# Dependency Freshness Checker — npm & PyPI MCP (`peppy_weekend/dependency-freshness-mcp`) Actor

Check any npm or PyPI package in seconds: latest version, release dates, deprecation status, and a dated, cited 'what changed since your version' breaking-change diff. Built for time-blind AI coding agents that emit stale, deprecated code. MCP-native — callable as a tool, no scraping.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/peppy\_weekend/dependency-freshness-mcp.md
- **Developed by:** [Eren Kahveci](https://apify.com/peppy_weekend) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, AI
- **Stats:** 1 total users, 0 monthly users, 0.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

Pay per event + usage

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md):

```bash
npm install apify-client
```

In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md):

```bash
pip install apify-client
```

In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md):

````bash
# MacOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash
# Windows
irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex
```bash

In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md).

If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).


# README

## Dependency Freshness Checker — npm & PyPI version, deprecation & breaking-change checker for AI agents

**Dependency Freshness Checker** gives any AI coding agent fresh, cited facts about npm and PyPI
packages: the latest version, release dates, deprecation status, and a dated **"what changed
since your version"** breaking-change diff. It is MCP-native, reads only public registries and
GitHub releases (no scraping, no ToS risk), and is priced Pay-Per-Event for pay-as-you-go agent use.

### What does Dependency Freshness Checker do?

Give it any npm or PyPI package — optionally with the version your agent is assuming — and the
Dependency Freshness Checker returns, **citations-first**:

- the **latest published version** and its release date;
- whether the package (or your assumed version) is **deprecated**;
- **how many versions behind** you are; and
- a **dated, cited `changeSummary[]`** of what changed between your version and latest.

Every field carries a source URL and access date, so an agent can trust — and quote — the result.

### Why check npm & PyPI dependency freshness?

LLM coding agents are **time-blind**: their training is frozen, so they emit 70–90% deprecated
package code. Coding agents are the largest agent population, and they all share this blind spot.
The Dependency Freshness Checker fixes the frozen-training-cutoff problem at call time. It lives
in the proven-demand "freshness for agents" lane but stays **narrow and legally clean** — it reads
only public [npm](https://registry.npmjs.org), [PyPI](https://pypi.org), and
[GitHub releases](https://docs.github.com/en/rest/releases) — so it does not fight first-party RAG
browsers or funded incumbents.

### How to use the Dependency Freshness Checker

Pass a small list of packages. Defaults are kept low so a first run is cheap, fast, and succeeds:

```json
{
  "packages": [
    { "ecosystem": "npm", "name": "zod", "currentVersion": "3.22.0" },
    { "ecosystem": "pypi", "name": "fastapi" }
  ]
}
````

`currentVersion` is optional — omit it to just ask "what's latest?". See
`.actor/input_schema.json` for the full schema.

### Output — dated, cited freshness results

Each result includes `isOutdated`, `versionsBehind`, `latest` + `latestPublishedAt`, a dated
`changeSummary[]`, and field-level `citations[]`. The same shape is returned by a batch run and by
the MCP tool, so agents and dashboards consume one format.

### Using Dependency Freshness Checker as an MCP tool for AI agents

This Actor exposes one MCP tool, **`check_dependency_freshness(packages)`**. Three ways to reach it
(mechanics cited in `docs/research/50-mcp.md`):

- **A — Hosted, no setup.** Every public Apify Actor is callable through Apify's hosted MCP server
  at [`https://mcp.apify.com`](https://mcp.apify.com) — no extra wiring.

- **B — The Actor as its own MCP server (Standby).** The deployed Actor serves a Streamable-HTTP
  MCP endpoint at `/mcp` on its own stable URL:

  ```json
  {
    "mcpServers": {
      "dependency-freshness": {
        "url": "https://<user>--dependency-freshness-mcp.apify.actor/mcp",
        "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer <APIFY_TOKEN>" }
      }
    }
  }
  ```

- **C — Local stdio (dev / MCP Inspector).** Build, then point any
  [MCP](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) client at the compiled entrypoint:

  ```json
  {
    "mcpServers": {
      "dependency-freshness": {
        "command": "node",
        "args": ["/abs/path/dependency-freshness-mcp/dist/mcp/stdio.js"],
        "env": { "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_… (optional, raises GitHub rate limit)" }
      }
    }
  }
  ```

  Inspect locally with `npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node dist/mcp/stdio.js`.

