# Agent Protocol

**Server:** @cyanheads/workflows-mcp-server
**Version:** 0.2.0
**Framework:** [@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core) `^0.10.10`
**Engines:** Bun ≥1.3.0, Node ≥24.0.0
**MCP SDK:** `@modelcontextprotocol/sdk` ^1.29.0
**Zod:** ^4.4.3

> **Read the framework docs first:** `node_modules/@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core/CLAUDE.md` contains the full API reference — builders, Context, error codes, exports, patterns. This file covers server-specific conventions only.

---

## What's Next?

When the user asks what's next or needs direction, suggest options based on the current project state. Common next steps:

1. **Re-run the `setup` skill** — ensures CLAUDE.md, skills, structure, and metadata are populated and up to date with the current codebase
2. **Run the `design-mcp-server` skill** — if the tool/resource surface hasn't been mapped yet, work through domain design
3. **Add tools/resources/prompts** — scaffold new definitions using the `add-tool`, `add-app-tool`, `add-resource`, `add-prompt` skills
4. **Add services** — scaffold domain service integrations using the `add-service` skill
5. **Add tests** — scaffold tests for existing definitions using the `add-test` skill
6. **Field-test definitions** — exercise tools/resources/prompts with real inputs using the `field-test` skill, get a report of issues and pain points
7. **Run `devcheck`** — lint, format, typecheck, and security audit
8. **Run the `security-pass` skill** — audit handlers for MCP-specific security gaps: output injection, scope blast radius, input sinks, tenant isolation
9. **Run the `polish-docs-meta` skill** — finalize README, CHANGELOG, metadata, and agent protocol for shipping
10. **Run the `maintenance` skill** — investigate changelogs, adopt upstream changes, and sync skills after `bun update --latest`

Tailor suggestions to what's actually missing or stale — don't recite the full list every time.

---

## Core Rules

- **Logic throws, framework catches.** Tool/resource handlers are pure — throw on failure, no `try/catch`. Plain `Error` is fine; the framework catches, classifies, and formats. Use error factories (`notFound()`, `validationError()`, etc.) when the error code matters.
- **Use `ctx.log`** for request-scoped logging. No `console` calls.
- **Use `ctx.state`** for tenant-scoped storage. Never access persistence directly.
- **Check `ctx.elicit` / `ctx.sample`** for presence before calling.
- **Secrets in env vars only** — never hardcoded.
- **Close the loop on issues.** When implementing work tracked by a GitHub issue, comment on the issue with what landed and close it. Do both — a comment without a close leaves stale issues open; a close without a comment leaves no record of what shipped. The comment is for future readers — state the concrete changes, not the conversation that produced them.

---

## Patterns

### Tool

```ts
import { tool, z } from '@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core';
import { JsonRpcErrorCode } from '@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core/errors';
import { getWorkflowIndexService } from '@/services/workflow-index/workflow-index-service.js';

export const workflowList = tool('workflow_list', {
  description: 'List all permanent workflows in the index. Supports optional filtering by category and tags (AND match).',
  annotations: { readOnlyHint: true, idempotentHint: true, openWorldHint: false },
  input: z.object({
    category: z.string().optional().describe('Filter by category (case-insensitive substring).'),
    tags: z.array(z.string()).optional().describe('Filter to workflows that have ALL of these tags.'),
    includeTools: z.boolean().optional().describe('When true, include unique server/tool pairs per workflow.'),
  }),
  output: z.object({
    workflows: z.array(z.object({ name: z.string().describe('Workflow name.'), /* ... */ })).describe('Matching workflows.'),
    totalCount: z.number().describe('Total number of matching workflows.'),
  }),
  errors: [
    { reason: 'index_unavailable', code: JsonRpcErrorCode.ServiceUnavailable,
      when: 'The workflow index has not finished building yet.',
      recovery: 'Retry after the server has finished initializing its workflow index.' },
  ],
  handler(input, ctx) {
    const svc = getWorkflowIndexService();
    if (!svc.ready) throw ctx.fail('index_unavailable', 'Index not ready', ctx.recoveryFor('index_unavailable'));
    // ... filter and return results
    return { workflows: [], totalCount: 0 };
  },
  format: (result) => [{ type: 'text', text: `**Total:** ${result.totalCount}` }],
});
```

