{"slug": "show-hn-rae-faang-catalog-and-cli-for-building-products-with-coding-agents", "title": "Show HN: RAE FAANG – catalog and CLI for building products with coding agents", "summary": "Developer Enzo Vezzaro released RAE FAANG, an MIT-licensed npm package that catalogs products from Meta, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google as portable Markdown \"skills\" that coding agents can use to build comparable features in a user's own project. The package, published under the executable names `rae` and `rae-faang`, bundles the catalog, research dossiers and an open-source landscape, and supports commands such as `npx rae-faang products list`, `npx rae-faang research coverage` and `npx rae-faang google-search --out ./google-search.md` to generate a skill file. Vezzaro describes RAE FAANG as \"a product catalog for agent-led building, not a source-code scraper,\" positioning the research as starting points rather than limits on what an agent can build.", "body_md": "**Use your agent to build any of their products.**\n\nRAE FAANG catalogs products from Meta, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google. Choose a product and use your coding agent to build it in your project. Each entry links product context, research, candidate open-source projects and product-specific build instructions to help you get started. These are starting points, not limits on what you can build. RAE FAANG is MIT-licensed; your implementation and its dependencies have their own licenses.\n\n`npx rae-faang products list`\n\n[Live site](https://enzovezzaro.github.io/rae-faang/) ·\n[Choose a product to build](#build-a-product-with-your-agent) ·\n[Contributing](https://github.com/EnzoVezzaro/rea-faang/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) ·\n[Issues](https://github.com/EnzoVezzaro/rea-faang/issues)\n\nImportant\n\nRAE FAANG is a **product catalog for agent-led building**, not a source-code scraper. It\nbrings together public product information, research and candidate open-source projects so your\ncoding agent has useful starting points for building in your project. The research does not limit\nwhat you can build. See\n[Responsible reverse engineering](#responsible-reverse-engineering).\n\n1. Choose any product in the [live catalog](https://enzovezzaro.github.io/rae-faang/) or the[`catalog/skills/`](https://github.com/EnzoVezzaro/rea-faang/blob/main/catalog/skills/README.md) index.\n2. Give its Markdown skill to your coding agent from the project where you want to work.\n3. Ask the agent to check the research, assess candidate projects, then plan, build and test a scoped implementation. Review its choices and the test results.\n\n```\nBuild a search product for my project. Start from the google-search skill\nin the RAE FAANG catalog. Assess open-source candidates such as SearXNG\nfirst, then scope, build, and verify what fits my users.\n```\n\nNo clone is needed for the catalog itself — the published npm package bundles the catalog, research dossiers, and open-source landscape.\n\n**Use a skill without installing anything**\n\n```\nnpx rae-faang products list       # every catalogued product\nnpx rae-faang research coverage   # how researched is the catalog?\nnpx rae-faang gaps all            # what is missing?\n```\n\nThe npm package exposes both `rae` and `rae-faang` executable names. For a\none-off command, invoke the published package as `npx rae-faang ...`;\nafter `npm install -g rae-faang`, use `rae ...`.\n\n**Generate a product skill from npm**\n\n```\nnpx rae-faang google-search --out ./google-search.md\n```\n\nThis product-ID shorthand writes one portable Markdown skill to the path you\nchoose (or `./<product-id>.md` by default). Give that file to your coding agent\nin the project where you want to build. For repeated use, install globally with\n`npm install -g rae-faang`, then run `rae google-search --out ./google-search.md`.\n\nThe longer `skills generate <product-id>` form is also available for batch\nruns and JSON reports. `skills validate` checks the bundled canonical skills;\nrun `npm run validate` from a source checkout to check repository output drift.\nIf you specifically want a directory containing both `skill.md` and `mcp.json`,\nuse `npx rae-faang build agent-kit gmail --out ./gmail-agent`.\n\n**Work on the catalog itself (contributors)**\n\n```\ngit clone https://github.com/EnzoVezzaro/rea-faang.git rae-faang\ncd rae-faang\nnpm install\nnpm test                  # CLI + schema test suite\nnpm run validate          # research + alternatives + skills + site build check\nnpm run site:build        # regenerate the landing/catalog site\nace status                # the agent environment\n```\n\nTip\n\nKeep `npm run validate` green before every commit. It is the gate the CI runs.