# Revenue Sprint: First Paying Customer TODAY, $1K MRR in 30 Days

> Historical research note: community-size figures, pricing experiments, and growth targets in this file are point-in-time planning assumptions from March 11, 2026. They are not current product truth. Use `docs/COMMERCIAL_TRUTH.md` for current pricing, traction, and proof language. The low-dollar founder, scarcity, and flat-rate subscription ideas below are retired experiments retained for historical context only.

**Date:** 2026-03-11
**Status:** Historical plan archived
**Research basis:** Live web research, March 2026 MCP ecosystem data

---

## Part 1: Where the Highest-Intent Buyers Are RIGHT NOW

### Reddit (4,200+ weekly active Claude Code devs)
| Subreddit | Weekly Active | Intent Level |
|-----------|--------------|--------------|
| r/ClaudeCode | 4,200+ contributors | **Highest** — production users, cost-sensitive |
| r/ClaudeAI | Large, growing | High — feature discussions, tool comparisons |
| r/ClaudeHomies | Niche | High — detailed coding performance analysis |
| r/LocalLLaMA | Large | Medium — self-hosted crowd, DPO/KTO interest |
| r/MachineLearning | Large | Medium — DPO and preference-optimization academic interest |
| r/SideProject | Active | Medium — devs launching tools |

### Discord Servers
| Server | Members | Relevance |
|--------|---------|-----------|
| **Model Context Protocol (official)** | 11,565+ | **Primary target** — MCP builders and users |
| Claude Code community channels | Active | High — daily workflow discussions |
| LangChain / LangGraph Discord | Large | Medium — agent framework users |

### Top 10 GitHub Repos Where MCP Users Congregate
1. `modelcontextprotocol/servers` — official reference servers
2. `punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers` — largest curated list
3. `wong2/awesome-mcp-servers` — second curated list
4. `appcypher/awesome-mcp-servers` — third curated list
5. `hireblackout/awesome-mcp-servers` — ranked by usage patterns
6. `tolkonepiu/best-of-mcp-servers` — weekly ranked list
7. `modelcontextprotocol/registry` — official registry source
8. `rohitg00/awesome-devops-mcp-servers` — DevOps-focused
9. `Dicklesworthstone/ultimate_mcp_server` — multi-capability reference
10. `doobidoo/mcp-memory-service` — direct competitor, memory-focused

### Newsletters That Accept Submissions This Week
| Newsletter | Audience | Submission Path |
|------------|----------|----------------|
| TLDR AI | Massive dev audience | tldr.tech — sponsor or submit |
| TLDR Web Dev | Web devs | Same platform |
| Claude Developer Newsletter | Claude users | claude.com/newsletter/developers |
| SemiAnalysis | Deep AI/infra | Already covered Claude Code |
| Code With Andrea | Flutter/AI devs | Featured MCP in Jan 2026 |
| The Code | AI-focused newsletter | codenewsletter.ai |

---

## Part 2: Historical Buyer Profile Hypothesis For A Retired Low-Price Offer

### Primary Persona: "The AI Team Lead"
- **Role:** Engineering lead or senior dev running 2-5 person team using Claude Code daily
- **Company:** Startup or mid-size (10-200 employees), shipping AI-assisted features
- **Pain that triggers IMMEDIATE payment:**
  - Claude Code keeps making the same mistake across sessions (no persistent memory)
  - Team members repeat each other's debugging because context is lost
  - No audit trail of what the AI agent did and why
  - Compliance/security need: proof that AI suggestions were reviewed (guardrails)
- **Why hosted beats self-hosted RIGHT NOW:**
  - Team sharing — local `.claude/memory` is per-developer, no shared context
  - Zero ops — no database to manage, no backup to configure
  - Dashboard — visual proof of agent behavior for non-technical stakeholders
  - Always-on consolidation — background process that local can't provide

### Secondary Persona: "The Solo AI Engineer"
- Building MCP integrations or AI products
- Needs DPO/KTO export pairs for fine-tuning
- Would have paid a low monthly subscription to avoid building their own feedback infrastructure

### Trigger Moment (converts "interesting" to "shut up and take my money"):
> "I just spent 2 hours debugging because Claude forgot what we decided yesterday. I need persistent memory that works across sessions WITHOUT me managing infrastructure."

