HelpCenter.io

Get Help Center Design Guide

helpcenter_get_template_guide

Read-onlyIdempotent

Learn what can be customized in a help center's design and exactly how: the model, every edit operation with an example, every component with the settings and values it accepts, theme tokens, custom CSS rules and hooks, scripts and navigation.

A help center's design is its v2 template: theme tokens (colours for light and dark mode, fonts, radius, density), six page kinds (home, category, article, search, contact, notFound), each built from six regions (header, hero, sidebar, main, footer, utility) holding ordered components, plus a global navigation menu, custom CSS and scripts. You edit a DRAFT — the same draft the dashboard's Template Editor opens, with a live preview — and nothing reaches visitors until helpcenter_publish_template. Only v2 help centers can be edited: a classic (v1) one answers template_migration_required, and migrating is the owner's decision, made in the dashboard.

Call this with topic 'overview' before your first design edit in a conversation, and with topic 'components' + component_types before adding or configuring a component — the accepted values are exactly the ones the Template Editor offers, and a guess that is off by a word is refused. Generated from the live component registry, so it is always current.

Args:

topic: 'overview' (default) | 'components' | 'settings' | 'theme' | 'css' | 'scripts' | 'navigation'.
component_types (string[], for 'components'): up to 8, e.g. ['Hero', 'CategoryGrid'].

Returns: markdown; the structured guide in structuredContent. The overview also lists this help center's languages, FAQ sections (for the Faqs component) and uploaded fonts.

Errors: 409 template_migration_required for a classic (v1) help center; 403 when the connection lacks design access.

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": "helpcenter_get_template_guide"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`topic`	No	'overview' (start here: workflow, model, every operation, the component index, this help center's context), 'components' (full settings of chosen types), 'settings' (brand, theme, meta and page settings `set` accepts), 'theme', 'css', 'scripts' or 'navigation'.	overview
`site_id`	No	Which help center to act on: an id from helpcenter_list_sites. Needed when this connection reaches more than one help center; omit it when it reaches one. Applies to this call only — pass it on every call of a task, and ask the user which help center they mean if their request does not say.
`component_types`	No	For topic 'components': the types to describe in full, e.g. ['Hero', 'CategoryGrid'].

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

First observedNov 4, 2026

TDQS

A4.8/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnly/idempotent/non-destructive, but the description adds substantial context beyond them: edits target a DRAFT shared with the dashboard editor, nothing reaches visitors until helpcenter_publish_template, only v2 help centers are editable, and errors include 409 template_migration_required and 403. It also discloses the guide is generated from the live component registry.

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 purpose, followed by the data model, the draft/publish rule, and the when-to-call guidance. It is dense but nearly every sentence carries actionable information; the long parenthetical enumerations of themes/page kinds/regions are the only slightly padded portion.

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?

No output schema, so the description supplies the return shape (markdown plus structuredContent, with the overview listing languages, FAQ sections and fonts) and the error conditions. Combined with explicit call guidance, an agent has everything needed to invoke and interpret this tool.

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

Parameters4/5

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

Schema coverage is 100%, so the baseline is 3; the description still adds value by explaining the purpose of each topic value in workflow terms and clarifying that component_types takes up to 8 exact registry names that must match the Template Editor. The site_id parameter is left to the schema, which covers it well.

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 ('Learn what can be customized in a help center's design and exactly how'), then enumerates what the guide covers: the model, edit operations, components, tokens, CSS, scripts, navigation. An agent can immediately tell this is a reference/guide tool, distinct from siblings like helpcenter_get_template (the actual template) or helpcenter_update_template_components.

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?

Explicit routing instructions: call with 'overview' before the first design edit in a conversation, and with 'components' + component_types before adding or configuring a component. It even explains why ('a guess that is off by a word is refused'), which removes ambiguity about when this tool is mandatory.

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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