### Pricing

The Dependency Freshness Checker uses **Pay-Per-Event** pricing, built for pay-as-you-go agent
use: a small flat fee per run start plus **$0.005 per package checked ($5 / 1,000)** — inside
Apify's recommended $1–10 / 1,000-results band. You only pay for packages actually checked.

### FAQ

**Does it scrape websites?** No. It reads only public registry APIs and GitHub releases — no
scraping, no terms-of-service risk.

**Which ecosystems are supported?** npm and PyPI today.

**Do I need a GitHub token?** No — it is optional and only raises the GitHub rate limit for
heavier batches.

**Can an agent call it directly?** Yes — that is the point. Use the `check_dependency_freshness`
MCP tool (option A or B above).

### Other Actors

More agent-native data Actors are on the way on the
[Apify Store](https://apify.com/store?category=AI). Follow the author profile to see new
freshness-for-agents tools as they ship.

# Actor input Schema

## `packages` (type: `array`):

List of packages to check. Each item is an object: { "ecosystem": "npm" | "pypi", "name": "<package name>", "currentVersion": "\<the version you are assuming, optional>" }. Keep the list small — you are charged per package checked.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "packages": [
    {
      "ecosystem": "npm",
      "name": "zod",
      "currentVersion": "3.22.0"
    }
  ]
}
```

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "packages": [
        {
            "ecosystem": "npm",
            "name": "zod",
            "currentVersion": "3.22.0"
        }
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("peppy_weekend/dependency-freshness-mcp").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "packages": [{
            "ecosystem": "npm",
            "name": "zod",
            "currentVersion": "3.22.0",
        }] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("peppy_weekend/dependency-freshness-mcp").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "packages": [
    {
      "ecosystem": "npm",
      "name": "zod",
      "currentVersion": "3.22.0"
    }
  ]
}' |
apify call peppy_weekend/dependency-freshness-mcp --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=peppy_weekend/dependency-freshness-mcp",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

```json
{
    "openapi": "3.0.1",
    "info": {
        "title": "Dependency Freshness Checker — npm & PyPI MCP",
        "description": "Check any npm or PyPI package in seconds: latest version, release dates, deprecation status, and a dated, cited 'what changed since your version' breaking-change diff. Built for time-blind AI coding agents that emit stale, deprecated code. MCP-native — callable as a tool, no scraping.",
        "version": "0.0",
        "x-build-id": "xjuU7Dh8aHYX6M2K4"
    },
    "servers": [
        {
            "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
        }
    ],
    "paths": {
        "/acts/peppy_weekend~dependency-freshness-mcp/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-peppy_weekend-dependency-freshness-mcp",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/peppy_weekend~dependency-freshness-mcp/runs": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "runs-sync-peppy_weekend-dependency-freshness-mcp",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK",
                        "content": {
                            "application/json": {
                                "schema": {
                                    "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/peppy_weekend~dependency-freshness-mcp/run-sync": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-peppy_weekend-dependency-freshness-mcp",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    },
    "components": {
        "schemas": {
            "inputSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "packages": {
                        "title": "Packages",
                        "type": "array",
                        "description": "List of packages to check. Each item is an object: { \"ecosystem\": \"npm\" | \"pypi\", \"name\": \"<package name>\", \"currentVersion\": \"<the version you are assuming, optional>\" }. Keep the list small — you are charged per package checked.",
                        "default": []
                    }
                }
            },
            "runsResponseSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "data": {
                        "type": "object",
                        "properties": {
                            "id": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "actId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "userId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "startedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "finishedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "status": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "READY"
                            },
                            "meta": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "origin": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "API"
                                    },
                                    "userAgent": {
                                        "type": "string"
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "stats": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "inputBodyLen": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2000
                                    },
                                    "rebootCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "restartCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "resurrectCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "computeUnits": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "options": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "build": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "latest"
                                    },
                                    "timeoutSecs": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 300
                                    },
                                    "memoryMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1024
                                    },
                                    "diskMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2048
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "buildId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultKeyValueStoreId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultDatasetId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultRequestQueueId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "buildNumber": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "1.0.0"
                            },
                            "containerUrl": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "usage": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "usageTotalUsd": {
                                "type": "number",
                                "example": 0.00005
                            },
                            "usageUsd": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "number",
                                        "example": 0.00005
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}
```