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Show a canvas

well_show_canvas
Read-only

Show one of the workspace's saved canvases as a board — the blocks it holds, at the positions its author put them, exactly as stored.

Answers with an ARRANGEMENT, not a measure. NO figure is resolved: every block that names a feed carries its source, type, binding and empty params, and tiles_resolved is false. Such a block stores no figure; the board is drawn with its figures by the resolve-board skill, which measures each block and calls well_render_canvas. Ask a KPI tool (well_render_cash_position, well_render_burn, well_render_runway, well_render_logged_time) for one figure; ask this when the question is about a board the workspace saved.

WORKFLOW:

  • well_show_canvas() → the canvas the workspace touched most recently, plus every other canvas's name and id so a different one can be named.

  • well_show_canvas({ canvas_view_id }) → that canvas.

  • well_show_canvas({ origin_template: "investor-report" }) → the newest canvas built from that template. Provenance is not identity: a workspace may hold several from one template.

  • Add measuring: true to any of these when you read the board in order to measure it and draw it with well_render_canvas. The result is the same read.

Drawn from this read alone, every figure block shows that it is not resolved yet. A note ("text") carries its own words.

can_edit says whether this caller may change the board. Only its author, a workspace admin or the owner can; every other member reads it. When can_edit is false, do not offer to rearrange, rename, delete or share it: say who can change it, naming its author from author_name, and offer to ask them.

Do NOT use this to save, create or rearrange a board — that is well_upsert_canvas — and do not read first to look up a board you are about to create. Read only before an UPDATE, where well_upsert_canvas needs the version this read returns.

Input Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
measuringNoSet true when this read opens the board in order to measure it, as resolve-board does. The board then draws read-only, each block in the shape it will take, while its figures are measured. It changes nothing in the result.
workspace_idNoTarget workspace. Omit when the token authorizes one workspace. Required when it authorizes several: this read reports one workspace's own figures and will not choose which.
canvas_view_idNoThe canvas to show. Omit to get the most recently updated one.
conversation_idNoThe conversation id returned by the previous Well result, in its meta under well/conversation_id, in its structuredContent, or in its JSON text block. Pass it back on every call in the same conversation, including a call a card makes, so the chosen workspace and the earlier answers still apply. It decides the conversation on its own: nothing the host states about the session replaces it. Omit it only on the first call of a conversation.
origin_templateNoShow the newest canvas built from this template. Provenance, not identity — several canvases may share one.
workspace_scopeNoRestrict this call to the family: the token's primary workspace plus the company workspaces under it that you are a member of. Unrelated authorized workspaces drop out of the read; row reads merge across the family, while a per-workspace figure still reports exactly one workspace.

