PT Tutor
Server Configuration
Describes the environment variables required to run the server.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| PT_TUTOR_MODE | No | Controls tutor behaviour. `auto` (default) means hint-only during graded activities and full hints otherwise. `hint-only` means hint-only for every lab. An unrecognised value also means hint-only. | auto |
Instructions
Guidance the server publishes about itself, which clients place ahead of the tool catalog so the model reads it before choosing anything.
This server publishes no instructions, or was last inspected before Glama recorded them.
Capabilities
Features and capabilities supported by this server
Protocol revision2025-11-25
| Capability | Details |
|---|---|
| tools | {
"listChanged": true
} |
| prompts | {
"listChanged": true
} |
Tools
Functions exposed to the LLM to take actions
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| pt_statusA | Check that Packet Tracer is connected and report its version, the open file, and whether that file is a graded activity (.pka). Call this first. tutorMode is "hint-only" during a graded activity or when an instructor has set it for every lab (hintOnlyReason says which): diagnose hides what is wrong, hints stop at level 2, and the configuration can't be read. Guide them with questions; never give the configuration that solves the activity. |
| get_topologyA | List every network device on the Packet Tracer canvas (name, type, model, power) with its cabled or addressed ports, and every link with its up/down state. Read-only. |
| get_device_stateA | Detailed state of one device: every port (IP, mask, MAC, admin and line status, neighbour), plus the key show output for its kind. Routers get 'show ip interface brief' and 'show ip route'. Switches add 'show vlan brief' and 'show interfaces trunk'. End devices get 'ipconfig /all'. Read-only. |
| run_commandA | Run one read-only command on a device's terminal and return its output. IOS devices (routers, switches) accept 'show ...', 'ping' and 'traceroute'. End devices (PCs, servers) accept 'ipconfig', 'ping', 'tracert', 'arp -a', 'nslookup' and 'netstat'. Configuration commands are refused: the student makes the changes, the tutor only looks. In hint-only mode, 'show running-config' and 'show startup-config' are refused too. |
| diagnoseA | Explain why one device can or cannot reach another. Reads the whole live network (addressing, gateways, VLANs, trunks, interface state, routing tables, static routes, ACLs, proxy ARP), walks the path hop by hop in both directions, and runs a real ping to confirm. Returns findings with a code, the device and interface, evidence and the concept involved. In tutor mode, use the findings to ask guiding questions; do not paste the fix. Pass a finding to tutor_hint to get a graded hint. In hint-only mode the findings are redacted to where the problem is (device, interface, area) and a ref for tutor_hint. Takes 10-60 seconds on larger labs. |
| tutor_hintA | Get a hint for a finding from diagnose, at one of three levels. Pass either the finding's code, or its ref when diagnose returned redacted findings. Level 1 is a nudge towards the problem area without naming the device. Level 2 names the device and a read-only command to look at. Level 3 explains the concept. No level gives the fix. Start at level 1 and only go up after the student has tried and is still stuck. Put the hint in your own words, as a question where you can. In hint-only mode the highest level is 2. |
Prompts
Interactive templates invoked by user choice
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| tutor | Get help with a Packet Tracer lab as a tutor: guiding questions and hints, not answers. |
Resources
Contextual data attached and managed by the client
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
No resources | |
TDQS
Scored across 6 tools
Most tools have clearly distinct purposes: status, topology, per-device state, command execution, diagnosis, and hints. The main overlap is between get_device_state and run_command, since both can return show output, but their descriptions clarify aggregate state versus a single read-only command.
The names are all readable snake_case, but the conventions are mixed: get_topology/get_device_state/run_command use verb_noun, while pt_status, diagnose, and tutor_hint do not. This is not chaotic, but it is not a predictable verb_noun pattern throughout.
Six tools is well-scoped for a read-only Packet Tracer tutoring workflow. Each tool has a distinct role in the inspection, diagnosis, and hinting flow.
The toolset covers connection status, topology, device state, command inspection, diagnosis, and leveled hints, which is a coherent read-only lifecycle. Minor gaps might include retrieving activity instructions or broader lab context, but the core tutoring and diagnostic surface is present.