Structured Workflow MCP

Instructions

Implementation Reference

• src/tools/discoverWorkflowTools.ts:14-190 (handler)

  The handler function that executes the 'discover_workflow_tools' logic, returning a comprehensive JSON object describing all available workflow tools, phases, and guidance.
  export async function handleDiscoverWorkflowTools() { return { purpose: 'This MCP server provides structured workflow guidance tools for various programming tasks', corePhilosophy: 'Guide, Don\'t Gate - All your existing tools remain available while we add helpful workflow guidance', criticalNote: { title: '⚠️ IMPORTANT: Platform-Specific Tool Names', description: 'Different AI platforms may add prefixes to MCP tool names!', details: [ 'Some platforms add prefixes like "mcp_", "mcp7_", or similar to all tool names', 'If you get "Unknown tool" errors, check if your platform requires a prefix', 'For example, instead of "audit_inventory_guidance", you may need to use:', ' - mcp_audit_inventory_guidance', ' - mcp7_audit_inventory_guidance', ' - Or another platform-specific prefix', 'Check your platform\'s documentation or try common prefixes if unsure' ], howToCheck: 'Look at how other MCP tools are named in your environment - they likely follow the same pattern' }, workflowTypes: { title: '🚀 WORKFLOW ENTRY POINTS', description: 'Choose the workflow that best matches your task:', workflows: [ { name: 'refactor_workflow', purpose: 'Systematic code improvement without changing functionality', whenToUse: 'Refactoring, code cleanup, applying patterns, removing code smells', example: 'refactor_workflow({ task: "Extract authentication into a separate service" })', phases: 'AUDIT_INVENTORY → COMPARE_ANALYZE → QUESTION_DETERMINE → WRITE_OR_REFACTOR → LINT → ITERATE → PRESENT', keyBenefit: 'Deep understanding before changes' }, { name: 'create_feature_workflow', purpose: 'Add new functionality with integrated testing', whenToUse: 'New features, API endpoints, UI components, modules', example: 'create_feature_workflow({ task: "Add user profile management" })', phases: 'PLANNING → QUESTION_DETERMINE → WRITE_OR_REFACTOR → TEST → LINT → ITERATE → PRESENT', keyBenefit: 'Built-in quality assurance' }, { name: 'test_workflow', purpose: 'Focused workflow for writing or improving tests', whenToUse: 'Adding test coverage, writing integration tests, test improvements', example: 'test_workflow({ task: "Add unit tests for payment processing" })', phases: 'AUDIT_INVENTORY → QUESTION_DETERMINE → WRITE_TEST → RUN_TEST → ITERATE → PRESENT', keyBenefit: 'Systematic test development' }, { name: 'tdd_workflow', purpose: 'Test-Driven Development with Red-Green-Refactor cycles', whenToUse: 'Building features test-first, critical business logic', example: 'tdd_workflow({ task: "Implement shopping cart with TDD" })', phases: 'PLANNING → WRITE_TEST → RUN_TEST → WRITE_CODE → RUN_TEST → REFACTOR → LINT → PRESENT', keyBenefit: 'Tests drive the design' }, { name: 'build_custom_workflow', purpose: 'Create a custom workflow with your own phase selection', whenToUse: 'When predefined workflows don\'t match your needs', example: 'build_custom_workflow({ task: "Custom task", selectedPhases: [...] })', keyBenefit: 'Full control and flexibility' } ] }, phaseGuidanceTools: { title: '📋 PHASE GUIDANCE TOOLS', description: 'Tools that guide you through each workflow phase:', tools: [ { name: 'audit_inventory_guidance', purpose: 'Analyze code and catalog all needed changes', phase: 'AUDIT_INVENTORY' }, { name: 'compare_analyze_guidance', purpose: 'Evaluate different implementation approaches', phase: 'COMPARE_ANALYZE' }, { name: 'question_determine_guidance', purpose: 'Clarify requirements and finalize your plan', phase: 'QUESTION_DETERMINE' }, { name: 'refactor_guidance', purpose: 'Implement changes or write code', phase: 'WRITE_OR_REFACTOR' }, { name: 'test_guidance', purpose: 'Run and verify tests', phase: 'TEST' }, { name: 'lint_guidance', purpose: 'Check code quality and style', phase: 'LINT' }, { name: 'iterate_guidance', purpose: 'Fix issues found in testing or linting', phase: 'ITERATE' }, { name: 'present_guidance', purpose: 'Summarize your work', phase: 'PRESENT' } ] }, managementTools: { title: '🔧 WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT TOOLS', description: 'Tools for tracking and managing your workflow:', tools: [ { name: 'workflow_status', purpose: 'Check current progress and session state', whenToUse: 'Any time you want to see where you are' }, { name: 'phase_output', purpose: 'Record results when completing a phase', whenToUse: 'At the end of each phase' }, { name: 'validate_action', purpose: 'Ensure actions follow safety rules', whenToUse: 'Automatically called for file modifications' }, { name: 'validate_phase_completion', purpose: 'Check if phase requirements are met', whenToUse: 'Before moving to next phase' }, { name: 'user_input_required_guidance', purpose: 'Handle escalations when limits are reached', whenToUse: 'When iteration limits or issues require user input' }, { name: 'discover_workflow_tools', purpose: 'See this comprehensive tool list', whenToUse: 'When you need guidance on available tools' } ] }, quickStart: { title: '🎯 QUICK START GUIDE', steps: [ '1. Choose a workflow based on your task type', '2. Call the workflow tool with your task description', '3. Follow the phase guidance provided', '4. Use phase_output to record your progress', '5. Check workflow_status anytime to see where you are' ], example: 'refactor_workflow({ task: "Refactor user authentication to use dependency injection" })' }, bestPractices: [ 'Choose the right workflow for your task type', 'Follow phase guidance but adapt to your specific situation', 'Record phase outputs to maintain clear documentation', 'Use workflow_status to track progress', 'Let the workflow guide you while keeping all your tools available' ], safetyRule: { rule: 'Files must be read before they can be modified', enforcement: 'The validate_action tool enforces this automatically', reason: 'Prevents accidental data loss and ensures informed changes' } }; }
• src/tools/discoverWorkflowTools.ts:3-12 (schema)

  Tool definition including the input schema (empty object, no parameters required).
  export function createDiscoverWorkflowToolsTool(): Tool { return { name: 'discover_workflow_tools', description: 'List the workflow guidance tools provided by this MCP server', inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: {} } }; }
• src/index.ts:137-157 (registration)

  Registration of the tool in the tools array for ListToolsRequestHandler.
  const tools = [ // Workflow entry points createRefactorWorkflowTool(), // Refactoring workflow createFeatureWorkflowTool(), // Feature creation workflow createTestWorkflowTool(), // Test writing workflow createTddWorkflowTool(), // TDD workflow createBuildCustomWorkflowTool(), // Custom workflow builder // Phase guidance tools ...createPhaseGuidanceTools(), // Handles both suggestive and directive modes createTestGuidanceTool(), // TEST phase guidance // Validation tools ...createValidationTools(), // Both validate_action and validate_phase_completion // Workflow management createUserInputRequiredTool(), // Escalation handling createWorkflowStatusTool(), // Workflow status createPhaseOutputTool(), // Phase output recording createDiscoverWorkflowToolsTool() // Tool discovery ];
• src/index.ts:282-288 (registration)

  Handler dispatch in the CallToolRequestHandler switch statement, calling the tool's handler function.
  case 'discover_workflow_tools': return { content: [{ type: 'text', text: JSON.stringify(await handleDiscoverWorkflowTools(), null, 2) }] };
• src/index.ts:21-21 (registration)

  Import of the tool creator and handler functions.
  import { createDiscoverWorkflowToolsTool, handleDiscoverWorkflowTools } from './tools/discoverWorkflowTools.js';