### Server config

```ts
// src/config/server-config.ts — lazy-parsed, separate from framework config
import { z } from '@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core';
import { parseEnvConfig } from '@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core/config';

const ServerConfigSchema = z.object({
  workflowsDir: z
    .string()
    .default('./workflows-yaml')
    .describe('Absolute or relative path to the workflows root directory'),
  globalInstructionsPath: z
    .string()
    .default('')
    .describe('Path to the global instructions markdown file. Empty string means derive from WORKFLOWS_DIR.'),
  watcherDebounceMs: z.coerce
    .number()
    .default(500)
    .describe('Milliseconds to debounce filesystem change events before rebuilding the index'),
});

let _config: z.infer<typeof ServerConfigSchema> | undefined;
export function getServerConfig() {
  _config ??= parseEnvConfig(ServerConfigSchema, {
    workflowsDir: 'WORKFLOWS_DIR',
    globalInstructionsPath: 'GLOBAL_INSTRUCTIONS_PATH',
    watcherDebounceMs: 'WATCHER_DEBOUNCE_MS',
  });
  return _config;
}
```

`parseEnvConfig` maps Zod schema paths → env var names so errors name the variable (`WORKFLOWS_DIR`) not the path (`workflowsDir`). Throws `ConfigurationError`, which the framework prints as a clean startup banner.

---

## Context

Handlers receive a unified `ctx` object. Key properties:

| Property | Description |
|:---------|:------------|
| `ctx.log` | Request-scoped logger — `.debug()`, `.info()`, `.notice()`, `.warning()`, `.error()`. Auto-correlates requestId, traceId, tenantId. |
| `ctx.signal` | `AbortSignal` for cancellation. |
| `ctx.requestId` | Unique request ID. |
| `ctx.tenantId` | Tenant ID from JWT or `'default'` for stdio. |
| `ctx.fail` | Typed error factory for declared error contracts — `ctx.fail('reason', msg, ctx.recoveryFor('reason'))`. |

---

## Errors

Handlers throw — the framework catches, classifies, and formats.

**Recommended: typed error contract.** Declare `errors: [{ reason, code, when, recovery, retryable? }]` on `tool()` / `resource()` to receive `ctx.fail(reason, …)` typed against the reason union. TypeScript catches typos at compile time, `data.reason` is auto-populated for observability, linter enforces conformance against the handler body. `recovery` is required descriptive metadata for the agent's next move (≥ 5 words, lint-validated); for the wire `data.recovery.hint` (mirrored into `content[]` text), pass explicitly at the throw site when dynamic context matters: `ctx.fail('reason', msg, { recovery: { hint: '...' } })`. Baseline codes (`InternalError`, `ServiceUnavailable`, `Timeout`, `ValidationError`, `SerializationError`) bubble freely and don't need declaring.

```ts
errors: [
  { reason: 'no_match', code: JsonRpcErrorCode.NotFound,
    when: 'No item matched the query',
    recovery: 'Broaden the query or check the spelling and try again.' },
],
async handler(input, ctx) {
  const item = await db.find(input.id);
  if (!item) throw ctx.fail('no_match', `No item ${input.id}`);
  return item;
}
```

**Declare contracts inline on each tool.** The contract is part of the tool's public surface — one file should give the full picture. Don't extract a shared `errors[]` constant; per-tool repetition is the intended cost of locality.

**Fallback (no contract entry fits):** throw via factories or plain `Error`.

```ts
// Error factories — explicit code
import { notFound, serviceUnavailable } from '@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core/errors';
throw notFound('Item not found', { itemId });
throw serviceUnavailable('API unavailable', { url }, { cause: err });

// Plain Error — framework auto-classifies from message patterns
throw new Error('Item not found');           // → NotFound
throw new Error('Invalid query format');     // → ValidationError

// McpError — when no factory exists for the code
import { McpError, JsonRpcErrorCode } from '@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core/errors';
throw new McpError(JsonRpcErrorCode.DatabaseError, 'Connection failed', { pool: 'primary' });
```

See framework CLAUDE.md and the `api-errors` skill for the full auto-classification table, all available factories, and the contract reference.

