# Meta Muse connector checklist for small businesses

Version 1.2, November 7, 2026. Change note: adds Persona, the five-step technical wizard, server verification and MCP annotation checks; preserves the dated October observations. Companion to the guide at https://jwatte.com/blog/meta-muse-website-compatibility/

Fill this in before you open the portal at https://platform.muse.ai (the October form was at https://muse.ai/platform). You can also hand it to an AI coding agent along with your server's code and ask it to fill in every blank it can prove. Quotes come from Meta's connector guidelines (https://muse.ai/platform/docs) and the Muse Connector Terms (https://muse.ai/platform/terms, effective September 18, 2026), both read again on October 13, 2026 at 20:31 UTC. Older form labels below are dated October 13, 2026; the November update supplies the current requirement labels and technical sequence. Quotes are kept short; read the full pages. Meta can change any of this; re-read both pages before you submit.

## November 7, 2026 update

The [Muse Connector Platform](https://platform.muse.ai/) showed three Submission requirements: Business verification, Data processing questionnaire and Technical details. This update records our own portal observations on November 7, 2026 from 22:40 to 23:02 UTC. The [connector guidelines](https://platform.muse.ai/docs) were read at 22:59 UTC that day. Use those sources for the current flow; the October worksheets below remain dated context.

### Current registration checklist

- [ ] The owner has a Muse Connector Platform account and has prepared the connector overview: users, tasks, value beyond browsing and restrictions.
- [ ] Business verification: the owner completes Persona's identity and business checks. In our case, this requirement showed Approved after completion. Owner and status: ________
- [ ] Data processing questionnaire: answers describe actual collection, purpose, sharing, protection, retention and deletion, and match the privacy policy. Our submitted questionnaires showed In review. Status: ________
- [ ] Technical details, step 1, Technical specs: confirm the saved MCP server details.
- [ ] Step 2, Credentials: select the real authentication method. Our public read-only servers used Unauthenticated with optional Notes. For an authenticated connector, prepare the required dedicated reviewer account and documentation.
- [ ] Step 3, Verify server: complete the file checks below. The challenge belongs to the saved server URL and authentication configuration.
- [ ] Step 4, Test: Muse lists the server tools and reports the count. Our unauthenticated servers were tested without credentials. Match the result to your intended tool list; a pass does not establish approval.
- [ ] Step 5, MCP listing: check the server name and version, protocol version, listing time, tools, resources and prompts. Reviewers see this same listing. Check the labels below, then choose Done.

Source: [portal](https://platform.muse.ai/), November 7, 2026, 22:40 to 23:02 UTC; overview, questionnaire and reviewer materials: [guidelines](https://platform.muse.ai/docs), sections 5.1 to 5.5, read 22:59 UTC.

### Verification file checklist

- [ ] Create challenge supplied a 64-character hexadecimal token. Record the expiry in your private submission record.
- [ ] The exact MCP host serves `/.well-known/muse-challenge/<token>` without a file extension, using the issued token in both the path and this content:

```text
muse-challenge=<token>
```

- [ ] The public HTTPS URL on port 443 returns HTTP 200 as plain text (`text/plain` worked for us). No redirect, login, HTML page or JSON wrapper. Only the line above; surrounding whitespace is allowed.
- [ ] The file is accessible without OAuth tokens, API keys or cookies, because Muse sends none for this check.
- [ ] The web person checked headers and body with curl after publishing: no Location header and the correct issued content. A catch-all page rule must not replace the file with the website's home page.
- [ ] If the host serves different tenants under one hostname at different paths, the hosting provider confirmed how to serve this host-level file.
- [ ] Verify within the displayed expiry. Our challenges showed an expiry about 24 hours after creation; retries were limited to about one a minute.
- [ ] The portal confirms verification. Saving or changing credentials required fresh verification in our observed cases. Older saved submissions sometimes skipped to Test; do not assume a new one will.

Source: [portal](https://platform.muse.ai/), observed November 7, 2026, 22:40 to 23:02 UTC. This kit creates no challenge or token. The content above is a placeholder format to fill from your own submission, not a usable challenge.

### MCP annotation checklist

The MCP listing imports its labels from your server. Check each annotation against actual behavior:

- [ ] `readOnlyHint`: true means the tool makes no state changes.
- [ ] `destructiveHint`: true means the tool can have destructive effects.
- [ ] `idempotentHint`: true means repeating identical calls has no additional effects.
- [ ] `openWorldHint`: true means the tool interacts beyond a closed set of data.
- [ ] The displayed Read-only, Destructive, Idempotent and Open world labels match. These descriptive hints do not enforce permission checks.
- [ ] Documentation also states Read, Write or Sensitive write, side effects, errors and permissions. The guidelines' future annotation editor does not replace the existing imported labels.

