Stop your AI agent from rebuilding what already exists. An opinionated MCP server that checks GitHub, npm and Python repos for maintained alternatives before you scaffold.
reuse-before-generate
以下摘录自该仓库的 README(片段) · 在 GitHub 读完整 README →
*Your idea probably already exists. Find out before you build it, not after.*
When you ask an AI coding assistant to build an app or module, it overenthusiastically starts scaffolding thousands of lines of code from scratch—even when battle-tested open-source libraries or maintained tools already exist.
reuse-before-generate is a zero-dependency MCP server (and CLI tool) that intercepts the AI workflow before code generation begins. It searches public code and package indexes across multiple angles, formats results as structured Markdown, and directs the AI to search the web for existing SaaS products and community discussions.
Sources checked
The server checks these sources in parallel:
| Source | What it searches |
| --- | --- |
| GitHub | Public repositories |
| GitLab | Public projects |
| Show HN | Hacker News product & project launches |
| Flathub | Linux desktop GUI applications |
| F-Droid | Android open-source apps & utilities |
| GNOME Extensions | Desktop shell extensions |
| Homebrew | Curated CLI utilities & formulas |
| AUR | Arch Linux tools, daemons, & scripts |
| PyPI | Python packages & utilities |
| Conda / Bioconda | Conda-forge & Bioconda packages |
| CRAN / Bioconductor | R packages & bioinformatics libraries |
| npm | JavaScript & TypeScript packages |
| crates.io | Rust crates |
| NuGet | .NET packages |
| Hugging Face | AI models & pipelines |
| Docker Hub | Public container images |
| Maven Central | Java artifacts |
| RubyGems | Ruby gems |
| Packagist | PHP packages |
All added sources use public endpoints and do not require API keys. They are queried on a best-effort basis: if one source is unavailable or rate-limited, results from the other sources are still returned. A GitHub token is optional and only raises GitHub's search rate limit.
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Quick Start & Installation
No API keys required to start.
1. Claude Code CLI
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2. Cursor, Claude Desktop, Antigravity, Windsurf, or VS Code
Add this to your mcpServers configuration (e.g. ~/.claude/mcp.json, ~/.gemini/antigravity-ide/mcp_config.json, or Cursor settings):
Optional: Higher GitHub API Limits
You can optionally pass a GitHub token to raise GitHub's rate limits:
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3. Run Directly in Terminal (CLI Mode)
You can run searches directly from your shell without an MCP client: