DollhouseMCP

# Session Notes - October 3, 2025 (Evening) **Date**: October 3, 2025 **Time**: 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM (90 minutes) **Focus**: Complete v1.9.16 release and Dependabot cleanup **Outcome**: ✅ Release completed, 5 Dependabot PRs merged, workflow fixed ## Session Summary Completed the v1.9.16 release to NPM and GitHub, merged 5 pending Dependabot PRs, and fixed a critical workflow issue preventing Claude Code Review from working with Dependabot PRs. Created issues for documentation improvements and contributor attribution. Excellent cleanup session setting up for v1.9.17. --- ## What Was Accomplished ### 1. v1.9.16 Release Completion ✅ **Problem Identified**: Afternoon session had merged PR to main and created tag, but NPM publish was incomplete. **Root Cause**: No automated NPM publish workflow exists - only GitHub Packages automation - `publish-github-packages.yml` handles GitHub Packages only - Public NPM requires manual `npm publish` after tagging - Documented in v1.9.15 session notes (lines 283-286) **Actions Taken**: ```bash # 1. Checkout main and verify version git checkout main && git pull # package.json showed v1.9.16 ✓ # 2. Publish to NPM npm publish # Published successfully: @dollhousemcp/mcp-server@1.9.16 # 3. Create GitHub Release gh release create v1.9.16 \ --title "v1.9.16 - Platform-agnostic MCP client documentation + SonarCloud fixes" \ --notes-file docs/releases/RELEASE_NOTES_v1.9.16.md # Created: https://github.com/DollhouseMCP/mcp-server/releases/tag/v1.9.16 # 4. Verify NPM availability npm view @dollhousemcp/mcp-server version # Returns: 1.9.16 ✓ npm view @dollhousemcp/mcp-server dist-tags # Returns: { latest: '1.9.16' } ✓ ``` **Result**: v1.9.16 now fully released on both NPM and GitHub **Files Published**: - NPM package size: 53MB, 518 files - Includes: compiled TypeScript, default elements, documentation - README swap handled by prepublishOnly/postpublish hooks ### 2. NPM Package Documentation Issues Identified 🔍 **Issue #1239 - Outdated Element Status** - **Problem**: NPM page shows Memory and Ensemble as "Coming Soon" - **Root Cause**: Different README chunks for different targets - NPM: `04-portfolio-brief.md` (outdated, last updated before v1.9.8) - GitHub: `04-portfolio-full.md` (current) - **File**: `docs/readme/chunks/04-portfolio-brief.md:12-13` - **Fix Required**: - Change Memory status: "🔄 Coming Soon" → "✅ Available" - Change Ensemble status: "🔄 Coming Soon" → "✅ Available" - Rebuild NPM README: `npm run build:readme:npm` **Issue #1240 - Missing Contributor Credit** - **Problem**: Jeet Singh (@jeetsingh008) not listed in NPM contributors - **Background**: First external contributor (v1.9.6, PR #1035) - Performance: Optimized whitespace detection (regex → character codes) - Security: Strengthened path traversal protection - **Fix Required**: Add `contributors` array to `package.json` ```json "contributors": [ { "name": "Jeet Singh", "url": "https://github.com/jeetsingh008" } ] ``` - **Impact**: Standard NPM practice, shows community appreciation ### 3. Dependabot PR Management ✅ **Initial Assessment**: 5 Dependabot PRs pending, all CI checks passing except Claude review **PRs Analyzed**: 1. **#1199** - `@modelcontextprotocol/sdk`: 1.18.0 → 1.18.2 (production) 2. **#1200** - `@types/node`: 24.4.0 → 24.5.2 (dev) 3. **#1202** - `jest`: 30.0.5 → 30.2.0 (dev) 4. **#1203** - `tsx`: 4.20.5 → 4.20.6 (dev) 5. **#1204** - `@jest/globals`: 30.0.5 → 30.2.0 (dev) **CI Status**: All PRs showed 13/14 checks passing - ✅ Tests (ubuntu, windows, macOS) - ✅ Docker builds (amd64, arm64) - ✅ Security audits - ✅ SonarCloud - ✅ CodeQL - ❌ Claude Code Review (failing with secret access error) **Merge