Source: [portal](https://platform.muse.ai/), same observation window; [guidelines](https://platform.muse.ai/docs), sections 3.2 and 5.6, read November 7, 2026 at 22:59 UTC.

### Test results and review

Some of our servers passed Test and reached MCP listing. Two other verifications returned an unexplained error despite correct HTTP 200 plain-text files and content. The cause was unknown. Retry later within the portal's allowance; once requirements are complete, wait for review. This observation includes checks on November 7, 2026 between 22:47 and 23:03 UTC and establishes no hosting restriction. ([Portal](https://platform.muse.ai/).)

The status track is Submitted, In review, Testing, Approved. Review comprises risk assessment, tool review and end-to-end quality assurance with manual review. Reads and non-sensitive writes ask on first use; sensitive writes require permission each time, and changed price, recipient or scope needs fresh approval. Approved connectors are discoverable by Muse and in Settings > Connectors. Featuring is separate, with no promise of traffic. No review-time estimate was established. ([Guidelines](https://platform.muse.ai/docs), sections 3.3, 3.4, 6 and 7, read November 7, 2026 at 22:59 UTC; [portal](https://platform.muse.ai/), observed 22:40 to 23:02 UTC.)

## 1. Decision test: should you submit at all?

Meta's guidelines (section 1.2): a read-only connector "can qualify when the information is the outcome," but "A wrapper around public pages or a list of links alone is not enough." Most small-business connectors that repeat the website are the weak case.

**Worth it if at least one is true** (tick it and write the data source next to it):

- [ ] 1.1 Live availability or inventory that changes during the day. Source: ________
- [ ] 1.2 Real-time status or wait times. Source: ________
- [ ] 1.3 Account-specific data behind proper sign-in (OAuth or an API key). Source: ________
- [ ] 1.4 A calculation on the person's own inputs that returns the result, not a link. Source: ________
- [ ] 1.5 A task done safely with Meta's approval steps (booking, ordering), if the business takes them online. Meta: "your connector should complete those tasks"; sending people off to finish checkout "does not meet the completion requirement."

**Skip it (for now) if any is true:**

- [ ] 1.6 Every answer would come from public pages: hours, prices, directions, FAQs, a "book here" link, a contact page. Do the website work instead: crawlable pages, accurate structured data, and robots.txt that lets Meta's citation and preview crawlers in (part two of the guide).
- [ ] 1.7 Nobody will keep the data current. The terms say you "will promptly fix material defects, broken endpoints, and stale data".
- [ ] 1.8 The business takes bookings or payments online and the connector can't do them yet.
- [ ] 1.9 An answer would be financial, legal or medical advice (the Connector Policies forbid practicing "regulated professions without authorization").
- [ ] 1.10 The owner won't accept the Connector Terms: you indemnify Meta; Meta's liability is capped at "$1,000 USD"; Meta may use your name and marks, and may use connector content and user interactions "to operate, secure, support, and improve Muse"; either side can end it on 30 days' notice; California law applies.

**Borderline? Submitting anyway is reasonable if** you already run a read-only MCP server and can maintain it through verification and review, with no promise of approval or completion time. Never promise a client approval; Meta says meeting the guidelines "does not guarantee approval."

## 2. Prerequisites

These are prerequisites for this kit's public read-only examples, not a requirement that every Muse connector be read-only. A booking or purchasing service needs a fuller task-completion design under guideline 1.1.

- [ ] 2.1 A read-only MCP server (HTTPS) or HTTPS API is live in production.
- [ ] 2.2 Every tool was called against the live endpoint with a real argument, and the answer was correct. Date tested: ________
- [ ] 2.3 No tool books, reserves, holds, pays, cancels, sends, deletes or changes anything.
- [ ] 2.4 No tool returns or accepts card numbers, passwords, gate codes or door codes.
- [ ] 2.5 Tools do not accept GPS coordinates ("precise location" is a sensitive category in the questionnaire).
- [ ] 2.6 The server does not log tool arguments, or I know exactly what it logs and for how long.
- [ ] 2.7 Documentation at a public URL with, per section 5.4 of the guidelines: setup instructions, inputs and outputs, "read/write classifications, sensitive designations, permissions, side effects," status handling, errors and rate limits. Document each tool's actual classification. The future portal annotation editor is separate from the MCP annotations imported into the current listing; complete the November annotation checks above.
- [ ] 2.8 Privacy policy URL, with a paragraph about the connector: what it receives, what it logs, how long, which host.
- [ ] 2.9 Terms of service URL.
- [ ] 2.10 Support contact (email or URL) and a security contact.
- [ ] 2.11 A named person responsible for maintenance ("a developer responsible for maintenance", section 5.2).
- [ ] 2.12 A 512 by 512 PNG or SVG icon: the business's real logo or app icon.
- [ ] 2.13 A mailbox on the business's own domain (forwarding to an existing inbox is enough to receive a code).
- [ ] 2.14 If the business isn't mine: written permission from the owner to submit for them, including their brand assets.
- [ ] 2.15 Who sends the incident email: Meta requires notice to vendor-incident@meta.com "within 48 hours of a security incident involving user data". Name: ________
- [ ] 2.16 The exact registered legal name (from the state business registry, not a trading name) and the country of incorporation. If submitting as an individual: the country you operate from.

