# NeedAnAI

> AI tool directory: 15,000+ AI tools with descriptions, pricing, screenshots and alternatives, re-checked by an automated scanner on a rolling schedule so every listing shows the date it was last verified. Plus editorial articles comparing AI models and coding agents. An MCP server and JSON API expose the same catalogue to agents (see "Programmatic access").

## Programmatic access (free, no key for reads)

- MCP server (Streamable HTTP): https://mcp.needanai.com/mcp — tools: search_tools, get_tool, find_alternatives, compare_tools, recommend_for_task, list_taxonomy, search_articles, get_article, check_status, plus watch_tool / submit_tool / export_tools with a free API key
- JSON API: https://api.needanai.com/v1 — OpenAPI at https://api.needanai.com/openapi.json
- Server card: https://mcp.needanai.com/.well-known/mcp/server-card.json
- Any tool page as data: append `.json` or `.md` to `/tool/<slug>` (e.g. https://needanai.com/tool/claude.json)
- Setup for Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI: https://needanai.com/developers
- Every response carries a freshness label (fresh ≤30 days since the site was confirmed alive, aging ≤90, stale, unknown) and a source URL; sponsored placements are always in a separate, labelled block.

## URL shapes

- `/tool/<slug>` — one page per tool: what it does, pricing, alternatives, last-verified date (`.json` / `.md` variants available)
- `/category/<slug>` — tools grouped by category (image generation, coding, video, …)
- `/task/<slug>` — tools grouped by the job to be done ("create a logo", "edit photos", …)
- `/blog/<slug>` — 664 long-form articles: model comparisons, tool reviews, alternatives round-ups

## Key pages

- [Home](https://needanai.com/): trending tools and task-based search
- [Search](https://needanai.com/search): the full catalogue, filterable by task and pricing
- [Blog](https://needanai.com/blog): articles, model comparisons and coding-agent reviews
- [About](https://needanai.com/about): who runs the directory and how it is funded
- [Methodology](https://needanai.com/methodology): how tools are found, verified and ranked
- [Sitemap](https://needanai.com/sitemap.xml): a sitemap INDEX pointing at per-kind child sitemaps (static, taxonomy, blog, tools) under /sitemaps/ — together they list every indexable URL

## How the catalogue stays current

- An automated scanner re-visits every catalogued tool on a rolling schedule, checking that the site is still reachable and re-reading pricing and features.
- Every tool page shows its own last-verified date, so the age of a fact is always visible. Most listings are re-verified less often than monthly; treat the date, not the presence of a listing, as the freshness signal.
- Tools found permanently offline or blocking access are removed from the catalogue rather than left to rot; that removal is a reviewed decision, not an automatic one.
- Counts move as the scanner runs: 15,000+ is the durable floor, not a fixed number.

## Notes for agents

- Screenshots and article thumbnails are served from https://cdn.needanai.com/.
- Affiliate relationships, where they exist, are disclosed at https://needanai.com/disclosure.
- Developer documentation: https://needanai.com/developers