Case study

DevTools Arsenal

Specter

Published npm CLI that gives your codebase a voice, speaking as it in first person. 65 commands, 14 MCP tools for Claude Desktop integration, and 12 personality modes (mentor, critic, storyteller, and more). Code archaeology, bus factor analysis, dead code detection, complexity hotspots, and impact analysis, all narrated with AI-powered context.

Building the tools that build the tools

Role: Creator
Year: 2025
Status: Live
Stack: CLI, npm, MCP, Node.js, TypeScript

View live site Source code

Live Terminal Simulation

Interactive Engine Sandbox

Specter Terminal Sandbox

node v22.22 · mcp ready

███████╗██████╗ ███████╗ ██████╗████████╗███████╗██████╗ ██╔════╝██╔══██╗██╔════╝██╔════╝╚══██╔══╝██╔════╝██╔══██╗ ███████╗██████╔╝█████╗ ██║ ██║ █████╗ ██████╔╝ ╚════██║██╔═══╝ ██╔══╝ ██║ ██║ ██╔══╝ ██╔══██╗ ███████║██║ ███████╗╚██████╗ ██║ ███████╗██║ ██║ ╚══════╝╚═╝ ╚══════╝ ╚═════╝ ╚═╝ ╚══════╝╚═╝ ╚═╝ v1.4.0 — Codebase Narrator & MCP Server Engine (@purplegumdropz/specter) Type "help" to view available commands, or try "specter explain".

Story · how this shipped

The brief

Code metrics without context are noise. Developers need their codebase to explain itself, not just spit out numbers.

The build

Built 65 CLI commands for file relationships, complexity hotspots, dead code, impact analysis, and bus factor. 14 MCP tools for Claude Desktop integration so AI assistants can query the codebase directly. 12 personality modes turn raw analysis into actionable narrative.

What shipped

Published on npm as @purplegumdropz/specter. 14 MCP tools enable AI-native codebase exploration. 12 personalities from mentor to brutal critic: developers choose their coaching style.

Signals

Scale & impact

CLI Commands

MCP Tools

npm

Distribution

Inventory

Stack & signals

CLInpmMCPNode.jsTypeScript

Let's talk

Tell me what you're building

If you need someone who can own UI, systems, and AI integration without losing the plot, I'm listening. Contract, advisory, or full-time: we'll find the right shape.

Start a conversation See more projects

Signal = how many tags a project shares with this one.

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