\n\nA product build can follow these five steps. The skill provides a starting point; you choose the scope and review the work.\n\n| Stage | What happens | Your control | \n|---|---|---|\n| **1. Investigate** | Review public product information, official documentation and published protocols | Confirm which user workflows matter | \n| **2. Plan** | Turn findings into features, an architecture and checks for the chosen scope | Approve or adjust the plan | \n| **3. Build** | Implement the agreed features using suitable technology and independently written code | Choose the stack and review changes | \n| **4. Test** | Check the implementation against its requirements, including error cases and security | Run or review the tests | \n| **5. Ship or continue** | Update the documentation and decide whether to release, keep working or stop | Decide what happens next | \n\nAlternative-coverage labels (`available`, `partial`, `no verified alternative`) describe the\ncatalog's research into existing open-source projects. They do not tell you whether your own\nimplementation is feasible.\n\n| Company | Product families catalogued | \n|---|---|\n| **Meta** | Social networking, messaging, communities, media sharing, collaboration, VR software | \n| **Amazon** | E-commerce, marketplaces, cloud infrastructure, developer services, streaming, digital assistants | \n| **Apple** | Desktop and mobile experiences, productivity, creative applications, media services, device ecosystems | \n| **Netflix** | Video streaming, content discovery, recommendation systems, media delivery, creator tooling | \n| **Google** | Search, maps, email, video, office productivity, cloud infrastructure, developer tools, AI services | \n\n**77 products** · **40** with a mature candidate listed · **29** with partial coverage · **8** with\nno verified alternative. These labels summarize catalog research, not product parity. See\n`catalog/products.jsonl` and the [live catalog](https://enzovezzaro.github.io/rae-faang/) for current counts.\n\n- **`catalog/`** — 77 product records with JSON Schemas, research manifests, and the REA\nweb-surface reports captured with[REA](https://github.com/morluto/rea) .\n- **`catalog/skills/`** — one Markdown build skill per product, from the skills index\ncatalog down to the per-product file.\n- **`research/companies/`** — one evidence dossier per product, with citations and unknowns.\n- **`src/cli.js`** — the deterministic CLI that validates research, tracks coverage, and\nreports gaps. No SDK dependencies beyond`minimist` and`js-yaml` .\n- **`tools/`** — catalog and site generators (skills, alternatives map, landing/catalog build).\n- **`site/`** — the generated landing page and catalog, deployed to GitHub Pages.\n- **ACE (`ace-proagents`)** — an optional agent-orchestration environment per product workspace.\n\nThe repository is designed to be forked, extended, and shipped in increments.\n\n**Where to start as a contributor**\n\n- Read [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](https://github.com/EnzoVezzaro/rea-faang/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) — setup, the contribution loop, and review gates.\n- Read [`AGENTS.md`](https://github.com/EnzoVezzaro/rea-faang/blob/main/AGENTS.md) if you work with AI agents — roles, task leases, handoffs.\n- Pick a gap: `npx rae-faang gaps all` prints the largest shortfalls by coverage type.\n- Improve one dossier, one alternative entry, or one test — small diffs get reviewed faster.\n\n**Project conventions that make contributions land**\n\n- Cite public sources for material research claims in `evidence[]` ; record uncertainty where a source is missing or unclear.\n- Clean room: no decompilation, proprietary source, protected assets, or access-control bypass.\n- The CLI is the arbiter: `npm run validate` and`npm test` must pass to merge.\n- Verification is never weakened to pass a check — fix the cause instead.\n- Docs in `docs/` are canonical;`.docs/` is historical only.\n\n**Versioning and releases**\n\nReleases follow [semver](https://semver.org/) and are recorded in\n[`CHANGELOG.md`](https://github.com/EnzoVezzaro/rea-faang/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md). Catalog improvements bump the patch or minor\nversion; the maintainer publishes to npm after CI is green. Each release is\ntagged in this repository.\n\n## **Do I need the ACE agent environment?**\n\nNo. ACE (`ace-proagents`) is optional orchestration for people who want a coordinated agent\nteam. One coding agent reading one product skill is enough to start a build.