Rant: I keep seeing new users join tiny instances with zero moderation and then get doxxed or harassed, and we act like this is an unavoidable cost of decentralization. No, it is a usability failure. If decentralization is about choice, we should give users real, comparable information about those choices.

Idea: a simple, machine readable “instance health” schema every server can optionally publish. Things like: moderator headcount and avg response time, clear link to code of conduct and appeals process, instance age, active user count, funding model, spam/abuse rate, and whether the instance participates in shared blocklists. Make it discoverable in directories and visible during onboarding.

Yes, it can be gamed, but transparency plus community verification and third party spot checks beats mystery. This isnt a leaderboard, its harm reduction. It helps people pick safer homes, helps exhausted small mods get support, and gives directories real signals beyond raw user counts.

Would you adopt something like this on your instance? What fields matter most to you, and what safeguards would stop it being weaponized against smaller projects trying to grow?