idea-reality-mcp-validation

Skill by ara.so — MCP Skills collection.

idea-reality-mcp is an MCP server that validates project ideas before you write code. It scans GitHub, Hacker News, npm, PyPI, Product Hunt, and Stack Overflow to return a 0–100 reality score, trend detection, top competitors, and pivot suggestions.

Installation

Quick Start (uvx)

bash

uvx idea-reality-mcp

Add to Claude Code

bash

claude mcp add idea-reality -- uvx idea-reality-mcp

Add to Claude Desktop / Cursor

Edit your MCP config file:

macOS:

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows:

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Cursor:

.cursor/mcp.json

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "idea-reality": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["idea-reality-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Smithery (Remote)

bash

npx -y @smithery/cli install idea-reality-mcp --client claude

Setup & Configuration

First-Time Setup

bash

idea-reality setup

Interactive wizard that:

Shows terms acceptance
Detects your platform (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.)
Generates config snippet
Runs health check

Platform-Specific Config

bash

idea-reality config              # interactive menu
idea-reality config claude_code  # auto-installs
idea-reality config cursor       # prints Cursor config
idea-reality config raw_json     # generic MCP JSON

Health Check

bash

idea-reality doctor        # core checks (~2s)
idea-reality doctor --full # + API validation, all 6 sources

Optional Environment Variables

bash

export GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_...        # Higher GitHub API rate limits
export PRODUCTHUNT_TOKEN=...       # Enable Product Hunt (deep mode)

Core MCP Tool:

idea_check

Tool Schema

Parameters:

```
idea_text
```
(string, required): Natural-language description of your idea
```
depth
```
(string, optional):
```
"quick"
```
(default) or
```
"deep"
```

Modes:

```
quick
```
: GitHub + Hacker News (< 3 seconds)
```
deep
```
: All 6 sources (GitHub, HN, npm, PyPI, Product Hunt, Stack Overflow)

Using from AI Agent

When a user says "check if this idea already exists", use the

idea_check

tool:

json

{
  "tool": "idea_check",
  "arguments": {
    "idea_text": "a CLI tool that converts Figma designs to React components",
    "depth": "deep"
  }
}

Response Structure

json

{
  "reality_signal": 72,
  "duplicate_likelihood": "high",
  "trend": "accelerating",
  "sub_scores": {
    "market_momentum": 73
  },
  "evidence": [
    {
      "source": "github",
      "type": "repo_count",
      "query": "figma react converter CLI",
      "count": 342
    },
    {
      "source": "github",
      "type": "max_stars",
      "query": "figma react converter",
      "count": 15000
    },
    {
      "source": "hackernews",
      "type": "mention_count",
      "query": "figma react",
      "count": 18
    },
    {
      "source": "npm",
      "type": "package_count",
      "query": "figma-react",
      "count": 56
    },
    {
      "source": "pypi",
      "type": "package_count",
      "query": "figma-react",
      "count": 23
    },
    {
      "source": "producthunt",
      "type": "product_count",
      "query": "figma react",
      "count": 8
    },
    {
      "source": "stackoverflow",
      "type": "question_count",
      "query": "figma react converter",
      "count": 120
    }
  ],
  "top_similars": [
    {
      "name": "figma-to-react/figma-to-react",
      "url": "https://github.com/figma-to-react/figma-to-react",
      "stars": 15000,
      "description": "Convert Figma designs to React components"
    }
  ],
  "pivot_hints": [
    "High competition. Consider a niche differentiator like supporting design tokens or specific component libraries.",
    "The leading project may have gaps in TypeScript support or accessibility features."
  ]
}

REST API (No MCP Required)

Python Client

python

import httpx

response = httpx.post(
    "https://idea-reality-mcp.onrender.com/api/check",
    json={
        "idea_text": "AI code review tool",
        "depth": "deep"
    },
    timeout=30.0
)

result = response.json()
print(f"Reality Score: {result['reality_signal']}/100")
print(f"Trend: {result['trend']}")
print(f"Top Competitor: {result['top_similars'][0]['name']} ({result['top_similars'][0]['stars']} ⭐)")

cURL

bash

curl -X POST https://idea-reality-mcp.onrender.com/api/check \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "idea_text": "a markdown-based static site generator with live reload",
    "depth": "quick"
  }'

