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Public project appears to be missing from search again, including creator-name search

A topic by HotCatnip created May 13, 2026 Views: 642 Replies: 5
Viewing posts 1 to 4

Hello,

I previously posted about this project not appearing in search and browse, and the issue seemed to be resolved afterward.

Previous related thread: /t/6196926/public-project-not-appearing-in-search-after-60-days-and-devlogs-not-showing-on-most-recent

However, I am posting again because the issue seems to have returned.

My project page has now been marked as containing sensitive content by a moderator. I am not asking to remove the sensitive content mark. BattleMaidens is moving into NSFW content, and I understand that the public version should be treated as sensitive / adult content going forward.

I am not sure whether the sensitive content mark and the search visibility issue are directly connected, but I noticed the issue after the project was marked as sensitive content.

The issue is that the public project page appears to be missing from search again.

Project URL: https://hotcatnip.itch.io/battlemaidens

What I have checked:

  • The project page is public.
  • “Unlisted in search & browse” is not enabled.
  • The page has been marked as sensitive content.
  • Adult content is enabled in my browsing/search settings.
  • I searched while logged in, with adult content visible.
  • The project does not appear when searching for its exact title.
  • I also noticed that searching for my creator / account name, “HotCatnip,” does not bring up the project either.

I understand that creator-name search may not be the official way to verify project indexing, but since other creators seem to be searchable this way, I wanted to mention it as an additional symptom.

Full title: BattleMaidens: Break Duel

This appears to be the second time this project has disappeared from search visibility. Over the past two weeks, the project has only received around 24–50 page views per day, so I am having trouble understanding whether this is an automatic review, a moderation state, or an indexing issue.

I have already contacted support as well.

Ticket ID: 366003

Could someone please check whether this project is currently indexed, deindexed, or waiting for review?

If there is anything I need to change in the project settings, content rating, tags, or page text to make it follow the current rules properly, I would be happy to adjust it.

Thank you.

Moderator(+1)

I’ve let our admins know about your ticket.

Thank you very much. I appreciate you passing it along to the admins.

(+1)

I know the moderator will inform the admin about your ticket, but while you wait for an official response from the staff, I want to point out two things that should clear up your doubts.

If your game was marked as NSFW and accepts donations, then under Itch's new rules, it won't be indexed. Check this link:

/t/5149036/reindexing-adult-nsfw-content


A change was introduced to the search system a long time ago; the system now only displays games, NOT creators.
If you search for a creator, you will see the indexed games that creator has, but not the creator themselves.

(+1)

Thank you very much for the clarification.

I checked the project settings, and it looks like the donation / payment setting was still left at the default state.

I have now changed the public project page to use the “No Payments” option.

That may explain why the page disappeared from search after it was marked as sensitive content.

Also, thank you for explaining the creator-name search behavior. I mentioned it as an additional symptom because the search box says it can search for creators, but if creator-name search only shows indexed projects by that creator, then it makes sense that nothing would appear while the project itself is not indexed.

I appreciate the help.

(+1)

Thank you again for the clarification.

After changing the public project page to the “No Payments” option, I can now confirm that the project appears in search again.

It looks like the donation / payment setting was the cause after the page was marked as sensitive content.

I’m sorry for the confusion, and I really appreciate the help.

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