Read-only search of 900+ reviewed developer tools, each with a verdict and caveats. Free/OSS first.
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Tool list from our last check. Connect live to refresh it.
Ranked shortlist for a use case or category (e.g. "vector database", "coding agents", "auth", "mcp"), free and open source first, each with verdict and Catch. Falls back to search when no list matches.
What the tool is for, e.g. "self-hosted auth" or "kubernetes"
Ranked shortlist for a use case or category (e.g. "vector database", "coding agents", "auth", "mcp"), free and open source first, each with verdict and Catch. Falls back to search when no list matches.
| Argument | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| limit | integer | |
| use_case* | string | What the tool is for, e.g. "self-hosted auth" or "kubernetes" |
{
"type": "object",
"required": [
"use_case"
],
"properties": {
"limit": {
"type": "integer",
"default": 10,
"maximum": 25,
"minimum": 1
},
"use_case": {
"type": "string",
"description": "What the tool is for, e.g. \"self-hosted auth\" or \"kubernetes\""
}
},
"additionalProperties": false
}Free and open-source alternatives to a tool from the same category, with verdict and Catch. Works for any slug in the catalog.
| Argument | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| slug* | string | Tool slug, e.g. "cursor" |
| limit | integer |
{
"type": "object",
"required": [
"slug"
],
"properties": {
"slug": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Tool slug, e.g. \"cursor\""
},
"limit": {
"type": "integer",
"default": 8,
"maximum": 15,
"minimum": 1
}
},
"additionalProperties": false
}Full Stack Gems review of one tool by slug: what is good, the Catch, verdict, license, repo health, plus links to its best-of list and alternatives.
| Argument | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| slug* | string | Tool slug, e.g. "ollama" (from search_gems) |
{
"type": "object",
"required": [
"slug"
],
"properties": {
"slug": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Tool slug, e.g. \"ollama\" (from search_gems)"
}
},
"additionalProperties": false
}The catalog vocabulary: stacks (categories), best-of lists with counts, and the tag vocabulary with counts. Use the slugs as filters in search_gems.
No arguments.
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {},
"additionalProperties": false
}Search the Stack Gems catalog of reviewed developer tools. Matches name, tagline, verdict, Catch, subcategory and tags. Filters combine with AND. Returns verdict and the first sentence of the Catch for each hit.
| Argument | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| tag | string | Comma list of tags, all must match (see list_categories), e.g. "mcp,self-host" |
| sort | string | curated = free/OSS first |
| limit | integer | |
| query | string | Free text, e.g. "postgres backup" or "browser automation" |
| pricing | string | |
| category | string | |
| subcategory | string | Subcategory slug or label, e.g. "coding-agents" |
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"tag": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Comma list of tags, all must match (see list_categories), e.g. \"mcp,self-host\""
},
"sort": {
"enum": [
"curated",
"catalog",
"new",
"stars",
"trending",
"name"
],
"type": "string",
"default": "curated",
"description": "curated = free/OSS first"
},
"limit": {
"type": "integer",
"default": 10,
"maximum": 50,
"minimum": 1
},
"query": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Free text, e.g. \"postgres backup\" or \"browser automation\""
},
"pricing": {
"enum": [
"free",
"freemium",
"paid",
"open-source",
"source-available"
],
"type": "string"
},
"category": {
"enum": [
"agents",
"nextjs",
"python",
"shopify",
"databases",
"devops",
"design",
"observability",
"rust",
"payments",
"comms",
"notifications",
"libraries"
],
"type": "string"
},
"subcategory": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Subcategory slug or label, e.g. \"coding-agents\""
}
},
"additionalProperties": false
}