run passes. You get an email either way, so a lapse never comes as a surprise.
The date of the last successful test is shown in the Signals card on your listing. Anyone evaluating your server can see it passed a live test within the last week, which is exactly the trust signal the badge exists to carry.
What the badge unlocks
- +The green VERIFIED badge on your listing and in directory browsing
- +A do-follow link to your project site or repository
- +Priority placement within your category
- +A verification timestamp shown on the listing, so users know it was tested recently
- +A weekly security profile (NVIDIA SkillSpector, static) on the listing: what the code reaches and which dependencies carry advisories, with every item and a fix in your dashboard
What it costs
Verification is free. The first 100 server listings only need to pass the live technical tests; the badge is optional and that exemption is permanent. After 100, new verifications need either a visible badge or Pro membership. Pro checkout opens only when the launch cohort is full. One thing never changes: verified status is earned, not bought. A server that fails the technical checks does not get it, badge or no badge.