compare_tools

Instructions

Implementation Reference

• index.js:92-103 (schema)

  Schema definition for compare_tools tool: defines name, description, and inputSchema with required tool1/tool2 slug strings.

  {
    name: 'compare_tools',
    description: 'Side-by-side structured comparison of two software products. Returns pricing, features, ratings, and key differences.',
    inputSchema: {
      type: 'object',
      properties: {
        tool1: { type: 'string', description: 'Slug of the first tool to compare' },
        tool2: { type: 'string', description: 'Slug of the second tool to compare' },
      },
      required: ['tool1', 'tool2'],
    },
  },

• index.js:292-332 (handler)

  Handler function for compare_tools. Fetches all tools, finds both by slug, and returns a side-by-side formatted comparison including category, rating, free plan, starting price, plans, and URLs.

  async function compareTools(args) {
    const { tool1, tool2 } = args;
    const allTools = await getAllTools();
  
    const t1 = allTools.find(x => x.slug === tool1);
    const t2 = allTools.find(x => x.slug === tool2);
  
    if (!t1) return `Tool "${tool1}" not found. Use search_tools to find the correct slug.`;
    if (!t2) return `Tool "${tool2}" not found. Use search_tools to find the correct slug.`;
  
    const lines = [
      `Comparison: ${t1.name} vs ${t2.name}`,
      '',
      fmtRow('Field', t1.name.slice(0, 20), t2.name.slice(0, 20)),
      '-'.repeat(70),
      fmtRow('Category', t1.categoryName || t1.category, t2.categoryName || t2.category),
      fmtRow('Rating', t1.rating ? `${t1.rating}/5` : 'N/A', t2.rating ? `${t2.rating}/5` : 'N/A'),
      fmtRow('Free plan', t1.freePlan ? 'Yes' : 'No', t2.freePlan ? 'Yes' : 'No'),
      fmtRow('Starting price', formatPrice(t1.startingPrice), formatPrice(t2.startingPrice)),
      fmtRow('Verified at', t1.verifiedAt || 'N/A', t2.verifiedAt || 'N/A'),
    ];
  
    // Plans for t1
    const p1 = t1.plans;
    if (p1 && p1.length > 0) {
      lines.push(`\n${t1.name} plans:`);
      p1.forEach(p => lines.push(`  - ${p.name}: ${formatPrice(p.price)}`));
    }
  
    // Plans for t2
    const p2 = t2.plans;
    if (p2 && p2.length > 0) {
      lines.push(`\n${t2.name} plans:`);
      p2.forEach(p => lines.push(`  - ${p.name}: ${formatPrice(p.price)}`));
    }
  
    lines.push(`\n${t1.name} URL: ${toolURL(tool1)}`);
    lines.push(`${t2.name} URL: ${toolURL(tool2)}`);
    lines.push(`Full comparison: ${SITE_BASE}/compare/${tool1}-vs-${tool2}`);
    return lines.join('\n');
  }

• index.js:448-460 (registration)

  Dispatch registration in callTool() switch statement routing the name 'compare_tools' to the compareTools handler function.

  async function callTool(name, args) {
    switch (name) {
      case 'search_tools':    return searchTools(args);
      case 'get_tool':        return getTool(args);
      case 'compare_tools':   return compareTools(args);
      case 'list_category':   return listCategory(args);
      case 'get_alternatives':return getAlternatives(args);
      case 'get_pricing':     return getPricing(args);
      case 'get_leaderboard': return getLeaderboard(args);
      case 'list_categories': return listCategoriesFn();
      default: throw new Error(`Unknown tool: ${name}`);
    }
  }

• index.js:199-201 (helper)

  fmtRow helper used by compareTools to format a padded two-column row for the comparison output.

  function fmtRow(label, v1, v2) {
    return `${label.padEnd(22)} ${String(v1 ?? 'N/A').slice(0, 22).padEnd(22)} ${String(v2 ?? 'N/A').slice(0, 22)}`;
  }