DollhouseMCP

# SOLUTION: Skills Won't Activate - Markdown Corruption Bug **Date**: 2025-09-11 22:55:00 **Status**: ❌ BROKEN - NO WORKAROUND **Checklist**: 0/10 items - CANNOT VERIFY **Problem Category**: DollhouseMCP/Skills System **Time Wasted**: ~1 hour debugging ## Problem Statement ### Error/Issue ``` Failed to activate skills 'verified-solutions-documenter': An unexpected error occurred. Please try again later. ``` ### When This Occurs - Creating any new skill through `create_element` - Attempting to activate newly created skills - Skills that should work perfectly fail silently ## Environment Context ### System Information - **OS**: macOS Darwin 24.6.0 - **Shell**: zsh - **Working Directory**: `/Users/mick/Developer/Organizations/DollhouseMCP` - **User**: mick ### Environment Variables ```bash DOLLHOUSE_PORTFOLIO_DIR=/Users/mick/.dollhouse # Other MCP variables set correctly ``` ### Tool Versions ```bash node --version # v20.x npm --version # 10.x DollhouseMCP version # 1.7.x ``` ## Prerequisites ### Required Before Starting - [x] DollhouseMCP installed and running - [x] Portfolio directory exists - [x] Skills directory exists at `/Users/mick/.dollhouse/portfolio/skills/` - [x] Proper permissions on directories ## What We Tried (ALL FAILED) ### Failed Approach 1: Create and Activate Skill **What We Tried**: ```bash create_element "verified-solutions-documenter" --type skills activate_element "verified-solutions-documenter" --type skills ``` **Why It Failed**: Markdown corruption during save **Error Produced**: "An unexpected error occurred" ### Failed Approach 2: Delete and Recreate **What We Tried**: ```bash delete_element "verified-solutions-documenter" --type skills --deleteData true create_element "verified-solutions-documenter" --type skills ``` **Why It Failed**: Same markdown corruption pattern **Error Produced**: Same activation error ### Failed Approach 3: Check File Content **What We Tried**: Reading the saved file directly **Why It Failed**: Found malformed markdown - headers merged with content **Evidence**: Line 26: `# Verified Solutions DocumenterA comprehensive...` ## Common Mistakes (THESE DON'T WORK) - ❌ **Don't**: Try to fix by recreating the skill - **Because**: The save process itself is broken - ❌ **Don't**: Think it's your markdown formatting - **Because**: The system corrupts valid markdown - ❌ **Don't**: Assume it's a specific skill problem - **Result**: ALL new skills have this issue ## Debug Journey ### Initial Hypothesis "We thought the skill content was malformed" ### Investigation Path 1. Created skill with proper markdown - Failed on activation 2. Checked saved file - Found markdown corruption 3. Deleted and recreated - Same corruption pattern 4. Tested other skills - conversation-audio-summarizer works (old skill) 5. Realized ALL NEW skills fail ### Root Cause **Actual Problem**: DollhouseMCP's markdown processor strips newlines between headers and content during save **Why Missed Initially**: Error message "An unexpected error occurred" gives no clue about markdown corruption ## The REAL Bug ### File Corruption Pattern ```markdown # What we send to create_element: --- name: skill-name --- # Skill Title Description paragraph here. # What gets saved to disk: --- name: skill-name --- # Skill TitleDescription paragraph here. ``` The newlines after headers are being stripped! ## Impact Analysis - **Skills system**: COMPLETELY BROKEN for new skills - **Documentation system**: Cannot use skills with personas - **User experience**: Hours wasted thinking it's user error - **Workaround**: NONE - must embed skill content in personas ## GitHub Issue Created - Issue #935: https://github.com/DollhouseMCP/mcp-server/issues/935 - Priority: P0 - CRITICAL - Label: bug ## What NOT to Do 1. **DON'T** keep trying to recreate the skill 2. **DON'T** think you're formatting markdown wrong 3. **DON'T** try different skill names or content 4. **DON'T** waste time on activation attempts ## Current Status **🚨 WAITING FOR FIX IN DOLLHOUSEMCP** No workaround exists. Skills cannot be activated until the markdown save process is fixed. ## Temporary Solution Embed skill content directly in personas: 1. Create persona with skill documentation inline 2. Use persona instructions to reference skill patterns 3. Wait for DollhouseMCP fix ## Test for When It's Fixed ```bash # Create test skill create_element "test-skill" --type skills --content "# Test\n\nContent" # Read the file cat /Users/mick/.dollhouse/portfolio/skills/test-skill.md # Should see: # Test Content # NOT: # TestContent ``` ## Related Information ### See Also - Session Notes: `/active/mcp-server/docs/development/SESSION_NOTES_2025_09_11_EVENING_COMPLETE.md` - GitHub Issue: #935 - Solution Keeper persona (includes skill content inline as workaround) ### Credits - Discovered by: Mick & Debug Detective - Verified by: Alex Sterling - Documented by: Solution Keeper --- **Reproducibility Score**: N/A - Bug prevents any success **Estimated Time Wasted**: 1+ hours per user who encounters this **Last Verified**: 2025-09-11 22:55:00 **Status**: BROKEN UNTIL FIXED