find_alternative

io.github.octoco-ltd/sheetsdata-mcp · Verify this server

Find alternative / second-source components for a given MPN. Returns parts ranked by how closely their specs, package, and category match the reference part, with a match_score and match_notes explaining each match. When to use: - Original part is out of stock or end-of-life. - You need a cheaper equivalent with similar specs. - You need a second source for supply-chain resilience. - You need a drop-in replacement on an existing PCB (use constraints=['same_package']). When NOT to use: - You're browsing a category from scratch — use search_parts. - You already have candidates and want a head-to-head comparison — use compare_parts directly. Behavior: - Eval boards, dev kits, and breakout modules are filtered out — results are IC-level alternatives only. - 'same_package' uses fuzzy matching, so SOT-23 ≡ SOT23, SOIC-8 ≡ SOP-8, LQFP64 ≡ TQFP64, etc. Exact string match is not required. - If provider search returns few candidates, the tool falls back to semantic search across extracted datasheets to surface niche alternatives. - The response includes a 'hint' field pointing to compare_parts / read_datasheet for drilling into promising alternatives. Example: find_alternative('TPS54302', constraints=['same_package', 'in_stock']) DATASHEET STATUS VALUES: - 'ready' — extracted and indexed; call read_datasheet, search_datasheets, or analyze_image. - 'extracting' / 'in_progress' / 'queued' / 'pending' — extraction running or scheduled. Poll check_extraction_status every 5-10s until 'ready' or 'failed'. Typical time: 30s-2min. - 'not_extracted' — known part but datasheet hasn't been fetched yet. Trigger it via prefetch_datasheets (cheapest) or by calling read_datasheet (auto-triggers on first read). - 'no_source' — we couldn't find a public datasheet URL for this MPN. First, retry prefetch_datasheets in 10-30s (the URL resolver re-runs and often finds a source on the second pass). If still 'no_source', the agent can upload the PDF manually via request_datasheet_upload + confirm_datasheet_upload (see those tools). Org-uploaded datasheets are private to the org. - 'unsupported' — PDF exists but can't be extracted (scanned image-only, encrypted, or corrupted). Upload a clean text-based PDF via request_datasheet_upload to override. - 'failed' / 'error' — extraction errored. The response includes the error reason. Retry via prefetch_datasheets or escalate to support. - 'rejected' — input wasn't a real MPN (bare value like '100nF', description, or reference designator). Fix the input and re-call. - 'deduplicated' — another part in the family already has this datasheet; same content is returned under the primary MPN.