Kong Reviews

Recommend a stack from requirements

plan_stack

Read-only

Given confirmed requirements as capability ids, recommend a vendor per category with a runner-up, requirement fit, cost now, cost at forecast scale, year-one cost after perks, cost cliffs, trade-offs and blockers. Use recommend_stack instead when you only have a plain-language description. Example: {"mau_now":5000,"mau_forecast":20000,"profile_id":"booking_marketplace","requirements":[{"capability":"auth.google"},{"capability":"payments.merchant_of_record"}],"founder":{"gateways":["mercury"]}}. How to present the result: show the stack table (pick and runner-up per category, monthly cost now and at forecast) and the totals. For each price give its source's verified date, or say it is unverified seed data. Show every caveat word for word; never round, merge or drop one. Mention requirement gaps, blockers and trade-offs, and each pick's "weighed" note when a cheaper vendor lost on lock-in, setup work or seed prices. Offer the alternatives (cheapest, fewest vendors) with what each changes, its cost and its share_url. List not_planned as needed but not in the totals. Ask the questions (most expensive first) and re-plan with the answers in the argument each names (per_user, revenue_per_mau_usd, builder_profile); when the user says an assumption is right, add the question id to confirmed so it isn't asked again. On a saved stack, keep answers with update_saved_stack (answers). Link share_url so the user can open the full result on kongreviews.com. Do not add vendors or prices that are not in the result.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`needs`	No	Needs the plan should list even though they are not priced (directory category ids such as maps, vector_db, speech), from recommend_stack's requirements_read.needs.
`seats`	No	Team members on per-seat plans. Default 1.
`answers`	No	Interview answers by question id, each an option id from compare_architectures, e.g. {"server":"dynamic","logins":"consumers","threat":"public","ops":"managed"}.
`founder`	No	Optional company details used only to find startup perks.
`mau_now`	No	Monthly active users now. Without it, a new product of the app type at launch.
`ranking`	No	balanced (default): monthly cost plus a small monthly weight for lock-in, setup work before first use and unverified seed prices, so a slightly cheaper vendor that is hard to leave or slow to set up can lose. cost: price alone. simplest: fewest vendors and least setup (one vendor covering several categories wins unless the others are much cheaper). Each plan lists the other two as alternatives when their picks differ.
`accounts`	No	For a business product counted in customers ("50 clinics now, 500 next year"): customers now and at the forecast, and people using it at each (default 10). Users are worked out from these when mau_now is not given.
`app_type`	No	Kind of app, from Product Hunt's categories: productivity, engineering_development, design_creative, finance, marketing_sales, data_analysis, platforms, no_code, product_addons, llms, ai_agents, voice_ai, social_community, health_fitness, family, lifestyle, web3, ecommerce, travel, physical_products, booking_marketplace, content_site, ios_on_device. Sets the usage profile and, when users are not given, typical users at launch and after the forecast period.
`per_user`	No	Usage per active user a month, e.g. {"sms": 2, "file_storage_gb": 0.2, "ai_input_ktok": 30}. Replaces the profile and the filled-in defaults for those units; a plan's questions say which unit each answer sets. Units: mau, seat, request_million, bandwidth_gb, db_storage_gb, egress_gb, email, event, error_event, compute_hour, revenue_usd, transaction, ai_input_ktok, ai_output_ktok, kv_read, kv_write, ci_hour, file_storage_gb, file_egress_gb, file_write, file_read, video_min_stored, video_min_delivered, sms, job_run, search_request, search_record.
`confirmed`	No	Ids of questions whose assumption the user confirmed as right (e.g. ["region", "builder"]), so the plan stops asking them. A question answered with a figure goes in its own argument instead (per_user, revenue_per_mau_usd…).
`platforms`	No	Where the app runs; with architecture, a phone-only app leaves out web hosting.
`build_tool`	No	The build tool the user named, as a coding vendor id (lovable, bolt, replit, base44, v0, cursor, claude-code, github-copilot…): the plan uses it. An app builder that hosts the app and runs its database and sign-in (Lovable, Bolt, Replit, Base44) covers those, so they are not planned separately.
`categories`	No
`per_1k_mau`	No	Override usage per 1,000 MAU. Units: mau, seat, request_million, bandwidth_gb, db_storage_gb, egress_gb, email, event, error_event, compute_hour, revenue_usd, transaction, ai_input_ktok, ai_output_ktok, kv_read, kv_write, ci_hour, file_storage_gb, file_egress_gb, file_write, file_read, video_min_stored, video_min_delivered, sms, job_run, search_request, search_record.
`profile_id`	No	Usage profile: b2b_saas (default), consumer_app, booking_marketplace, content_site, ios_on_device. Defaults to the app type's profile.
`apply_perks`	No
`task_intent`	No	What the user is trying to do, in a few words, e.g. "pick a stack for an MVP" or "cost section for an investor deck". No names or contact details.
`architecture`	No	Plan with only this architecture's vendors, from compare_architectures (e.g. serverless_nextjs, cloudflare_edge, vps_cloudflare).
`mau_forecast`	No
`requirements`	No
`builder_profile`	No	Who builds it. developer picks an AI coding agent, non_developer an app builder (and counts setup work double). Given without categories, the plan adds the build tool (coding).
`exclude_vendors`	No
`forecast_months`	No
`budget_monthly_usd`	No
`output_destination`	No	Where the answer goes. chat (default): summary for the conversation. document: a section ready to paste into a PRD. code: adds npm packages and environment variable names for each pick.
`revenue_per_mau_usd`	No	Average monthly revenue per active user (for payment fees).
`transactions_per_mau`	No	Payments per active user per month.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`data`	Yes	The tool result. Its shape depends on the tool.
`stale`	Yes
`caveats`	Yes	Show to the user word for word.
`sources`	Yes
`confidence`	Yes
`assumptions`	Yes	Usage and pricing assumptions behind the numbers.
`disclosures`	Yes	Always includes the neutrality note: no vendor pays for a place in the answer. Link its url when you mention how Kong Reviews is paid.
`generated_at`	Yes
`engine_version`	Yes

