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show_on_stage

Read-only

Open Kiln's interactive 3D stage on a file that already exists.

Instructions

Open Kiln's interactive 3D stage on a file that already exists.

        The door for "let me see it" when nothing needs making: a mesh
        from an earlier session, a download, or the sliced print file
        about to go to the printer.  Nothing is re-made, re-sliced,
        imported or written.  Free on every install, like the stage.

        What the stage draws (``shows`` says which, in words):

        - An STL, OBJ or 3MF is drawn as itself; a STEP file is drawn
          from Kiln's mesh of it.
        - A sliced ``.gcode.3mf`` is drawn as the model it carries — the
          file going to the printer, in its paint — with the slicer's
          skirt, brim, prime tower and supports under EXTRAS while this
          machine still holds that slice's G-code.
        - A print file with no model of its own (raw G-code, or an
          archive holding only Kiln's 1 mm placeholder) is drawn as the
          mesh this machine sliced it from, and refused, with the
          reason, when there is no record of that mesh.

        Before a print: open the print file here, let the person turn it
        over, then call ``issue_preview_token(file_path, door="stage")``
        for that same file — the panel's own fetch is the evidence the
        gate reads.  On a host that draws no panel, or until a panel has
        fetched since the server started, the result also carries
        ``viewer_url``: hand it over, and use ``door="url"``.  ``shown``
        says which door this result took.

        ``visualize_model`` is the still-picture door: renders to check
        yourself, and the sign-off only when neither this panel nor a
        link is possible.

        A slice result that opened the stage has already drawn its print,
        from the mesh the slicer was handed, and the print gate counts
        that panel's fetch for the print file the slice wrote.  Called on
        that print file right after, this draws the same slice again,
        from the model the file carries.  ``shown.repeat`` says when the
        panel just above already shows what this one draws.

        :param file_path: Path to an STL, OBJ, 3MF, STEP, ``.gcode.3mf``
            or G-code file on this machine.
        :returns: ``stage_mesh_path`` (the file the stage draws),
            ``shows`` and ``message``, plus ``came_from`` for a file a
            generator or a marketplace download brought in; the stage
            adds ``artifact``, ``shown`` and, when the link is the
            stage, ``viewer_url``.

INLINE 3D STAGE: on success this tool opens Kiln's interactive 3D stage — an inline viewer panel the user can orbit, zoom, and turn over — in hosts that render MCP Apps panels (Kiln's hosted connection attaches a browser stage link for hosts that don't). Oversized meshes are decimated automatically for the stage; the PNG preview is the floor, not the whole experience.

Input Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
file_pathYes

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Addedv1.5.0

TDQS

A4.7/5.0
Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already cover read-only safety, but the description adds substantial non-obvious behavior: per-format rendering rules (STL/OBJ/3MF as themselves, STEP from Kiln's mesh), what '.gcode.3mf' shows including EXTRAS, refusal with reason when the source mesh is unknown, automatic decimation of oversized meshes, and the viewer_url fallback for hosts that draw no panel. These are real caveats an agent could not discover from annotations or schema.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness3/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Purpose is front-loaded and the body uses bullets, which helps, but at roughly 350 words for a one-parameter read tool it carries heavy edge-case prose (slice-result repeat behavior, print-gate semantics) that many callers never need. The trailing 'INLINE 3D STAGE' block restates panel/viewer_url information already given earlier, which is wasted repetition.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Despite having no output schema, the description enumerates return fields (stage_mesh_path, shows, message, came_from, artifact, shown, viewer_url) and explains the failure/refusal path. For a read-only viewer with an unusual host-dependent output, nothing an agent needs to call it or interpret the result is missing.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 0%, so the description must carry the load; the :param block does add the accepted extensions (STL, OBJ, 3MF, STEP, .gcode.3mf, G-code) and the 'on this machine' locality constraint, which is genuinely useful. It slightly muddies things by discussing a door parameter that belongs to issue_preview_token rather than this tool, but the single real parameter is well covered.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

Opens with a specific verb+resource+scope: 'Open Kiln's interactive 3D stage on a file that already exists,' and immediately delimits it against the making/generating tools with 'nothing needs making' and 'Nothing is re-made, re-sliced, imported or written.' It also names the sibling it is not (visualize_model, 'the still-picture door'), so an agent can route correctly without opening either schema.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Explicitly states when to use ('let me see it' on an existing mesh, download, or sliced print file) and when not to (visualize_model is 'the sign-off only when neither this panel nor a link is possible'). It even spells out the surrounding workflow — open here, then issue_preview_token(file_path, door="stage") — which removes nearly all inference.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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