---

## Part 3: Fastest Automated Distribution Channels

### MCP Directories — Submit to ALL Today
| Directory | URL | Submission Method | Auto-index? |
|-----------|-----|-------------------|-------------|
| Official MCP Registry | registry.modelcontextprotocol.io | CLI publisher tool | Already listed |
| PulseMCP | pulsemcp.com/submit | Web form + auto-crawl | Yes, from npm/GitHub |
| MCP.so | mcp.so | GitHub issue submission | Semi-auto |
| MCPMarket | mcpmarket.com | Auto-scraped daily | Yes |
| LobeHub MCP | lobehub.com/mcp | Submit via platform | Semi-auto |
| MCPServers.org | mcpservers.org | Aggregated from awesome lists | Yes |
| MCP Playground | mcpplaygroundonline.com | Submit | Manual |
| Glama | glama.ai/mcp/servers | Auto-indexed | Yes |

### Monetization Platforms — List TODAY
| Platform | Revenue Share | Status |
|----------|--------------|--------|
| **MCPize** | 85% to creator | **PRIORITY** — handles hosting, Stripe, compliance |
| **Apify MCP** | Varies | Zero-infra monetization path |
| **MCP Hive** | Per-request model | Launching May 2026 — get on waitlist |

### Auto-Indexing Sources
- **npm:** PulseMCP and MCPMarket auto-index from npm registry. Ensure `keywords` include `mcp`, `model-context-protocol`, `claude-code`, `agent-memory`.
- **GitHub Topics:** Tag repo with `mcp-server`, `model-context-protocol`, `agent-memory`, `thumbgate`, `claude-code`.
- **PyPI mirror:** Not applicable (Node.js package).

---

## Part 4: Historical Pricing Experiment Considered For Day-1 Conversion

### Current State Analysis
- A low flat monthly price was not obviously wrong, but friction was high
- 2026 market expects consumption-based pricing (per-request, per-GB)
- Less than 5% of 11,000+ MCP servers are monetized — opportunity is wide open

### Historical Pricing Structure Considered At The Time

Retired experiment: the low-dollar founder, Pro, and scarcity-based tiers below are preserved as research history only. They are not current product truth.

| Tier | Price | What's Included | Conversion Target |
|------|-------|-----------------|-------------------|
| **Free** | $0 | `npx thumbgate serve` local, 1000 feedback captures/mo | Funnel entry |
| **Retired founder test** | Low-dollar launch price with scarcity | Hosted gateway, capped captures, team sharing, DPO export, dashboard | Day-1 conversion |
| **Retired Pro test** | Low flat monthly price | Higher capture cap, multiple seats, support, custom guardrails | Standard |
| **Retired Team test** | Low bundled team price | Unlimited-style team packaging, SSO, audit log, SLA | Upsell target |

### Why The Team Believed The Retired Founder Scarcity Test Could Convert At The Time:
1. **Loss aversion** — "This price disappears after 50 users" creates urgency
2. **Lower barrier** — low-dollar pricing felt like impulse-buy territory for developers
3. **"Forever" lock** — developers hate price increases, this removes the objection
4. **Social proof** — display a founding-member counter in real time

### Alternative Quick Test Considered At The Time:
- **72-hour flash:** discounted first month via a limited Stripe coupon
- After 72 hours, price reverts to the standard self-serve rate
- Post this coupon in every Reddit/Discord/HN thread

---

## Part 5: Partnerships for Instant Revenue

### High-Probability Partners (reach out TODAY)

| Partner | Why | Action |
|---------|-----|--------|
| **MCPize.com** | 85% rev share, they handle everything | Deploy via `mcpize deploy`, list on their marketplace |
| **PulseMCP** | 8,610+ servers indexed, has partnership program | Email hello@pulsemcp.com for featured placement |
| **Claude Code YouTubers** | 25+ active creators ranking Claude Code videos | DM top 5 with free pilot access + affiliate offer |
| **Anthropic MCP team** | Already on their registry | Request featured/spotlight via MCP Discord |
| **awesome-mcp-servers maintainers** | Submit PR to all 5 major lists | PRs to punkpeye, wong2, appcypher, hireblackout, tolkonepiu |

### YouTube/Content Creators to Contact
Based on research, the top Claude Code YouTube creators have substantial audiences. Offer:
- Free lifetime Pro account
- 30% recurring affiliate commission
- Co-branded tutorial: "How to Add Persistent Memory to Claude Code in 5 Minutes"

### Anthropic Feature Request
- Already on official registry — ask in MCP Discord `#showcase` channel for feature
- Anthropic launched "MCP Apps" (Jan 26, 2026) — investigate if we qualify as an MCP App with interactive UI

---

## Historical Action List From March 11, 2026: Ranked By (Speed x Revenue Impact)

### 1. Deploy to MCPize Marketplace (2 hours, HIGH impact)
```bash
npm install -g @mcpize/cli
mcpize login
mcpize init thumbgate
mcpize deploy
# Set the retired founder and Pro test offers via MCPize dashboard
# Connect Stripe for payouts
```
**Why first:** Instant distribution to paying MCP users. 85% rev share. Zero ops.

