npm for agents and humans
packrun.dev
The npm registry for AI agents
Automated package comparisons. Real-time scoring. 50+ categories. MCP server for Cursor & Claude.
Features
- Automated Comparisons - 50+ categories with formula-based scoring
- Real-time Metrics - Downloads, bundle size, maintenance, all live
- Alternative Discovery - Find what to use instead of any package
- MCP Server - Native integration with AI coding assistants
- Sub-50ms Search - Powered by Typesense Cloud
How Scoring Works
Packages are scored automatically (0-100) based on:
| Factor | Weight | What it measures | |--------|--------|------------------| | Downloads | 20% | Weekly downloads + trend direction | | Bundle Size | 20% | Smaller gzip = higher score | | Freshness | 25% | Recent commits and releases | | Community | 10% | Stars, contributors | | Quality | 25% | TypeScript, ESM, security, tree-shaking |
Project Structure
packrun.dev/
โโโ apps/
โ โโโ web/ # Next.js frontend
โ โโโ sync/ # Data sync worker
โ โโโ mcp-server/ # MCP server for AI agents
โโโ packages/
โ โโโ decisions/ # Scoring, categories, comparison engine
โ โโโ agent-utils/ # Conflict detection
โ โโโ ui/ # Shared components
โโโ turbo.json
MCP Server
For AI coding assistants (Cursor, Claude, etc.):
Endpoint: https://mcp.packrun.dev/mcp
Configuration (for Cursor, Claude Desktop, etc.):
{ "mcpServers": { "packrun": { "url": "https://mcp.packrun.dev/mcp" } } }
Tools:
| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | search_packages | Search npm packages | | get_package | Get package metadata | | getpackagehealth | Check maintenance status | | compare_packages | Compare packages with scoring | | find_alternatives | Find alternatives to any package | | getcomparisoncategory | Get category comparison (e.g., "date-library") | | listcomparisoncategories | List all 50+ categories | | validate_install | Check compatibility before installing |
API
Compare Packages
# Compare specific packages
GET /api/compare?packages=axios,got,ky
Get category comparison
GET /api/compare?category=date-library
Find alternatives for a package
GET /api/compare?package=moment
List all categories
GET /api/compare?list=categories
Response Example
{
"category": "date-library",
"recommendation": "date-fns",
"smallestBundle": "dayjs",
"mostPopular": "moment",
"packages": [
{
"name": "date-fns",
"score": 82,
"badges": ["TypeScript", "ESM", "Trending Up"],
"metrics": {
"weeklyDownloads": 20000000,
"downloadTrend": "growing",
"bundleSizeKb": "13.2kb",
"lastCommitDays": 2,
"hasTypes": true
}
},
...
]
}
Categories
50+ categories including:
- HTTP clients: axios, got, ky, node-fetch
- Date libraries: moment, date-fns, dayjs, luxon
- Validation: zod, yup, joi, ajv, valibot
- State management: redux, zustand, jotai, recoil
- ORM: prisma, drizzle, typeorm, sequelize
- Testing: vitest, jest, mocha, ava
- Bundlers: vite, esbuild, webpack, rollup
- Logging: pino, winston, bunyan
- And 40+ more...
Getting Started
Prerequisites
- Bun v1.2+
- Typesense Cloud account
- Redis instance
Installation
git clone https://github.com/your-org/packrun.dev
cd packrun.dev
bun install
Development
bun run dev:web # Web app on :3000
bun run dev:sync # Sync worker
Environment Variables
# Typesense
TYPESENSE_HOST=xxx.typesense.net
TYPESENSE_PORT=443
TYPESENSE_PROTOCOL=https
TYPESENSEAPIKEY=xxx
Optional: GitHub token for higher rate limits
GITHUB_TOKEN=xxx
License
MIT