toolcairn-mcp
MCP server that helps AI agents find, compare, and verify the right tools for any build task — across 35+ open-source registries.
Install / Use
claude mcp add neurynae -- npx -y github:neurynae/toolcairn-mcpIf the server publishes to npm under a different name, use that package instead — check the repo README.
MCP Server
Model Context Protocol server
Quality Score
Category
Development & EngineeringSupported Platforms
Tags
Our assessment of toolcairn-mcp
toolcairn-mcp scores 78/100 on our quality scale, 3640th of 4,650 Development & Engineering skills we index.
Its MCP Server is 12 KB long, well organised into 25 sections with 5 code examples: a thorough specification that gives an agent plenty to work with.
It has 3 GitHub stars, so there is little community track record yet; judge it on its content.
Maintenance, license and trust
- The repository was last updated about 4 months ago. That is recent enough to be usable, but agent tooling moves fast, so check the instructions against your agent's current version.
- Our last check on 2026-09-23 found the source still online.
- It is released under the MIT license, a permissive license that allows use, modification and commercial use with attribution.
- Its trust signals score 90/100, with 1 caution from licensing, adoption, age or documentation. These come from repository metadata, not a code audit — read the skill file before letting an agent act on it.
Safety scan
No issues foundOur scan of the whole file found no instruction hijacking, hidden characters, credential access, data exfiltration or destructive commands. An AI review of the same text found nothing harmful.
AI review by kimi-k2.7-code on 2026-10-06. Automated pattern scan on 2026-10-06. It catches known dangerous patterns, not every risk — read a skill before letting an agent act on it.
toolcairn-mcp compared with similar skills
All 4 of these similar skills score higher than toolcairn-mcp; compare them before choosing.
| Skill | Score | Stars | Updated | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| toolcairn-mcp (this skill)by neurynae | 78 | 3 | 4mo ago | MCP Server |
| taste-skillby Leonxlnx | 100 | 111.7k | today | CLAUDE.md |
| Agent-Reachby Panniantong | 100 | 110.0k | today | CLAUDE.md |
| headroomby headroomlabs-ai | 100 | 79.1k | today | CLAUDE.md |
| ai-job-searchby ai-job-search-dev | 100 | 70.3k | today | CLAUDE.md |
Frequently asked questions
- How do I install toolcairn-mcp?
- Run
claude mcp add neurynae -- npx -y github:neurynae/toolcairn-mcp. The install tabs above show the steps for each supported agent. - Which AI agents does toolcairn-mcp work with?
- It is written for Claude Code and Claude Desktop, as a MCP Server file. Other agents that read the same format can often use it too.
- Is toolcairn-mcp safe to use?
- Our scan of the whole file found no instruction hijacking, hidden characters, credential access, data exfiltration or destructive commands. An AI review of the same text found nothing harmful. It is MIT-licensed and scores 90/100 on trust signals. Skills are instructions an agent will follow, so read the file before installing it and do not approve commands you do not understand.
- Is toolcairn-mcp still maintained?
- The repository was last updated about 4 months ago. That is recent enough to be usable, but agent tooling moves fast, so check the instructions against your agent's current version.
Skill content
View source on GitHub@neurynae/toolcairn-mcp
Source for
@neurynae/toolcairn-mcpon npm. Install via the package, not from this repo.
ToolCairn is an MCP server that connects your AI coding agent to a continuously-updated graph of 30,000+ open-source tools across npm, PyPI, Cargo, Maven, Go, Composer, RubyGems, NuGet, Homebrew, and 35+ more registries. Search, compare, build stacks, and check version compatibility — all from inside Claude Code, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client.
<p align="center"> <img src="./assets/architecture.png" alt="How it connects: Your AI Agent ↔ toolcairn-mcp ↔ ToolCairn Cloud" width="100%"> </p>Concrete example. Your agent receives "I need a fast HTTP client for Node" → it calls
search_tools→ ToolCairn returns ranked candidates with maintenance and community signals, alternatives, and a warning if the top pick has questionable activity. No more guessing from blog posts and stale tutorials.
