MCP Tool Mastery

Master the 80+ MCP tools available in the GoodVibes plugin. This skill teaches you when and how to use each tool for maximum effectiveness.

THE LAW: Tool-First Development

This is non-negotiable. Violating these rules means you're not doing your job.

Before ANY Task

# 1. ALWAYS check tool schema first
mcp-cli info plugin_goodvibes_goodvibes-tools/<tool_name>

# 2. THEN make the call
mcp-cli call plugin_goodvibes_goodvibes-tools/<tool_name> '{"param": "value"}'

The Golden Rules

1. Never skip

   mcp-cli info

   - Schemas are tool-specific. Your assumptions are wrong.
2. Never do manually what a tool can do - If a tool exists, use it.
3. Skills contain expertise you lack - Load them to become an expert.
4. Tools provide current information - Your training data is outdated.

Quick Reference: Tool Selection by Task

Starting Any Task

detect_stack

mcp-cli call .../detect_stack '{}'

recommend_skills

mcp-cli call .../recommend_skills '{"task": "..."}'

project_issues

mcp-cli call .../project_issues '{}'

Before Writing Code

scan_patterns

get_schema

get_conventions

During Code Navigation

go_to_definition

find_references

get_implementations

workspace_symbols

get_type_hierarchy

Before Editing Code

scan_patterns

validate_edits_preview

safe_delete_check

find_tests_for_file

After Editing Code

check_types

get_diagnostics

run_smoke_test

Debugging

parse_error_stack

explain_type_error

find_dead_code

find_circular_deps

Security & Quality

scan_for_secrets

get_env_config

check_permissions

Complete Tool Catalog

Discovery & Search (6 tools)

search_skills

search_agents

search_tools

recommend_skills

get_skill_content

get_agent_content

Dependencies & Stack (6 tools)

skill_dependencies

detect_stack

check_versions

scan_patterns

analyze_dependencies

find_circular_deps

Documentation & Schema (5 tools)

fetch_docs

get_schema

read_config

get_database_schema

get_api_routes

Quality & Testing (7 tools)

validate_implementation

run_smoke_test

check_types

project_issues

find_tests_for_file

get_test_coverage

suggest_test_cases

Scaffolding (3 tools)

scaffold_project

list_templates

plugin_status

LSP/Code Intelligence (18 tools)

Navigation:

find_references

go_to_definition

get_implementations

get_call_hierarchy

get_document_symbols

workspace_symbols

Analysis:

get_symbol_info

get_signature_help

get_diagnostics

get_type_hierarchy

get_inlay_hints

get_api_surface

Refactoring:

rename_symbol

get_code_actions

apply_code_action

find_dead_code

safe_delete_check

validate_edits_preview

Error Analysis & Security (5 tools)

parse_error_stack

explain_type_error

scan_for_secrets

get_env_config

check_permissions

Code Analysis & Diff (3 tools)

get_conventions

detect_breaking_changes

semantic_diff

Framework-Specific (3 tools)

get_react_component_tree

get_prisma_operations

analyze_bundle

Runtime & Frontend Tools (15+ tools)

start_dev_server

health_monitor

watch_for_errors

browser_automation

verify_runtime_behavior

lighthouse_audit

visual_regression

analyze_responsive_breakpoints

trace_component_state

analyze_render_triggers

analyze_layout_hierarchy

diagnose_overflow

get_accessibility_tree

get_sizing_strategy

analyze_event_flow

analyze_tailwind_conflicts

Advanced Operations (10+ tools)

retry_with_learning

resolve_merge_conflict

atomic_multi_edit

auto_rollback

validate_api_contract

profile_function

log_analyzer

generate_types

identify_tech_debt

Tool Invocation Patterns

Pattern 1: Schema Check First (MANDATORY)

# WRONG - Never do this
mcp-cli call plugin_goodvibes_goodvibes-tools/detect_stack '{}'

# CORRECT - Always check schema first
mcp-cli info plugin_goodvibes_goodvibes-tools/detect_stack
# Read the schema output
mcp-cli call plugin_goodvibes_goodvibes-tools/detect_stack '{}'

Pattern 2: Parallel Info Calls

When using multiple tools, check all schemas first:

