/idea-check
Pre-build reality check. Scans GitHub, HN, npm, PyPI, and Stack Overflow for existing competitors before you build. Use when starting a new project, evaluating a side project idea, or doing a build-vs-buy decision.
$ npx -y skills add mnemox-ai/idea-reality-mcp --skill idea-check --agent claude-codeHow it fires
How this skill gets triggered: by you, by Claude, or both.
- Fires itselfAuto-invocation. Claude auto-loads it when your prompt matches the work.Auto-invocation is when the right skill fires by itself at the right moment, driven by a FLOW.md router and a hook, instead of you invoking it by name. It is the difference between a skill being installed and a skill actually getting used.Read the full definition →
- You can call itInvoke it directly when you want it.
- Slash command
/idea-check
Context preview
The summary Claude sees to decide when to auto-load this skill.
Pre-build reality check. Scans GitHub, HN, npm, PyPI, and Stack Overflow for existing competitors before you build. Use when starting a new project, evaluating a side project idea, or doing a build-vs-buy decision.
SKILL.md
idea-check.SKILL.mdname: idea-check description: Pre-build reality check. Scans GitHub, HN, npm, PyPI, and Stack Overflow for existing competitors before you build. Use when starting a new project, evaluating a side project idea, or doing a build-vs-buy decision.
Idea Reality Check
When to use
- Starting a new project or side project
- Evaluating whether to build or buy
- Researching competitors before a sprint
- Validating a feature idea before implementation
Instructions
1. Ask the user for a natural-language description of their idea 2. Call the `idea_check` MCP tool with the idea text 3. Use `depth="quick"` for fast checks (GitHub + HN), `depth="deep"` for comprehensive analysis (all 5 sources) 4. Present the reality_signal score (0-100) and interpret it:
- **0-30**: Low competition — green light to build
- **31-60**: Moderate competition — differentiation needed
- **61-80**: High competition — find a niche or pivot
- **81-100**: Very high competition — consider contributing to existing projects instead
5. List the top 3 competitors with star counts and descriptions 6. Share the pivot_hints for actionable next steps
How to check if someone already built your app idea — automatically. idea-reality-mcp is an MCP server that scans GitHub, npm, PyPI, Hacker News, and Stack Overflow to check if your startup idea already exists.