Unauthorised Commercial Use and License Violation of AGPLv3 MCP Server

[rawveg]

You are currently offering unauthorised commercial access to my Hacker News MCP Server via your paywalled platform LobeHub, in direct contravention of the licensing terms under which the software is released.

The code in question is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPLv3). Under this license, anyone who uses, modifies, or distributes the software—whether standalone or over a network—is required to provide full access to the corresponding source code under the same licence, including to users who access the service remotely. Further, you are not permitted to use or integrate the software into a monetised service without explicit written permission and a commercial licence, which you have neither sought nor obtained.

Let me be extremely clear:

You are in violation of the AGPLv3 licence terms and of the additional Commercial Use clause explicitly outlined in the repository’s LICENSE notice and README.

As stated in the license notice:

“If you want to use or deploy this code in any form as part of a monetised service to others… you need to contact me for permission – which will only be granted following payment of the appropriate licensing fee.”

You have failed to do so. You are profiting off my labour, gating open-source software behind your paywall, and in doing so you are actively undermining the principles of open access and copyleft that the AGPLv3 exists to protect.

You are hereby formally instructed to:

1. Immediately remove the unauthorised listing of my MCP Server from your platform.
2. Cease and desist from any commercial use of my AGPLv3-licensed code without a commercial license.
3. Publicly acknowledge the removal and provide confirmation that no further unauthorised use will occur.
4. Alternatively, contact me to arrange appropriate licensing terms and payment should you wish to continue offering this tool via a commercial platform.

If these steps are not taken within 7 calendar days, I will pursue further action. This may include reporting to your platform hosts and GithHub for ToS violation, pursuing DMCA takedown notices, and publicly documenting the infringement.

You do not get to repackage my open-source work for profit without respecting its licence. Your platform’s business model does not exempt you from following the law.

[lobehubbot]

👀 @rawveg

Thank you for raising an issue. We will investigate into the matter and get back to you as soon as possible.
Please make sure you have given us as much context as possible.
非常感谢您提交 issue。我们会尽快调查此事，并尽快回复您。 请确保您已经提供了尽可能多的背景信息。

[arvinxx]

Dear rawveg,

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We take licensing compliance very seriously and appreciate you taking the time to clarify the situation regarding your Hacker News MCP Server.

I want to address your concerns directly:

1. Immediate Action Taken: We have already removed your MCP Server from our platform listing as requested. This action was completed promptly upon receiving your notice.

2. Clarification on Our Role: We want to clarify that we did not repackage or modify your software in any way. Our platform serves solely as a distribution channel to help developers like yourself share their MCP servers with the community at no cost. We act as a facilitator, not as a redistributor of modified code.

3. No Monetization of Your Work: Importantly, we have not charged any fees specifically for access to or use of your MCP Server. The tool was made available to users completely free of charge through our platform.

We understand and respect the importance of open-source licensing terms, particularly the AGPLv3 and your additional commercial use restrictions. It was never our intention to violate these terms or to profit from your work without proper authorization.

We sincerely apologize for any confusion or concern this situation may have caused. Your work and licensing preferences are important to us, and we are committed to ensuring full compliance with all licensing requirements.

If you have any further questions or would like to discuss potential collaboration under appropriate licensing terms in the future, please don't hesitate to reach out to us directly by email( hello@lobehub.com ) or discord (my account id is arvinxu ).

Thank you for your understanding, and we appreciate your contribution to the open-source community.

[lobehubbot]

✅ @rawveg

This issue is closed, If you have any questions, you can comment and reply.
此问题已经关闭。如果您有任何问题，可以留言并回复。

[rawveg]

Thank you for your prompt response and for removing the unauthorised listing — I appreciate the swift corrective action.

While I note your clarification that you did not modify or charge directly for my MCP server, I must respectfully point out that making it available through a gated, monetised platform constitutes a form of commercial deployment, regardless of whether the specific endpoint was paywalled. AGPLv3 — particularly when paired with an explicit commercial use restriction like mine — extends to network interactions facilitated through infrastructure that derives commercial value, and not just code distribution.

The intent behind this isn’t pedantry. It’s to protect creators from having their open work absorbed into systems that lock access behind payments — even if indirectly — while bypassing licensing obligations or consent.

That said, I appreciate your courteous tone and willingness to address the matter. I consider the issue resolved for now, and I hope this serves as a useful reminder to others hosting AGPLv3 networked software: facilitator or not, consent and licensing clarity matter.

Should you wish to explore appropriate licensing in future, I’m open to discussion — but only when initiated transparently, and with the intent to respect both the spirit and letter of open-source licensing.

Kind regards,
Tim Green (rawveg)