### 2. Create Retired Founder-Member Stripe Link (30 min, HIGH impact)
```bash
# In Stripe Dashboard:
# 1. Create product "ThumbGate — Founder Test"
# 2. Create the retired low-dollar recurring test price
# 3. Create a limited redemption promotion code
# 4. Generate payment link
# 5. Update Railway landing page with prominent CTA
```
**Why:** Removes the #1 objection (price) and creates urgency (limited spots).

### 3. Post to r/ClaudeCode + r/ClaudeAI (1 hour, HIGH impact)
```
Title: "I built persistent memory for Claude Code — never lose context between sessions again"

Body:
- Problem: Claude forgets everything between sessions
- Solution: ThumbGate captures feedback, prevents repeated mistakes
- Free: npx thumbgate serve
- Hosted: retired founder-price test
- Demo: [Railway URL]
- GitHub: [repo URL]
- On official MCP registry
```
**Why:** 4,200+ weekly active Claude Code devs. Highest-intent audience on the internet.

### 4. Show HN Post (1 hour, HIGH impact)
```
Title: "Show HN: ThumbGate – Persistent memory and guardrails for AI coding agents"

Body: Technical, concise. Focus on:
- DPO/KTO export pairs (HN loves ML infrastructure)
- Thompson Sampling for behavior steering
- Open source + hosted option
- On official MCP registry
```
**Why:** HN loves open-source dev tools with ML sophistication. Top Show HN = 10K+ views.

### 5. Submit to ALL MCP Directories (2 hours, MEDIUM-HIGH impact)
```bash
# PulseMCP: pulsemcp.com/submit
# MCP.so: Create GitHub issue
# LobeHub: lobehub.com/mcp submit
# MCP Playground: mcpplaygroundonline.com
# Ensure GitHub topics: mcp-server, model-context-protocol, agent-memory, claude-code
```
**Why:** Automated discovery. PulseMCP alone has 8,610+ servers indexed and devs browsing daily.

### 6. PR to All 5 awesome-mcp-servers Lists (2 hours, MEDIUM impact)
```bash
# Fork and PR to:
# 1. punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers
# 2. wong2/awesome-mcp-servers
# 3. appcypher/awesome-mcp-servers
# 4. hireblackout/awesome-mcp-servers
# 5. tolkonepiu/best-of-mcp-servers
# Category: Memory / Context Management
```
**Why:** These lists are the top Google results for "MCP servers." Long-tail SEO + discovery.

### 7. Post in MCP Discord #showcase (30 min, MEDIUM impact)
```
Share in Model Context Protocol Discord (11,565 members):
- What it does (persistent memory + guardrails)
- How to install (one-liner npx)
- Hosted option with the retired founder-price test
- Link to registry listing
```
**Why:** Direct access to MCP builders. Some are building agents that NEED memory.

### 8. Create 5-Minute YouTube Demo (3 hours, MEDIUM impact)
```
Script:
0:00 - "Claude Code forgets everything. Here's the fix."
0:30 - Install with npx (30 seconds)
1:00 - Capture feedback (thumbs up/down)
2:00 - Show prevention rules auto-generated
3:00 - Export DPO pairs
4:00 - Hosted dashboard demo
4:30 - "Free local install, Pro checkout, and Team intake links in description."
```
**Why:** YouTube is where devs discover tools. Searchable forever.

### 9. Email 3 Newsletter Sponsors (1 hour, LOW-MEDIUM impact)
```
Contact:
1. TLDR AI (tldr.tech) — sponsored link ($$$) or free "tool of the day"
2. The Code (codenewsletter.ai) — product feature
3. Code With Andrea — already covers MCP, pitch guest post
```
**Why:** Newsletter audiences are high-intent. Even a mention drives 100-500 visits.

### 10. Set Up Affiliate Program (2 hours, MEDIUM long-term impact)
```
# Via Stripe:
# 1. Create affiliate tracking with unique coupon codes
# 2. Offer 30% recurring commission
# 3. DM top 5 Claude Code YouTubers and MCP bloggers
# 4. Provide them: free Pro account + affiliate link + one-liner install script
```
**Why:** Leverages other people's audiences. Recurring affiliate economics scale if self-serve Pro converts.

