docs-mcp

Search Redpanda Sources

ask_redpanda_question

Read-only

Search the official Redpanda documentation and return the most relevant sections from it for a user query. Each returned section includes the url and its actual content in markdown. Use this tool for all queries that require Redpanda knowledge. Results are ordered by relevance, with the most relevant result returned first. If you know the user's deployment platform, pass "platform" so results from the other platform's docs are excluded. Note that "platform" filters the sections already retrieved rather than re-running the search, so it can return substantially fewer sections: on a broker-level question where most matches come from the other platform's docs, it can cut a 15-section response to 1 or 2. Omit "platform" if you would rather have more context and judge platform relevance yourself from each section's url. If you know which Redpanda version the user runs, pass "version" (use 'current' for the latest release; its release number is also accepted). Unlike "platform", "version" is applied during retrieval, so it does not shrink the result set: it stops the same page being returned once per indexed version, which is otherwise most of the response. Version-neutral docs (Cloud, Connect, Agentic Data Plane, API reference) are always included. Omitting "version" searches the latest release.

Tool call template

This tool declares no required parameters. Add optional parameters from the input schema as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {},
    "name": "ask_redpanda_question"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`query`	No	Alias for "question", for clients that use that name. Prefer "question".
`top_k`	No	Maximum number of sections to return, applied after platform filtering. Must be a positive integer.
`context`	No	Optional. In one concise sentence (third person), describe what the user is trying to accomplish with this request. Do not include credentials, tokens, personal data, or verbatim secrets.
`version`	No	Docs version to search, written as the docs URLs spell it (23.3, 24.1, 24.2, 24.3, 25.1, 25.2, 25.3, 26.1, current). Use 'current' for the latest release; a release number newer than every listed one is also read as the latest release. Applied at retrieval, so unlike "platform" it does not shrink the result set: every section returned is from this version, plus version-neutral docs (Cloud, Connect, Agentic Data Plane, API reference), which are always included. Omit to search the latest release. Any other value is rejected with the list of valid versions.
`platform`	No	The user's deployment platform. 'cloud' excludes Self-Managed sections; 'self-managed' excludes Redpanda Cloud sections. Platform-neutral docs (Connect, API reference, labs) are always kept. Applied after retrieval, so it shrinks the result set rather than finding more of the right platform's pages. Omit to search all docs.
`question`	No	The question to search the docs for. Required.
`session_goal`	No	Optional. In one concise sentence (third person), the overall goal of this session: what the user is trying to get done, not just this call. Send the same goal on every call in the session, and update it only if the goal changes. Do not include credentials, tokens, personal data, or verbatim secrets.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed1 schema field changedOct 26, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / session_goal

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Optional. In one concise sentence (third person), the overall goal of this session: what the user is trying to get done, not just this call. Send the same goal on every call in the session, and update it only if the goal changes. Do not include credentials, tokens, personal data, or verbatim secrets.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

Changed3 schema fields changedOct 21, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / query

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Alias for \"question\", for clients that use that name. Prefer \"question\".",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / question / description

Added value: +"The question to search the docs for. Required."

removedInput schema / required
```
Removed value: -[
-  "question"
-]
```

Changed1 schema field changedSep 10, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / version

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Docs version to search, written as the docs URLs spell it (23.3, 24.1, 24.2, 24.3, 25.1, 25.2, 25.3, 26.1, current). Use 'current' for the latest release; a release number newer than every listed one is also read as the latest release. Applied at retrieval, so unlike \"platform\" it does not shrink the result set: every section returned is from this version, plus version-neutral docs (Cloud, Connect, Agentic Data Plane, API reference), which are always included. Omit to search the latest release. Any other value is rejected with the list of valid versions.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

