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ClaudeWave

Best Claude Tools

CLI tools, editors, and utilities built for Claude.

828 total repositories2,002,621 total starsTop 600 shown · filter by use case below

Standalone Tools for Claude

Tools are standalone CLIs, wrappers and utilities for the Claude ecosystem, projects that don't fit cleanly as a skill, MCP server or plugin but still belong in the orbit. Think: cost calculators, prompt managers, transcript viewers, conversation exporters, model routers, evaluation harnesses.

These projects often power workflows that sit alongside Claude Code rather than inside it. A common pattern: a CLI that batches prompts to the Claude API, parses results, and writes a CSV, useful for evals, content pipelines, and anything that needs deterministic batch processing.

Below: 790+ tools ranked by stars and Trust Score. Filter by use case to narrow (data, devops, evaluation, content…).

Questions about Tools

How is a 'tool' different from an MCP server?+

An MCP server exposes capabilities to Claude over the protocol, Claude calls it. A standalone tool runs independently and may call Claude (or not). MCP servers are reactive; tools are proactive. Many projects ship as both, a CLI for humans plus an MCP server for Claude.

What kind of tools live in this category?+

Cost trackers (claude-cost), prompt CLIs (claude-cli, llm), evaluation harnesses, transcript exporters, model gateways (LiteLLM, OpenRouter wrappers), and project setup utilities. Anything that's not a skill/agent/MCP/plugin/template/hook.

Are these tools cross-model (work with OpenAI too)?+

Many are. Tools that wrap the Anthropic SDK only work with Claude; tools built on LiteLLM or LangChain work across providers. Each repo's README states the supported providers, check before adopting.

Do tools need API keys?+

Most do. The Anthropic ones need ANTHROPIC_API_KEY; cross-provider ones need keys for whichever providers you enable. Keys are usually read from environment variables, never paste them into config files committed to git.

Can I use Claude tools in my CI/CD pipeline?+

Yes. Many tools in this category are explicitly built for CI, they accept env vars, write structured output (JSON/CSV), and exit non-zero on failure. Common patterns: PR review bot, doc generation step, accessibility check, security scan.