---

## Structure

```text
src/
  index.ts                              # createApp() entry point — registers tools, inits WorkflowIndexService
  config/
    server-config.ts                    # Server-specific env vars (WORKFLOWS_DIR, GLOBAL_INSTRUCTIONS_PATH, WATCHER_DEBOUNCE_MS)
  services/
    workflow-index/
      workflow-index-service.ts         # WorkflowIndexService — index build, watcher, semver lookup, write helpers
      types.ts                          # ParsedWorkflow, WorkflowEntry, WorkflowIndex types
  mcp-server/
    tools/definitions/
      workflow-list.tool.ts             # workflow_list — list permanent workflows with filters
      workflow-get.tool.ts              # workflow_get — retrieve full workflow + global instructions
      workflow-create.tool.ts           # workflow_create — write permanent workflow YAML
      workflow-create-temp.tool.ts      # workflow_create_temp — write temporary workflow
      index.ts                          # Barrel export
workflows-yaml/                         # Workflow library root (configurable via WORKFLOWS_DIR)
  categories/                           # Permanent workflows organized by category
  temp/                                 # Temporary workflows (gitignored)
  global_instructions.md                # Global instructions injected into every workflow_get response
  _index.json                           # Auto-generated snapshot (gitignored)
```

---

## Naming

| What | Convention | Example |
|:-----|:-----------|:--------|
| Files | kebab-case with suffix | `search-docs.tool.ts` |
| Tool/resource/prompt names | snake_case | `search_docs` |
| Directories | kebab-case | `src/services/doc-search/` |
| Descriptions | Single string or template literal, no `+` concatenation | `'Search items by query and filter.'` |

---

## Skills

Skills are modular instructions in `skills/` at the project root. Read them directly when a task matches — e.g., `skills/add-tool/SKILL.md` when adding a tool.

**Agent skill directory:** Copy skills into the directory your agent discovers (Claude Code: `.claude/skills/`, others: equivalent). Skills then load as context without referencing `skills/` paths. After framework updates, run the `maintenance` skill — Phase B re-syncs the agent directory.

Available skills:

| Skill | Purpose |
|:------|:--------|
| `setup` | Post-init project orientation |
| `design-mcp-server` | Design tool surface, resources, and services for a new server |
| `add-tool` | Scaffold a new tool definition |
| `add-app-tool` | Scaffold an MCP App tool + paired UI resource |
| `add-resource` | Scaffold a new resource definition |
| `add-prompt` | Scaffold a new prompt definition |
| `add-service` | Scaffold a new service integration |
| `add-test` | Scaffold test file for a tool, resource, or service |
| `field-test` | Exercise tools/resources/prompts with real inputs, verify behavior, report issues |
| `tool-defs-analysis` | Read-only audit of MCP definition language across the surface — voice, leaks, defaults, recovery hints, output descriptions |
| `security-pass` | Audit server for MCP-flavored security gaps: output injection, scope blast radius, input sinks, tenant isolation |
| `code-simplifier` | Post-session cleanup against `git diff` — modernize syntax, consolidate duplication, align with the codebase |
| `devcheck` | Lint, format, typecheck, audit |
| `polish-docs-meta` | Finalize docs, README, metadata, and agent protocol for shipping |
| `git-wrapup` | Land working-tree changes as a versioned commit + annotated tag — version bump, changelog, verify, tag. Local only. |
| `release-and-publish` | Push + npm + MCP Registry + GH Release + Docker. Picks up from `git-wrapup` |
| `maintenance` | Investigate changelogs, adopt upstream changes, sync skills to agent dirs |
| `report-issue-framework` | File a bug or feature request against `@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core` via `gh` CLI |
| `report-issue-local` | File a bug or feature request against this server's own repo via `gh` CLI |
| `api-auth` | Auth modes, scopes, JWT/OAuth |
| `api-canvas` | DataCanvas: register tabular data, run SQL, export, plus the `spillover()` helper for big result sets — Tier 3 opt-in |
| `api-config` | AppConfig, parseConfig, env vars |
| `api-context` | Context interface, logger, state, progress |
| `api-errors` | McpError, JsonRpcErrorCode, error patterns |
| `api-linter` | Definition linter rule catalog — invoked by `bun run lint:mcp` and `devcheck` |
| `api-services` | LLM, Speech, Graph services |
| `api-testing` | createMockContext, test patterns |
| `api-utils` | Formatting, parsing, security, pagination, scheduling, telemetry helpers |
| `api-telemetry` | OTel catalog: spans, metrics, completion logs, env config, cardinality rules |
| `api-workers` | Cloudflare Workers runtime |

When you complete a skill's checklist, check the boxes and add a completion timestamp at the end (e.g., `Completed: 2026-03-11`).