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed21 schema fields changedOct 26, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / accounts

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "description": "For a business product counted in customers (\"50 clinics now, 500 next year\"): customers now and at the forecast, and people using it at each (default 10). Users are worked out from these when mau_now is not given.",
+  "properties": {
+    "forecast": {
+      "maximum": 10000000,
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "now": {
+      "maximum": 10000000,
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "users_per_account": {
+      "maximum": 100000,
+      "minimum": 1,
+      "type": "number"
+    }
+  },
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / build_tool

Added value: +{
+  "description": "The build tool the user named, as a coding vendor id (lovable, bolt, replit, base44, v0, cursor, claude-code, github-copilot…): the plan uses it. An app builder that hosts the app and runs its database and sign-in (Lovable, Bolt, Replit, Base44) covers those, so they are not planned separately.",
+  "maxLength": 40,
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / builder_profile

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Who builds it. developer picks an AI coding agent, non_developer an app builder (and counts setup work double). Given without categories, the plan adds the build tool (coding).",
+  "enum": [
+    "developer",
+    "non_developer",
+    "unknown"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / categories / items / enum

Previous value: -[
-  "hosting",
-  "database",
-  "auth",
-  "email",
-  "payments",
-  "observability",
-  "ai",
-  "edge",
-  "app_store",
-  "coding"
-]New value: +[
+  "hosting",
+  "database",
+  "auth",
+  "email",
+  "payments",
+  "observability",
+  "ai",
+  "edge",
+  "app_store",
+  "coding",
+  "storage",
+  "video",
+  "sms",
+  "push",
+  "jobs",
+  "search"
+]

addedInput schema / properties / confirmed

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Ids of questions whose assumption the user confirmed as right (e.g. [\"region\", \"builder\"]), so the plan stops asking them. A question answered with a figure goes in its own argument instead (per_user, revenue_per_mau_usd…).",
+  "items": {
+    "maxLength": 40,
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "maxItems": 20,
+  "type": "array"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / needs

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Needs the plan should list even though they are not priced (directory category ids such as maps, vector_db, speech), from recommend_stack's requirements_read.needs.",
+  "items": {
+    "properties": {
+      "id": {
+        "maxLength": 40,
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "label": {
+        "maxLength": 80,
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "source": {
+        "maxLength": 500,
+        "type": "string"
+      }
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "id"
+    ],
+    "type": "object"
+  },
+  "maxItems": 20,
+  "type": "array"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / per_1k_mau / description

Previous value: -"Override usage per 1,000 MAU. Units: mau, seat, request_million, bandwidth_gb, db_storage_gb, egress_gb, email, event, error_event, compute_hour, revenue_usd, transaction, ai_input_ktok, ai_output_ktok, kv_read, kv_write, ci_hour."New value: +"Override usage per 1,000 MAU. Units: mau, seat, request_million, bandwidth_gb, db_storage_gb, egress_gb, email, event, error_event, compute_hour, revenue_usd, transaction, ai_input_ktok, ai_output_ktok, kv_read, kv_write, ci_hour, file_storage_gb, file_egress_gb, file_write, file_read, video_min_stored, video_min_delivered, sms, job_run, search_request, search_record."

