| name | prereq-checker |
| description | Check tool availability for the current session. Auto-detects required tools from project context or accepts an explicit list. Groups results by status and suggests install commands for missing tools. |
Prerequisite Checker
Check whether required CLI tools are available in the current environment.
Step 1: Determine Required Tools
If the user provided specific tool names as arguments, check those.
Otherwise, auto-detect from project context by checking for these files:
| File | Tools to check |
|---|
package.json | node, npm (or yarn, pnpm, bun if referenced in packageManager field) |
go.mod | go |
Cargo.toml | cargo, rustc |
pyproject.toml / requirements.txt | python3, pip (or uv, poetry if referenced) |
Gemfile | ruby, bundle |
mix.exs | elixir, mix |
Dockerfile / docker-compose.yml | docker, docker-compose |
.github/ directory | gh |
Makefile / justfile | make / just |
Taskfile.yml | task |
Always check these baseline tools regardless: git, gh.
Step 2: Check Availability
For each tool, run:
command -v <tool> 2>/dev/null && <tool> --version 2>/dev/null | head -1
If --version fails, try -v, -V, or version subcommand. Record:
- Tool name
- Whether it exists (
command -v exit code)
- Version string (if available)
Step 3: Detect Environment
Check for devcontainer / remote environment:
[ -f /.dockerenv ] && echo "Docker container detected"
[ -n "$REMOTE_CONTAINERS" ] && echo "VS Code devcontainer detected"
[ -d "/workspaces" ] && echo "Codespaces/devcontainer workspace detected"
[ -n "$CODESPACES" ] && echo "GitHub Codespaces detected"
Store the environment type — it affects install command suggestions.
Step 4: Report Results
Group tools into three categories and present:
Installed
List each tool with its version.
Missing (Optional)
Tools that would be useful but aren't strictly required. No action needed.
Missing (Required)
Tools that the project needs to build/run/test. Suggest install commands based on the detected environment:
| Environment | Package manager |
|---|
| Debian/Ubuntu container | apt-get install -y <package> |
| Alpine container | apk add <package> |
| macOS | brew install <package> |
| Generic Linux | curl/wget install commands or distro-agnostic methods |
Step 5: Summary
Print a one-line summary:
Prerequisites: N/M installed (K required tools missing)
If all required tools are present: "All prerequisites satisfied."