Changed3 schema fields changedSep 8, 2026

addedInput schema / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +false
```

changedInput schema / properties / context / description

Previous value: -"Explain why you are calling this tool and how it fits into the user's overall goal. This parameter is used for analytics and user intent tracking. YOU MUST provide 15-25 words (count carefully). NEVER use first person ('I', 'we', 'you') - maintain third-person perspective. NEVER include sensitive information such as credentials, passwords, or personal data. Example (20 words): \"Searching across the organization's repositories to find all open issues related to performance complaints and latency issues for team prioritization.\""New value: +"Optional. In one concise sentence (third person), describe what the user is trying to accomplish with this request. Do not include credentials, tokens, personal data, or verbatim secrets."

changedInput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "question",
-  "context"
-]New value: +[
+  "question"
+]

Changed4 schema fields changedAug 14, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / platform

Added value: +{
+  "description": "The user's deployment platform. 'cloud' excludes Self-Managed sections; 'self-managed' excludes Redpanda Cloud sections. Platform-neutral docs (Connect, API reference, labs) are always kept. Applied after retrieval, so it shrinks the result set rather than finding more of the right platform's pages. Omit to search all docs.",
+  "enum": [
+    "cloud",
+    "self-managed"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / top_k / description

Added value: +"Maximum number of sections to return, applied after platform filtering. Must be a positive integer."

addedInput schema / properties / top_k / exclusiveMinimum
```
Added value: +0
```

changedInput schema / properties / top_k / type

Previous value: -"number"New value: +"integer"

Changed3 schema fields changedJun 13, 2026

removedInput schema / additionalProperties
```
Removed value: -false
```

addedInput schema / properties / context

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Explain why you are calling this tool and how it fits into the user's overall goal. This parameter is used for analytics and user intent tracking. YOU MUST provide 15-25 words (count carefully). NEVER use first person ('I', 'we', 'you') - maintain third-person perspective. NEVER include sensitive information such as credentials, passwords, or personal data. Example (20 words): \"Searching across the organization's repositories to find all open issues related to performance complaints and latency issues for team prioritization.\"",
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedInput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "question"
-]New value: +[
+  "question",
+  "context"
+]

First observedJan 31, 2026

TDQS

A4.7/5.0

Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Discloses behavior the annotations cannot: results are relevance-ordered, content is markdown with urls, 'platform' filters post-retrieval and can cut a 15-section response to 1-2, while 'version' is applied during retrieval and only deduplicates per-version pages. The version-neutral inclusion rule (Cloud, Connect, Agentic Data Plane, API reference) is a non-obvious side effect that is fully spelled out.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Front-loaded with purpose and return format, then organized around the two filter parameters, with each sentence carrying real decision value. It is long, however, and the version/platform mechanics are restated almost verbatim in the schema descriptions, so there is some redundancy to trim.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a 7-parameter search tool with no output schema, the description covers return format, ordering, filtering behavior, defaults for omitted parameters, and the effect of each filter on result size. Nothing an agent needs in order to call it well is missing.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters5/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, so the baseline is 3, but the description adds meaning well beyond it: the retrieval-stage versus post-retrieval distinction between 'version' and 'platform', the 'current' shortcut, and the concrete size impact of each filter. This is exactly the semantic layer the schema alone cannot supply.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific verb and resource ('Search the official Redpanda documentation') plus the return shape (sections with url and markdown content). The scope ('all queries that require Redpanda knowledge') clearly separates it from siblings like search_api_reference or get_config_property, which cover narrower corpora.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Gives explicit routing guidance ('use this tool for all queries that require Redpanda knowledge') and detailed when/when-not advice for the platform parameter, including the tradeoff of more context versus fewer results. It stops short of naming sibling tools or stating exclusions (e.g., that API reference or config lookups should go elsewhere), so 4 rather than 5.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

All docs-mcp tools Inspect

Try in Browser

Claude Code, inside the Godot 4 editorFlockbay puts an AI agent in the real Godot 4 editor: it writes GDScript, runs your game and fixes what breaks. Free, or bring your own Claude Code or Codex.flockbay.comAd

Glama MCP Gateway

Add one secure layer between your agents and this server.