Shelf

What Shelf Does

Shelf is a macOS application that solves a fundamental problem for people building with AI: your AI-generated tools and scripts need a persistent home where they're easy to launch, manage, and access by your AI agents. Instead of hunting through terminal commands, scattered project folders, and forgotten ports, Shelf provides a single library where every AI-built tool lives and launches in one click—today, next week, or months from now.

Who It's For

Shelf is built for developers, designers, and makers who regularly spin up AI-generated projects—Next.js sites, Python scripts, Docker stacks—and need them to stay organized and runnable without the setup ritual every time. If you're building with Claude, Cursor, or other AI coding assistants, Shelf keeps your creations accessible and agent-ready.

Key Features & Capabilities

• Drop-and-run project detection: Drop any project folder onto Shelf and it auto-detects the launch command, installs dependencies, handles port conflicts, and starts the tool—no terminal required

• MCP server integration: Shelf exposes your entire tool library over the Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and OpenAI Codex to discover, launch, check status, read logs, and find the right tool for a job—all from within the agent conversation

• Design profiles (DTCG tokens): Extract colors, typography, spacing, and brand voice from your existing CSS variables and Tailwind configs into standard design tokens, so every new AI-built project matches your brand automatically

• Team tool sharing: Export a tool as a shelf.json manifest (with setup commands and required env variable names, never values) and share via shelf:// link or commit to a team repo catalog—teammates approve one consent sheet and it's running on their machine

• Agent-built collections: Ask your AI agent to group related tools into a named collection with one-click stack launch; agents can draft collections but you remain in control—they can't overwrite your decisions

• Simple/Developer toggle: Switch between a streamlined interface and full technical detail without losing any functionality

How It Works

You drop a project folder onto Shelf. It reads the structure, detects the setup and launch commands, and presents them for your approval. Once confirmed, Shelf installs what's needed, starts the tool, remembers the port, and adds it to your library. Connected AI agents see the same library you do through MCP and can launch, stop, check logs, and discover tools as part of their workflow. When you want to share a tool with a teammate, Shelf writes the manifest (no secrets, no code) and generates a link or catalog entry—your coworker reviews the exact commands and provides their own keys before anything runs.

What Sets It Apart

Shelf is local-first, open source (MIT), and requires no account or cloud service. Your tools, their configuration, and all secrets stay on your Mac. It's the only solution that bridges human-initiated launches and agent-driven discovery in one cohesive library, with team sharing that respects consent and never auto-runs code. Design tokens and brand consistency are first-class features, not afterthoughts.