@ritualdev-lab/devshelf

v1.1.2

Published

25 days ago

The open-source community directory for discovering 520+ developer tools, free APIs, AI agents, and open-source projects. Includes terminal CLI and MCP server.

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ritual_dev

developer-tools free-apis mcp-server model-context-protocol ai-agents open-source cli

⚡ The Zero-Paywall Developer Directory & MCP Knowledge Hub

The only curated developer directory that never rots — verified by continuous CI health checks, accessible in your terminal (npx devshelf), powered by an open JSON REST API, and native MCP server for AI coding assistants.

🎯 The Race to 1,000 Verified Tools (Hacktoberfest Milestone)

[███████████░░░░░░░░░] 529 / 1,000 Tools Verified (53% • 471 to go!)

Help us curate the definitive zero-paywall index! Submit your favorite developer tool, API, or AI framework →

⚡ 5-Second Interactive Visual Demo

DevShelf isn't a static markdown list. It runs directly inside your terminal, in your web browser, and as a native tool inside your AI assistant:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ $ npx devshelf search "postgres"                                                │
│                                                                                 │
│ 📚 DevShelf CLI v1.1.0 — 529 Curated Tools (Live CI Audited)                    │
│                                                                                 │
│ [1] Neon (Database / Serverless)                                                │
│     Serverless Postgres with autoscaling, branching, and generous free tier.    │
│     ⚡ Alt to AWS RDS  •  Free: 0.5 GB storage, 1 compute CU                     │
│     🔗 https://neon.tech                                                        │
│                                                                                 │
│ [2] Supabase (Database & BaaS)                                                  │
│     The open source Firebase alternative with Postgres, Auth, & Storage.        │
│     ⚡ Alt to Firebase  •  Free: 500 MB database, 50,000 MAUs                    │
│     🔗 https://supabase.com                                                     │
│                                                                                 │
│ 🤖 Plug into AI Assistants (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Zed):             │
│ $ npx devshelf-mcp                                                              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

🥊 Why DevShelf Beats Legacy "Awesome Lists"

Most developer resource lists (public-apis, free-for-dev) suffer from link rot, abandoned projects, and sneaky "free 14-day trials". DevShelf solves this with 3 unfair advantages:

🤖 Official MCP Server for AI Agents

Turn your AI coding assistant into a free developer tool & API search engine! DevShelf implements the official Model Context Protocol (MCP) over stdio:

# Run stdio MCP server for Claude Desktop, Cursor, Zed, or Windsurf
npx devshelf-mcp
# or
npx devshelf mcp

1-Click Cursor Configuration (`.cursor/mcp.json`)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "devshelf": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "devshelf-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

👉 Read Full MCP Setup Guide for Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf & Zed →

⚡ DevShelf CLI & Terminal Discovery

Stay in flow without leaving your terminal. DevShelf includes an interactive fuzzy TUI and fast CLI utilities:

# Launch interactive Terminal UI (fuzzy search, category browsing, and 1-click open)
npx devshelf

# Instant search across all 520+ curated resources
npx devshelf search "postgres"
npx devshelf search "auth" --open

# Get your daily open-source discovery (add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc)
npx devshelf daily --quiet

# Find open-source projects actively seeking contributors & starter issues
npx devshelf contribute "rust"

# Discover a random resource for inspiration
npx devshelf random

# View live catalog telemetry and counts
npx devshelf stats

📂 Browse Catalog by Category

Explore our curated collections of 529+ zero-paywall developer tools, categorized into dedicated guides with subcategory indexing:

🔥 Featured Spotlight & Tools of the Week

Every week, we highlight outstanding open-source utilities, developer gems, and community submissions.

🚀 Social Amplification Guarantee

[!IMPORTANT]
📢 We Promote Your Project When You Get Listed!
Building great developer tools is hard. Getting discovered is even harder.
When your tool, API, or project is accepted and merged into DevShelf:
🌟 Social Media Spotlight: We publish a dedicated shoutout post about your project on X (Twitter) and LinkedIn via the RitualDev Lab channels.
🌐 Permanent Web Directory Inclusion: Your tool is permanently listed in our live search index at devshelf.ritualdev.in.
🔗 High-Quality Backlink: Guaranteed direct dofollow backlink to your GitHub repository or documentation.

🎖️ "Featured on DevShelf" Badges

Are you listed on DevShelf? Display an official badge on your project's README.md to show off your community verification:

Style 1: Modern Purple (Recommended)

[![Featured on DevShelf](https://img.shields.io/badge/Featured%20on-DevShelf-7928CA?style=for-the-badge&logo=googlechrome&logoColor=white)](https://devshelf.ritualdev.in/)

Style 2: Cyberpunk Neon Cyan

[![Featured on DevShelf](https://img.shields.io/badge/DevShelf-Curated%20Resource-00E5FF?style=for-the-badge&logo=github&logoColor=black)](https://devshelf.ritualdev.in/)

Style 3: Minimal Flat Square

[![Featured on DevShelf](https://img.shields.io/badge/Featured%20on-DevShelf-blueviolet?style=flat-square&logo=googlechrome&logoColor=white)](https://devshelf.ritualdev.in/)

⚡ DevShelf Public REST API (v1)

DevShelf is backed by a 100% free, CORS-enabled, static public REST API with zero rate-limiting or registration requirements:

👉 Read the complete API Documentation & Code Samples (TypeScript, Python, cURL) →

🧩 IDE & Launcher Extensions

Query and explore 500+ free developer tools directly within your workflow:

Raycast Extension — Instant tool search & random gem picker from your desktop spotlight (Cmd+Shift+B to copy badges).
VS Code Extension — Command Palette integration (Ctrl+Shift+P -> DevShelf: Search).
👉 Read Extension Guides & Installation →

🎃 Hacktoberfest 2026

DevShelf is proud to participate in Hacktoberfest 2026! We welcome beginner and experienced open-source contributors with automated PR validation and prompt reviews:

🍁 Read Hacktoberfest Guide & Standards →
🚀 Claim a Starter Issue →

👥 Team & Contributors

DevShelf is initiated by the team at RitualDev Lab and expanded by the global open-source community.

🛡️ Core Team & Maintainers

🌟 Community Contributors & Builders

Want your avatar here? Submit a pull request with your favorite developer tool or fix an open issue!

🚀 Community Contributions & Issue Hub

DevShelf is powered by the open-source community! We provide tailored issue templates for every kind of contribution:

🛠️ How to Contribute via Pull Request (PR)

Fork this repository and clone your fork.
Add your entry to the appropriate JSON file in the shelf/ directory (shelf/apis.json, shelf/cli-tools.json, shelf/ai-tools.json, etc.).
Run pnpm run validate to test schema conformance.
Run pnpm run build to re-generate the web directory, category markdown documents, and README.
Submit your PR — our automated GitHub Actions will review and merge it!

🛡️ Quality Guidelines

No Paywalled "Free Trials": APIs and tools must have a permanent free tier or be 100% open-source.
Active Projects: Repositories must have a README, an open-source license, and be publicly accessible.
Zero Spam: Crypto schemes, affiliate spam, and deceptive links will be permanently rejected.

🏗️ Built With

💖 Support DevShelf

DevShelf is a 100% free and open-source community directory. If DevShelf saved you cloud expenses or helped discover useful tools, consider supporting server uptime and automated healthcheck infrastructure:

💖 Support via RoleNest (donation.rolenest.in)

📜 License

Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for more information.

Curated with ❤️ by RitualDev-Lab and the global open-source community.

⭐ If DevShelf saved you time, consider giving this repo a star — it helps other developers discover these resources!