Common Patterns

Pre-Build Validation

Before starting a new project:

python

# User says: "I want to build a CLI tool for GitHub issue management"
# Agent calls:
{
  "tool": "idea_check",
  "arguments": {
    "idea_text": "CLI tool for GitHub issue management with labels and milestones",
    "depth": "deep"
  }
}

# If reality_signal > 80:
#   → Suggest niche differentiation or pivot
# If reality_signal 40-80:
#   → Validate unique features, check top_similars
# If reality_signal < 40:
#   → Green light, low competition

Feature Validation

Check if a feature is already widely implemented:

json

{
  "tool": "idea_check",
  "arguments": {
    "idea_text": "add real-time collaborative editing to my markdown editor",
    "depth": "quick"
  }
}

Market Trend Analysis

Understand if a space is growing or declining:

json

{
  "tool": "idea_check",
  "arguments": {
    "idea_text": "browser automation library using Chrome DevTools Protocol",
    "depth": "deep"
  }
}

Check the

trend

field:

```
"accelerating"
```
→ Growing market, act fast
```
"stable"
```
→ Mature market, differentiation critical
```
"declining"
```
→ Consider pivoting

Auto-Trigger in Agent Instructions

Add to

.cursorrules

CLAUDE.md

, or

.github/copilot-instructions.md

markdown

When starting a new project, use the idea_check MCP tool to check if similar projects already exist.

CI/CD Integration

GitHub Action for Pull Requests

Create

.github/workflows/idea-check.yml

yaml

name: Idea Reality Check
on:
  issues:
    types: [opened]

jobs:
  check:
    if: contains(github.event.issue.labels.*.name, 'proposal')
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: mnemox-ai/idea-check-action@v1
        with:
          idea: ${{ github.event.issue.title }}
          github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

This auto-validates feature proposals labeled

proposal

Interpreting Results

Reality Signal (0–100)

0–30: Low competition, potentially novel idea
31–60: Moderate competition, validate unique angle
61–85: High competition, niche differentiation required
86–100: Saturated market, strong pivot recommended

Duplicate Likelihood

```
low
```
: Few similar projects found
```
medium
```
: Several similar projects exist
```
high
```
: Many similar projects, established category
```
very_high
```
: Extremely crowded space

Market Momentum (sub_scores)

Measures recent growth in the space:

< 40: Declining interest
40–60: Stable
> 60: Growing/accelerating

Scoring Weights

Quick Mode

Source	Weight
GitHub repos	60%
GitHub stars	20%
Hacker News	20%

Deep Mode

Source	Weight
GitHub repos	22%
GitHub stars	9%
Hacker News	14%
npm	18%
PyPI	13%
Product Hunt	14%
Stack Overflow	10%

If a source fails, weights redistribute automatically.

Troubleshooting

"MCP server not found"

Cursor/Claude Desktop:

Restart the application completely
Check config file location and syntax
Run
```
idea-reality doctor
```

Claude Code:

bash

claude mcp list  # verify installation
claude mcp remove idea-reality
claude mcp add idea-reality -- uvx idea-reality-mcp

"GitHub API rate limit exceeded"

Set a GitHub token:

bash

export GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_your_token_here
idea-reality doctor --full  # verify

Generate token at: https://github.com/settings/tokens (no scopes needed for public data)

"Product Hunt data missing (deep mode)"

Product Hunt requires authentication:

bash

export PRODUCTHUNT_TOKEN=your_token_here

Or use

depth: "quick"

which skips Product Hunt.

"Irrelevant results"

The tool uses 3-stage keyword extraction. If results are off:

Be more specific in
```
idea_text
```
:
- ❌ "productivity app"
- ✅ "CLI time-tracking tool for developers with Git integration"
Report the issue: https://github.com/mnemox-ai/idea-reality-mcp/issues/new?template=inaccurate-result.yml

"Tool call timeout"

Deep mode can take 10–15 seconds. Increase timeout:

python

# Python httpx client
httpx.post(..., timeout=30.0)

Or use

depth: "quick"

(< 3 seconds).

