kitfunso Search First
Research before coding. Check for existing solutions before writing custom code.
Workflow
1. Need Analysis
- What functionality is needed?
- What are the constraints (size, license, dependencies)?
- Is this a solved problem?
2. Search Sources (in order)
- Package registries — npm, PyPI, crates.io for the relevant language
- MCP servers — Check if an MCP integration exists
- GitHub — Search for existing implementations
- Existing codebase — Check if something similar already exists in the project
3. Evaluate Candidates
Score on: functionality match, maintenance status, community size, documentation quality, license compatibility, dependency footprint.
4. Decision Matrix
| Situation | Action |
|---|---|
| Exact match, well-maintained, MIT/Apache | ADOPT as-is |
| Partial match, good foundation | EXTEND with wrapper |
| Multiple weak matches | COMPOSE from pieces |
| Nothing suitable | BUILD custom (but informed) |
5. Implement
- If adopting: install, configure, write thin wrapper if needed
- If building: use discovered patterns as reference, not starting from scratch
Common Shortcuts
| Domain | Go-to libraries |
|---|---|
| HTTP clients | httpx (Python), got/ky (Node) |
| Validation | pydantic (Python), zod (TypeScript) |
| Data processing | pandas, polars |
| AI/LLM | anthropic SDK, langchain (if needed) |
| Testing | pytest, vitest |
| CLI | click/typer (Python), commander (Node) |
Anti-Pattern
Writing 200 lines of custom code for something that pip install X solves in 3 lines. Always check first.