dotrepo
Look up repository facts, with their sources and the date they were checked.
Open-source toolRelease 1.0.3
What it does
Ask dotrepo how to build or test a repository, who maintains it, or where its documentation lives. Each profile includes sources, check dates, and recorded conflicts so a tool can decide whether to use the answer or inspect the repository. Queries are available through HTTP, MCP, or the command line.
Maintainers can publish facts in a .repo file. For repositories that haven’t adopted dotrepo, the public index builds separate source-linked overlays.
In the example, the index points to package.json for npm run build, which builds ries-rs’s WebAssembly package. The maintainer’s .repo names cargo build --release --locked for the native Rust build. Knowing where a command came from helps explain what it builds.
How do I build ries-rs? It depends which build you need.
- Maintainer’s
.repo cargo build --release --locked- Index source:
package.json npm run build
The npm command builds the WebAssembly package; the manifest names the native Rust build.
What works today
- Query repository facts, compare answers, and follow their sources through the hosted API.
- Check a record’s age, source revision, and recorded conflicts. The September saved response also retains evidence for individual fields; that hosted capture is separate from the stable package contract.
- Use the Rust CLI, MCP server, language server, or VS Code extension.
The reference consumer checks repository identity, age, source evidence, and conflicts before accepting an answer; otherwise it falls back to source inspection.
Install the selected release
cargo install dotrepo-cli --version 1.0.3 --lockedThe dotrepo-cli package supplies dotrepo and dotrepo-public-query. For MCP clients, install dotrepo-mcp at the same version. The stable installation guide covers bundles and source builds. New field assessments and execution contexts on development main do not belong to the stable 1.0.3 contract.
When the answer is unusable
- Unavailable: use the saved comparison as an example, then inspect upstream. A failed request cannot establish that a repository became private or disappeared.
- Stale: inspect the record date as well as the export date. Republishing an index does not renew its source facts.
- Conflicting: compare source, build target, and context. Two commands may describe different builds; an empty conflicts array does not settle that disagreement.
Limits
The verified label needs the same care: it can come from automated checks, not maintainer approval. The reference consumer checks answers but never runs the returned commands.
Coverage is partial, and some older records lack sources for individual fields. The head-to-head benchmark records wrong answers and losses as well as improvements. I still need to find out whether it saves independent users time and whether they keep using it.
Example sources
In the September 17 capture, the hosted query selected the generated overlay (npm run build) even though the maintainer’s .repo named cargo build --release --locked for the native build. The commands were retrieved separately; that saved query reported no conflicts and had not reconciled them. Opening this page does not refresh the capture.
More links
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