Buy Vs Build Decision
Use when choosing between built-ins, standard libraries, native platform features, installed packages, open source libraries, commercial products, or in-house implementation for a feature or technical design.
Install
$ agentstack add skill-stdin-buy-vs-build-buy-vs-build-decision ✓ scanned · ✓ verified, works with Claude Code, Cursor, and more.
Security review
✓ PassedNo issues found. Passed automated security review. · v0.1.0 How review works →
- ✓ Prompt-injection patterns
- ✓ Secret / credential exfiltration
- ✓ Dangerous shell & filesystem operations
- ✓ Untrusted network calls
- ✓ Known-malicious package signatures
What it can access
- ✓ Network access No
- ✓ Filesystem access No
- ✓ Shell / process execution No
- ✓ Environment & secrets No
- ✓ Dynamic code execution No
From automated source analysis of v0.1.0. “Used” means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it’s unsafe.
Verified badge
Passed review? Show it. Paste this badge into your README, it links to the public security report.
Links to your public security report.[](https://agentstack.voostack.com/security/report/skill-stdin-buy-vs-build-buy-vs-build-decision) Reliability & compatibility
Declared compatibility
Compatibility is declared by the source manifest. End-to-end runtime verification is coming, see below.
We're building live execution health for every listing: tool-call success rate, median latency, uptime, and last-checked timestamps, measured, not self-reported. It isn't live yet, so we don't show numbers we can't stand behind.
How agent discovery & health will work →About
Buy vs Build Decision
Make the smallest useful decision memo. The goal is clarity, not ceremony.
Workflow
- State the requirement and constraints.
- Classify it: core (differentiation) or context, and commodity (stable) or novel. Reuse context and commodity work; reserve in-house for core, novel work.
- Walk the ladder: do nothing, built-in, native platform, installed dependency, open source, commercial, in-house.
- When several options fit the rung, pick the one that matches the requirement's real shape (directionality, volume, latency, consistency, failure mode), not the most powerful, popular, or familiar one.
- Compare fit, total cost of ownership, security, licensing, maintenance, integration, maturity, reversibility, and exit risk.
- Choose the lowest-ownership option that satisfies the constraints. For hard-to-reverse (one-way-door) choices, demand more scrutiny and an exit plan.
- Name the trigger that would justify revisiting the decision.
Output
Use this format:
Decision: use .
Why: .
Rejected: because .
Revisit if: .If building in-house, name the reuse option that failed and the constraint it failed. If adding a dependency or service, name the built-in or installed option that was insufficient.
Source & license
This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.
- Author: stdin
- Source: stdin/buy-vs-build
- License: MIT
Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.
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Versions
- v0.1.0 Imported from the upstream source.