Distribution Modes
Every LPM.dev Registry package starts private. Its owner can later request permanent distribution through Free, Pool, or Marketplace.
Compare the modes
| Mode | Consumer access | Author revenue | Requirements | Can return to private? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private | Personal owner or organization members | None | Registry authentication | Yes, until public distribution activates |
| Free | Anyone, without an account | None | Eligible paid publisher, publication review, and dependency checks | No |
| Pool | Subscribers with Pool access | Share of the Pool author fund based on eligible usage | Public-distribution review | No |
| Marketplace | Customers covered by a purchased license | Package sales, less the applicable platform fee | Active payment provider, active pricing plan, and public-distribution review | No |
Free, Pool, and Marketplace packages have publicly visible listings. Free release archives are available without authentication. Access to their release archives still requires the entitlement for that distribution mode.
See Pool for subscription revenue sharing and Marketplace for pricing and customer licenses.
Before requesting public distribution
Publish at least one package version, then open Package Settings > Distribution.
For Marketplace, configure an active payment provider and at least one active pricing plan. Both must still be active when the distribution request completes.
The LPM.dev Registry checks the selected activation release. Earlier private versions remain private. Private dependencies block public distribution. Marketplace dependencies require the applicable redistribution rights and are incompatible with Pool. See Dependencies for the complete rules.
Review and activation
Requesting Free, Pool, or Marketplace distribution does not expose the package immediately:
- The package remains private.
- The latest eligible version becomes the activation version and enters publication review.
- A clean review permits admission. Suspicious or incomplete results need further review; malicious releases are rejected.
- Before activation, the Registry rechecks publisher authority, dependencies, and the selected mode's requirements.
- The selected distribution mode activates only when every required check passes.
Earlier private versions stay publisher-only. They do not enter review or appear in consumer metadata, version lists, or package pages. Publishers can preview an exact private version with authentication.
For example, promoting 2.0.0 leaves an earlier private 1.0.0 hidden. A new 1.5.0 backport published after activation can become public after its checks pass. It does not replace 2.0.0 as the latest version.
If a prerequisite changes, the release stays unavailable. The package settings show its review or admission state.
Publishing after activation
Every new Free, Pool, or Marketplace version enters publication review before consumers can access it. While review is pending:
- The publisher can access that exact version.
- Consumers retain access to previously approved versions.
- Unpinned installation continues to resolve to the highest approved version.
Publication review is the release gate. Quality scoring, generated metadata, and Agent Skill processing are separate systems and do not replace it.
The choice is permanent
Once Free, Pool, or Marketplace distribution activates, the package cannot return to private or switch to another distribution mode. The package can still publish new versions and use the available version-lifecycle controls, but its distribution mode remains locked.
Free publishing and hosting
Free describes package access. It is separate from the Free account plan.
Personal publishers need paid Pro coverage. Organization packages need eligible coverage from their owning organization. An unpaid trial does not qualify.
Free admission checks LPM.dev Registry dependencies across declarations, aliases, bundles, source configuration, lockfiles, and Swift manifests. Restricted dependencies prevent admission. See Dependencies.
When paid publishing coverage ends, existing Free releases remain downloadable. The Registry automatically deprecates the package after 30 days and schedules hosted-file removal after 365 days. These periods start when coverage ends, including the end of a paid period after cancellation.
Renewal before removal clears the automatic schedule. It does not clear author deprecation or security restrictions. Removal preserves the package identity and version records; it does not make the name available for reuse. Removed files cannot be restored by a later renewal.
Security rescans continue without renewed paid coverage. A quarantined dependency also blocks known releases that contain its files, including nested bundles. Publish a corrected version to replace an affected release.
Software licenses
Distribution mode does not change the software license attached to your package. The LPM.dev Registry enforces package access, purchases, and dependency-entitlement rules; it does not decide whether your chosen license terms are legally compatible with paid distribution or redistribution.
Choose license terms appropriate for how you intend customers to use and redistribute the package.
