But with client authentification that wouldn't be a problem anyways because only chosen clients get access.
But with client authentification that wouldn't be a problem anyways because only chosen clients get access.
I think this changed slightly with v3 addresses, so my comment might be out of date, but I think the general premise remains the same. (EDIT: Apparently with V3 addresses, there is still a DHT, but client uses key derivation so that the HSDir only stores a daily-rotated identifier known as a "blinded public key." [0])
Although your hidden service address is not hidden, you can require that any client connecting to it present a valid authorization key (I think this is also new in V3?).
Also, it obviously depends which service you're exposing — if you are exposing an SSH server that only allows key-based authentication, then it shouldn't matter if people can simply connect to it — assuming you trust the SSHD software, and your threat model doesn't depend on avoiding detection completely.