---

## Execution Timeline: Today (March 11, 2026)

| Time | Action | Expected Outcome |
|------|--------|-----------------|
| 9:00 AM | Create retired founder-member Stripe link | Payment infrastructure ready |
| 9:30 AM | Update Railway landing page with founder CTA | Conversion path live |
| 10:00 AM | Deploy to MCPize marketplace | Second distribution channel |
| 11:00 AM | Post to r/ClaudeCode | First 500+ views within hours |
| 11:30 AM | Post to r/ClaudeAI | Second high-intent audience |
| 12:00 PM | Submit Show HN | Potential 5K-10K views |
| 1:00 PM | Submit to PulseMCP, MCP.so, LobeHub | Directory coverage |
| 2:00 PM | PRs to 5 awesome-mcp-servers lists | Long-term discovery |
| 3:00 PM | Post in MCP Discord #showcase | Community awareness |
| 4:00 PM | Email TLDR AI + 2 newsletters | Newsletter pipeline |
| 5:00 PM | DM 5 YouTube creators with affiliate offer | Content pipeline |

## 30-Day Revenue Projection

| Week | Cumulative Users (Free) | Paying Users | MRR |
|------|------------------------|--------------|-----|
| 1 | 50-100 | 3-5 | $15-25 |
| 2 | 200-400 | 10-20 | $50-100 |
| 3 | 500-1000 | 30-50 | $150-250 |
| 4 | 1000-2000 | 80-150 | $400-750 |

**To hit $1K MRR by April 11:** The retired March model required hundreds of low-price paying users from a few thousand free users. The current model should be evaluated against `docs/COMMERCIAL_TRUTH.md` instead: Pro is self-serve, and Team is intake-led around workflow proof.

**Aggressive path to $1K MRR:** Add marketplace revenue share + affiliate-driven conversions + upgrade early self-serve customers into the current Pro or Team motion after proof exists.

---

## Competitive Landscape (Direct Threats)

| Competitor | Stars | Pricing | Our Advantage |
|------------|-------|---------|---------------|
| doobidoo/mcp-memory-service | Active | Free/OSS | We have DPO/KTO export, Thompson Sampling, guardrails |
| mkreyman/mcp-memory-keeper | Small | Free/OSS | We have hosted option, team sharing |
| yuvalsuede/memory-mcp | Small | Free/OSS | We have ThumbGate loop, not just memory storage |
| thedotmack/claude-mem | Small | Free/OSS | We have MCP registry listing, production hosting |
| cbunting99/enhanced-mcp-memory | Active | Free/OSS | We have billing, API, multi-agent support |

**Key differentiator:** None of these competitors offer a HOSTED, PAID tier. We are the only MCP memory server with a monetization path. First-mover advantage on paid MCP memory.

---

## Sources

- [MCP Market Daily Rankings](https://mcpmarket.com/daily/top-mcp-server-list-march-8-2026)
- [MCP.so Directory (18,378 servers)](https://mcp.so/)
- [PulseMCP Directory (8,610+ servers)](https://www.pulsemcp.com/servers)
- [PulseMCP API](https://www.pulsemcp.com/api)
- [Official MCP Registry](https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/)
- [MCP Registry GitHub](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry)
- [MCPize Monetization Platform](https://mcpize.com/developers/monetize-mcp-servers)
- [MCPize CLI](https://github.com/mcpize/cli)
- [MCP Hive Marketplace](https://mcp-hive.com/)
- [MonetizedMCP](https://www.monetizedmcp.org/)
- [Apify MCP Developers](https://apify.com/mcp/developers)
- [MCP Server Monetization 2026](https://dev.to/namel/mcp-server-monetization-2026-1p2j)
- [AI Agent Pricing 2026 Guide](https://www.chargebee.com/blog/pricing-ai-agents-playbook/)
- [SaaS and Agentic Pricing Models 2026](https://www.getmonetizely.com/blogs/the-2026-guide-to-saas-ai-and-agentic-pricing-models)
- [Model Context Protocol Discord](https://discord.com/invite/model-context-protocol-1312302100125843476)
- [Claude Developer Newsletter](https://claude.com/newsletter/developers)
- [AI Weekly: Claude Code Dominates, MCP Goes Mainstream](https://dev.to/alexmercedcoder/ai-weekly-claude-code-dominates-mcp-goes-mainstream-week-of-march-5-2026-15af)
- [7 MCP Registries Worth Checking Out](https://nordicapis.com/7-mcp-registries-worth-checking-out/)
- [Product Hunt AI Infrastructure](https://www.producthunt.com/categories/ai-infrastructure)
- [Product Hunt Launch Guide 2026](https://blog.innmind.com/how-to-launch-on-product-hunt-in-2026/)
- [Lifetime Deal Strategy 2026](https://earlybird.so/how-to-launch-a-successful-lifetime-deal-in-2026/)
- [Best Claude Code YouTube Videos Ranked](https://medium.com/@rentierdigital/i-watched-25-claude-code-youtube-videos-so-you-dont-have-to-the-definitive-ranking-550aa6863840)
- [punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers](https://github.com/punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers)
- [wong2/awesome-mcp-servers](https://github.com/wong2/awesome-mcp-servers)
- [appcypher/awesome-mcp-servers](https://github.com/appcypher/awesome-mcp-servers)
- [tolkonepiu/best-of-mcp-servers](https://github.com/tolkonepiu/best-of-mcp-servers)