## 3. October form worksheet, step 1: Overview

| Field | Your value |
|---|---|
| Connector name | |
| Company or developer | |
| Product website | https://example.com |
| Example prompts (one per line; only prompts you saw the live server answer) | |
| Connector icon | 512 by 512 PNG or SVG |
| Payments | My connector does not accept payments |
| Your name | |
| Work email ("Use your company email address") | info@example.com |
| Support email or URL | |
| Your privacy policy | https://example.com/privacy/ |
| Your terms of service | https://example.com/terms/ |
| Anything else? (optional) | One paragraph: what each tool returns, that every tool is read-only, that nothing books, pays or submits, and where the data comes from |

## 4. October form worksheet, step 2: Technical specs

| Field | Your value |
|---|---|
| Connection type | Existing MCP (hosted MCP endpoint, must be https) or Raw API (API URL, OpenAPI specification optional) |
| Endpoint | https://example.com/mcp |
| API or MCP documentation | https://example.com/AGENTS.md |
| Access requirements ("List any account, plan, regional, rate or usage requirements") | Example: "None. Public and read-only; no account, key or payment. Rate limit 60 requests a minute per IP. Covers one location in one town." |

## 5. October form worksheet, step 3: Review

- [ ] "I confirm I'm authorized to submit this connector and its brand assets"
- [ ] "I understand that submission doesn't guarantee approval and promotion is based on usage and editorial discretion"
- [ ] "I agree to the Muse Connector Terms"
- [ ] Submit for review. Date submitted: ________

## 6. October handling observations, retained for context

Use the November update for a new submission. The email-code and integration-credentials sequence below is historical; it does not replace Persona or the current Technical details wizard.

Open the submission from the Submissions list. Its three requirements are not mentioned on the thank-you page. Observed in the portal on October 13, 2026.

- [ ] 6.1 One connector per sitting: finish this one's three requirements before starting the next.
- [ ] 6.2 One browser tab for this submission. Two tabs on the same submission left one questionnaire stuck: "We couldn't confirm the latest status. Reload the saved details before trying again.", then only a "Refresh status" button, and "Status unavailable" on the overview, still there an hour later.
- [ ] 6.3 Business verification: company name (prefilled), API endpoint (locked), email, then "Verify email". A code arrives (one hour, single use, per Meta's email); the button becomes "Resend code" and a Verify box appears. After a correct code the email shows "Confirmed". If the email domain differs from the endpoint domain, explain why and link evidence: the website page that publishes the address, the state business registry entry, a business listing showing the same website, the privacy policy naming the operator, security.txt or AGENTS.md. Submit; it then shows Edit and "In review".
- [ ] 6.4 Space out verification emails. After about seven codes in roughly an hour the portal answered "Too many requests. Wait 60 seconds before trying again." and still did more than 30 minutes later, even after a reload. A few connectors a day is safer. Codes sent today: ________
- [ ] 6.5 Data processing questionnaire (section 7). Save keeps a draft ("Draft saved", "In progress"); Submit shows "Under review: Questionnaire submitted for review."
- [ ] 6.6 Integration credentials ("Credentials integration"): Authentication method = API key, OAuth or Unauthenticated. Unauthenticated adds optional Notes. Save or Submit; success shows "Credentials submitted." and "In review". With OAuth or an API key, also provide a dedicated test account so reviewers can "exercise each submitted tool."
- [ ] 6.7 Click Submit once on each screen. A second click showed "The configuration changed elsewhere" with "Use saved configuration" or "Keep my credential edits"; the first click had already saved. Reload the overview instead.
- [ ] 6.8 Confirm on the overview: "Submission requirements 3/3 completed", each "In review". The submission itself stays "Submitted" on the progress bar.
- [ ] 6.9 Keep a record of every answer you gave (form fields, questionnaire, verified email, dates) and keep the privacy policy matching it.
- [ ] 6.10 Then wait. No status emails: "we cannot respond to individual messages or emails about status."
- [ ] 6.11 If declined: nothing breaks. The website, the server and other assistants carry on; the website work still pays off. Resubmit only when the connector returns something better than the pages.

