| name | crates-io-name-check |
| description | Verify that a new Rust crate name is available and appropriate on crates.io before committing to it. Use when creating a new crate, starting a new Rust project, or before the first cargo publish. Triggers: "check crate name", "is name taken", "crates.io available", "new crate".
|
| category | rust |
| license | MIT |
| metadata | {"author":"d-oit","version":"1.0","tags":"rust crates naming publish"} |
Skill: crates-io-name-check
Purpose
Verify that a new Rust crate name is available and appropriate on crates.io before
committing to it in Cargo.toml. This is a generic skill for any Rust project using
this template — run it whenever you create a new crate (workspace member or standalone).
When to Use
- Creating a new crate under
crates/ in the workspace
- Starting a new Rust project from this template
- Before the first
cargo publish
- When renaming a crate
Availability Check
Method 1: cargo search (CLI, recommended)
cargo search <your-crate-name>
- If the exact name appears in results → taken, choose another.
- No exact match → likely available (confirm with Method 2).
Method 2: crates.io API
STATUS=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" https://crates.io/api/v1/crates/<your-crate-name>)
if [ "$STATUS" = "404" ]; then
echo "✓ Name is available"
else
echo "✗ Name is taken (HTTP $STATUS)"
fi
Method 3: Browser
Open https://crates.io/crates/<your-crate-name> — 404 page = available.
Naming Best Practices
| Rule | Good | Bad |
|---|
Use kebab-case | my-tool-core | my_tool_core |
| Be specific | invoice-parser | parser |
| Avoid generic names | — | utils, helpers, common |
| Scope to project | myapp-cli, myapp-sdk | cli, sdk |
| Keep it short | foobar-rs | foobar-rust-library-2026 |
| No name squatting | — | reserving empty crates |
Similarity Check
Also check for confusingly similar names that could mislead users:
cargo search <prefix>
Cargo.toml Name vs Package Directory
Note that the [package] name in Cargo.toml is the published crate name.
The directory name under crates/ can differ but should match for clarity:
crates/
my-tool-core/ ← directory
Cargo.toml → [package] name = "my-tool-core" ✓
Template Usage Note
The template includes a placeholder crate crates/example-crate/. When you replace
it with your real crate, rename both the directory and the [package] name in
Cargo.toml, and run this skill to verify availability before your first commit.
Rationalizations
| Rationalization | Reality |
|---|
| "The name sounds fine, I don't need to check." | Names are permanent on crates.io. Verify before first publish. |
| "I'll rename later if needed." | Renaming a published crate breaks all downstream users. |
| "Similar names are fine." | Confusingly similar names lead to typosquatting and user confusion. |
Red Flags
References
