rtfm

📖 Read The Manual - Progressive disclosure documentation system for all XC-MCP tools.

Overview

The rtfm tool provides access to comprehensive documentation for any of the discrete tools in this MCP server. This implements progressive disclosure: run the server with --mini to reduce every tool description to a one-liner, then call rtfm for full parameters, examples and related tools on demand.

Version History:

• v1.x: 51 individual tools; v1.3.2 introduced rtfm

• v2.0-v3.x: 28-30 tools behind operation-enum routers

• v4.x: routers dissolved; discrete tools with per-tool annotations and outputSchema

Why rtfm?

Problem Solved: Tool documentation was originally stored in .md files within the src/ directory, which wouldn't be available in the published npm package (only dist/ is included in package.json "files" field).

Solution: Documentation is now embedded as TypeScript constants in each tool file, bundled into the compiled JavaScript, and accessible via this rtfm tool. This ensures documentation is always available, whether in development or in the published npm package.

Parameters

• toolName (optional): Name of specific tool to get documentation for

  • Examples: "xcodebuild-build", "simctl-boot", "idb-ui-tap", "cache-get-stats"

  • Case-sensitive, must match exact tool registration name

• categoryName (optional): Browse tools in a specific category

  • Examples: "build", "simulator", "app", "idb", "cache", "system"

  • Omit both parameters to see all categories

Examples

// Get documentation for a specific tool
rtfm({ toolName: "simctl-boot" })

// Removed router names still fuzzy-match to their replacements
rtfm({ toolName: "simctl-device" })

// Browse all tools in the cache category
rtfm({ categoryName: "cache" })

// View all categories (no parameters)
rtfm({})

Migration to v4.0 (routers removed)

v2/v3 consolidated routers were dissolved back into discrete tools. Annotations and outputSchema are per-tool, so each operation is now its own tool. Drop the operation field and call the matching tool name — operation-specific parameters are unchanged:

• simctl-device(operation) → simctl-boot, simctl-shutdown, simctl-create, simctl-delete, simctl-erase, simctl-clone, simctl-rename

• simctl-app(operation) → simctl-install, simctl-uninstall, simctl-launch, simctl-terminate

• idb-app(operation) → idb-install, idb-uninstall, idb-launch, idb-terminate

• cache(operation) → cache-get-stats, cache-get-config, cache-set-config, cache-clear

• persistence(operation) → persistence-enable, persistence-disable, persistence-status

idb-targets keeps its operation enum (list/describe/focus/connect/disconnect). Passing a removed router name to this tool returns fuzzy suggestions for its replacements.

Response Format

Success Response

Returns full markdown documentation including:

• Tool description and purpose

• Advantages over direct CLI usage

• Parameter specifications with types and descriptions

• Usage examples

• Related tools

• Common patterns and best practices

Tool Not Found Response

If toolName doesn't match any registered tool:

• Error message with the attempted tool name

• Suggestions based on partial matches (up to 5)

• Complete list of all available tools

Example:

No documentation found for tool: "simctl-boo"

Did you mean one of these?
  - simctl-boot
  - simctl-shutdown

Available tools (28 total):
  - xcodebuild-*
  - simctl-*
  - idb-*
  - cache
  - persistence
  - rtfm

Available Tool Categories (v2.0)

Xcodebuild Tools (7)

• xcodebuild-version, xcodebuild-list, xcodebuild-showsdks

• xcodebuild-build, xcodebuild-clean, xcodebuild-test

• xcodebuild-get-details

Simctl Lifecycle Tools

• simctl-list, simctl-get-details, simctl-boot, simctl-shutdown, simctl-create, simctl-delete, simctl-erase, simctl-clone, simctl-rename

• simctl-suggest, simctl-health-check

Simctl App Management Tools

• simctl-install, simctl-uninstall, simctl-launch, simctl-terminate

• simctl-get-app-container, simctl-container, simctl-openurl

Simctl I/O & Testing Tools (7)

• simctl-io, simctl-addmedia, simctl-privacy, simctl-push

• simctl-pbcopy, simctl-status-bar, screenshot

IDB Tools

• idb-targets (list/describe/focus/connect/disconnect)

• idb-ui-tap, idb-ui-input, idb-ui-gesture, idb-ui-describe, idb-ui-find-element, idb-list-apps

• idb-install, idb-uninstall, idb-launch, idb-terminate

Cache Management Tools (4)

• cache-get-stats, cache-get-config, cache-set-config, cache-clear

Persistence Tools (3)

• persistence-enable, persistence-disable, persistence-status

Documentation Tool (1)

• rtfm (this tool!)

Implementation Details

Documentation Storage

Each tool file exports a TOOL_NAME_DOCS constant containing its full documentation in markdown format:

// Example from src/tools/simctl/boot.ts
export const SIMCTL_BOOT_DOCS = `
# simctl-boot
...
`;

Central Registry

All documentation constants are imported and mapped in src/tools/docs-registry.ts:

export const TOOL_DOCS: Record<string, string> = {
  'simctl-boot': SIMCTL_BOOT_DOCS,
  'xcodebuild-build': XCODEBUILD_BUILD_DOCS,
  // ... 49 more tools
};

Progressive Disclosure Pattern

1. Tool list shows concise descriptions (~300-400 tokens)

2. Each description ends with: "📖 Use rtfm with toolName: '{name}' for full documentation."

3. Full documentation accessed only when explicitly requested via rtfm

4. Prevents token overflow while maintaining comprehensive documentation access

Benefits

✅ Self-contained: No external file dependencies ✅ NPM package ready: Documentation bundled in compiled JavaScript ✅ Token efficient: Progressive disclosure keeps default views concise ✅ Always available: Works in development and production ✅ Type-safe: TypeScript constants with proper typing ✅ Searchable: Fuzzy matching with suggestions for typos ✅ Comprehensive: Full documentation including examples and parameters

Common Use Cases

Explore available tools:

// Intentionally use invalid tool name to see full list
rtfm({ toolName: "help" })

Learn specific tool usage:

rtfm({ toolName: "simctl-boot" })

Understand tool parameters:

rtfm({ toolName: "xcodebuild-build" })

Find related tools:

// Search by category prefix
rtfm({ toolName: "simctl" })  // Shows simctl-* suggestions

Related Tools

• cache-get-stats: Monitor cache performance and usage

Notes

• Tool names are case-sensitive and must match exact registration names

• Fuzzy matching provides suggestions for close matches

• Documentation format is consistent markdown across all tools

• Each tool's documentation is independently maintained in its source file

• The TOOL_DOCS registry is automatically updated when tools are added/removed