indiestack
Dependency guardrail for AI coding agents — validates packages, catches hallucinations, 6,500+ developer tools. MCP server + CLI + web.
Documentation
IndieStack
Dependency guardrail for AI coding agents. Validates packages before installation, catches hallucinations and typosquats, and provides compatibility intelligence across 6,500+ developer tools.
10,000+ PyPI installs | 110,000+ unique visitors | 23 MCP tools
claude mcp add indiestack -- uvx --from indiestack indiestack-mcpThen ask your agent:
- "Validate this package before installing"
- "Find an auth solution for my Next.js app"
- "Check compatibility between these two tools"
What it does
Before your AI installs a dependency or writes boilerplate — IndieStack validates it exists, checks for typosquats, and searches 6,500+ curated developer tools with real compatibility data from 4,500+ repos. You get install commands, health scores, and what tools actually work together in production.
"Indie" is the curation filter: independent developers and small teams. Focused, lean, maintained, honest pricing.
Tech stack
- Backend: Python 3 / FastAPI / SQLite (FTS5 full-text search, WAL mode)
- Infrastructure: Fly.io / Docker / 48-endpoint smoke testing
- MCP server: Published on PyPI — 23 tools, 3 resources, 5 prompts
- Auth: GitHub OAuth via sessions
- Payments: Stripe subscriptions
- Monitoring: Event reactor, pattern detection, Telegram alerting
Install
Claude Code (zero install — runs via uvx):
claude mcp add indiestack -- uvx --from indiestack indiestack-mcpClaude Desktop — add to `claude_desktop_config.json`:
{
"mcpServers": {
"indiestack": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["--from", "indiestack", "indiestack-mcp"]
}
}
}Cursor / Windsurf — add to your MCP config:
{"command": "uvx", "args": ["--from", "indiestack", "indiestack-mcp"]}Persistent install:
pipx install indiestack
claude mcp add indiestack -- indiestack-mcpCLI (terminal use):
pip install indiestack
indiestack search "analytics"
indiestack details simple-analytics
indiestack stack "auth, payments, email"Tools (23)
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| `find_tools` | Search 6,500+ developer tools with 11 filters: price, health, stars, success rate, language, tags, compatibility |
| `find_compatible` | Find tools compatible with a given tool — grouped by category, with verified stacks and conflict warnings |
| `get_tool_details` | Integration code, pricing, API specs, and compatibility data |
| `scan_project` | Analyze a project description + tech stack, get a complete tool recommendation |
| `report_compatibility` | Report that two tools work well together — builds the compatibility graph |
| `report_outcome` | Report success/failure with `used_with` and `incompatible_with` — feeds the compatibility graph |
| `check_health` | GitHub health audit — maintenance grade, last commit, stars, alternatives for stale tools |
| `list_categories` | Browse all 25 categories |
| `compare_tools` | Side-by-side comparison of any two tools |
| `build_stack` | Turn a 50,000-token generation into a 2,000-token assembly |
| `publish_tool` | Submit a developer tool so other agents can recommend it |
| `browse_new_tools` | Recently added tools with pagination |
| `list_tags` | All tags sorted by popularity |
| `get_market_gaps` | Top unmet needs — what developers search for but can't find |
| `list_stacks` | Curated stacks for common use cases |
| `analyze_dependencies` | Scan package.json/requirements.txt for better alternatives |
| `evaluate_build_vs_buy` | Financial breakdown: build from scratch vs use what exists |
| `get_recommendations` | Personalized suggestions based on your search history |
Resources
| Resource | What it provides |
|---|---|
| `indiestack://categories` | All 25 categories with slugs for filtering |
| `indiestack://trending` | Top 10 trending developer tools this week |
| `indiestack://tools-index` | Complete index for prompt caching — include once, reference forever |
Prompts
| Prompt | When to use |
|---|---|
| `before-you-build` | Check IndieStack before building common functionality |
| `find-alternatives` | Find indie alternatives to mainstream SaaS products |
| `save-tokens` | Audit your project for token-saving opportunities |
| `architect-feature` | Plan a feature using existing indie building blocks |
| `discover-indie` | Explore what indie developers have built |
What's new in v1.19
- Package validation — `validate_package()` verifies packages exist and are safe before installation. Catches hallucinated and typosquatted packages.
- Guardrail-first design — Built for AI agents that need to validate dependencies, not just discover them.
Recent highlights
- Migration intelligence — Tool details include real migration data from 4,500+ GitHub repos.
- 93,000+ verified package combinations from production repos.
- Trust-weighted search — Tools with higher agent success rates rank higher.
- Market gaps — `get_market_gaps()` exposes zero-result queries ranked by search volume.
Links
MIT License
Frequently asked questions
What is indiestack?
indiestack is Dependency guardrail for AI coding agents — validates packages, catches hallucinations, 6,500+ developer tools. MCP server + CLI + web.
How do I install indiestack?
Open the GitHub repository and follow its README. Most MCP servers are added to your client's MCP config, then called by your agent.
Is indiestack open source?
Yes — it is hosted on GitHub at https://github.com/Pattyboi101/indiestack and has 4 stars.
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