# Archestack [Health: Active]

**Category:** 💻 Developer Tools  
**Repository:** https://github.com/archestack/mcp  
**GitHub Stars:** 0  
**Views:** 0  
**Installs:** 0  
**Upvotes:** 0  
**Directory Page:** https://allmcps.com/mcp/archestack

## Description
Search, rank and compare open-source AI projects with Archestack's open data

## Tools
Capabilities this server exposes over MCP:

- **search_projects** — Finds projects by words and filters: list, category, license family, runs without a GPU, arm64 build, live demo
- **get_project** — One project in full: score and its parts, place in its category, GitHub facts, health, links, review
- **top_in_category** — The ranking of one category, best first
- **compare** — 2 to 4 projects side by side
- **alternatives_to** — Open-source picks for a paid product, such as Cursor or ChatGPT

## Claude Desktop Quick Installation
Install path detected from listing signals. Uses `npx` (confidence: high):

```json
"mcpServers": {
  "archestack": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y","@archestack/mcp"],
    "env": {
      "ARCHESTACK_API_URL": ""
    }
  }
}
```

**Requires environment variables:** `ARCHESTACK_API_URL` — the values above are empty placeholders; fill in real credentials before running (see the repository for what each one is for).

## Documentation

## What Archestack MCP server does

The Archestack MCP server gives an AI assistant access to Archestack’s rankings for open-source AI software. Its data covers two areas: self-hosted AI applications and infrastructure, plus tools for building with AI, including coding agents, MCP servers, skills, plugins, and starters.

The server exposes five read-only tools:

- `search_projects` finds projects using words and filters for list, category, license family, GPU-free operation, arm64 builds, and live demos.
- `get_project` returns a project’s score and score components, category position, GitHub facts, health information, links, and review.
- `top_in_category` returns projects in a selected category in ranking order.
- `compare` places two to four projects side by side.
- `alternatives_to` suggests open-source options for a paid product, including examples such as Cursor or ChatGPT.

Use these tools to narrow a project shortlist, investigate one candidate, or compare options before choosing software to deploy or try.

## How it works

The Archestack MCP server runs on the user’s machine and communicates with archestack.com’s open data API. The API serves static JSON, and the server does not contact other services. Requests do not include the user’s questions or server telemetry.

Responses are checked against the JSON Schema published with the API. A schema mismatch produces an error rather than an answer based on invalid data. Requests have an eight-second timeout, two retries with backoff, and an in-memory one-hour cache. Archestack refreshes its data twice daily.

Project results include a `source_url` linking to the relevant Archestack page and a `checked_at` date indicating when project facts were checked on GitHub. The underlying project information includes items such as stars, last commit, license, and Docker files.

## Setup and configuration

Node.js 22 or newer is required. The npm package can be launched with `npx -y @archestack/mcp`, or the repository can be built locally with `npm ci` followed by `npm run build`. A client should then run `node /full/path/to/archestack-mcp/dist/index.js`.

Documented client setup includes Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and VS Code. Cursor and VS Code provide installation links, while Claude Code uses `claude mcp add`. Claude Desktop and Cursor accept an `mcpServers` configuration entry.

`ARCHESTACK_API_URL` can point the server to another copy of the API. The project’s tests use this setting with a local API copy; it is not needed for the default setup.

## Limitations and notes

The tools are read-only: they do not create, edit, or manage projects. Results depend on Archestack’s published data and refresh schedule, so scores and GitHub facts can change between updates. Each request is limited by the eight-second timeout and retry policy.

The source code is licensed under MIT. Archestack’s data is licensed under CC BY 4.0. If data is published in another work, the README asks users to link the project page supplied in `source_url`.

_Full upstream README: https://allmcps.com/mcp/archestack/readme_