find_alternatives
Curated replacements for deprecated/unhealthy packages, including stdlib built-ins (e.g. fs.rm for rimraf). USE WHEN: pkg flagged AVOID/URGENT; 'what to use instead of X'; before guessing a replacement name. RETURNS: {alternatives[]: {name, reason, is_stdlib}}.
This record as markdown: /tools/dev-depscope-mcp/find-alternatives.md
What find_alternatives does on Depscope
AI agents call find_alternatives to retrieve information from Depscope without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
package | string | Yes | |
ecosystem | string | Yes |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why find_alternatives is rated Low
This tool retrieves and queries package replacement recommendations. It has no side effects on packages, code, or systems. The action is purely informational lookup, making it a straightforward Read category with low severity since misuse would only surface suboptimal (but not dangerous) package suggestions.
From the tool's definition Tool description indicates it 'returns' curated alternatives with no modification capability. The response structure {alternatives[]: {name, reason, is_stdlib}} is read-only output. No create, update, delete, execute, or financial operations are performed.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs find_alternatives safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Depscope, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For find_alternatives, this is the rule to start with:
find_alternatives is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Depscope, apply this rule, and every find_alternatives call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about find_alternatives
Curated replacements for deprecated/unhealthy packages, including stdlib built-ins (e.g. fs.rm for rimraf). USE WHEN: pkg flagged AVOID/URGENT; 'what to use instead of X'; before guessing a replacement name. RETURNS: {alternatives[]: {name, reason, is_stdlib}}. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Depscope MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
find_alternatives accepts 2 parameters: package, ecosystem. Required: package, ecosystem. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the Depscope MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for find_alternatives: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches Depscope. Nothing to install.
find_alternatives is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the find_alternatives rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for find_alternatives. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
find_alternatives is provided by the Depscope MCP server (cuttalo/depscope-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
More on Depscope, and thousands of servers like it.
This server
Across the catalogue