Strategy**: Squash and delete branches ```bash gh pr merge 1199 --squash --delete-branch gh pr merge 1200 --squash --delete-branch gh pr merge 1202 --squash --delete-branch gh pr merge 1203 --squash --delete-branch gh pr merge 1204 --squash --delete-branch ``` **Result**: All 5 PRs successfully merged to develop ### 4. Claude Code Review Workflow Issue Investigation 🔍 **Problem**: All Dependabot PRs showed Claude Code Review failing **Investigation**: ```bash gh run view 18235496309 --log ``` **Error Found**: ``` Error: Environment variable validation failed: - Either ANTHROPIC_API_KEY or CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN is required ``` **Root Cause**: GitHub security restriction - Dependabot PRs intentionally blocked from accessing repository secrets - Prevents potential secret exposure through dependency updates - Log showed: `Secret source: Dependabot` - This is a **GitHub security feature**, not a bug **Attempted Manual Review**: ```bash gh pr comment 1199 --body "@claude please review this dependency update" # (Repeated for PRs 1200, 1202, 1203, 1204) ``` - Initial attempt tried to trigger reviews with comments - User corrected: Don't need commit hash for @claude mentions - Reviews still failed due to secret access restriction ### 5. Workflow Fix Implementation ✅ **PR #1241 - Skip Claude Review for Dependabot** **Branch**: `fix/dependabot-claude-review-skip` **Base**: `develop` **Changes Made**: **File**: `.github/workflows/claude-code-review.yml` **Change 1** - Add job-level skip condition: ```yaml jobs: claude-review: # Skip Dependabot PRs since they don't have access to secrets (CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN) # Can manually request reviews with @claude mention if needed if: github.actor != 'dependabot[bot]' runs-on: ubuntu-latest ``` **Change 2** - Remove inconsistent configuration: ```yaml # REMOVED (inconsistent with skip condition): # allowed_bots: "dependabot" ``` **Claude Review Feedback**: Minor naming inconsistency identified - Line 17: Skip Dependabot entirely - Line 39: `allowed_bots: "dependabot"` contradicted skip - Removed conflicting configuration for consistency **PR Status**: - Created: https://github.com/DollhouseMCP/mcp-server/pull/1241 - Claude review failed (expected): Workflow modification validation error - GitHub validates workflow changes against default branch - Security feature to prevent malicious workflow changes - Error is normal and documented in error message - Real CI checks: All passing (tests, builds, security) - **Result**: Merged despite Claude review failure (expected behavior) **Impact**: - ✅ Dependabot PRs now skip Claude Code Review - ✅ No more false failures on Dependabot PRs - ✅ Manual reviews still possible with `@claude` mention - ✅ All important CI checks still run (tests, security, builds) --- ## Key Learnings ### 1. NPM Release Process **Manual step required**: `npm publish` is not automated - GitHub Packages: Automated via `publish-github-packages.yml` - Public NPM: Manual `npm publish` from main branch - Process: Merge → Tag → `npm publish` → Create GitHub Release - Documentation: v1.9.15 session notes are definitive guide ### 2. GitHub Security Model for Dependabot **Secret access is intentionally blocked**: - Dependabot PRs cannot access repository secrets - Prevents potential supply chain attacks - Workflow modifications require validation against default branch - Expected failures on workflow changes are normal ### 3. Workflow Modification Validation **GitHub validates workflow changes**: - Modified workflows must match default branch for secret access - Prevents malicious workflow injection via PRs - Error message explicitly states this is