Search Before You Code
Makes the agent look for existing tools and libraries before writing custom code, and ask before installing anything.
- Repository
- affaan-m/ECC
- Stars
- 295,127
- Licence
- MIT
- Files
- 1 file
What it does
When you ask an AI agent to add a feature, this skill tells it to first look for existing packages, libraries, MCP servers, or GitHub projects that already solve the problem. It then compares candidates on factors like maintenance, license, and documentation, and recommends whether to adopt one, extend it, or build custom code. The skill is designed to stop at a recommendation and wait for your approval before installing or changing anything.
Great for
- Developers who want to avoid reinventing common utilities or helpers
- Teams deciding between an off-the-shelf library and custom code during planning
- Anyone who wants an agent to justify dependency choices before adding them
Skip it if
- Simple, well-defined code changes where searching adds delay with no benefit
- Projects that cannot use third-party dependencies, since the skill will keep recommending packages
- Non-developers looking for a finished tool; it guides decisions but does not deliver a product
Try asking
- “Add dead link checking to my markdown docs. Search for existing tools first.”
- “I need retry logic for HTTP requests in this Python project. What existing libraries should we use?”
- “Add a config file validator. Compare existing options before writing anything.”
- “Before we build a date parsing helper, check whether the repo or a package already covers it.”
Install in 3 steps
- 1
Download the skill
The ZIP contains the 1 original files, the MIT licence and an attribution note.
search-first.zip - 2
Add it to your agent
Claude Code (all projects)
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && unzip search-first.zip -d ~/.claude/skills/Claude Code / Agent SDK (this project only)
mkdir -p .claude/skills && unzip search-first.zip -d .claude/skills/Claude apps (web/desktop): Settings → Capabilities → Skills → Upload skill, and choose the ZIP.
- 3
Ask for the task
No special command needed — the agent reads the skill's description and loads it when your request matches. Try one of the prompts above.
Get better results
- State your language, framework, and constraints up front so the search is targeted.
- Review the recommendation before approving; the skill itself does not verify package quality beyond the metadata the agent can see.
- Expect the agent to ask for approval before installs, credentials, or config changes, and answer those checkpoints deliberately.
What's inside
- SKILL.md
Redistributed unmodified from affaan-m/ECC under the MIT licence. The assessment was drafted with AI from the skill's files on 2026-10-29. Skills can instruct your agent to run code — read SKILL.md and any scripts before installing.