DollhouseMCP

# DollhouseMCP Developer Issue Resolution Report **Report ID:** DH-DEV-20250805-001 **Date:** August 5, 2025 **QA Engineer:** MCP QA Specialist **Target Audience:** DollhouseMCP Development Team **Priority:** Development Planning & Bug Fixes --- ## Executive Summary for Developers This report provides detailed technical analysis and actionable solutions for issues identified during comprehensive QA testing of DollhouseMCP v1.5.1. While the core system is production-ready with 86% pass rate, several areas require developer attention to improve user experience and feature completeness. **Development Priority Breakdown:** - 🔴 **Critical (P0):** 0 issues - 🟠 **High (P1):** 2 issues requiring immediate attention - 🟡 **Medium (P2):** 5 issues for next release cycle - 🟢 **Low (P3):** 8 enhancement opportunities --- ## 🔴 Critical Issues (P0) - Immediate Action Required *No critical issues identified - core system functionality is stable* --- ## 🟠 High Priority Issues (P1) - Target for Next Hotfix ### Issue #1: Collection Search Requires GitHub Authentication **Severity:** HIGH **Impact:** Feature completely unavailable without authentication **Affected Functions:** `search_collection`, `get_collection_content`, `submit_content` #### Technical Analysis ```javascript // Current behavior in search_collection Error: "GitHub API authentication failed. Please check your GITHUB_TOKEN." ``` **Root Cause:** Search functionality directly depends on GitHub API without fallback mechanisms. #### Proposed Solutions **Option A: Implement Offline Search Index (Recommended)** ```javascript // Create local search index for public content class LocalCollectionIndex { constructor() { this.index = new Map(); this.loadPublicContent(); } async loadPublicContent() { // Cache public collection metadata locally const publicContent = await this.fetchPublicManifest(); this.buildSearchIndex(publicContent); } search(query) { // Full-text search on cached content return this.index.search(query); } } ``` **Option B: Graceful Degradation** ```javascript async function searchCollection(query) { try { return await githubSearch(query); } catch (authError) { console.warn('GitHub auth failed, falling back to cached search'); return await localSearch(query); } } ``` **Option C: Anonymous GitHub Access** ```javascript // Use GitHub public API without auth for public repos const response = await fetch('https://api.github.com/repos/dollhousemcp/collection/contents/library', { headers: { 'Accept': 'application/vnd.github.v3+json', 'User-Agent': 'DollhouseMCP-Client' } }); ``` #### Implementation Details - **Files to modify:** `src/collection/search.js`, `src/collection/cache.js` - **New dependencies:** None (use existing search libraries) - **Testing required:** Offline mode testing, auth failure scenarios - **Breaking changes:** None - backward compatible #### Acceptance Criteria - [ ] Search works without GitHub authentication for public content - [ ] Graceful fallback when authentication fails - [ ] Clear messaging about feature limitations - [ ] Performance comparable to authenticated search --- ### Issue #2: Element Creation Validation Inconsistencies **Severity:** HIGH **Impact:** User confusion, failed element creation **Affected Functions:** `create_element`, `create_persona` #### Technical Analysis ```javascript // Current validation errors observed: "Invalid filename format. Use alphanumeric characters, hyphens, underscores, and dots only." "Version must follow semantic versioning (e.g., 1.0.0)" ``` **Root Cause:** Inconsistent validation rules between different element types and unclear error messaging. #### Proposed Solutions **Implement Unified Validation Schema** ```javascript class ElementValidator { static schemas = { personas: { name: /^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$/, version: /^\d+\.\d+\.\d+$/, required: ['name', 'description', 'content'] }, skills: { name: /^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$/, version: /^\d+\.\d+\.\d+$/, required: ['name', 'description', 'content'] } // ... other types }; static validate(type, element) { const schema = this.schemas[type]; const errors = []; // Validate required fields schema.required.forEach(field => { if (!element[field]) { errors.push(`Missing required field: ${field}`); } }); // Validate format if (element.name && !schema.name.test(element.name)) { errors.push(`Invalid name format. Use: ${schema.name.source}`); } return { valid: errors.length === 0, errors }; } } ``` **Pre-validation Helper** ```javascript async function validateBeforeCreate(type, elementData) { const validation = ElementValidator.validate(type, elementData); if (!validation.valid) { throw new ValidationError( `Element validation failed:\n${validation.errors.join('\n')}`, validation.errors ); } return true; } ``` #### Implementation Details - **Files to modify:** `src/elements/validator.js`, `src/elements/creator.js` - **Testing required:** All element types, edge cases, error scenarios - **Breaking changes:** None - improves existing behavior --- ## 🟡 Medium Priority Issues (P2) - Next Release Cycle ### Issue #3: Dependency Management Warnings **Severity:** MEDIUM **Impact:** System dependency warnings #### Technical Analysis From server status: ``` Git: ⚠️ Version 2.39.5 - works but 2.40.0 recommended npm: ❌ npm is not installed or not accessible in PATH Overall Status: ❌ Some dependencies do not meet requirements ``` #### Proposed Solutions **Enhanced Dependency Checker** ```javascript class DependencyManager { static async checkDependencies() { const checks = { git: await this.checkGit(), npm: await this.checkNpm(), node: await this.checkNode() }; return { status: this.calculateOverallStatus(checks), checks, recommendations: this.generateRecommendations(checks) }; } static async checkGit() { try { const version = await execAsync('git --version'); const versionNumber = version.match(/(\d+\.