ShellWire
Discover and compare software, read chatbot news, and submit applications for private review.
Install
Add this to your client's MCP configuration (Claude Desktop: claude_desktop_config.json; Cursor: .cursor/mcp.json; VS Code and others use the same "mcpServers" shape).
claude mcp add --transport http shellwire 'https://shellwire.com/mcp' --header 'Authorization: <Optional for public reads. Builder operations require Bearer <token> from ShellWire email OTP. See https://shellwire.com/connect. Tokens expire after eight hours. This is not OAuth.>'
{
"mcpServers": {
"shellwire": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://shellwire.com/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "<Optional for public reads. Builder operations require Bearer <token> from ShellWire email OTP. See https://shellwire.com/connect. Tokens expire after eight hours. This is not OAuth.>"
}
}
}
}
Documentation
From the project's README on GitHub, refreshed weekly. Links open on GitHub.
Contents
ShellWire MCP & Agent Integration
Official Model Context Protocol (MCP) client configurations, installable agent skill, and public HTTP API documentation for ShellWire.
ShellWire puts useful software on the front page, with explainable rankings and discovery for people and AI assistants. Explore AI assistants, chatbots, developer tools, and everyday software by the problems they help solve, compare documented capabilities backed by dated sources, and see how each application's utility score is calculated.
Repository scope: ShellWire is a hosted service (
https://shellwire.com/) with a private application codebase. This public repository contains the official MCP Registry manifest (server.json), client setup guides, agent skill (skills/shellwire/SKILL.md), and OpenAPI specification (openapi.json) for connecting AI assistants and HTTP clients to ShellWire.
Key Links
- Website: https://shellwire.com/
- Assistant Connection Page: https://shellwire.com/connect
- Hosted MCP Endpoint (Streamable HTTP):
https://shellwire.com/mcp - Official MCP Registry ID:
io.github.Kiragu-Maina/shellwire(Registry Record) - Leaderboard: https://shellwire.com/leaderboard
- Submit an Application: https://shellwire.com/submit
Quick Connect (MCP)
ShellWire exposes a remote Streamable HTTP MCP server at https://shellwire.com/mcp. Public discovery, tool comparisons, and news reads are anonymous and require no API key or sign-in.
Claude Code
claude mcp add --transport http shellwire https://shellwire.com/mcp
Cursor / VS Code / Windsurf (mcp.json)
{
"mcpServers": {
"shellwire": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://shellwire.com/mcp"
}
}
}
OpenCode (opencode.json)
{
"$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
"mcp": {
"shellwire": {
"type": "remote",
"url": "https://shellwire.com/mcp",
"enabled": true
}
}
}
Authenticated Builder Configuration (Optional)
If your agent is submitting an application or checking your private submission status, supply an 8-hour builder Bearer token obtained via the first-party email OTP HTTP flow (see Builder Authentication below):
{
"mcpServers": {
"shellwire": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://shellwire.com/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer ${SHELLWIRE_BUILDER_TOKEN}"
}
}
}
}
MCP Tools Reference (8 Tools)
Public Discovery Tools (Anonymous)
| Tool | Title | Input Arguments | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
search | Search ShellWire | { "query": "string (max 200 chars)" } | Search public applications, the chatbot catalog, and labeled news. Returns up to 24 stable IDs (tool:<uuid> or news:<uuid>), titles, and canonical citation URLs. | |
fetch | Read a public record | `{ "id": "tool:<uuid> \ | news:<uuid>" }` | Fetch one public record ID returned by search. Includes citable text, structured metadata, and dated evidence sources. |
compare_tools | Compare chatbots and tools | { "ids": ["tool:<uuid>", "..."] } (1 to 4 IDs) | Compare 1 to 4 distinct public tool IDs side by side. Preserves unknown facts, source evidence, and checked dates without generated ratings. | |
get_chatbot_brief | Read the chatbot brief | { "limit": 4 } (optional, 1 to 4) | Read the source-reviewed brief shown on the ShellWire homepage, with up to 4 labeled stories (reporting, discussion, analysis) and related public tools. | |
get_submission_instructions | Read builder submission instructions | {} | Return anonymous, credential-free instructions for authenticated private submissions, including exact HTTP OTP endpoints, bounded submission fields, and binary image upload rules. |
Builder Submission Tools (Email OTP Bearer Token Required)
| Tool | Input Arguments | Description |
|---|---|---|
verify_homepage_backlink | { "officialUrl": "https://example.com" } | Verify that a visible native HTML anchor to https://shellwire.com/ is present on the root homepage of your public HTTPS website. Cached for 5 minutes. |
submit_application | { "name", "officialUrl", "description", "email"?, "details"?, "images"? } | Submit an application or personal AI agent for private operator review after homepage backlink verification. Repeated pending submissions for the same normalized URL are acknowledged without duplicating records. |
list_my_submissions | {} | Return only the authenticated builder account's private submission statuses (pending, accepted, rejected), optional published tool URL, and uploaded image previews. |
Builder Authentication (Email OTP)
ShellWire uses first-party email OTP Bearer tokens for builder write operations. Standard OAuth is not used, so URL-only OAuth clients cannot use authenticated write tools without first obtaining a Bearer token over HTTPS.