\n\n## **Which coding agents can use a product skill?**\n\nAny agent that can read a Markdown file. The skill is plain Markdown with product context, candidate projects, and build/verification instructions — no MCP server or special runtime is required.\n\n## **Do I have to build all 77 products?**\n\nNo. Pick one product, scope it to your needs, and build that. The catalog's research gives your agent where to start; your project defines how far it goes.\n\n## **What does the coverage label mean for my build?**\n\nIt summarizes research into existing open-source projects for a product. It does not decide\nwhat your agent can build: a `no verified alternative` product is a research gap, not proof\nthat building it is impossible — the skill says so explicitly.\n\n## **How do I report a problem or add a product?**\n\nOpen an [issue](https://github.com/EnzoVezzaro/rea-faang/issues). For missing\nalternatives, use `npx rae-faang gaps all` output to point at the exact coverage\ngap. For new products, see the catalog section of [CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/EnzoVezzaro/rea-faang/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md).\n\n## **What should I do if a skill makes a claim I can't verify?**\n\nThat's a finding, not a nuisance — open the dossier in `research/companies/` and\ncheck its citations. If the evidence is missing or stale, an issue or PR that fixes it is one\nof the most useful contributions here.\n\n| Document | What it covers | \n|---|---|\n| [`docs/getting-started.md`](https://github.com/EnzoVezzaro/rea-faang/blob/main/docs/getting-started.md) | Install the CLI, get a product skill, run it with your agent | \n| [`docs/cli-reference.md`](https://github.com/EnzoVezzaro/rea-faang/blob/main/docs/cli-reference.md) | Every CLI command with examples | \n| [`docs/catalog-and-schemas.md`](https://github.com/EnzoVezzaro/rea-faang/blob/main/docs/catalog-and-schemas.md) | Product records, dossiers, coverage labels, validation | \n| [`docs/agent-workflow.md`](https://github.com/EnzoVezzaro/rea-faang/blob/main/docs/agent-workflow.md) | How skills guide an agent; how ACE coordinates a team | \n| [`docs/README.md`](https://github.com/EnzoVezzaro/rea-faang/blob/main/docs/README.md) | The full documentation index | \n| [`DESIGN.md`](https://github.com/EnzoVezzaro/rea-faang/blob/main/DESIGN.md) | The visual design system this README follows | \n| [`PLAN.md`](https://github.com/EnzoVezzaro/rea-faang/blob/main/PLAN.md) | The current build roadmap | \n\nWe prioritize clean-room implementations, public documentation, lawful observation, and independently developed code.\n\nReverse engineering is not permission to copy proprietary source code, extract private data, bypass access controls, redistribute protected assets, or misuse confidential information.\n\nProduct names in the catalog describe the software we use as a functional reference. They imply no endorsement, affiliation, or authorization from the companies concerned. Implementations must comply with applicable laws, licenses, and third-party rights. Every project documents its provenance, dependencies, limitations, and licensing.\n\nRAE FAANG ships under the **MIT License** (see [`LICENSE`](https://github.com/EnzoVezzaro/rea-faang/blob/main/LICENSE)). The repository also carries\nan explicit AI-training notice ([`NOTICE`](https://github.com/EnzoVezzaro/rea-faang/blob/main/NOTICE)) and a machine-readable policy\n([`AI_TRAINING_POLICY.md`](https://github.com/EnzoVezzaro/rea-faang/blob/main/AI_TRAINING_POLICY.md)). Third-party dependencies, assets, and\nreferenced projects keep their own licenses.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-rae-faang-catalog-and-cli-for-building-products-with-coding-agents", "canonical_source": "https://github.com/EnzoVezzaro/rea-faang", "published_at": "2026-10-17 12:13:35+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-10-17 12:32:48.600673+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-agents", "ai-tools", "developer-tools", "ai-products"], "entities": ["RAE FAANG", "Enzo Vezzaro", "Meta", "Amazon", "Apple", "Netflix", "Google", "SearXNG"], "also_reported_by": [], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-rae-faang-catalog-and-cli-for-building-products-with-coding-agents", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-rae-faang-catalog-and-cli-for-building-products-with-coding-agents.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-rae-faang-catalog-and-cli-for-building-products-with-coding-agents.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-rae-faang-catalog-and-cli-for-building-products-with-coding-agents.jsonld"}}