normal behavior - Solution: Merge workflow changes, then subsequent PRs work correctly ### 4. README Build System **Multi-target architecture**: - NPM: Lightweight version using `*-brief.md` chunks - GitHub: Full version using `*-full.md` chunks - Build: `npm run build:readme` or `npm run build:readme:npm` - Publish: `prepublishOnly` swaps README.npm.md → README.md ### 5. Contributor Attribution **NPM displays contributors array**: - Separate from GitHub contributor list - Must be manually added to `package.json` - Standard practice for open source projects - Shows community involvement and appreciation --- ## Issues Created ### Issue #1239 - Update NPM README element status **File**: `docs/readme/chunks/04-portfolio-brief.md` **Changes**: Memory and Ensemble status "Coming Soon" → "Available" **Priority**: Low (documentation accuracy) **Target**: v1.9.17 patch release ### Issue #1240 - Add Jeet Singh to contributors **File**: `package.json` **Change**: Add `contributors` array with Jeet Singh **Background**: First external contributor (v1.9.6) **Priority**: Low (attribution/community) **Target**: v1.9.17 patch release --- ## Pull Requests ### Merged (6 total) **Dependabot PRs** (5): - PR #1199 - MCP SDK 1.18.0 → 1.18.2 - PR #1200 - @types/node 24.4.0 → 24.5.2 - PR #1202 - jest 30.0.5 → 30.2.0 - PR #1203 - tsx 4.20.5 → 4.20.6 - PR #1204 - @jest/globals 30.0.5 → 30.2.0 **Workflow Fix**: - PR #1241 - Skip Claude review for Dependabot PRs ### Status - All branches deleted - All merged to develop - develop synced with changes --- ## Git State ### Branches - **main**: `b2a91000` - v1.9.16 release merge - **develop**: `6a8269ba` - PR #1241 merged (Dependabot skip fix) - **Deleted**: All Dependabot branches + `fix/dependabot-claude-review-skip` ### Tags - **v1.9.16**: Points to `b2a91000` (main) - Published to NPM and GitHub ### Synchronization - ✅ Main and develop in sync for release - ✅ Develop updated with all Dependabot merges - ✅ Develop updated with workflow fix --- ## Release Status ### v1.9.16 - COMPLETE ✅ - ✅ Code merged to main - ✅ Tag created and pushed - ✅ **NPM published** (completed this session) - ✅ **GitHub Release created** (completed this session) - ✅ GitHub Packages published - ✅ Develop synced back **NPM Details**: - Package: `@dollhousemcp/mcp-server@1.9.16` - Dist tag: `latest` - Size: 53MB (518 files) - URL: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@dollhousemcp/mcp-server **GitHub Details**: - Release: https://github.com/DollhouseMCP/mcp-server/releases/tag/v1.9.16 - Title: "v1.9.16 - Platform-agnostic MCP client documentation + SonarCloud fixes" - Notes: From `docs/releases/RELEASE_NOTES_v1.9.16.md` --- ## Dependencies Updated (Merged This Session) ### Production Dependencies - `@modelcontextprotocol/sdk`: 1.18.0 → 1.18.2 - Minor MCP SDK update - Maintains protocol compatibility ### Development Dependencies - `@types/node`: 24.4.0 → 24.5.2 (TypeScript types) - `jest`: 30.0.5 → 30.2.0 (test framework) - `@jest/globals`: 30.0.5 → 30.2.0 (jest types) - `tsx`: 4.20.5 → 4.20.6 (TypeScript executor) **Impact**: All patch/minor updates, no breaking changes expected --- ## Next Session Priorities ### High Priority 1. **v1.9.17 Patch Release Planning** - Include Issue #1239 (NPM README fix) - Include Issue #1240 (Jeet Singh contributor credit) - Any other documentation/cleanup items ### Medium Priority 2. **Monitor Dependabot Workflow** - Verify next Dependabot PR skips Claude review correctly - Confirm no false failures 3. **Documentation Updates** - Update release process docs to clarify manual NPM publish - Document Dependabot + Claude review behavior ### Low Priority 4. **Workflow Automation** - Consider: Automate NPM publish