- Request a 6-digit OTP code:
curl -X POST https://shellwire.com/api/directory/account/agent/send-code \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"email": "you@your-domain.com"}' Exchange the code for an 8-hour Bearer token: Read the 6-digit code from your authorized mailbox (or ask the human user for it) and exchange it over HTTPS:
curl -X POST https://shellwire.com/api/directory/account/agent/token \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"email": "you@your-domain.com", "code": "123456"}'Response:
{ "access_token": "<token>", "token_type": "Bearer", "expires_in": 28800, "user": { "id": "<uuid>", "email": "you@your-domain.com" } }- Optional binary screenshot upload (up to 4 images, max 5 MiB each):
Send raw binary bytes (
image/png,image/jpeg, orimage/webp; not multipart or base64):curl -X POST https://shellwire.com/api/directory/media \ -H "Authorization: Bearer ${SHELLWIRE_BUILDER_TOKEN}" \ -H "Content-Type: image/png" \ --data-binary @screenshot.png - Verify backlink and submit via MCP:
Ensure your root homepage includes a visible link to
https://shellwire.com/, callverify_homepage_backlink, and then callsubmit_application. - Revoke token when finished:
curl -X POST https://shellwire.com/api/directory/account/agent/revoke \ -H "Authorization: Bearer ${SHELLWIRE_BUILDER_TOKEN}"
Public REST Catalog API
In addition to MCP, ShellWire exposes public JSON endpoints under https://shellwire.com/api/directory (full specification in openapi.json):
GET /api/directory/status- Service and MCP availability statusGET /api/directory/tools- Search and filter published tools (q,category,kind,free,capability,limit,offset)GET /api/directory/tools/:slug- Fetch a published tool record by slug with dated evidence and capabilitiesGET /api/directory/categories- List directory categories and tool countsGET /api/directory/leaderboard- Fetch the explainable heuristic leaderboard (q,category,limit) with per-factor point breakdownsGET /api/directory/brief- Fetch the homepage chatbot news briefGET /api/directory/compare?ids=<uuid1>,<uuid2>- Compare up to 4 published tools side by sideGET /api/directory/search?q=<query>- Unified search across tools and labeled newsGET /api/directory/records/:id- Fetch a public record (tool:<uuid>ornews:<uuid>) with citable text
Install as an Agent Skill
This repository includes a standard Agent Skill in skills/shellwire/SKILL.md:
npx skills add Kiragu-Maina/shellwire-mcp
License
The documentation, schemas, configuration examples, and agent skill files in this repository are released under the MIT License.
Frequently asked questions
What is ShellWire?
Discover and compare software, read chatbot news, and submit applications for private review.
How do I install ShellWire?
It runs as a remote server. In Claude Code: claude mcp add --transport http shellwire 'https://shellwire.com/mcp' --header 'Authorization: <Optional for public reads. Builder operations require Bearer <token> from ShellWire email OTP. See https://shellwire.com/connect. Tokens expire after eight hours. This is not OAuth.>'. For other clients, paste the JSON configuration from this page into their MCP settings.
Does ShellWire need an API key?
Yes. It expects Authorization, which you set in its configuration.
Is ShellWire open source?
Yes. Its code is on GitHub under the MIT license.
Who maintains ShellWire?
It is published by Kiragu-Maina. AI.tn lists it but does not maintain or endorse it.
From the official MCP Registry. Listing is not an endorsement: review a server's code and permissions before giving it access to your data.