search-first

To find existing libraries before writing custom code, use a research-before-coding workflow that searches npm, PyPI, GitHub, and MCP servers for existing solutions. This ensures you leverage battle-tested code rather than writing custom logic unnecessarily.

Evaluating whether to adopt, extend, or build a software solution requires comparing existing tools against your requirements. Assess functionality, maintenance, community support, documentation, licensing, and dependencies to make an informed decision and avoid reinventing the wheel.

Yes, you can search for existing patterns on npm and PyPI before implementing a new feature. Invoking a researcher agent to query these repositories ensures you explore existing tools, libraries, and internal skills before starting custom implementation.

You need to research existing tools before starting development whenever you are building a new feature or solving a complex problem. Systematic research prevents reinventing the wheel by verifying if maintained, community-supported solutions already exist on platforms like GitHub.

To check MCP servers and GitHub for code reuse opportunities, systematize your research workflow to query these platforms directly. This process identifies existing libraries and patterns, providing a framework to evaluate if you should adopt an existing solution or build custom logic.