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# NameScout CLI

check a project name across domains, package registries, code hosts, and plugin marketplaces, from the terminal

cli
terminal output of npx namescout-cli piper showing a 21/100 collision-risk score with a full per-provider breakdown across domains, package registries (npm/pypi/crates/rubygems/packagist), github, vs code marketplace, and docker hub

the terminal companion to namescout.dev. same checks, same scoring, same providers, no browser needed. one command, one report, straight in the shell.

npx namescout-cli redis

what it does

  • hits 12+ providers in parallel: domains, npm, pypi, crates.io, rubygems, packagist, homebrew, docker hub, github, vs code marketplace
  • mode-weighted scoring so the verdict matches what you’re building (saas-product, developer-tool, library-framework, extension-plugin)
  • optional ai-assisted alternative-name suggestions via --suggest
  • raw json output for piping into jq or whatever
  • zero dependencies. node 18+ stdlib only. respects NO_COLOR.

install

no install needed:

npx namescout-cli <name>

or install globally:

npm install -g namescout-cli
namescout <name>

examples

# default scan (developer-tool mode)
npx namescout-cli vidpipe
 
# saas mode, domains weighted higher
npx namescout-cli my-app --mode saas-product
 
# include alternative-name suggestions
npx namescout-cli my-tool --suggest --count 12
 
# pipe json to jq
npx namescout-cli my-tool --json | jq .verdict.score

flags

flagwhat it does
--mode <mode>search mode (default: developer-tool)
--suggestalso generate alternative names via the suggest api
--count <n>number of suggestions when using --suggest (1–20, default 8)
--jsonraw json instead of the formatted report
--no-colordisable ansi colors (also honored via NO_COLOR env var)
-v, --versionprint version
-h, --helpshow help

NAMESCOUT_API env var overrides the api base url if you self-host.

why a cli

the web report at namescout.dev is the richer surface. it has the per-provider explanations, near-matches, and a shareable url. the cli is for the moment when you’re already in the terminal, already typing npm init, and you don’t want to context-switch to a browser just to find out the name’s been taken since you thought of it yesterday.

open on npm → · github → · web version →

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