---

## Commands

| Command | Purpose |
|:--------|:--------|
| `bun run build` | Compile TypeScript |
| `bun run rebuild` | Clean + build |
| `bun run clean` | Remove build artifacts |
| `bun run devcheck` | Lint + format + typecheck + security + changelog sync |
| `bun run audit:refresh` | Delete `bun.lock`, reinstall, re-audit. Use when `devcheck` flags a transitive advisory — stale lockfile can mask already-patched deps. If advisory survives, it's real. |
| `bun run tree` | Generate directory structure doc |
| `bun run format` | Auto-fix formatting |
| `bun run test` | Run tests |
| `bun run start:stdio` | Production mode (stdio) |
| `bun run start:http` | Production mode (HTTP) |
| `bun run changelog:build` | Regenerate `CHANGELOG.md` from `changelog/*.md` |
| `bun run changelog:check` | Verify `CHANGELOG.md` is in sync (used by devcheck) |
| `bun run bundle` | Build and pack as `.mcpb` for one-click Claude Desktop install |

---

## Bundling

`bun run bundle` produces a `.mcpb` extension bundle for one-click install in Claude Desktop. MCPB is stdio-only — HTTP and Cloudflare Workers deployments are unaffected. Consumers who don't need it can delete `manifest.json` and `.mcpbignore`; `lint:packaging` skips cleanly.

**Adding an env var requires both files:** `server.json` (registry discovery, `environmentVariables[]`) and `manifest.json` (bundle install UX, `mcp_config.env` + `user_config`). `lint:packaging` (run by `devcheck`) verifies the env var names match.

**README install badges.** Drop these into the project README to give users one-click install paths. Fill in `<OWNER>` / `<REPO>` / `<PACKAGE_NAME>` and encode the per-server config. Cursor + VS Code badges assume the server is published to npm; Claude Desktop downloads the `.mcpb` directly so npm publishing isn't required.

| Client | Mechanism |
|:-------|:----------|
| Claude Desktop | Browser downloads the `.mcpb` from the latest GitHub Release; OS file handler routes it to Claude Desktop, which opens the install dialog. No deep-link URL scheme yet — this is the canonical path. |
| Cursor | Official `https://cursor.com/en/install-mcp` endpoint with base64 JSON config. |
| VS Code / Insiders | Official `vscode:mcp/install?...` deep link, wrapped in `https://vscode.dev/redirect?url=` so GitHub-rendered markdown doesn't strip the non-HTTP scheme. |
| Claude Code / Codex | CLI only (`claude mcp add` / `codex mcp add`); no URL scheme. |

```markdown
[![Install in Claude Desktop](https://img.shields.io/badge/Install_in-Claude_Desktop-D97757?style=for-the-badge&logo=anthropic&logoColor=white)](https://github.com/<OWNER>/<REPO>/releases/latest/download/<PACKAGE_NAME>.mcpb)
[![Install in Cursor](https://cursor.com/deeplink/mcp-install-dark.svg)](https://cursor.com/en/install-mcp?name=<PACKAGE_NAME>&config=<BASE64_CONFIG>)
[![Install in VS Code](https://img.shields.io/badge/VS_Code-Install_Server-0098FF?style=for-the-badge&logo=visualstudiocode&logoColor=white)](https://vscode.dev/redirect?url=vscode:mcp/install?<URLENCODED_JSON>)
```

Both install links route through HTTPS endpoints (`cursor.com/en/install-mcp` and `vscode.dev/redirect`) — GitHub-rendered markdown strips non-HTTP URL schemes from anchors, so a raw `cursor://` or `vscode:` link won't click through from github.com.

Generate the encoded configs (replace `<PACKAGE_NAME>` and add env vars for any required API keys):

```bash
# Cursor: base64-encoded JSON. Split command/args, add env when keys are needed.
echo -n '{"command":"npx","args":["-y","<PACKAGE_NAME>"],"env":{"API_KEY":"your-api-key"}}' | base64
# Without env (no required keys):
echo -n '{"command":"npx","args":["-y","<PACKAGE_NAME>"]}' | base64

# VS Code: URL-encoded JSON. Same shape plus a `name` field.
node -p 'encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify({name:"<SHORT_NAME>",command:"npx",args:["-y","<PACKAGE_NAME>"],env:{API_KEY:"your-api-key"}}))'
# Without env:
node -p 'encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify({name:"<SHORT_NAME>",command:"npx",args:["-y","<PACKAGE_NAME>"]}))'
```

Both clients use the same `{command, args, env}` shape (matching `mcp.json` schema). VS Code adds a top-level `name` field. Omit `env` entirely when no API keys are needed — don't include empty objects or framework-only vars like `MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE`.

