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These notes answer how to judge an MCP server before you install it. They use public census evidence. They are not a security audit. Numbers always come from the live census.
How to check an MCP server is safe before you install it
No tool can prove an MCP server is safe. Check the public evidence first, then review its tools and permissions, then scan it in a sandbox.
OX counted 15,465 public MCP servers with no vetting. Here's what I see across 45,143.
OX Security found 15,465 marketplace MCP listings with no review. MCP Census tracks 45,143 servers — most still unknown, not proven bad. First gate, not an audit.
Census stamp vs mcp-scan
Public-evidence PASS/REVIEW/BLOCK is not a tool-poisoning scanner. Use both. Do not treat either as “safe to run”.
What changed in MCP 2026-07-28
The stateless revision removed the initialize handshake and made server/discover mandatory. What it means if you run an MCP server.
Agent checklist: install an MCP server safely
For coding agents and humans driving them — a short runbook.
How to evaluate an MCP server before you install it
A practical pre-install gate that pairs census checks with human review.
How to tell if an MCP server is official
Brand match is an evidence problem, not a naming contest.
Look-alike MCP namespaces and brand risk
Why a verified domain is not the same as vendor affiliation.
MCP registry vs The MCP Census
The registry lists servers. The census checks health and ownership with evidence.
MCP server health signals that actually matter
Archived repos, deprecated packages, dead remotes — fact-based signals.
MCP supply-chain checklist for platform teams
Inventory and gate MCP servers like any other plugin supply chain.
MCP trust score explained
A published point sum with factors — not a vibes rating.
Official vs Verified vs trust score
Three different claims on an MCP Census card — plain English.
Remote vs local MCP servers
Hosted endpoints and installable packages are different risk shapes.
What is an MCP server?
Plain-language definition of Model Context Protocol servers and why install choices matter.
Why MCP servers need a census
Directories scale discovery. Trust needs continuous evidence.
Want the live table? Open lookup. Agents: llms.txt · API.