eBay Developer Program Compliance

This document outlines how the ebay-mcp-remote-edition project complies with eBay's developer policies and open source best practices.

Project Classification

This is an INDEPENDENT third-party open source project, not an official eBay project. It uses eBay's public APIs and is developed by independent contributors.

• NOT an official eBay project
• NOT developed by eBay employees
• NOT affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by eBay Inc.
• Uses eBay's public APIs under their Developer Program Terms

eBay Open Source Policy Compliance

License Status ✅

Current License: MIT License

According to eBay's Open Source Licensing Policy:

License Type	Status	Notes
MIT	✅ GREEN	Approved for use without OSPO review
Apache 2.0	✅ GREEN	eBay's preferred outbound license
BSD-2	✅ GREEN	Also acceptable

Our Choice: MIT is on eBay's "green" list of acceptable licenses, meaning it can be used without approval from eBay's Open Source Program Office (OSPO).

Note: While eBay prefers Apache 2.0 for their own projects, MIT is equally acceptable for independent projects and provides:

• Simple, permissive licensing
• Wide community acceptance
• Clear liability disclaimers
• Easy to understand for contributors

Repository Best Practices ✅

According to eBay's Repository Best Practices:

Requirement	Status	Location
README file	✅ COMPLETE	README.md
LICENSE file	✅ COMPLETE	LICENSE
CONTRIBUTING guide	✅ COMPLETE	CONTRIBUTING.md

All required files are present and comprehensive.

eBay API Terms of Use Compliance

Required Disclaimers ✅

The project includes prominent disclaimers (README.md lines 19-54):

1. NOT an official eBay project - Clearly stated in disclaimer section
2. NOT affiliated with eBay Inc. - Explicitly mentioned
3. Unofficial third-party implementation - Labeled as such
4. User responsibility - Users must comply with eBay's API Terms

eBay API Terms Reference ✅

Direct link to official terms: eBay's API Terms of Use

Users are explicitly instructed to:

• ✅ Comply with eBay's API Terms of Use
• ✅ Stay within eBay's rate limits and policies
• ✅ Manage eBay Developer credentials securely
• ✅ Test in sandbox environment before production
• ✅ Monitor API usage in Developer Portal

Developer Program Integration ✅

The project properly integrates with eBay's Developer Program:

1. Credential Management

   • Requires eBay Developer Account
   • Uses Client ID and Client Secret from Developer Portal
   • Supports OAuth 2.0 user tokens
   • Automatic token refresh

2. Environment Separation

   • Sandbox environment for testing
   • Production environment for live usage
   • Clear documentation on environment switching

3. Rate Limit Compliance

   • Client Credentials: 1,000 requests/day
   • User Tokens: 10,000-50,000 requests/day
   • Automatic retry with exponential backoff
   • Rate limit error handling

4. API Coverage

   • 99.1% coverage of eBay Sell APIs
   • 230+ tools across all API categories
   • Follows eBay API specifications
   • OpenAPI-generated types for accuracy

Security and Responsible Use

Security Measures ✅

From SECURITY.md:

1. Vulnerability Reporting

   • GitHub Security Advisory: https://github.com/mrnajiboy/ebay-mcp-remote-edition/security/advisories/new
   • Email contact: k.naji.ja@gmail.com
   • Responsible disclosure process

2. Security Best Practices

   • Token security guidelines
   • Environment variable protection
   • OAuth 2.0 implementation
   • Sandbox vs production separation

User Responsibility ✅

Users are explicitly informed they must:

• Test in sandbox before production
• Understand API calls made on their behalf
• Maintain backups of critical data
• Monitor API usage and account status
• Follow security best practices

Contributing Guidelines

eBay API Terms for Contributors ✅

From CONTRIBUTING.md:

Contributors agree that:

• Contributions are licensed under MIT License
• Code must follow TypeScript strict mode
• All external inputs must be validated (Zod schemas)
• Tests must maintain 90%+ coverage
• Documentation must be updated

Quality Standards ✅

• ✅ Type Safety: Full TypeScript with strict mode
• ✅ Input Validation: Zod schemas for all MCP tools
• ✅ Testing: 870+ tests, 99%+ function coverage
• ✅ Code Quality: ESLint, Prettier, conventional commits
• ✅ Documentation: Comprehensive README and guides

Compliance Summary

Category	Requirement	Status
License	Acceptable open source license	✅ MIT (green)
Documentation	README, LICENSE, CONTRIBUTING	✅ Complete
Disclaimers	NOT affiliated with eBay	✅ Clear
API Terms	Link to eBay Terms of Use	✅ Present
Security	Vulnerability reporting process	✅ Established
Best Practices	Follow repository standards	✅ Compliant
Testing	Comprehensive test coverage	✅ 870+ tests
Developer Program	Proper credential management	✅ Compliant
Rate Limits	Respect eBay rate limits	✅ Implemented
Environments	Sandbox/production separation	✅ Supported

Recommendations

Current Status: FULLY COMPLIANT ✅

The ebay-mcp-remote-edition project is fully compliant with:

1. eBay's Open Source licensing policies (MIT is "green")
2. eBay's Repository Best Practices
3. eBay Developer Program Terms of Use
4. eBay API Terms and conditions
5. Community best practices for open source projects

Optional Enhancements

While not required, the project could consider:

1. Apache 2.0 License (Optional)

   • eBay's preferred license for their own projects
   • Provides explicit patent grant protection
   • More comprehensive contributor protections
   • Both MIT and Apache 2.0 are equally "green"
   • Decision: MIT is perfectly acceptable for independent projects

2. eBay Acknowledgment (Optional)

   • Current acknowledgment is appropriate
   • Clear that project uses eBay APIs
   • Proper attribution to eBay Developer Program

References

• eBay Open Source Program
• eBay License Policy
• eBay Repository Best Practices
• eBay Developer Program
• eBay API Terms of Use
• eBay API Documentation

Last Updated

2025-11-17

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Status: ✅ COMPLIANT - This project meets all eBay developer policies and open source best practices.