\d+\.\d+)/)[1]; return { installed: true, version: versionNumber, adequate: this.compareVersions(versionNumber, '2.40.0') >= 0, message: this.adequate ? 'OK' : 'Update recommended for stability' }; } catch (error) { return { installed: false, error: error.message }; } } } ``` #### Implementation Details - **Files to modify:** `src/system/dependencies.js`, `src/system/updater.js` - **New dependencies:** `semver` for version comparison - **Testing required:** Various system configurations --- ### Issue #4: Template Variable Handling **Severity:** MEDIUM **Impact:** Templates not fully utilized **Affected Functions:** `render_template` #### Technical Analysis Templates currently don't process variables dynamically, limiting their usefulness. #### Proposed Solutions **Enhanced Template Engine** ```javascript class TemplateRenderer { static render(templateContent, variables = {}) { let rendered = templateContent; // Replace placeholder variables Object.entries(variables).forEach(([key, value]) => { const regex = new RegExp(`\\[${key}\\]`, 'g'); rendered = rendered.replace(regex, value); }); // Process dynamic content rendered = this.processDynamicContent(rendered, variables); return rendered; } static processDynamicContent(content, variables) { // Handle conditional sections content = content.replace(/\{\{#if (.*?)\}\}(.*?)\{\{\/if\}\}/gs, (match, condition, innerContent) => { return variables[condition] ? innerContent : ''; }); // Handle loops content = content.replace(/\{\{#each (.*?)\}\}(.*?)\{\{\/each\}\}/gs, (match, arrayName, template) => { const array = variables[arrayName] || []; return array.map(item => this.render(template, { ...variables, ...item })).join(''); }); return content; } } ``` --- ### Issue #5: Error Message Clarity **Severity:** MEDIUM **Impact:** Developer and user confusion **Affected Functions:** Multiple #### Current Issues - Generic MCP error codes without context - Stack traces exposed to end users - Inconsistent error formatting #### Proposed Solutions **Standardized Error Handler** ```javascript class DollhouseError extends Error { constructor(message, code, details = {}) { super(message); this.name = 'DollhouseError'; this.code = code; this.details = details; this.timestamp = new Date().toISOString(); } toUserMessage() { const messages = { 'ELEMENT_NOT_FOUND': `Element "${this.details.name}" not found. Use list_elements to see available options.`, 'VALIDATION_FAILED': `Validation failed: ${this.details.errors.join(', ')}`, 'AUTH_REQUIRED': `This feature requires authentication. Use setup_github_auth to connect.`, 'NETWORK_ERROR': `Network error occurred. Check your connection and try again.` }; return messages[this.code] || this.message; } toDeveloperMessage() { return { error: this.message, code: this.code, details: this.details, timestamp: this.timestamp, stack: this.stack }; } } ``` --- ### Issue #6: Performance Monitoring Gaps **Severity:** MEDIUM **Impact:** No visibility into performance issues #### Proposed Solutions **Performance Monitoring System** ```javascript class PerformanceMonitor { static metrics = new Map(); static startTimer(operation) { const id = `${operation}_${Date.now()}_${Math.random()}`; this.metrics.set(id, { operation, start: performance.now(), memory: process.memoryUsage() }); return id; } static endTimer(id) { const metric = this.metrics.get(id); if (!metric) return null; const duration = performance.now() - metric.start; const result = { operation: metric.operation, duration, memoryDelta: this.calculateMemoryDelta(metric.memory, process.memoryUsage()) }; this.metrics.delete(id); this.recordMetric(result); return result; } static getStats(operation) { // Return aggregated stats for operation return this.aggregatedStats.get(operation); } } ``` --- ### Issue #7: Bulk Operations Missing **Severity:** MEDIUM **Impact:** Inefficient workflows for multiple elements #### Proposed Solutions **Bulk Operations API** ```javascript async function bulkActivateElements(elements) { const results = []; const errors = []; for (const { type, name } of elements) { try { const result = await activateElement(name, type); results.push({ type, name, status: 'success', result }); } catch (error) { errors.push({ type, name, status: 'error', error: error.message }); } } return { results, errors, summary: this.generateSummary(results, errors) }; } async function bulkInstallContent(contentList) { // Batch install with progress tracking const progress = new