# MCP Toolset Reference
> Boring provides 55+ MCP tools organized into logical categories.
>
> **✨ Vibe Coder Tip**: You usually don't need to call these tools directly. Use the **[Universal Router](./vibe-coder.md)** (`boring()`) instead.
---
## 🏗️ Architecture: Standardization
V11.2.2 introduces **Architectural Lockdown**. All core MCP tools now return a standardized `BoringResult` (TypedDict). This ensures that AI agents (like Gemini 2.0 or Claude 3.5) receive perfectly structured data for multi-step reasoning.
```python
class BoringResult(TypedDict):
status: str # "success" | "error"
message: str # Markdown report for user/AI consumption
data: Any # Structured machine-readable data (JSON)
```
> [!TIP]
> This standardization enables **Deep Thinking** loops where the agent can programmatically verify its own work by inspecting the `data` field.
---
## 🛡️ Safety: Live Tool Sandbox
Boring V11.2 implements a **Live Tool Sandbox** for synthesized tools. When the AI uses `boring_synth_tool` to create a new custom capability, the code is analyzed via **AST (Abstract Syntax Tree)** before execution.
- **Forbidden Imports**: `os`, `sys`, `subprocess`, `requests`, etc. are blocked within synthesized tools.
- **Forbidden Functions**: `exec`, `eval`, `open` are restricted to prevent escape from the project workspace.
- **Audit Logging**: Every synthesis operation is logged and audited.
---
## 🔎 Dynamic Discovery
### For AI Clients
AI assistants can discover tools dynamically without loading all definitions:
```
# Read capability resource
boring://capabilities
# Read specific category tools
boring://tools/security
boring://tools/verification
boring://tools/agents
```
---
### 0. Skills Ecosystem
#### Discovery (`boring_skills_search`)
Search Skills Catalog for capabilities.
```python
boring_skills_search(query="web framework")
boring_skills_list(pattern="fastapi")
```
#### Installation (`boring_skills_install`)
One-click install for specific Skills (based on `skills_catalog.py` allowlist).
```python
boring_skills_install(name="awesome-gemini-cli-extensions")
```
---
## 🧰 Core Tool Categories
Search and install Agent Skills (Extensions, Templates) to extend capabilities.
```python
boring_skills_search(query="web scraper")
boring_skills_install(name="awesome-claude-skills")
```
**Use Cases**:
- Find extensions for your current task
- Discover trending MCP Servers
- Get installation instructions
---
### 1. Security (`boring_security_scan`)
Multi-layered security scanning with SAST, secret detection, and dependency audits.
```python
boring_security_scan(
project_path=".",
scan_type="all", # all|sast|secrets|dependencies
fix_mode=False # Auto-fix when possible
)
```
**Supported File Types**: Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, Rust, Java, C/C++, YAML, JSON, Docker, Terraform
---
### 2. Transactions (`boring_transaction`)
Atomic Git operations with automatic rollback on failure.
```python
# Start transaction
boring_transaction(action="start", name="feature-auth")
# Work on changes...
# Commit or rollback
boring_transaction(action="commit", message="Add auth")
boring_transaction(action="rollback")
```
---
### 3. Background Tasks (`boring_task`)
Run long-running operations asynchronously.
```python
# Start background task
task_id = boring_task(
action="start",
task_type="verify", # verify|test|lint|custom
command="pytest -v"
)
# Check status
boring_task(action="status", task_id=task_id)
# Get logs
boring_task(action="logs", task_id=task_id)
```
---
### 4. Context Memory (`boring_context`)
Cross-session project memory persistence.
```python
# Save context
boring_context(action="save", key="architecture", value="microservices")
# Load context
result = boring_context(action="load", key="architecture")
# List all contexts
boring_context(action="list")
```
---
### 5. Verification (`boring_verify`)
Multi-level code verification from quick syntax checks to full testing.
| Level | Checks | Speed |
|-------|--------|-------|
| `BASIC` | Syntax only | ~2s |
| `STANDARD` | Syntax + Lint | ~10s |
| `FULL` | All + Tests | ~60s |
| `SEMANTIC` | + AI Review | ~120s |
```python
boring_verify(
project_path=".",
level="STANDARD",
incremental=True # Only changed files
)
```
---
### 6. RAG Memory (`boring_rag_search`) {: #boring_rag_search }
Semantic code search with hybrid Vector + Keyword matching.
```python
boring_rag_search(
query="authentication middleware",
project_path=".",
top_k=10,
expand_graph=True # Include dependencies
)
```
> **Note**: RAG features require local installation with `pip install "boring-aicoding[mcp]"`. Not available in Smithery cloud deployment.
---
### 7. Multi-Agent (`boring_multi_agent`)
Orchestrate complex workflows with specialized agents.