addedInput schema / properties / per_1k_mau / properties / file_egress_gb
```
Added value: +{
+  "minimum": 0,
+  "type": "number"
+}
```
addedInput schema / properties / per_1k_mau / properties / file_read
```
Added value: +{
+  "minimum": 0,
+  "type": "number"
+}
```
addedInput schema / properties / per_1k_mau / properties / file_storage_gb
```
Added value: +{
+  "minimum": 0,
+  "type": "number"
+}
```
addedInput schema / properties / per_1k_mau / properties / file_write
```
Added value: +{
+  "minimum": 0,
+  "type": "number"
+}
```
addedInput schema / properties / per_1k_mau / properties / job_run
```
Added value: +{
+  "minimum": 0,
+  "type": "number"
+}
```
addedInput schema / properties / per_1k_mau / properties / search_record
```
Added value: +{
+  "minimum": 0,
+  "type": "number"
+}
```
addedInput schema / properties / per_1k_mau / properties / search_request
```
Added value: +{
+  "minimum": 0,
+  "type": "number"
+}
```
addedInput schema / properties / per_1k_mau / properties / sms
```
Added value: +{
+  "minimum": 0,
+  "type": "number"
+}
```
addedInput schema / properties / per_1k_mau / properties / video_min_delivered
```
Added value: +{
+  "minimum": 0,
+  "type": "number"
+}
```
addedInput schema / properties / per_1k_mau / properties / video_min_stored
```
Added value: +{
+  "minimum": 0,
+  "type": "number"
+}
```

addedInput schema / properties / per_user

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "description": "Usage per active user a month, e.g. {\"sms\": 2, \"file_storage_gb\": 0.2, \"ai_input_ktok\": 30}. Replaces the profile and the filled-in defaults for those units; a plan's questions say which unit each answer sets. Units: mau, seat, request_million, bandwidth_gb, db_storage_gb, egress_gb, email, event, error_event, compute_hour, revenue_usd, transaction, ai_input_ktok, ai_output_ktok, kv_read, kv_write, ci_hour, file_storage_gb, file_egress_gb, file_write, file_read, video_min_stored, video_min_delivered, sms, job_run, search_request, search_record.",
+  "properties": {
+    "ai_input_ktok": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "ai_output_ktok": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "bandwidth_gb": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "ci_hour": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "compute_hour": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "db_storage_gb": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "egress_gb": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "email": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "error_event": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "event": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "file_egress_gb": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "file_read": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "file_storage_gb": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "file_write": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "job_run": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "kv_read": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "kv_write": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "mau": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "request_million": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "revenue_usd": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "search_record": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "search_request": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "seat": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "sms": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "transaction": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "video_min_delivered": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "video_min_stored": {
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    }
+  },
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / ranking

Added value: +{
+  "description": "balanced (default): monthly cost plus a small monthly weight for lock-in, setup work before first use and unverified seed prices, so a slightly cheaper vendor that is hard to leave or slow to set up can lose. cost: price alone. simplest: fewest vendors and least setup (one vendor covering several categories wins unless the others are much cheaper). Each plan lists the other two as alternatives when their picks differ.",
+  "enum": [
+    "balanced",
+    "cost",
+    "simplest"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / requirements / items / properties / categories / items / enum

Previous value: -[
-  "hosting",
-  "database",
-  "auth",
-  "email",
-  "payments",
-  "observability",
-  "ai",
-  "edge",
-  "app_store",
-  "coding"
-]New value: +[
+  "hosting",
+  "database",
+  "auth",
+  "email",
+  "payments",
+  "observability",
+  "ai",
+  "edge",
+  "app_store",
+  "coding",
+  "storage",
+  "video",
+  "sms",
+  "push",
+  "jobs",
+  "search"
+]

addedOutput schema / properties / disclosures / description

Added value: +"Always includes the neutrality note: no vendor pays for a place in the answer. Link its url when you mention how Kong Reviews is paid."

Changed3 schema fields changedOct 24, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / answers

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "description": "Interview answers by question id, each an option id from compare_architectures, e.g. {\"server\":\"dynamic\",\"logins\":\"consumers\",\"threat\":\"public\",\"ops\":\"managed\"}.",
+  "properties": {
+    "background": {
+      "enum": [
+        "none",
+        "jobs",
+        "realtime"
+      ],
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "data": {
+      "enum": [
+        "little",
+        "lots"
+      ],
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "logins": {
+      "enum": [
+        "none",
+        "consumers",
+        "teams",
+        "enterprise"
+      ],
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "media": {
+      "enum": [
+        "none",
+        "images",
+        "video"
+      ],
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "ops": {
+      "enum": [
+        "managed",
+        "some",
+        "admin"
+      ],
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "sensitivity": {
+      "enum": [
+        "low",
+        "eu",
+        "business",
+        "health"
+      ],
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "server": {
+      "enum": [
+        "static",
+        "mixed",
+        "dynamic",
+        "none",
+        "proxy",
+        "full"
+      ],
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "threat": {
+      "enum": [
+        "low",
+        "public",
+        "target"
+      ],
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "uptime": {
+      "enum": [
+        "fine",
+        "costly",
+        "critical"
+      ],
+      "type": "string"
+    }
+  },
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / architecture

