SkyGlance — What's Flying Above You

Name: SkyGlance — What's Flying Above You
Author: darshjoshi

by darshjoshiversion 0.2.1i★ –iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.darshjoshi/skyglance

Install

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

What's flying above you: live aircraft, identity, routes, and your own sighting history.

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

These three are never merged into one score: opinions, measurements and popularity are different things.

User voiceiNo reviews yetReviews open together with accounts in a later step
Our basic checksi1 of 1 passedChecked from public information; code not scanned yet
UsageiNot measured yet★ –

What you can do with it

We have not written a plain-language summary for this one yet. Below are the facts we read from the registry.

Connection: Runs on your computer
Transport: stdio
Category: Other

Install

Pick the AI app you use, then copy the settings.

Before you install

Basic checks: 1 of 1 passed
Runs on your computer with your user’s permissions (files, network, apps).
You fill in yourself: SKYGLANCE_HOME_LAT, SKYGLANCE_HOME_LON, SKYGLANCE_POLL

You need

PyPIPython’s uv installed (for the uvx command)

Which app do you use?

ClaudeClaude CodeCursorVS CodeChatGPT

Pick your app above. We remember it, so next time the button says “Install in …”.

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config, and paste this into claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "skyglance": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "skyglance"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SKYGLANCE_HOME_LAT": "your-value",
        "SKYGLANCE_HOME_LON": "your-value",
        "SKYGLANCE_POLL": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add skyglance --env SKYGLANCE_HOME_LAT=your-value --env SKYGLANCE_HOME_LON=your-value --env SKYGLANCE_POLL=your-value -- uvx skyglance

Fill in the empty values before running it.

Open in Cursor

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "skyglance": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "skyglance"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SKYGLANCE_HOME_LAT": "your-value",
        "SKYGLANCE_HOME_LON": "your-value",
        "SKYGLANCE_POLL": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

Open in VS Code

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .vscode/mcp.json in your project

{
  "servers": {
    "skyglance": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "skyglance"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SKYGLANCE_HOME_LAT": "your-value",
        "SKYGLANCE_HOME_LON": "your-value",
        "SKYGLANCE_POLL": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

This one runs on your computer, and ChatGPT can only connect to servers on the internet. Pick another app.

Your choice stays on this device in a cookie; no account needed.

Values you fill in

SKYGLANCE_HOME_LAT env
Your latitude. Enables background sighting history.
SKYGLANCE_HOME_LON env
Your longitude. Enables background sighting history.
SKYGLANCE_POLL env
Set to 0 to disable background history recording.

These settings are generated from the maker’s registry entry. If the README says otherwise, follow the README.

What it can do

Runs on your computer; the tool list appears in your AI app after you install it.

Basic checksi

We check information anyone can see; we have not read the code. Checks that do not apply are left out of the count. · Checked Nov 6, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account darshjoshi, which owns the repo
… Not checked yet
Still maintained
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
… Not checked yet
Has a licence
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
– Not applicable
Endpoint responds
This one runs on your computer; there is no internet endpoint
– Not applicable
Sign-in with OAuth
Runs on your computer and uses local settings instead
… Not checked yet
No hidden instructions in tool descriptions
Runs on your computer; we can only read tool lists from internet endpoints

Compared with others in Otheri

More stars than 0% of the other 32505 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 21% of the other 32505 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 32505 servers in this category

Compared with every active server in this category in the registry. Stars count only when the publisher owns the repo.

Common questions

Is SkyGlance — What's Flying Above You safe?

It passed 1 of 1 applicable basic checks. We have not read the code. Before adding a key or token, see what access the server asks for and use a key with only the permissions you need.

What keys or codes does it need?

The registry does not list a required key, though some servers ask you to sign in on first use.

Does it run on my computer or in the cloud?

It runs on your computer. Your AI app starts it when needed, and data does not pass through the maker’s servers (unless it calls an online service itself).

Is it still maintained?

The GitHub repo last changed –, and the latest version (0.2.1) reached the registry 3 months ago.

Which apps can use it?

Apps that support MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code. You also need Python (uv) on your computer.

What can I use instead?

In the same category: Spec Driven Development, Remote Desktop Commander, topo^alpin

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README from the maker

Open the README

Copied from the maker’s repo as written. PopNx MCP has not reviewed or endorsed it. HTML, images and scripts are removed. Links lead off this site.

SkyGlance

Ask Claude what's flying above you.

Live positions, real aircraft identities, routes, photographs — and a memory of everything that's passed over.

Quick Start

claude mcp add skyglance -- uvx --from skyglance skyglance

Then ask Claude: *"What's flying over me right now?"*

Needs uv. Its installation guide covers every platform. No API keys — every data source here is free.

Set your location so you can stop repeating it, and so SkyGlance can build a sighting history:

claude mcp add skyglance \

-e SKYGLANCE_HOME_LAT=40.71 -e SKYGLANCE_HOME_LON=-74.01 \ -- uvx --from skyglance skyglance

Install as a Claude Code plugin

Ships the server together with the sky skill, which teaches Claude how to read elevation angles and how to talk about aircraft to someone who has never spotted one.

/plugin marketplace add darshjoshi/skyglance-mcp

/plugin install skyglance@skyglance

SkyGlance Spotter: the Claude directory edition

The repository root is also a plugin, SkyGlance Spotter (skyglance-spotter), built for Anthropic's Claude plugin directory. It runs the same server from this repository's source and differs in four ways:

Two tools are left out. military_aircraft and privacy_blocked_aircraft aren't included, and search_aircraft has no military filter. Those features exist to follow aircraft whose operators or owners would rather not be followed.
History is opt-in. Sighting history is recorded only after you switch on Record sighting history in the plugin's settings.
Settings instead of environment variables. Home latitude and longitude are optional plugin settings.
History lives in the plugin's data folder. The history database is kept in a folder Claude Code preserves across plugin updates and deletes when you uninstall. The Python environment uv builds on first start sits in the plugin folder and is rebuilt after each update.

/plugin marketplace add darshjoshi/skyglance-mcp

/plugin install skyglance-spotter@skyglance

It needs uv. On first start, uv run --locked installs the exact dependency versions in uv.lock (the MCP SDK, httpx and their dependencies) from PyPI, which takes a few seconds. SkyGlance Spotter works in Claude Code and Cowork. It runs locally, so it isn't available in claude.ai chat.

What you can ask

"What's flying over me right now?"         → ranked by what you'd actually notice

"What's about to pass overhead?" → but only 90 seconds ahead, honestly "What is that plane?" → type, operator, route, photograph "Where is flight UAL123?" → anywhere in the world "Any A380s airborne?" → 44 of them, right now "Any military aircraft near me?" → and any emergencies, worldwide "Have I ever seen this plane before?" → your own history says "What's the closest one ever?" → your personal records "Can I even see anything tonight?" → cloud, visibility, daylight

Why it's shaped this way

"Over you" is an angle, not a distance. A radius filter returns an airliner at 38,000 ft that is 19 km away — sitting 32° above the horizon, a speck near the treeline — and gives it the same weight as a helicopter at 800 ft, at 0.7°, invisible behind buildings. SkyGlance computes the elevation angle, the compass bearing to look, and the slant range, so an answer tells you *where to point your face*.

It won't predict further than it can. Straight-line extrapolation from track and ground speed is accurate to about 0.11 km at 30 seconds. At four minutes the median miss is 6 km and 77% of aircraft are more than 2 km off, because aircraft on approach turn constantly. So countdowns stop at 90 seconds and anything beyond is reported as "inbound" with no number attached.

It knows when it can't see. Free ADS-B coverage comes from volunteers with receivers on their roofs. Dense Europe, US and East Asia get 90–95% of what a commercial feed shows. Oceans, Africa and central Asia get near zero. When results are thin, SkyGlance says so rather than implying an empty sky.

Your coordinates are rounded before they leave. Feed queries are coarsened to two decimal places (~1.1 km) so no volunteer feed operator gets a rooftop-accurate log of where you are and when you're awake. Bearing and elevation are still computed locally from your exact position, so what you're told to look at stays precise. There's a test that fails if an uncoarsened coordinate ever reaches a feed.

The 24 tools

Group	Tools
Overhead	`whats_overhead` · `coming_overhead` · `nearest_aircraft`
Identify	`identify_aircraft` · `track_flight` · `track_history` · `airline_info`
Airports	`airport_activity` · `busiest_airports`
Search the world	`fleet_view` · `search_aircraft` · `global_stats`
Spotting	`military_aircraft` · `emergencies` · `find_by_type` · `interesting_nearby` · `privacy_blocked_aircraft`
Context	`viewing_conditions` · `feed_health`
Your history	`sighting_history` · `is_this_new` · `my_records` · `spotting_stats` · `poller_status`

How this compares to Flightradar24

SkyGlance is a question-answering tool, not a map, so the comparison is about *what you can find out* rather than what you can look at.

	SkyGlance	FR24
Live positions, type, registration, operator, photos	✅	Free
Squawk, vertical speed, aircraft age	✅	Silver
Filters by airline, type, altitude, speed	✅	Silver
Fleet view — every flight one airline has up	✅	Business
Airport activity, busiest airports	✅ observed	Business
Flight path history	✅ ~24 h	90 days – 3 years
Global stats	✅	—
Schedules, delays, gates, ETAs vs timetable	❌	Free
Ocean coverage (satellite ADS-B), MLAT, radar	❌	All tiers
Aeronautical charts, oceanic tracks, ATC boundaries	❌	Gold

The honest summary: for spotting and identification — *what's above me, what is that, where has it been, how many 747s are up* — SkyGlance covers what FR24 charges Silver and Business for, at $0. For travel logistics — *is my flight delayed, what gate* — it cannot compete, because that's licensed schedule data rather than ADS-B. And FR24's satellite network sees oceanic traffic that volunteer receivers simply cannot hear.

So: a strong replacement for the enthusiast half, not for the passenger half.

What it deliberately can't do

Free ADS-B carries positions, not schedules. So there are no delays, no ETAs against a timetable, no gates or terminals, and no way to search "flights from JFK to London today" — route lookup only runs the other way, from a callsign you already have. track_history is a rolling ~24-hour window, not an archive.

These aren't on a roadmap. They're a different data product (Cirium, OAG, FlightAware), and buying one would end the no-API-keys story. The tools refuse these questions explicitly rather than estimating, and the bundled skill tells Claude to do the same.

Sighting history

With SKYGLANCE_HOME_LAT/LON set, SkyGlance polls your sky once a minute in the background and records every pass. That's what makes the questions no live feed can answer possible: *have I seen this tail before, is this type new here, what's the lowest anything has ever come over.*

Stored locally in SQLite at ~/.skyglance/sky.db. Nothing is uploaded anywhere.
Only one process polls, even with several Claude sessions open — a pid-stamped lock enforces it, so volunteer feeds don't get hit N times over.
Turn it off with SKYGLANCE_POLL=0.
Honest limit: passes are inferred from snapshots a minute apart, so a fast low pass between polls isn't recorded. poller_status tells you the interval.

Configuration

Variable	Default	Purpose
`SKYGLANCE_HOME_LAT` / `SKYGLANCE_HOME_LON`	unset	Your location. Enables history recording.
`SKYGLANCE_POLL`	`1`	Background recording. `1`/`true`/`yes`/`on` enable it; anything else disables it.
`SKYGLANCE_POLL_INTERVAL`	`60`	Seconds between polls (minimum 30).
`SKYGLANCE_HOME_DIR`	`~/.skyglance`	Where the database and lock live.
`SKYGLANCE_EDITION`	unset	`directory` gives the SkyGlance Spotter behaviour described above. The plugin sets it.

Where the data comes from

Seven free services, no API keys, $0/month. Full terms in NOTICE.md.

Layer	Services
Positions	adsb.lol · adsb.fi
Identity	adsbdb.com → hexdb.io fallback
Photos	planespotters.net
Conditions	Open-Meteo

Both position feeds are queried in parallel and merged, not failed over. Measured over Newark on 2026-08-02, when a third feed (airplanes.live) was still in the mix: 52 aircraft from the best single source, 61 from the union — 17% more. Merging buys coverage as well as redundancy. airplanes.live has since closed its API to anyone who hasn't contacted them first, so SkyGlance no longer queries it.

Each source sits behind a circuit breaker (three strikes, 30-second cooldown). These are volunteers paying for their own bandwidth, with no SLA and no obligation to anyone. If both fail, the last good snapshot is served flagged stale rather than an error — a 40-second-old aircraft beats a spinner.

Not suitable for anything operational. Dispatch, safety, ATC-adjacent — buy a commercial feed. The upstream terms say the same.

Network access

SkyGlance only makes outbound requests to fetch public aviation data. It sends each service only what the lookup needs: a location rounded to two decimal places (about 1.1 km), or an aircraft identifier, airline code or airport code. It never sends your conversation, files or any account details, and it uses no API keys.

Host	Why
`api.adsb.lol`, `globe.adsb.lol` (and `adsb.lol`)	Live positions near a location, worldwide lookups by type, callsign or registration, and ~24-hour flight paths
`opendata.adsb.fi`	Live positions near a location, merged with adsb.lol
`api.adsbdb.com`	Aircraft identity and flight routes
`hexdb.io`	Aircraft identity, when adsbdb has no record
`api.planespotters.net`	Aircraft photographs, with photographer credit
`api.open-meteo.com`	Cloud, visibility and daylight for viewing conditions
`pypi.org`, `files.pythonhosted.org`	Plugin only: `uv` installs the locked dependencies on first start
`github.com`	Plugin only, and only if no Python 3.10+ is installed: `uv` downloads a standalone Python

Each service has its own terms. NOTICE.md lists them and explains how SkyGlance meets them.

Two development-only files in this repository also make network requests. Neither the server nor the plugin ever runs them:

tools/build_airports.py downloads the public-domain OurAirports CSV from davidmegginson.github.io

Only the beginning is shown; read the rest in the repo

SkyGlance — What's Flying Above You

Overview

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

What you can do with it

Install

Before you install

Values you fill in

What it can do

Basic checksi

Maker matches the repo

Still maintained

Has a licence

Endpoint responds

Sign-in with OAuth

No hidden instructions in tool descriptions

Compared with others in Otheri

Common questions

Alternatives

Spec Driven Development

Remote Desktop Commander

topo^alpin

README from the maker

Quick Start

Install as a Claude Code plugin

SkyGlance Spotter: the Claude directory edition

What you can ask

Why it's shaped this way

The 24 tools

How this compares to Flightradar24

What it deliberately can't do

Sighting history

Configuration

Where the data comes from

Network access