```python
# Get workflow prompt (default)
boring_multi_agent(
workflow="plan_and_implement",
context={"feature": "user authentication"}
)
# Execute in background
boring_multi_agent(
workflow="plan_and_implement",
context={"feature": "user authentication"},
execute=True
)
```
**Available Workflows**:
- `plan_and_implement` - End-to-end development
- `review_and_fix` - Code review with fixes
- `debug_and_test` - Debugging with test generation
---
### 8. Shadow Mode (`boring_shadow_mode`)
Security sandbox for high-risk operations.
```python
# Check status
boring_shadow_mode(action="status")
# Change mode
boring_shadow_mode(
action="set_level",
level="STRICT" # DISABLED|ENABLED|STRICT
)
# Approve pending operation
boring_shadow_mode(action="approve", operation_id="op_123")
```
See [Shadow Mode](./shadow-mode.md) for detailed documentation.
---
### 9. Git (`boring_commit`)
Smart commit message generation from task context.
```python
boring_commit(
project_path=".",
scope="feat", # feat|fix|docs|refactor|test
auto_stage=True
)
```
---
### 10. Workspace (`boring_workspace_switch`)
Multi-project workspace management.
```python
# Switch workspace
boring_workspace_switch(path="/path/to/project")
# List workspaces
boring_workspace_switch(action="list")
```
---
### 11. Knowledge (`boring_learn`)
Extract and store project patterns.
```python
# Learn from current session
boring_learn(
project_path=".",
topics=["error-handling", "testing"]
)
```
---
### 12. Evaluation (`boring_evaluate`)
LLM-as-Judge code scoring.
```python
boring_evaluate(
target="src/main.py",
level="DIRECT", # DIRECT|PAIRWISE|RUBRIC
criteria=["correctness", "readability"]
)
```
---
### 13. Usage Analytics (`boring_usage_stats`)
Internal introspection tool for the Agent to understand its own efficiency.
```python
boring_usage_stats()
# Returns: {"total_calls": 128, "top_tools": ["read_file", ...], "anomalies": 0}
```
See **[Usage Dashboard](./usage-dashboard.md)** for details.
---
### 13. External Intelligence (`boring_external`)
Integrates powerful external MCP servers for enhanced thinking and knowledge.
- **Context7**: Real-time technical documentation RAG (`context7_query_docs`)
- **Sequential Thinking**: Deep sequential thinking engine (`sequentialthinking`)
- **Critical Thinking**: Critical thinking and auditing (`criticalthink`)
See **[External Intelligence](./external-intelligence.md)** for detailed usage.
---
## 🚀 Quick Start Prompts
One-click workflows for common tasks:
| Prompt | Usage |
|--------|-------|
| `vibe_start` | `/vibe_start Build a FastAPI auth service` |
| `quick_fix` | `/quick_fix` |
| `full_stack_dev` | `/full_stack_dev my-app "Next.js + FastAPI"` |
| `smart_commit` | `/smart_commit` |
---
## 📋 SpecKit Workflow
Specification-driven development in 5 steps:
```mermaid
graph LR
A[Constitution] --> B[Clarify]
B --> C[Plan]
C --> D[Checklist]
D --> E[Analyze]
```
| Step | Tool | Purpose |
|------|------|---------|
| 1 | `boring_speckit_constitution` | Establish principles |
| 2 | `boring_speckit_clarify` | Clarify requirements |
| 3 | `boring_speckit_plan` | Create implementation plan |
| 4 | `boring_speckit_tasks` | Break down into tasks |
| 5 | `boring_speckit_checklist` | Build acceptance criteria |
| 6 | `boring_speckit_analyze` | Verify spec consistency |
### Context Optimization (Tool Profiles)
Boring V10.24 introduces **Tool Profiles** to reduce LLM context usage:
| Profile | Tools | Context Usage | Best For |
|---------|-------|---------------|----------|
| `minimal` | 8 | ~2k tokens | Chat / Q&A |
| `lite` | 20 | ~5k tokens | **Default** / General Dev |
| `standard` | 50 | ~15k tokens | Complex Refactoring |
| `full` | 60+ | ~30k tokens | Admin / Deep Debug |
| `adaptive` | Dynamic | Low-Med | **Recommended (V11.5)** |
Enable via `.boring.toml`, env `BORING_MCP_PROFILE=adaptive`, or use the **[Boring Wizard](../guides/getting-started/wizard.md)**.
See **[Adaptive Profile](./adaptive-profile.md)** for details.
## See Also
- [Shadow Mode](./shadow-mode.md) - Security details
- [Quality Gates](./quality-gates.md) - CI/CD integration
- [Tool Reference- [Appendix A: Tool Reference](../reference/APPENDIX_A_TOOL_REFERENCE.md)
- Complete API reference
