fetching-npm-source

name	fetching-npm-source
description	Fetches source code for npm packages and GitHub repositories to provide AI agents with implementation details beyond types. Use when you need to understand how a package works internally or reference its actual implementation.

Fetching NPM Source Code

Uses the opensrc CLI tool to fetch source code for npm packages and GitHub repositories, enabling deeper context for analyzing implementations.

Capabilities

• Fetch npm packages: Download source code for any npm package at the installed version
• Fetch GitHub repositories: Clone source code directly from any public GitHub repo
• Auto-detect versions: Automatically matches installed package versions from lockfiles
• List sources: View all previously fetched packages
• Remove sources: Clean up fetched source code
• Auto-configure: Optionally updates .gitignore, tsconfig.json, and AGENTS.md

Installation

The skill uses opensrc, which must be installed globally:

npm install -g opensrc

Or use with npx (no installation needed):

npx opensrc <package>

Common Workflows

Fetch a Single Package

Get source code for a package at your installed version:

opensrc zod

This stores source in opensrc/zod/ and auto-detects the version from your lockfile.

Fetch Specific Version

opensrc zod@3.22.0

Fetch Multiple Packages

opensrc react react-dom next

Fetch GitHub Repository

# Using shorthand
opensrc facebook/react

# Using full GitHub URL
opensrc https://github.com/colinhacks/zod

# Fetch specific branch or tag
opensrc owner/repo@v1.0.0

GitHub repos are stored as opensrc/owner--repo/.

List All Fetched Sources

opensrc list

Displays all packages with versions and paths. The data is stored in opensrc/sources.json.

Remove a Source

# Remove package
opensrc remove zod

# Remove GitHub repo
opensrc remove owner--repo

File Modifications

On first run, opensrc asks permission to modify:

• .gitignore — adds opensrc/ to ignore list
• tsconfig.json — excludes opensrc/ from compilation
• AGENTS.md — adds section pointing agents to source code

Skip the prompt with:

opensrc zod --modify      # Allow modifications
opensrc zod --modify=false  # Deny modifications

Preferences are saved to opensrc/settings.json.

Output Structure

After fetching, your project contains:

opensrc/
├── settings.json       # Your modification preferences
├── sources.json        # Index of fetched packages
└── zod/
    ├── src/
    ├── package.json
    └── ... (all source files)

The sources.json tracks what's available:

{
  "packages": [
    { "name": "zod", "version": "3.22.0", "path": "opensrc/zod" }
  ]
}

Use Cases

• Understanding implementation details: When types alone aren't enough
• Reviewing package code: Before relying on a dependency
• Finding examples: See how a package uses internal features
• Debugging: Trace through actual implementations
• Learning: Study well-written open source code