# Check all schemas in parallel
mcp-cli info plugin_goodvibes_goodvibes-tools/detect_stack
mcp-cli info plugin_goodvibes_goodvibes-tools/scan_patterns
mcp-cli info plugin_goodvibes_goodvibes-tools/project_issues

# Then make calls
mcp-cli call plugin_goodvibes_goodvibes-tools/detect_stack '{}'
mcp-cli call plugin_goodvibes_goodvibes-tools/project_issues '{}'

Pattern 3: Skill Loading Workflow

# 1. Find relevant skills
mcp-cli info plugin_goodvibes_goodvibes-tools/recommend_skills
mcp-cli call plugin_goodvibes_goodvibes-tools/recommend_skills '{"task": "implement authentication"}'

# 2. Load the recommended skill
mcp-cli info plugin_goodvibes_goodvibes-tools/get_skill_content
mcp-cli call plugin_goodvibes_goodvibes-tools/get_skill_content '{"skill_path": "webdev/authentication/clerk"}'

Pattern 4: Pre-Edit Validation

# Before making edits, validate they won't cause errors
mcp-cli info plugin_goodvibes_goodvibes-tools/validate_edits_preview
mcp-cli call plugin_goodvibes_goodvibes-tools/validate_edits_preview '{"file": "src/auth.ts", "changes": "..."}'

Pattern 5: Safe Deletion

# Before deleting any symbol, verify it's safe
mcp-cli info plugin_goodvibes_goodvibes-tools/safe_delete_check
mcp-cli call plugin_goodvibes_goodvibes-tools/safe_delete_check '{"symbol": "oldFunction", "file": "src/utils.ts"}'

Agent-Specific Tool Recommendations

Backend Engineer Priority Tools

1. get_database_schema

   - Always before DB work

2. get_api_routes

   - Understand existing API

3. get_prisma_operations

   - When using Prisma

4. get_implementations

   - Find service implementations

5. validate_api_contract

   - Before API changes

Frontend Architect Priority Tools

1. get_react_component_tree

   - Understand component hierarchy

2. analyze_bundle

   - Check bundle impact

3. analyze_tailwind_conflicts

   - Find CSS issues

4. get_accessibility_tree

   - Check a11y

5. analyze_responsive_breakpoints

   - Verify responsive design

Test Engineer Priority Tools

1. find_tests_for_file

   - Find existing tests

2. get_test_coverage

   - Understand coverage gaps

3. suggest_test_cases

   - Get test suggestions

4. validate_edits_preview

   - Verify test code compiles

5. run_smoke_test

   - Quick validation

Code Architect Priority Tools

1. find_circular_deps

   - Detect dependency cycles

2. find_dead_code

   - Identify unused code

3. get_api_surface

   - Understand public APIs

4. detect_breaking_changes

   - Before refactoring

5. get_type_hierarchy

   - Understand class relationships

DevOps Deployer Priority Tools

1. analyze_bundle

   - Check bundle size

2. scan_for_secrets

   - Find exposed credentials

3. get_env_config

   - Understand env setup

4. check_permissions

   - Verify file permissions

5. run_smoke_test

   - Pre-deployment validation

Troubleshooting

Tool Not Found

# List all available tools
mcp-cli tools

# Search for tools by keyword
mcp-cli grep "database"

Schema Mismatch

# Always re-check schema if call fails
mcp-cli info plugin_goodvibes_goodvibes-tools/<tool>

Tool Returns Error

1. Check schema matches your call
2. Verify required parameters
3. Check parameter types (strings vs objects)
4. Use stdin for complex JSON:

mcp-cli call plugin_goodvibes_goodvibes-tools/<tool> - <<'EOF'
{
  "complex": {
    "nested": "value"
  }
}
EOF

Checklist: Am I Using Tools Correctly?

Before any task:

• Did I run

  detect_stack

  ?
• Did I check

  project_issues

  ?
• Did I search for relevant skills?

Before editing:

• Did I run

  scan_patterns

  ?
• Did I check

  find_tests_for_file

  ?
• Did I use

  validate_edits_preview

  ?

After editing:

• Did I run

  check_types

  ?
• Did I run

  get_diagnostics

  ?

Before deletion:

• Did I run

  safe_delete_check

  ?
• Did I verify with

  find_references

  ?

If you answered "no" to any of these, GO BACK AND USE THE TOOL.