# OUTPUT FORMATTING FOR USER
**CRITICAL: Always format MCP tool output for readability!**
When MCP tools return data, DON'T show raw JSON to user. Format it nicely.
---
## Examples
### 1. Entity Analysis
❌ **BAD:** Show 7000 lines of JSON
✅ **GOOD:**
```
📊 Your Home Assistant has:
- 238 total entities
- 76 sensors (temperature, battery, system status)
- 7 climate devices (TRVs)
- 35 switches
- 12 automations + 5 scripts
Main rooms: Office (21), Bathroom (19), Kitchen (17)
```
### 2. Add-on Lists
❌ **BAD:** 83 add-ons JSON dump
✅ **GOOD:**
```
📦 Available Add-ons (83 total):
Popular:
- Zigbee2MQTT (a0d7b954_zigbee2mqtt)
- Node-RED (a0d7b954_nodered)
- ESPHome (hassio_esphome)
```
### 3. Logs
❌ **BAD:** Raw JSON array
✅ **GOOD:**
```
📋 Recent logs:
[21:03:35] ✅ Dashboard registered
[21:03:46] ⚠️ Restart failed: 504 (normal during restart)
```
### 4. Dashboard Operations
❌ **BAD:** `{"success": true, "data": {...}}`
✅ **GOOD:**
```
✅ Dashboard "Heating Now" created!
- File: heating-now.yaml
- Registered in configuration.yaml
- HA restarting...
- Refresh UI to see dashboard in sidebar!
```
---
## General Rules
- Use emojis for visual clarity (🔥 ✅ ⚠️ 📊)
- Show key information, hide implementation details
- Format lists, tables, and hierarchies clearly
- Highlight important values (counts, statuses, errors)
- Add context and next steps for user
---
## When to Show Raw Data
- User explicitly asks for "raw data" or "JSON"
- Debugging/troubleshooting scenarios
- Developer mode requests