Output Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
nameNo
errorNo
tilesNo
successYes
versionNo
can_editNo
availableNo
author_nameNo
layout_modeNo
selected_byNo
grid_columnsNo
canvas_view_idNo
tiles_resolvedNo
conversation_idNoThe conversation this result belongs to. Pass it back as the conversation_id argument on every later Well call in the same conversation.
newly_connectedNoTools that connected to this workspace since the last result and that no session was told about yet, oldest first. Present only when at least one tool is new. The connected-line rule says when to tell an entry; when it does, one line per entry, in the person's language: "<name> is connected.". Never fold several entries into one sentence. Each entry comes back once, on one result only: never repeat its line later.
origin_template_idNo
resolved_workspaceNoThe workspace that answered, when the caller named none and the token authorizes several.
conversation_id_noteNoPresent only when the server opened a fresh lane, stating that no choice recorded earlier was read.
conversation_id_sourceNoWhere the conversation id came from: the host's own request meta, the caller's argument, or a fresh lane the server opened.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Changed2 schema fields changed
    • removedInput schema / properties / origin_template / enum
      Removed value: -[
      -  "investor-report"
      -]
    • addedInput schema / properties / origin_template / maxLength
      Added value: +64
  2. Changed14 schema fields changed
    • removedOutput schema / properties / author_name / anyOf
      Removed value: -[
      -  {
      -    "type": "string"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "type": "null"
      -  }
      -]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / author_name / type
      Added value: +[
      +  "string",
      +  "null"
      +]
    • removedOutput schema / properties / grid_columns / anyOf
      Removed value: -[
      -  {
      -    "type": "number"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "type": "null"
      -  }
      -]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / grid_columns / type
      Added value: +[
      +  "number",
      +  "null"
      +]
    • removedOutput schema / properties / origin_template_id / anyOf
      Removed value: -[
      -  {
      -    "type": "string"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "type": "null"
      -  }
      -]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / origin_template_id / type
      Added value: +[
      +  "string",
      +  "null"
      +]
    • removedOutput schema / properties / resolved_workspace / properties / name / anyOf
      Removed value: -[
      -  {
      -    "type": "string"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "type": "null"
      -  }
      -]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / resolved_workspace / properties / name / type
      Added value: +[
      +  "string",
      +  "null"
      +]
    • removedOutput schema / properties / tiles / items / properties / mark / anyOf
      Removed value: -[
      -  {
      -    "type": "string"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "type": "null"
      -  }
      -]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / tiles / items / properties / mark / type
      Added value: +[
      +  "string",
      +  "null"
      +]
    • removedOutput schema / properties / tiles / items / properties / source / anyOf
      Removed value: -[
      -  {
      -    "type": "string"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "type": "null"
      -  }
      -]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / tiles / items / properties / source / type
      Added value: +[
      +  "string",
      +  "null"
      +]
    • removedOutput schema / properties / tiles / items / properties / title / anyOf
      Removed value: -[
      -  {
      -    "type": "string"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "type": "null"
      -  }
      -]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / tiles / items / properties / title / type
      Added value: +[
      +  "string",
      +  "null"
      +]
  3. Changed3 schema fields changed
    • addedOutput schema / properties / author_name
      Added value: +{
      +  "anyOf": [
      +    {
      +      "type": "string"
      +    },
      +    {
      +      "type": "null"
      +    }
      +  ]
      +}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / can_edit
      Added value: +{
      +  "type": "boolean"
      +}
    • changedOutput schema / properties / newly_connected / description
      Previous value: -"Tools that connected to this workspace since the last result and that no session was told about yet, oldest first. Present only when at least one tool is new. Start the reply with one line per entry, in the person's language: \"<name> is connected.\". Never fold several entries into one sentence. Each entry comes back once, on one result only: never repeat its line later."New value: +"Tools that connected to this workspace since the last result and that no session was told about yet, oldest first. Present only when at least one tool is new. The connected-line rule says when to tell an entry; when it does, one line per entry, in the person's language: \"<name> is connected.\". Never fold several entries into one sentence. Each entry comes back once, on one result only: never repeat its line later."
  4. Changed1 schema field changed
    • addedInput schema / properties / workspace_scope
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Restrict this call to the family: the token's primary workspace plus the company workspaces under it that you are a member of. Unrelated authorized workspaces drop out of the read; row reads merge across the family, while a per-workspace figure still reports exactly one workspace.",
      +  "enum": [
      +    "family"
      +  ],
      +  "type": "string"
      +}
  5. Changed1 schema field changed
    • addedOutput schema / properties / newly_connected
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Tools that connected to this workspace since the last result and that no session was told about yet, oldest first. Present only when at least one tool is new. Start the reply with one line per entry, in the person's language: \"<name> is connected.\". Never fold several entries into one sentence. Each entry comes back once, on one result only: never repeat its line later.",
      +  "items": {
      +    "additionalProperties": false,
      +    "properties": {
      +      "name": {
      +        "type": "string"
      +      },
      +      "service_id": {
      +        "type": "string"
      +      }
      +    },
      +    "required": [
      +      "name",
      +      "service_id"
      +    ],
      +    "type": "object"
      +  },
      +  "type": "array"
      +}
  6. Changed1 schema field changed
    • addedInput schema / properties / measuring
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Set true when this read opens the board in order to measure it, as resolve-board does. The board then draws read-only, each block in the shape it will take, while its figures are measured. It changes nothing in the result.",
      +  "type": "boolean"
      +}
  7. Added

TDQS

A4.9/5.0
Behavior5/5

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

Annotations already say readOnly/no-destroy/closed-world, and the description adds real behavioral context beyond them: no figure is resolved (tiles_resolved is false, blocks carry source/type/binding/empty params), and can_edit encodes a permission model — only author, admin or owner may change the board, and the agent should name author_name and offer to ask them. It also discloses that measuring:true changes nothing in the result.

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 the core statement and organized into a scannable WORKFLOW block, which suits a tool with six optional params and multiple routing modes. It is verbose in places — the measuring-point is made both in the workflow list and again in the schema, and the closing "drawn from this read alone" paragraph repeats the non-resolution point — so a 4 rather than 5.

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?

Output schema exists, so return shape need not be described; safety is covered by annotations. What remains — default selection, template provenance caveat, non-resolution of figures and the handoff to the resolve-board skill / well_render_canvas, and the read-only permission branch with what to say to the user — is exactly what an agent needs to call this correctly and respond appropriately.

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 baseline 3, but the description still adds genuine semantics: origin_template is "provenance, not identity" (several canvases can share one), measuring is the resolve-board read and is result-neutral, and canvas_view_id omission means the most recently touched canvas. That is meaning beyond the schema text, not a restatement of it.

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 ("show one of the workspace's saved canvases as a board") plus the exact fidelity of the read ("blocks ... at the positions its author put them, exactly as stored"). It explicitly separates itself from the measure tools (well_render_cash_position, well_render_burn, etc.) and from well_upsert_canvas, so an agent can place it among 200+ siblings without opening a schema.

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

Usage Guidelines5/5

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

Gives an explicit workflow ladder (no-arg = most recent canvas, canvas_view_id = a named one, origin_template = newest from that template) and an explicit negative rule: do not use this to save, create or rearrange a board — that is well_upsert_canvas — and do not read first to look up a board about to be created. It even names the one legitimate pre-write case (reading before an UPDATE for the version).

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

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