explaingit

codingstark-dev/decant

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

2RustAudience · developerComplexity · 3/5LicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

A Rust command-line tool that mirrors websites for offline use and produces structured AI-readable files for cloning or reproducing their design.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((decant))
    What it does
      Download website copy
      Rewrite local paths
      AI-readable artifacts
    Output Files
      context.md primer
      design-tokens.json
      manifest.json
      repair-hints.json
    Render Modes
      Static crawl
      Chrome headless
      Lightpanda lightweight
    Use Cases
      AI site cloning
      Design extraction
      Offline archiving
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Code map

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Capture a website's complete HTML, CSS, JS, and assets for offline browsing or archiving

USE CASE 2

Extract a site's design tokens (colors, fonts, spacing) from its stylesheets for use in a new project

USE CASE 3

Give an AI coding assistant a structured snapshot of a website so it can reproduce or adapt the design

USE CASE 4

Verify a locally captured site against the live version by comparing screenshots across viewports

What is it built with?

RustChrome/Chromiumnpm

How does it compare?

codingstark-dev/decantcallmealphabet/fastcpemotions-research/lunarfs
Stars222
LanguageRustRustRust
Setup difficultyeasyeasymoderate
Complexity3/51/54/5
Audiencedeveloperops devopsdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Chrome or Lightpanda are only needed for JavaScript-rendered sites, the static crawl has no extra dependencies.

Use freely for any purpose including commercial use as long as you keep the MIT license notice.

In plain English

This is a command-line tool written in Rust that downloads a copy of any website to your computer, including its HTML, CSS, JavaScript, fonts, and images, and rewrites all the internal links so the copy works offline. What makes it distinct from a simple website downloader is that it also produces structured files designed for AI tools to read and use when cloning or reproducing the site. When you run a capture, the tool creates several output files alongside the downloaded site. The first is a plain-text summary you can paste into an AI prompt to give it context about the site. The second is a design-tokens.json file that captures the color palette, font choices, spacing rules, and other visual parameters extracted from the CSS. The third is a manifest that catalogs the page structure and assets. The fourth is a repair-hints.json file that tells an AI agent which assets failed to download and what it should try next. For sites that rely heavily on JavaScript to show their content, the tool can launch a headless Chrome browser or an alternative lighter-weight browser called Lightpanda to render the page fully before capturing it. In Chrome mode it also takes screenshots at mobile, tablet, and desktop screen widths. A verify command lets you compare the live site against your local copy and receive a similarity score and list of differences. The tool ships with a SKILL.md file that teaches AI coding assistants, such as Claude Code, how to use its commands on their own. Installation options include Rust's Cargo package manager, npm, a one-line curl install script, or building from source. Static crawls have no browser dependency, so the basic install is fast.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Use decant to clone https://example.com with Chrome rendering and take mobile, tablet, and desktop screenshots, then serve it locally on port 8080.
Prompt 2
I cloned a site with decant and repair-hints.json shows blocked_asset errors. What does this mean and how do I fix it?
Prompt 3
Help me use decant's context.md and design-tokens.json output to recreate a site's visual style in a new React project.
Prompt 4
How do I clone a site with decant that requires a session cookie and an Authorization header?
Prompt 5
Walk me through using decant verify to compare a live site against my local capture and interpret the similarity scores.

Frequently asked questions

What is decant?

A Rust command-line tool that mirrors websites for offline use and produces structured AI-readable files for cloning or reproducing their design.

What language is decant written in?

Mainly Rust. The stack also includes Rust, Chrome/Chromium, npm.

What license does decant use?

Use freely for any purpose including commercial use as long as you keep the MIT license notice.

How hard is decant to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is decant for?

Mainly developer.

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