The MCP server runs locally as a stdio child of your agent. Tool calls travel over MCP to this package, which proxies the network-bound ones to the ToolCairn Cloud API and handles the local-only ones (project scan, config, audit log) on disk.
Why ToolCairn?
Plain web search and LLM training data are insufficient for tool selection — knowledge cutoffs miss latest releases, search engines surface tutorials over authoritative ranking, and version-compatibility answers live in scattered issue threads.
ToolCairn fixes this with three things you can't get from raw registry APIs:
- Graph-aware ranking — recommendations consider how tools relate to each other (dependencies, integrations, replacements, conflicts), not just popularity.
- Version-aware compatibility — declared peer ranges and cross-registry version metadata give you "Next.js 14 needs React 18.x" instead of "they're both popular, probably fine?"
- A continuous learning loop — every accepted, rejected, or replaced recommendation feeds back into the graph, so quality improves with use.
Quick Start
Step 1. Create a free account at toolcairn.neurynae.com/signup.
Step 2. Add to your MCP config and restart your agent:
{
"mcpServers": {
"toolcairn": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["@neurynae/toolcairn-mcp"]
}
}
}
Step 3. A browser window opens for sign-in on first start. Once you confirm, all tools are available immediately — no further setup.
Requires Node.js 22+.
Setup — Claude Code
The fastest path:
claude mcp add toolcairn -- npx @neurynae/toolcairn-mcp
Or paste the JSON block above into ~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json under mcpServers.
Other MCP-compatible clients (Cursor, Claude Desktop, VS Code Copilot, Windsurf, Zed, …) work with the same
npx @neurynae/toolcairn-mcpcommand — see the docs for client-specific config locations.
What you can do
Find a tool
Your agent receives "I need a real-time analytics database for event tracking" → calls search_tools → gets ranked candidates (ClickHouse, TimescaleDB, InfluxDB, …) with maintenance signals. If the intent is ambiguous, the response carries clarification questions; the agent answers via search_tools_respond and gets refined results.
Build a stack
Your agent receives "Help me architect a full-stack TypeScript SaaS" → calls refine_requirement to decompose, then get_stack with the per-layer needs → gets a 3–5 tool stack (web framework + database + auth + payments) with a version-compatibility matrix showing which versions work together across the stack.
Compare options
"Express vs Fastify for a REST API?" → compare_tools returns side-by-side health (stars, maintenance score, last commit, open issues, contributor trends), graph relationships (what each integrates with, what they replace), and a recommendation grounded in your stated use case.
Check version compatibility
"I want to upgrade Next.js to 14 but keep React 17." → check_compatibility evaluates declared peer ranges and returns satisfied/unsatisfied checks with the source (declared_dependency / graph_edges / shared_neighbors).
Track project tools
On first session, toolcairn_init walks your repo, parses every manifest (package.json, requirements.txt, pyproject.toml, Cargo.toml, go.mod, pom.xml, Gemfile, composer.json, …), classifies each tool against the ToolCairn graph, and writes a local .toolcairn/ snapshot. Subsequent sessions read this snapshot first — your agent stops re-searching for things it already knows about.
Available Tools
The MCP server exposes 16 tools, grouped by purpose. Most are local (no network) or fire-and-forget; the search, compare, and stack tools call the ToolCairn API.
