MCP Tool Mastery

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 Tools provide current information - Your training data is outdated.

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Quick Reference: Tool Selection by Task

Starting Any Task

Before Writing Code

During Code Navigation

Before Editing Code

After Editing Code

Debugging

Security & Quality

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Complete Tool Catalog

Discovery & Search (6 tools)

Dependencies & Stack (6 tools)

Documentation & Schema (5 tools)

Quality & Testing (7 tools)

Scaffolding (3 tools)

LSP/​Code Intelligence (18 tools)

Navigation:

Analysis:

Refactoring:

Error Analysis & Security (5 tools)

Code Analysis & Diff (3 tools)

Framework-Specific (3 tools)

Runtime & Frontend Tools (15+ tools)

Advanced Operations (10+ tools)

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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"}'

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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

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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

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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.