Slug Reservation & Cooling-Off Period

How mctx reserves subdomains after server deletion. 7-day cooling-off period on production, DNS hijacking protection, and test environment behavior.

When you delete an MCP server on mctx, the subdomain (e.g., hello-world.mctx.ai) isn't immediately released. mctx uses a reservation system to prevent accidents and protect against DNS hijacking.

How Slug Reservation Works

7-Day Cooling-Off Period (Production)

After deleting a server on production, you must wait 7 days before recreating a server with the same slug.

Purpose:

Prevents accidental permanent deletion
Gives you time to recover if you change your mind
Reduces support burden from "I deleted my server by mistake" requests

Example:

You delete my-server.mctx.ai on February 10, 2026
You cannot recreate my-server until February 17, 2026
If you try before then, you'll see an error message with the exact date

DNS Hijacking Protection

A deleted slug can NEVER be claimed by a different user.

Why this matters:

Once you've deployed an MCP server, subscribers configure their MCP clients with your subdomain URL (e.g., my-server.mctx.ai). If someone else could claim that slug after you delete it, they could:

Intercept traffic from your former subscribers
Impersonate your server
Gain access to subscriber credentials

Result: Your slug is permanently reserved to your account. No one else can ever claim it.

Environment Differences

Environment	Cooling-Off Period	Why
Production	7 days	Prevents accidental deletions
Test	None	Fast iteration during development

On the test environment ({slug}-test.mctx.ai), slugs are immediately reusable by the same owner. This allows faster development iteration without waiting.

Error Messages

When you try to reuse a slug during the cooling-off period, you'll see:

This slug is reserved until [exact date]. You deleted a server with this slug recently.

The error message tells you exactly when the slug becomes available again.

What If I Need the Slug Sooner?

You don't. The 7-day cooling-off period is not bypassable.

Why it's enforced:

Prevents abuse (users deleting and recreating servers to dodge subscriber locks)
Ensures consistency (no special cases to track or support)
Protects security (prevents social engineering attempts)

Alternatives

Use a Different Slug

If you need to deploy immediately, create a new server with a different slug.

Examples:

Original Slug	Alternative
`my-server`	`my-server-v2`
`weather-api`	`weather-api-new`
`data-helper`	`data-helper-experimental`

You can delete the new server later and return to the original slug after the cooling-off period.

Wait It Out

The 7-day period passes quickly. Use the time to:

Improve your server code
Write documentation
Plan your relaunch
Test on the test environment

Checking Slug Availability

When creating a new server, the slug field validates in real-time:

Status	Message
Available	Green checkmark
Taken by another user	"This slug is already taken"
Cooling-off period	"This slug is reserved until [date]"
Invalid format	"Slug must be 3-50 characters, lowercase alphanumeric"

Technical Details

Reservation Tracking

Slug reservations are stored in the database with:

Original server ID
Owner user ID
Deletion timestamp
Calculated availability date (deletion timestamp + 7 days)

Validation Flow

When you attempt to create a server:

mctx checks if slug exists in active servers (rejected if exists)
mctx checks if slug is reserved to a different user (rejected permanently)
mctx checks if slug is reserved to you with active cooling-off period (rejected with date)
If all checks pass, slug is available

Slug Format Rules

Rule	Example	Valid
Lowercase letters	`my-server`	Yes
Numbers	`server123`	Yes
Hyphens	`my-cool-server`	Yes
Length: 3-50 chars	`abc`	Yes
Uppercase letters	`My-Server`	No
Underscores	`my_server`	No
Spaces	`my server`	No
Special characters	`my-server!`	No

Best Practices

Before Deleting a Server

Download any data or logs you need
Notify active subscribers
Consider deactivating instead of deleting if you might return

After Deleting a Server

Note the availability date from the error message
Set a calendar reminder if you plan to reclaim the slug
Use the test environment for experimentation during the waiting period

Choosing Slugs

Pick something unique to reduce collision risk
Avoid generic names like server or api (likely already taken)
Use your brand or project name for recognizability
Keep it short but descriptive