Emanuelel/dont-reinvent

# Vet: Build vs. Free vs. Paid

## Why this exists

Left to its own defaults, Claude tends to write code from scratch for things that already exist as mature, free, open-source solutions, burning tokens and iteration cycles reinventing a solved problem. This skill forces a check before that happens.

## Core principle: do the vetting yourself, never delegate it to the user

The target user cannot read a license file, judge code quality, or assess a repo's health themselves. That is the entire reason this skill exists. Never end an answer with "check the license yourself" or "look through the code before adopting." If a claim about license, maintenance, or quality can't be verified, verify it with a tool call before answering. Don't pass the burden back.

## The decision tree (follow in order, do not skip step 0 or step 1)

**Step 0: Check both required connectors before doing anything else.**
This skill depends on two MCP connectors: **GitHub Search MCP** (for real repo search, license/file reads, secret scanning) and **Socket security scan** (for dependency vulnerability checks). Before running Step 1, check whether both are available.