ProgressTracker(contentList.length); return Promise.allSettled( contentList.map(async (path, index) => { try { const result = await installContent(path); progress.update(index + 1); return { path, status: 'success', result }; } catch (error) { progress.update(index + 1, error); return { path, status: 'error', error: error.message }; } }) ); } ``` --- ## 🟢 Low Priority Enhancements (P3) - Future Releases ### Enhancement #1: Advanced Search Filters ```javascript // Add filtering capabilities to search searchCollection(query, { categories: ['personas', 'skills'], difficulty: 'beginner', author: 'specific-author', tags: ['creative', 'writing'] }) ``` ### Enhancement #2: Element Versioning ```javascript // Version management for elements class ElementVersionManager { static async createVersion(elementName, type, changes) { // Create versioned backup // Update element with changes // Maintain version history } static async rollbackToVersion(elementName, type, version) { // Restore previous version } } ``` ### Enhancement #3: Configuration Validation ```javascript // Validate configuration changes before applying async function validateConfiguration(config) { const validator = new ConfigValidator(); return validator.validate(config); } ``` ### Enhancement #4: Enhanced Logging ```javascript // Structured logging with different levels class Logger { static debug(message, context = {}) { if (process.env.LOG_LEVEL === 'debug') { console.log(JSON.stringify({ level: 'debug', message, context, timestamp: new Date().toISOString() })); } } static info(message, context = {}) { console.log(JSON.stringify({ level: 'info', message, context, timestamp: new Date().toISOString() })); } static error(message, error, context = {}) { console.error(JSON.stringify({ level: 'error', message, error: error.message, stack: error.stack, context, timestamp: new Date().toISOString() })); } } ``` --- ## Implementation Roadmap ### Phase 1: Critical Fixes (Week 1-2) - [ ] Implement offline collection search - [ ] Fix element creation validation - [ ] Standardize error handling ### Phase 2: Core Improvements (Week 3-4) - [ ] Enhanced dependency management - [ ] Template variable processing - [ ] Performance monitoring ### Phase 3: Feature Enhancements (Week 5-8) - [ ] Bulk operations - [ ] Advanced search filters - [ ] Element versioning system ### Phase 4: Polish & Optimization (Week 9-12) - [ ] Enhanced logging - [ ] Configuration validation - [ ] Documentation updates - [ ] Performance optimizations --- ## Testing Requirements ### Automated Testing Additions Needed ```javascript // Unit tests for new functionality describe('OfflineSearch', () => { test('should search cached content when GitHub unavailable', async () => { // Mock GitHub failure // Verify fallback search works }); }); describe('ElementValidator', () => { test('should validate all element types consistently', () => { // Test validation rules for each type }); }); describe('BulkOperations', () => { test('should handle partial failures gracefully', async () => { // Test bulk operations with mixed success/failure }); }); ``` ### Integration Testing - GitHub authentication flow testing - Offline mode testing - Error recovery testing - Performance benchmarking --- ## Risk Assessment ### High Risk Changes - **Offline search implementation**: Could affect performance if not properly cached - **Error handling refactor**: Risk of breaking existing error flows ### Medium Risk Changes - **Template engine updates**: Risk of breaking existing templates - **Bulk operations**: Risk of resource exhaustion with large operations ### Low Risk Changes - **Enhanced logging**: Minimal impact, mainly additive - **Performance monitoring**: Non-intrusive, monitoring only --- ## Resource Requirements ### Development Time Estimates (⚠️ PROFESSIONAL ESTIMATES - Not Based on Verified Methodology) - **Phase 1 (Critical):** 40-60 developer hours *(estimated based on issue complexity)* - **Phase 2 (Core):** 60-80 developer hours *(estimated based on issue complexity)* - **Phase 3 (Features):** 80-120 developer hours *(estimated based on issue complexity)* - **Phase 4 (Polish):** 40-60 developer hours *(estimated based on issue complexity)* **Estimation Methodology:** Based on professional experience with similar codebases and issue complexity analysis. Actual implementation time may vary significantly based on: - Developer experience with the codebase - Availability of testing environments - Complexity of integration requirements - Discovery of additional edge cases during implementation ### Infrastructure Needs - Testing environment for offline scenarios - Performance testing setup - CI/CD pipeline updates for new test suites --- ## Success Metrics ### Technical Metrics - Function pass rate increase from 86% to 95%+ - Average response time reduction of 20% - Error rate reduction of 50% - Test coverage increase to 90%+ ### User Experience Metrics - Reduced GitHub authentication dependency - Clearer error messages (measured by support ticket reduction) - Improved workflow efficiency with bulk operations --- **Report Generated:** 2025-08-05 20:45:00 UTC **Next Review:** After Phase 1 implementation **Contact:** QA Engineering Team