in GitHub Actions - Consider: Separate workflow for dependency updates --- ## Commands Reference ### Release Completion ```bash # Publish to NPM (from main branch) npm publish # Create GitHub Release gh release create v1.9.16 \ --title "v1.9.16 - Platform-agnostic MCP client documentation + SonarCloud fixes" \ --notes-file docs/releases/RELEASE_NOTES_v1.9.16.md # Verify NPM publication npm view @dollhousemcp/mcp-server version npm view @dollhousemcp/mcp-server dist-tags ``` ### Dependabot PR Management ```bash # Merge with squash and branch deletion gh pr merge <number> --squash --delete-branch # Check CI status gh pr checks <number> # View run logs gh run view <run-id> --log ``` ### Workflow Fix ```bash # Create fix branch git checkout -b fix/dependabot-claude-review-skip # Make changes, commit, push git add .github/workflows/claude-code-review.yml git commit -m "fix(ci): Skip Claude Code Review for Dependabot PRs" git push -u origin fix/dependabot-claude-review-skip # Create PR gh pr create --base develop --title "fix(ci): Skip Claude Code Review for Dependabot PRs" ``` --- ## Files Modified This Session ### Release-Related - None (NPM publish uses existing built files) ### Workflow Changes (PR #1241) - `.github/workflows/claude-code-review.yml` - Added `if: github.actor != 'dependabot[bot]'` condition - Removed `allowed_bots: "dependabot"` configuration - Added clarifying comments ### Documentation - This session notes file (new) --- ## Statistics **Time Breakdown**: - Release completion: 15 minutes - NPM package investigation: 10 minutes - Dependabot analysis: 10 minutes - Claude review investigation: 15 minutes - Workflow fix implementation: 25 minutes - PR merges and cleanup: 15 minutes - **Total**: 90 minutes **Pull Requests**: - Merged: 6 (5 Dependabot + 1 workflow fix) - Created: 1 (PR #1241) **Issues**: - Created: 2 (#1239, #1240) **Dependencies Updated**: 5 packages **Releases**: - Completed: 1 (v1.9.16 to NPM and GitHub) **Branches**: - Created: 1 (`fix/dependabot-claude-review-skip`) - Deleted: 6 (5 Dependabot + 1 fix branch) --- ## Context for Next Session **Current State**: - v1.9.16 fully released and available - All Dependabot PRs merged and cleaned up - Claude review workflow fixed for future Dependabot PRs - 2 issues created for v1.9.17 patch release **Ready for v1.9.17**: - Issue #1239: NPM README element status update - Issue #1240: Add Jeet Singh to contributors - Clean slate for next release cycle **Workflow Status**: - Dependabot PRs will now skip Claude review (by design) - All other PRs continue to get automated Claude reviews - Manual `@claude` reviews still available when needed **No Blockers**: - All tests passing - All dependencies up to date - No security issues - Clean git state --- ## Session Quality Notes **Excellent**: - ✅ Identified and resolved Dependabot secret access issue - ✅ Clean workflow fix that prevents future false failures - ✅ Completed v1.9.16 release to NPM and GitHub - ✅ Merged all pending Dependabot PRs - ✅ Created issues for documentation improvements - ✅ Maintained clean git hygiene (feature branches, squash merges) **Process Improvements**: - Documented NPM publish requirement (manual step) - Identified README chunk maintenance gap - Recognized contributor attribution oversight - Established pattern for Dependabot workflow issues **User Satisfaction**: High - User quote: "Excellent session. We got some nice cleaning up going on here." - All requested tasks completed - Clear path forward for next session - Clean state with no technical debt --- *Session completed: October 3, 2025 at 8:30 PM* *Next session: Morning of October 4, 2025* *Status: ✅ All objectives achieved, ready for v1.9.17 planning*