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Case study

devtools2025

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

Field notes

Role

Creator

Read order

Evidence first, then constraint → build → proof. Use the chapter rail to jump sections; orbit to adjacent work from the bottom of the case study.

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Evidence

System surface

No public screenshot on file—generative preview stands in for the visual layer.

Signature viewwww.npmjs.com/package/@purplegumdropz/specter
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www.npmjs.com/package/@purplegumdropz/specter

Story arc

How this shipped

Building the tools that build the toolsThree beats: what pressed against the work, how the stack answered, and what changed once it was live.

I · Constraint

The brief

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

II · Build

The craft

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.

III · Proof

What moved after launch

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

◆Signals & scale

0
CLI Commands
0
MCP Tools
npm
Distribution

Inventory

Stack & signals

CLInpmMCPNode.jsTypeScript
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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.

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© 2026 Elizabeth Stein

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