Discovery
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| search_tools | Natural-language search with health signals and alternatives. May ask clarifying questions when intent is ambiguous. |
| search_tools_respond | Submit answers to refine an in-progress search. |
| refine_requirement | Decompose a vague use-case ("build a SaaS") into specific, searchable sub-needs. |
| verify_suggestion | Check whether the agent's tool picks are actually indexed in the ToolCairn graph. |
Stacks & Compatibility
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| get_stack | Compose a complementary tool stack with a cross-version compatibility matrix. |
| compare_tools | Head-to-head: health metrics, graph relationships, and a recommendation. |
| check_compatibility | Version-aware peer-range check between two tools. |
Project Configuration
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| toolcairn_init | Discover project roots, scan manifests, classify tools, write .toolcairn/. |
| read_project_config | Load the local .toolcairn/config.json snapshot (confirmed tools, pending items, audit log). |
| update_project_config | Atomically add, remove, or update a tool — every mutation is audited. |
Feedback Loop
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| report_outcome | Fire-and-forget: did the recommended tool work out? Closes the learning loop. |
| feedback | Agent feedback on ToolCairn itself. Call ONLY when a ToolCairn response was wrong, broken, low-quality, or missed something — never for positive feedback. Free of daily quota. |
| suggest_graph_update | Submit a new tool, edge, or use-case for admin review (staged, never auto-promoted). |
| check_issue | Last resort. Search a tool's GitHub issues for known bugs — only after 4+ retries and a docs review. |
Session
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| classify_prompt | Local: decide whether a tool search is needed at all (skips ToolCairn for non-tool prompts). |
| toolcairn_auth | Manage local sign-in: login / status / logout. |
Configuration
| Environment variable | Default | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| TOOLCAIRN_TRACKING_ENABLED | true | Set false to disable usage event logging (see Privacy). |
| LOG_LEVEL | info | Set debug for verbose stdio diagnostics. |
| MCP_TRANSPORT | stdio | Set http for HTTP transport (advanced). |
Where things live
- Credentials →
~/.toolcairn/credentials.json(mode0600, 90-day expiry). - Per-project state →
.toolcairn/{config.json, audit-log.jsonl, tracker.html}at each detected project root.
The tracker.html file is a self-contained dashboard — open it in any browser to see every tool call, pending evaluation, and audit entry in real time.
Session management
Your sign-in lives at ~/.toolcairn/credentials.json and lasts 90 days. From inside your agent:
toolcairn_auth { action: "status" } # check current sign-in
toolcairn_auth { action: "logout" } # clear credentials
To re-authenticate, simply restart your agent — the sign-in flow opens automatically.
Privacy & telemetry
We're explicit about what leaves your machine.
Sent to ToolCairn (when tracking is enabled):
- Tool name, duration, and success/error status — for service health and product analytics.
- Never full prompts, response bodies, or project file contents.
Stays local:
- Every audit entry (
.toolcairn/audit-log.jsonl). - Project state and tool snapshots.
- Your credentials file.
Opt out at any time:
TOOLCAIRN_TRACKING_ENABLED=false
Tools still work normally; only the lightweight usage events are skipped.
Full privacy policy: toolcairn.neurynae.com/privacy.
Troubleshooting
Browser doesn't open for sign-in. Copy the URL printed to stderr and visit it manually; enter the device code shown.
Module not found or version errors. Confirm Node 22+ with node --version.
Behind a corporate proxy. Set HTTPS_PROXY — npx and the MCP server respect it.
Self-hosted backend. Set TOOLPILOT_API_URL=https://your-host.
Sign-in expired. Restart your agent — the device-code flow re-runs automatically.
Verbose logs. Set LOG_LEVEL=debug.
What is the agent doing? Open .toolcairn/tracker.html in your browser for an auto-refreshing dashboard of every tool call.
CLI: scan
A standalone health scan that doesn't start the MCP server:
npx @neurynae/toolcairn-mcp scan [dir]
Reads dependency manifests in [dir] (default: current directory) — package.json, requirements.txt, pyproject.toml, Cargo.toml — and reports health, alternatives, and warnings for each declared dependency.
Add --json for machine-readable output.
Links
- Website: toolcairn.neurynae.com
- Docs: toolcairn.neurynae.com/docs
- npm: @neurynae/toolcairn-mcp
- GitHub: neurynae/toolcairn-mcp
- Issues: github.com/neurynae/toolcairn-mcp/issues
- Security: responsible disclosure to
security@neurynae.com
Contributing
Issues and feature requests are welcome at github.com/neurynae/toolcairn-mcp/issues.
The graph engine, search pipeline, and indexer are closed-source. This repository contains the public MCP client and project-config layer that runs on user machines.
License
MIT — © 2026 NEURYNAE. See [LICEN
Truncated for display — read the full file on GitHub.
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Languages
Trust signals
From repository metadata: license, adoption, age and documentation. Not a code audit — see the Safety scan above for what the skill file itself contains.