Example Workflows

1. Pre-Project Kickoff

markdown

User: "I want to build a Rust-based SQL formatter with auto-fix"

Agent:
1. Call idea_check with depth="deep"
2. If reality_signal > 70:
   - Show top competitors (e.g. sqlformat, prettier-plugin-sql)
   - Suggest niches from pivot_hints (e.g. Rust performance angle)
3. If reality_signal < 50:
   - Proceed with project scaffolding

2. Feature Gap Analysis

markdown

User: "Should I add Vim keybindings to my editor?"

Agent:
1. Call idea_check: "text editor with vim keybindings"
2. Check evidence[].count for npm/PyPI packages
3. High count → already solved, suggest integration
4. Low count → potential differentiator

3. Market Validation

markdown

User: "Is AI code review still worth building?"

Agent:
1. Call idea_check with depth="deep"
2. Check trend field
3. If "accelerating" → market growing, move fast
4. If "declining" → suggest pivot to specific niche

Advanced Usage

Batch Validation

python

import httpx

ideas = [
    "AI-powered commit message generator",
    "Real-time Markdown collaboration",
    "GitHub issue templates manager"
]

async with httpx.AsyncClient() as client:
    tasks = [
        client.post(
            "https://idea-reality-mcp.onrender.com/api/check",
            json={"idea_text": idea, "depth": "quick"}
        )
        for idea in ideas
    ]
    results = await asyncio.gather(*tasks)

for idea, resp in zip(ideas, results):
    data = resp.json()
    print(f"{idea}: {data['reality_signal']}/100 ({data['trend']})")

Custom Analysis

python

def should_build(result: dict) -> str:
    score = result['reality_signal']
    trend = result['trend']
    
    if score < 40:
        return "BUILD: Low competition, novel idea"
    elif score < 70 and trend == "accelerating":
        return "BUILD WITH NICHE: Growing market, differentiate"
    elif score > 85:
        return "PIVOT: Saturated market"
    else:
        return "RESEARCH: Validate unique angle"

response = httpx.post(...)
verdict = should_build(response.json())

Best Practices

Always use
idea_check
before scaffolding — prevents wasted effort
Start with
depth="quick"
— faster iteration, upgrade to deep if uncertain
Read
pivot_hints
— often contains actionable niche suggestions
Check
top_similars
— study competitors before building
Monitor
trend
— timing matters as much as uniqueness
Set
GITHUB_TOKEN
— avoids rate limits on larger scans

Resources

GitHub: https://github.com/mnemox-ai/idea-reality-mcp
PyPI: https://pypi.org/project/idea-reality-mcp/
Web Demo: https://mnemox.ai/check/
CI Action: https://github.com/mnemox-ai/idea-check-action

idea-reality-mcp-validation

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

idea-reality-mcp-validation

Installation

Quick Start (uvx)

Add to Claude Code

Add to Claude Desktop / Cursor

Smithery (Remote)

Setup & Configuration

First-Time Setup

Platform-Specific Config

Health Check

Optional Environment Variables

Core MCP Tool: idea_check

Tool Schema

Using from AI Agent

Response Structure

REST API (No MCP Required)

Python Client

cURL

Common Patterns

Pre-Build Validation

Feature Validation

Market Trend Analysis

Auto-Trigger in Agent Instructions

CI/CD Integration

GitHub Action for Pull Requests

Interpreting Results

Reality Signal (0–100)

Duplicate Likelihood

Market Momentum (sub_scores)

Scoring Weights

Quick Mode

Deep Mode

Troubleshooting

"MCP server not found"

"GitHub API rate limit exceeded"

"Product Hunt data missing (deep mode)"

"Irrelevant results"

"Tool call timeout"

Example Workflows

1. Pre-Project Kickoff

2. Feature Gap Analysis

3. Market Validation

Advanced Usage

Batch Validation

Custom Analysis

Best Practices

Resources

Core MCP Tool:
`idea_check`