Idea Reality Check
Scans existing projects across GitHub, Hacker News, npm, PyPI, and Stack Overflow. Returns a reality_signal score (0-100) indicating how much prior art already exists for a given idea.
When to Use
- Before starting a new project — check if it already exists
- User asks "has anyone built X?" or "does X exist?"
- Validating competition or market saturation for an idea
- Comparing existing solutions before deciding to build
- Works with English and Traditional Chinese input
How It Works
- Extracts keywords from the idea description (dictionary-based, no LLM dependency)
- Queries sources in parallel based on depth mode
- Computes a weighted
reality_signal score using log-curve continuous scoring
- Returns evidence, similar projects, and actionable pivot hints
Depth Modes
| Mode |
Sources |
Weights |
quick |
GitHub + HN |
repos 60%, stars 20%, HN 20% |
deep |
GitHub + HN + npm + PyPI + Stack Overflow |
repos 25%, stars 10%, HN 15%, npm 20%, PyPI 15%, PH 15% |
Usage
Quick mode (default)
idea_check(idea_text="CLI tool for managing Docker containers", depth="quick")
Deep mode
idea_check(idea_text="MCP server for stock trading memory", depth="deep")
Parameters
| Parameter |
Type |
Required |
Default |
Description |
idea_text |
str |
Yes |
— |
Natural-language description of the idea |
depth |
"quick" | "deep" |
No |
"quick" |
Source coverage level |
Output Format
{
"reality_signal": 42,
"duplicate_likelihood": "medium",
"sub_scores": {
"competition_density": 55,
"market_maturity": 30,
"community_buzz": 20,
"ecosystem_depth_npm": 45,
"ecosystem_depth_pypi": 38,
"product_launches": 12,
"market_momentum": 65
},
"trend": "stable",
"evidence": [
{
"source": "github",
"type": "repo_count",
"query": "docker cli",
"count": 120,
"detail": "120 repos found across queries",
"queried_at": "2026-03-14T10:00:00+00:00"
}
],
"top_similars": [
{
"name": "lazydocker",
"url": "https://github.com/jesseduffield/lazydocker",
"stars": 35000,
"updated": "2026-03-10",
"description": "The lazier way to manage everything docker"
}
],
"pivot_hints": [
"Moderate competition exists. Focus on a specific use case..."
],
"meta": {
"checked_at": "2026-03-14T10:00:00+00:00",
"sources_used": ["github", "hackernews", "npm", "pypi", "stackoverflow"],
"depth": "deep",
"version": "0.5.0",
"keyword_source": "dictionary"
}
}
Key Fields
| Field |
Description |
reality_signal |
0-100. Higher = more existing competition |
duplicate_likelihood |
low (<30), medium (30-60), high (>60) |
sub_scores |
Per-source breakdown. npm/pypi/product_launches are null in quick mode |
trend |
accelerating, stable, or declining based on recent activity ratios |
top_similars |
Existing projects found, filtered for relevance. Prefixed with npm:, pypi:, ph: for non-GitHub sources |
pivot_hints |
3 actionable suggestions based on competition level |
Built by Mnemox AI
1---2name: idea-reality3description: Pre-build reality check — scan GitHub, HN, npm, PyPI, Stack Overflow for existing prior art before you build.4---56# Idea Reality Check78Scans existing projects across GitHub, Hacker News, npm, PyPI, and Stack Overflow. Returns a `reality_signal` score (0-100) indicating how much prior art already exists for a given idea.910## When to Use1112- Before starting a new project — check if it already exists13- User asks "has anyone built X?" or "does X exist?"14- Validating competition or market saturation for an idea15- Comparing existing solutions before deciding to build16- Works with English and Traditional Chinese input1718## How It Works19201. Extracts keywords from the idea description (dictionary-based, no LLM dependency)212. Queries sources in parallel based on depth mode223. Computes a weighted `reality_signal` score using log-curve continuous scoring234. Returns evidence, similar projects, and actionable pivot hints2425### Depth Modes2627| Mode | Sources | Weights |28|------|---------|---------|29| `quick` | GitHub + HN | repos 60%, stars 20%, HN 20% |30| `deep` | GitHub + HN + npm + PyPI + Stack Overflow | repos 25%, stars 10%, HN 15%, npm 20%, PyPI 15%, PH 15% |3132## Usage3334### Quick mode (default)3536```python37idea_check(idea_text="CLI tool for managing Docker containers", depth="quick")38```3940### Deep mode4142```python43idea_check(idea_text="MCP server for stock trading memory", depth="deep")44```4546### Parameters4748| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |49|-----------|------|----------|---------|-------------|50| `idea_text` | `str` | Yes | — | Natural-language description of the idea |51| `depth` | `"quick" \| "deep"` | No | `"quick"` | Source coverage level |5253## Output Format5455```json56{57 "reality_signal": 42,58 "duplicate_likelihood": "medium",59 "sub_scores": {60 "competition_density": 55,61 "market_maturity": 30,62 "community_buzz": 20,63 "ecosystem_depth_npm": 45,64 "ecosystem_depth_pypi": 38,65 "product_launches": 12,66 "market_momentum": 6567 },68 "trend": "stable",69 "evidence": [70 {71 "source": "github",72 "type": "repo_count",73 "query": "docker cli",74 "count": 120,75 "detail": "120 repos found across queries",76 "queried_at": "2026-03-14T10:00:00+00:00"77 }78 ],79 "top_similars": [80 {81 "name": "lazydocker",82 "url": "https://github.com/jesseduffield/lazydocker",83 "stars": 35000,84 "updated": "2026-03-10",85 "description": "The lazier way to manage everything docker"86 }87 ],88 "pivot_hints": [89 "Moderate competition exists. Focus on a specific use case..."90 ],91 "meta": {92 "checked_at": "2026-03-14T10:00:00+00:00",93 "sources_used": ["github", "hackernews", "npm", "pypi", "stackoverflow"],94 "depth": "deep",95 "version": "0.5.0",96 "keyword_source": "dictionary"97 }98}99```100101### Key Fields102103| Field | Description |104|-------|-------------|105| `reality_signal` | 0-100. Higher = more existing competition |106| `duplicate_likelihood` | `low` (<30), `medium` (30-60), `high` (>60) |107| `sub_scores` | Per-source breakdown. `npm`/`pypi`/`product_launches` are `null` in quick mode |108| `trend` | `accelerating`, `stable`, or `declining` based on recent activity ratios |109| `top_similars` | Existing projects found, filtered for relevance. Prefixed with `npm:`, `pypi:`, `ph:` for non-GitHub sources |110| `pivot_hints` | 3 actionable suggestions based on competition level |111112## Built by Mnemox AI113114- GitHub: [mnemox-ai/idea-reality-mcp](https://github.com/mnemox-ai/idea-reality-mcp)115- PyPI: [idea-reality-mcp](https://pypi.org/project/idea-reality-mcp/)
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