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Plan with only this architecture's vendors, from compare_architectures (e.g. serverless_nextjs, cloudflare_edge, vps_cloudflare).",
+  "enum": [
+    "static_cdn",
+    "frontend_baas",
+    "serverless_nextjs",
+    "cloudflare_edge",
+    "managed_containers",
+    "single_vps",
+    "vps_cloudflare",
+    "firebase",
+    "on_device"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / platforms

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Where the app runs; with architecture, a phone-only app leaves out web hosting.",
+  "items": {
+    "enum": [
+      "web",
+      "ios",
+      "android",
+      "desktop"
+    ],
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

Changed6 schema fields changedOct 23, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / app_type

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Kind of app, from Product Hunt's categories: productivity, engineering_development, design_creative, finance, marketing_sales, data_analysis, platforms, no_code, product_addons, llms, ai_agents, voice_ai, social_community, health_fitness, family, lifestyle, web3, ecommerce, travel, physical_products, booking_marketplace, content_site, ios_on_device. Sets the usage profile and, when users are not given, typical users at launch and after the forecast period.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / categories / items / enum

Previous value: -[
-  "hosting",
-  "database",
-  "auth",
-  "email",
-  "payments",
-  "observability",
-  "ai",
-  "edge",
-  "app_store"
-]New value: +[
+  "hosting",
+  "database",
+  "auth",
+  "email",
+  "payments",
+  "observability",
+  "ai",
+  "edge",
+  "app_store",
+  "coding"
+]

addedInput schema / properties / mau_now / description

Added value: +"Monthly active users now. Without it, a new product of the app type at launch."

changedInput schema / properties / profile_id / description

Previous value: -"Usage profile: b2b_saas (default), consumer_app, booking_marketplace, content_site."New value: +"Usage profile: b2b_saas (default), consumer_app, booking_marketplace, content_site, ios_on_device. Defaults to the app type's profile."

changedInput schema / properties / requirements / items / properties / categories / items / enum

Previous value: -[
-  "hosting",
-  "database",
-  "auth",
-  "email",
-  "payments",
-  "observability",
-  "ai",
-  "edge",
-  "app_store"
-]New value: +[
+  "hosting",
+  "database",
+  "auth",
+  "email",
+  "payments",
+  "observability",
+  "ai",
+  "edge",
+  "app_store",
+  "coding"
+]

removedInput schema / required
```
Removed value: -[
-  "mau_now"
-]
```

First observedOct 23, 2026

TDQS

A4.6/5.0

Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already declare this is a read-only, closed-world planning call, yet the description still adds real behavioral constraints: never invent vendors or prices, reproduce caveats verbatim, flag unverified seed data, and link share_url so results live on kongreviews.com. The one gap is that it doesn't say anything about cost or latency for a 27-parameter computation over pricing data.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Purpose and the sibling exclusion are front-loaded, and nearly every sentence is actionable. It is still a dense single block that mixes invocation guidance with output presentation rules and a raw JSON example, which makes it harder to scan than a short segmented description would be.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a 27-parameter planning tool with nested usage overrides, an output schema already present, and a multi-turn interview workflow, the description covers what an agent needs: the input contract, the ask-then-re-plan loop, how to record confirmations, and what to surface from the result. Nothing essential to calling it correctly is missing.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 74%, so most parameters are self-documenting, but the description adds cross-parameter semantics the schema cannot express: interview answers are re-submitted into 'the argument each names (per_user, revenue_per_mau_usd, builder_profile)' and confirmed question ids go into `confirmed` so they aren't re-asked. The embedded example call anchors the requirements/founder/mau_now combination. It does not touch many of the pricing-override objects, but those are covered in schema.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific verb and resource plus the full output shape: 'recommend a vendor per category with a runner-up, requirement fit, cost now, cost at forecast scale, year-one cost after perks, cost cliffs, trade-offs and blockers.' It explicitly separates itself from the closest sibling, recommend_stack, by input type (confirmed capability ids vs. plain-language description).

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Gives an explicit when-not with the alternative named: 'Use recommend_stack instead when you only have a plain-language description.' It also routes downstream work to specific siblings with argument names ('keep answers with update_saved_stack (answers)'), so the agent knows the handoff points as well as the entry condition.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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