The Claude Desktop badge requires the bundle to ship with a stable filename — `bun run bundle` outputs `dist/<PACKAGE_NAME>.mcpb`, and `release-and-publish` attaches that file to the GitHub Release. `releases/latest/download/<PACKAGE_NAME>.mcpb` then redirects to the most recent release.

---

## Changelog

Directory-based, grouped by minor series via the `.x` semver-wildcard convention. Source of truth: `changelog/<major.minor>.x/<version>.md` (e.g. `changelog/0.1.x/0.1.0.md`) — one file per release, shipped in the npm package. At release, author the per-version file with a concrete version and date, then run `bun run changelog:build` to regenerate the rollup. `changelog/template.md` is a **pristine format reference** — never edited or moved; read it for the frontmatter + section layout when scaffolding. `CHANGELOG.md` is a **navigation index** (header + link + summary per version), regenerated by `bun run changelog:build` — devcheck hard-fails on drift; never hand-edit it.

Each per-version file opens with YAML frontmatter:

```markdown
---
summary: "One-line headline, ≤350 chars"  # required — powers the rollup index
breaking: false                            # optional — true flags breaking changes
security: false                            # optional — true flags security fixes
---

# 0.1.0 — YYYY-MM-DD
...
```

`breaking: true` renders a `· ⚠️ Breaking` badge — use it when consumers must update code on upgrade (signature changes, removed APIs, config renames). `security: true` renders a `· 🛡️ Security` badge and pairs with a `## Security` body section. When both are set, badges render `· ⚠️ Breaking · 🛡️ Security`.

`agent-notes` is an optional free-form field for maintenance agents processing the release downstream. Content here won't appear in the rendered CHANGELOG — it's consumed by agents running the `maintenance` skill. Use it for adoption instructions that don't fit the human-facing sections: new files to create, fields to populate, one-time migration steps. Omit entirely when there's nothing to say.

**Section order** (Keep a Changelog): Added, Changed, Deprecated, Removed, Fixed, Security. Include only sections with entries — don't ship empty headers.

**Tag annotations** render as GitHub Release bodies via `--notes-from-tag`. They must be structured markdown — never a flat comma-separated string. Subject omits the version number (GitHub prepends it). See `changelog/template.md` for the full format reference.

---

## Imports

```ts
// Framework — z is re-exported, no separate zod import needed
import { tool, z } from '@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core';
import { McpError, JsonRpcErrorCode } from '@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core/errors';

// Server's own code — via path alias
import { getMyService } from '@/services/my-domain/my-service.js';
```

---

## Checklist

- [ ] Zod schemas: all fields have `.describe()`, only JSON-Schema-serializable types (no `z.custom()`, `z.date()`, `z.transform()`, `z.bigint()`, `z.symbol()`, `z.void()`, `z.map()`, `z.set()`, `z.function()`, `z.nan()`)
- [ ] Optional nested objects: handler guards for empty inner values from form-based clients (`if (input.obj?.field && ...)`, not just `if (input.obj)`). When regex/length constraints matter, use `z.union([z.literal(''), z.string().regex(...).describe(...)])` — literal variants are exempt from `describe-on-fields`.
- [ ] JSDoc `@fileoverview` + `@module` on every file
- [ ] `ctx.log` for logging, `ctx.state` for storage
- [ ] Handlers throw on failure — error factories or plain `Error`, no try/catch
- [ ] `format()` renders all data the LLM needs — different clients forward different surfaces (Claude Code → `structuredContent`, Claude Desktop → `content[]`); both must carry the same data
- [ ] If wrapping external API: raw/domain/output schemas reviewed against real upstream sparsity/nullability before finalizing required vs optional fields
- [ ] If wrapping external API: normalization and `format()` preserve uncertainty; do not fabricate facts from missing upstream data
- [ ] If wrapping external API: tests include at least one sparse payload case with omitted upstream fields
- [ ] Registered in `createApp()` arrays (directly or via barrel exports)
- [ ] Tests use `createMockContext()` from `@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core/testing`
- [ ] `.codex-plugin/plugin.json` populated — `name`, `version`, `description`, `repository`, `license` from `package.json`; `interface.displayName` = package name; `interface.shortDescription` from `package.json` description
- [ ] `.codex-plugin/mcp.json` updated — server name key matches `package.json` name; env vars added for any required API keys
- [ ] `.claude-plugin/plugin.json` populated — `name`, `version`, `description`, `repository`, `license` from `package.json`; inline `mcpServers` entry with server name key, env vars for any required API keys
- [ ] `bun run devcheck` passes