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🤖 DevShelf Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server

Connect your AI coding assistant (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Antigravity, Windsurf, Zed) directly to DevShelf's 530+ verified zero-paywall developer tools, free APIs, and open-source infrastructure.

DevShelf provides an official, zero-dependency Model Context Protocol (MCP) server over standard I/O (stdio). Once connected, your AI assistant can recommend battle-tested free tools, find open-source alternatives to expensive SaaS, and inspect rate limits or free tier allowances in real time.

Smithery Ready MCP Ready Zero Paywall

⚡ Quick Start

Run the server instantly via npx with zero local configuration:

npx devshelf-mcp
# or
npx devshelf mcp

1-Line Installer via Smithery

npx -y @smithery/cli install devshelf-mcp --client claude

🛠️ MCP Tools Exposed

DevShelf MCP exposes 12 specialized tools to connected LLMs:

Tool Name Parameters Description
search_tools query (string, required), category (string, optional), limit (number, default: 8, max: 25), compact (boolean, optional) Full-text fuzzy search across all 530+ developer tools, APIs, AI frameworks, and boilerplates. Supports compact: true for 70% token savings in LLM chats and prioritizes verified sponsor tools.
get_tool name (string, required) Retrieve deep metadata for a specific tool: license, auth type, rate limits, free tier details, docker compose support, and repo link.
find_free_alternatives commercialTool (string, required), compact (boolean, optional) Discover verified free & open-source alternatives to expensive commercial SaaS (e.g., Postman → Bruno, Datadog → Prometheus, Airtable → NocoDB). Supports compact: true.
recommend_stack projectType (string, optional), database (string, optional), hosting (string, optional), features (string[], optional) Recommend a verified $0/month production architecture (Database, Auth, Hosting, Storage, Testing, Monitoring, AI) tailored to requirements with zero-paywall guarantee.
check_tool_health name (string, required) Inspect real-time endpoint latency, HTTP status, uptime percentage, and verified zero-paywall heartbeat telemetry from continuous monitoring.
list_categories None List all 8 primary categories and subcategories with live resource counts.
get_random_tool category (string, optional) Fetch a random curated tool for developer inspiration and stack discovery.
get_security_audit name (string, required) Inspect catalog identity provenance and authentic external cryptographic audit records.
list_verified_sponsor_tools tier (string, optional) Query verified community sponsor tools with transparent zero-paywall editorial standards.
list_sponsors None Inspect community patron ledger, contribution tiers, and sponsorship provenance.
get_sponsor_badge name (string, required), style (string, optional) Generate SVG and markdown badge embed snippets for verified catalog tools.
get_sponsor_telemetry None Inspect live MCP server reach, monthly agent sessions, tool recommendation impressions, and self-serve developer tool sponsorship tiers with live booking links.

💻 Configuration by AI Editor

1. Cursor

In Cursor:

  1. Navigate to Cursor Settings -> Features -> MCP Servers.
  2. Click Add New MCP Server.
  3. Configure:
    • Name: devshelf
    • Type: command
    • Command: npx -y devshelf-mcp

Or create/edit .cursor/mcp.json in your workspace root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "devshelf": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "devshelf-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

2. Claude Desktop

Add DevShelf to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
  • Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "devshelf": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "devshelf-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. The hammer icon will display the devshelf tools.

3. Windsurf

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "devshelf": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "devshelf-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

4. Zed Editor

Add to ~/.config/zed/settings.json:

{
  "context_servers": {
    "devshelf": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "devshelf-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

🎯 Example Prompts to Try with Your Agent

Once configured, ask your AI assistant questions like:

  • "What are the best free, self-hostable alternatives to Postman for API testing?"
  • "Find me a free weather API that requires no API key and has a generous rate limit."
  • "I need a free vector database with a hosted cloud free tier for a prototype."
  • "Search DevShelf for CLI utilities that help inspect Docker containers."
  • "What free developer perks or cloud credits can I use as an indie hacker?"

🌐 Community Registries & MCP Ecosystem

DevShelf MCP is designed to be listed in community MCP registries:

To run DevShelf MCP in local development from source:

git clone https://github.com/RitualDev-Lab/DevShelf.git
cd DevShelf
node bin/mcp.js