What you’ll learn
By the end of this guide, you’ll be able to:
  • Get your Mini App indexed in Base App search and understand how indexing works.
  • Choose the right categories and implement strategies to improve visibility across discovery surfaces.
  • Apply best practices to increase discoverability across Base App surfaces.

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How Search Works

Users discover Mini Apps through direct search queries in Base App.
search bar in base app

Here in The Base App you can see searching based on partial titles

Your Mini App will only appear in search results after it has been indexed. To ensure indexing, share your Mini App at least once in Base App. Indexing typically takes ~10 minutes after the first share.

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Managing Search Indexing

Development Environment: add "noindex": true to prevent dev/staging from appearing in search. Remove or set false for production. Removing from Search: To remove your Mini App from search results, invalidate your manifest (removes from all discovery).
If your Mini App does not show in search please follow the debugging guide here

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Discovery Surfaces

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Saved Apps

Personal launcher and quick access hub
saved apps

Saved Apps

Appears here:
  • User’s saved Mini Apps
  • Recently used applications
Prompt users to save via the Add Frame flow at key value moments.

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App Categories

Browsable directory organized by interest
app categories

App Categories

Choose your primaryCategory carefully as it determines where your app appears in Base App’s category browsing.
app categories

Ranking for the Social Category

The Base app uses aggregated data (7-day rolling window) to generate dynamic category rankings.

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Visual Specifications

For detailed visual mapping of how metadata translates to UI elements, see the Figma specification file.

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Optimization Strategies

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Category Optimization

  • Choose primaryCategory strategically based on your target audience and competition
  • Monitor category rankings and adjust strategy based on performance
  • Consider seasonal trends that might affect category popularity

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Metadata Best Practices

  • High-quality icon (1024×1024, clear and recognizable at small sizes)
  • Compelling description under 130 characters that clearly communicates value
  • Relevant tags that match user search behavior
  • OG image optimized for social sharing (1200×630) with clear visual hierarchy

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Build for Discovery: Checklist

  • High-quality icon (1024×1024, clear at small sizes)
  • Compelling description under 130 characters
  • Relevant category selection for your target audience
  • OG image optimized for social sharing (1200×630)
  • Test metadata rendering across different clients
  • Implement proper manifest files with correct categorization
  • Choose relevant categories (primaryCategory)
  • Create shareable moments that naturally encourage shares
  • Design compelling embeds with clear CTAs
  • Encourage saves for easy return access

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Complete Implementation Guide

For step-by-step implementation including code examples, see: Further reading: