Global Executables

Global Executables

Check whether a CLI command name is already in use—before you publish it.

Search executable names across npm, PyPI, crates.io, Go modules, Homebrew, Debian, and more from your AI agent or browser.

Try the Playground · Install the MCP server · Read the docs · Browse the data

Why this exists

A package name is not necessarily the command it installs. Searching registries for package names can miss a collision such as a differently named package that already ships your proposed command.

The index preserves the relationship that matters:

command → provider → package → ecosystem → source evidence

Try it now—no installation

Open the [Index Playground](https://asopitech-labs.github.io/global-executables/) to check a name, find similar commands, inspect providers, or review source coverage. The Playground reads the same public JSON dataset as the MCP server, and query data is not sent to a third-party API.

For an AI-assisted check, connect the MCP server below and ask:

I am naming a new CLI. Check `envc`, `evcr`, `evpk`, and `envcp` for exact

collisions and confusingly similar commands. Keep rejected names internal and explain the coverage caveat for every survivor.

The agent can reject envcp with evidence instead of relying on a package-name search: the command is provided on PyPI by both chaperone and envcp.

What you get

The server has no write tools and never installs or executes the software it finds.

Quick start

1. Install uv

The recommended setup uses uv. You do not need to clone this repository, download the dataset, or create an API key.

Verify that uvx is available:

uvx --version

2. Add the MCP server

Choose your client below. The first launch downloads the package from PyPI; later launches reuse uv's cache.

Claude Desktop and Cursor

Add this to claude_desktop_config.json, ~/.cursor/mcp.json, or a project's .cursor/mcp.json:

{

"mcpServers": { "global-executables": { "command": "uvx", "args": ["global-executables", "mcp"] } } }

Claude Code

claude mcp add global-executables -- uvx global-executables mcp

Codex CLI

codex mcp add global-executables -- uvx global-executables mcp

Start a new Codex session after adding the server. See the Codex setup tutorial for registration checks and a source-checkout setup.

VS Code

Add this to .vscode/mcp.json:

{

"servers": { "global-executables": { "type": "stdio", "command": "uvx", "args": ["global-executables", "mcp"] } } }

Docker (any stdio MCP client)

Use this server entry instead of the uvx entry:

{

"command": "docker", "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "ghcr.io/asopitech-labs/global-executables-mcp:latest"] }

The image is public and contains the server, but not a stale copy of the dataset.

3. Ask your agent

Try one of these prompts:

Is the command name `envc` already taken? Check similar names too.

Check `envc`, `evcr`, `evpk`, and `envcp` as possible CLI names. Do not show

rejected candidates; explain the dataset coverage for the survivors.

Which package provides the `ruff` executable, and how should I install it in a

Python 3.12 project virtual environment?

The agent will normally call check_executables for a batch and search_similar_executables for the candidates that remain.

[!IMPORTANT]

found: true means a collision. found: false means only that the current

snapshot contains no match. When status is unknown, partial source coverage

means the name is not proven to be available. Read warnings,

absence.confidence, and coverage_scope before adopting a name.

How it works

Snapshot lookups fetch only the public dictionary branch files a query needs, cache them in the current user's cache directory, and revalidate them with ETag. Cached files remain usable when the network is temporarily unavailable.

uvx global-executables mcp --help lists the same options as flags. The package is published to PyPI from release 1.3.0. See the MCP guide for HTTP transport, offline operation, and running from a source checkout.

MCP tools at a glance

Snapshot lookup tools are read-only. discover_published_package makes bounded live registry and artifact requests without executing package code. On a designated runner configured with Git write access, successful verification also reserves an immutable intake/ branch for central revalidation. The result reports reservation.status; an unconfigured copy reports unavailable and does not claim publication. Neither MCP nor CLI writes the published dictionary directly. The repository's Verify and reserve published package discovery GitHub Actions workflow is the designated runner; it invokes both CLI and MCP before the collector. Installation resolvers return instructions; they never install or execute software. Full inputs and result contracts are documented in the MCP guide.

The scheduled intake collector validates and rechecks reserved evidence before merging it into artifact-data. The regular refresh remains the only writer of the dictionary branch. See the MCP guide for runner configuration and the reservation lifecycle.

Supported ecosystems

Every provider keeps its source and a confidence level (direct, filesystem, or inferred). Coverage differs by ecosystem, so negative results carry explicit coverage metadata instead of pretending that every registry is exhaustive. See Data Sources for collection details and coverage and freshness for the result contract.

Documentation map

Troubleshooting

The client says uvx was not found

Install uv, confirm that uvx --version works in a new terminal, and restart the MCP client so it receives the updated PATH. If the client uses a restricted environment, set the configuration's command to the absolute path reported by command -v uvx (macOS/Linux) or where uvx (Windows).