{"id":"linuxserver-retroarch","name":"retroarch","homepage":"https://hub.docker.com/r/linuxserver/retroarch","repo_url":"https://hub.docker.com/r/linuxserver/retroarch","category":"ai-ml","subcategories":[],"tags":["emulation","retro-gaming","frontend","multiplatform","local-app"],"what_it_does":"RetroArch is a cross-platform “retro game” emulator frontend that bundles cores (emulation engines) and provides a unified UI/configuration for playing games from many classic systems. It is typically used as a local desktop/mobile application rather than a network service.","use_cases":["Playing retro games using a unified launcher/front-end","Running different console/game-system cores under one configuration system","Configuring controllers, video/audio settings, and overlays for retro gaming","Retro game library management on personal devices"],"not_for":["Providing a remote API for third-party applications over the network","Enterprise/managed cloud operations requiring uptime/SLA guarantees","Use cases requiring strong built-in account-based authentication and authorization"],"best_when":"You want a local emulator frontend to run retro games on your own hardware with configurable input/video/audio and multiple emulation cores.","avoid_when":"You need a hosted service with web APIs, OAuth, webhooks, or clear rate-limited programmatic endpoints.","alternatives":["EmulationStation (with RetroPie-style setups)","Dolphin (Nintendo GameCube/Wii) and PCSX2 (PlayStation 2) for system-specific frontends","LaunchBox/Big Box","RetroPie (for Raspberry Pi deployments)"],"af_score":22.0,"security_score":15.5,"reliability_score":32.5,"package_type":"mcp_server","discovery_source":["docker_mcp"],"priority":"low","status":"evaluated","version_evaluated":null,"last_evaluated":"2026-04-04T19:39:05.001238+00:00","interface":{"has_rest_api":false,"has_graphql":false,"has_grpc":false,"has_mcp_server":false,"mcp_server_url":null,"has_sdk":false,"sdk_languages":[],"openapi_spec_url":null,"webhooks":false},"auth":{"methods":[],"oauth":false,"scopes":false,"notes":"As a local application, it does not present a documented network authentication model (e.g., API keys/OAuth) in the provided context."},"pricing":{"model":null,"free_tier_exists":false,"free_tier_limits":null,"paid_tiers":[],"requires_credit_card":false,"estimated_workload_costs":null,"notes":"No pricing information provided; RetroArch is generally distributed for free as open-source software, but this evaluation does not rely on unprovided repository claims beyond the package name/intent."},"requirements":{"requires_signup":false,"requires_credit_card":false,"domain_verification":false,"data_residency":[],"compliance":[],"min_contract":null},"agent_readiness":{"af_score":22.0,"security_score":15.5,"reliability_score":32.5,"mcp_server_quality":0.0,"documentation_accuracy":30.0,"error_message_quality":0.0,"error_message_notes":null,"auth_complexity":100.0,"rate_limit_clarity":0.0,"tls_enforcement":0.0,"auth_strength":0.0,"scope_granularity":0.0,"dependency_hygiene":50.0,"secret_handling":40.0,"security_notes":"Retro gaming software typically operates locally and is not described here with network security controls (TLS/auth). Security posture depends heavily on local system safety, core selection/updates, and handling of user-supplied content.","uptime_documented":0.0,"version_stability":50.0,"breaking_changes_history":50.0,"error_recovery":30.0,"idempotency_support":"false","idempotency_notes":null,"pagination_style":"none","retry_guidance_documented":false,"known_agent_gotchas":["Not a networked service: agents cannot reliably 'call' it via API without additional wrappers","Emulation behavior depends on external cores and ROM/BIOS availability, which agents cannot assume are present"]}}