use-latest-version-mcp

MCP server for always-current package versions and dependency upgrades — 15 tools across 39 registries for Claude Code, Grok, and any Model Context Protocol client.

Docs · Install · Tools · Registries

Install

Claude Code

/plugin marketplace add 88plug/claude-code-plugins
/plugin install use-latest-version@88plug

Grok Build

grok plugin marketplace add 88plug/claude-code-plugins
grok plugin install use-latest-version@88plug --trust

No environment variables. No API key. On first launch the Claude Code plugin compiles itself and starts the MCP server automatically.

Tip

Enable auto-update once (/plugin → Marketplaces → 88plug → Enable auto-update) and you always get the latest at startup.

Manual, Docker, and generic MCP client setup: Installation.

Quickstart

After install, ask your agent:

What's the latest version of express on npm?
Is requests==2.28.0 current on PyPI?
Scan this project and report outdated dependencies.
Plan upgrades, validate the plan, then dry-run apply.

You say	Tool
Latest version of a package	get_latest_version
Version + description / homepage / publish date	get_package_info
Ready-to-run install command	get_install_command
Is my pin still current? (semver)	compare_versions
Inventory manifests + lock files	scan_project
Outdated report with risk	check_outdated
Plan → validate → apply (dry-run default)	optimize_versions → validate_upgrade_plan → apply_upgrades

You get live registry answers in the same turn — not versions from training data.

Why

An LLM's training cutoff freezes package versions. Left alone, AI agents and developer-tools workflows write pins that were current then. This MCP server queries each package registry on demand, then can inventory a repo, reason about semver and conflicts, and run a safe upgrade pipeline for package management and versioning work.

Built for Claude Code, Grok, and other LLM agent setups that speak the Model Context Protocol. Use it whenever productivity depends on accurate dependency truth — codegen, migrations, audits, and automation.

Features

Feature	Detail
Live version lookup	Latest version, package info, install command, batch checks
Semver compare	Pin vs latest: update-available / up-to-date / ahead-of-latest
Project scan	Manifests + lock files (package.json, requirements.txt, go.mod, Cargo.toml, …)
Outdated report	Major / minor / patch + estimated risk
Conflict reasoning	Compatibility, detect conflicts, find compatible version, upgrade path
Safe upgrade pipeline	optimize_versions → validate_upgrade_plan → apply_upgrades
Write safety	Only apply_upgrades writes; dry_run: true by default; backups + rollback
39 registries	npm, PyPI, Maven, crates.io, Go, Docker/GHCR, Homebrew, and more
Local-first MCP	No API key; optional GITHUB_TOKEN only raises GitHub rate limits

MCP tools

15 tools total. Full argument lists: Tool Reference.

Capability	Tools
Lookup + install + semver	get_latest_version, get_package_info, get_install_command, compare_versions, check_multiple_packages
Project scan / outdated	scan_project, check_outdated
Conflicts / compatibility	check_compatibility, detect_conflicts, find_compatible_version, suggest_upgrade_path, resolve_conflicts
Plan → validate → apply	optimize_versions, validate_upgrade_plan, apply_upgrades

Upgrade pipeline

optimize_versions → validate_upgrade_plan → apply_upgrades (dry_run: true by default)

1. optimize_versions — whole-project plan per dependency (keep / upgrade / downgrade / remove) with risk. Read-only.
2. validate_upgrade_plan — pre-flight for major bumps, cycles, and constraint violations. Read-only.
3. apply_upgrades — applies the plan to manifests. Dry-run by default. Pass dry_run: false to write. With writes, create_backup: true stores timestamped copies under .dependency-backups/ and rolls back a file on error.

Related helpers: resolve_conflicts for cross-file pin clashes; suggest_upgrade_path for multi-major single-package paths.

Registries

39 registries behind one interface: npm, PyPI, Maven, crates.io, Go, RubyGems, NuGet, Packagist, Hex, pub.dev, CRAN, CPAN, Clojars, Hackage, Dub, LuaRocks, Elm, Swift, JSR, Conda, Bioconductor, Docker Hub, GHCR, Quay, GCR, GitHub, GitLab, Homebrew, AUR, Snap, Flatpak, Chocolatey, CocoaPods, Gradle, Terraform, Ansible Galaxy, VS Code, WordPress, Jenkins.

Name formats and aliases: Supported Registries.

Safety

apply_upgrades is the only tool that writes to disk.

• Defaults to dry_run: true (preview only)
• When writing, backs up each file under .dependency-backups/ unless create_backup: false
• Rolls back a file's edits on error

Everything else is read-only. Optional GITHUB_TOKEN only raises rate limits for github / ghcr / swift — never required.

Configuration

Variable	Required	Purpose
GITHUB_TOKEN	no	Higher GitHub API rate limits for github / ghcr / swift
PORT / HOST	no	HTTP transport bind (default port 3000)

Full HTTP and origin settings: Configuration.

Other MCP clients

Point any MCP client at the launcher (stdio):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "use-latest-version": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/use-latest-version-mcp/scripts/mcp-server.sh"
    }
  }
}

Or run the built server: node build/index.js stdio (or http for Streamable HTTP). Docker:

docker build -t use-latest-version-mcp .
docker run --rm -p 3000:3000 use-latest-version-mcp
curl localhost:3000/health

Development

git clone https://github.com/88plug/use-latest-version-mcp
cd use-latest-version-mcp
npm ci
npm run build
node build/index.js stdio        # or: http
# tests
for t in test-*.js; do node "$t"; done
bun test test-upgrade-applier.test.js test-upgrade-validator.test.js

Docs site (Material for MkDocs, strict):

pip install mkdocs mkdocs-material
mkdocs build --strict

See CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

FSL-1.1-ALv2 — Functional Source License, converting to Apache-2.0 two years after each release.