## 7. Data processing questionnaire, read-only connector

Section 5.3 of the guidelines: "Ensure your answers reflect how the connector works and match your privacy policy." Change any line that isn't true for yours.

| Question | Typical answer | My answer |
|---|---|---|
| Individual or registered business | Registered business. Then: registered legal name (exact, from the registry); categories (General business; Financial services or insurance; Health, genetics or biometrics; Identity, screening or public sector; Regulated goods or activities; Civic infrastructure or media; Other); country of incorporation. Individual asks for the country you operate from | |
| Countries where data is stored or accessed | Where the host runs the server and keeps logs | |
| Headquarters country (country pickers are type-to-search; check the chosen value before saving) | | |
| Countries where offered | | |
| Ordinary personal data | Usage or log data (add user-generated content if tools take free text and arguments are logged) | |
| Sensitive categories | None | |
| Purpose of access | Read only | |
| Subprocessors | Hosting provider; CDN if separate | |
| Retention | The host's real log retention ("not retained" only if confirmed) | |
| Deletion | Often "excludes logs, backups or subprocessors" | |
| Safeguards | Encryption in transit; MFA on hosting; patching; vulnerability reporting; incident response. At rest only if the host documents it. SOC 2 only if the business has its own report | |
| International transfer controls | Often none apply; say so under "Other", which adds "Describe the other transfer controls" | |
| Government or third-party access requests | Legal review, or no documented process (write a two-line process first) | |
| Personal data passed to an AI model | No (yes if the server sends the question to an AI model) | |
| Architecture | Single-purpose API | |
| Whose personal data | Authorizing end user only | |
| Payment products or services | No | |

## 8. Review log

Meta's guidelines: "Due to submission volume, we cannot respond to individual messages or emails about status." The portal shows Submitted, In review, Testing, Approved. Meta publishes no timeline. Observed on October 13, 2026: several read-only connectors submitted September 24 to 26 were all still "Submitted", about 19 days later, each with one of three requirements completed. After the other requirements were completed that evening, the overview showed "3/3 completed" with each "In review", and the submission still said "Submitted".

| Date checked | Status | Requirements done (of 3) | Email from Meta | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | |

## 9. After approval

- [ ] Keep data current; a changed price or policy is a connector change.
- [ ] Update the documentation before deploying any tool change.
- [ ] Expect re-review at any time and an audit at most once a year ("unless there is a material suspected violation").

## 10. Verdicts by business type (read-only)

Every type: no payments, no medical, legal or financial advice, no changing data. "Strong" needs the live data named; without it, skip the connector and do the website work.

- Self-storage: worth it with live unit availability and rates from the management software; not with the website's rate table. Tools: get_unit_availability, get_unit_size_guide, get_payment_options, get_access_hours. Never share gate codes or open anything.
- Laundromat: worth it only with live machine status and wait estimates; prices and hours alone are a page wrapper. Tools: get_machine_status, list_services, get_hours_and_payment. Never start machines or load payment cards.
- Small motel group: usually not yet. If the motels book online, Meta expects booking; strong only with live availability, full totals and cancellation terms, and eventually booking with approval. Tools: search_availability, get_rate_quote, list_room_types, get_booking_options. Never book, hold or take deposits.
- Shopping center or business campus: usually no; a tenant directory is a page wrapper. Strong only with a live leasing list or live parking or event data. Tools: list_tenants, get_directions, get_leasing_info. Never quote binding rent.
- Local news or information site: borderline. Strong with structured answers and dated summaries from the archive and a live events calendar; weak as a list of links. Tools: search_articles, get_latest, get_event_listings. Never return paid articles in full.
- Free tools site: worth it if tools return computed results; not if they return links. Tools: find_tool, run_calculation, search_guides.

## Sources and read dates

- [Muse connector guidelines](https://platform.muse.ai/docs): read November 7, 2026 at 22:59 UTC. Task completion and value beyond browsing, permissions, submission materials, review stages and discovery. If a service books, buys or schedules, section 1.1 expects the connector to finish the task inside Muse, including checkout where needed; sending the user elsewhere to finish the entire checkout does not meet that requirement. Section 1.2: a read-only connector can qualify when the information is the outcome, but a wrapper around public pages or a list of links alone is not enough.
- [Muse Connector Platform](https://platform.muse.ai/): our own submission screens observed November 7, 2026, 22:40 to 23:02 UTC; verification-error checks also recorded between 22:47 and 23:03 UTC. Persona, requirement labels, wizard steps, challenge rules, Test and MCP listing are observations.
- [Earlier connector guidelines](https://muse.ai/platform/docs) and [Connector Terms](https://muse.ai/platform/terms): read October 13, 2026 at 20:31 UTC. Original decision test, terms and worksheets; historical portal observations that evening are labeled above. Terms were not re-read for this update.
- [Full guide](https://jwatte.com/blog/meta-muse-website-compatibility/) and [destination comparison](https://jwatte.com/blog/mcp-directories-listing-guide-2026/): companion explanations and publication choices.

Informational only, not legal advice. Meta and Muse are named for identification (nominative fair use); no affiliation is implied.