holonovel

Player Character Management

manage_character

Destructive

Create, import, stage, activate, edit, and remove player characters; render character sheets, update stats and personality/voice, and handle player feedback with undoable changes.

Instructions

Manage player characters: create (quick or step-by-step), stage to roster, import, render a sheet, set the active entity, set personality/voice, patch mechanical stats, send player signals, remove, or list roster characters. sheet and roster_list are read-only; Novel mutations persist, are audited, and are undoable via manage_history (action: undo). update merges provided fields in place (stats shallow-merge; omitted fields are preserved) so one sheet field can change without re-creating the character. The personality{} object aliases description/voice/background/goals, and details{} aliases ability_scores/skills/feats/talents/equipment; a top-level value overrides its grouped alias. stage and roster_remove are exact inverses on the roster; remove deletes the Novel entity and is undoable. Use when: creating or importing a PC, staging or activating one for play, editing its sheet or voice, or handling player feedback. Do NOT use when: managing an NPC — use manage_npc.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`pov`	No	Point-of-view mode (set_active).
`name`	No	Character name; omit (create) to begin step-by-step.
`seed`	No	Deterministic seed (create).
`feats`	No	Feats (create).
`goals`	No	Character goals (create/personality).
`stats`	No	Mechanical stat keys to shallow-merge into the entity's stats (update).
`value`	No	Feedback text (signal).
`voice`	No	Voice and speech pattern (create/personality).
`action`	Yes	create, stage, import, sheet, set_active, personality, voice, signal, update, remove, roster_remove, or roster_list.
`format`	No	Output format (sheet).
`signal`	No	Feedback category (signal).
`skills`	No	Trained skills (create).
`classes`	No	Class levels (create).
`details`	No	Grouped mechanical details (create).
`species`	No	Species (create).
`talents`	No	Talents (create).
`examples`	No	Voice examples (voice).
`entity_id`	No	Entity identifier (stage/sheet/set_active/personality/voice/remove).
`equipment`	No	Starting equipment (create).
`inventory`	No	Replace the entity's inventory (update).
`roster_id`	No	Roster identifier (import/roster_remove).
`background`	No	Backstory (create/personality).
`description`	No	Narrative description (create/personality).
`personality`	No	Grouped personality fields (create).
`stat_method`	No	Stat-generation method (create).
`ability_scores`	No	Ability scores (create).
`stage_to_roster`	No	Also stage into the roster (create).

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`text`	No	Human-readable text envelope mirroring the structured result (REQ-001, REQ-548a).
`status`	Yes	Machine-readable result status: OK, NEED_INPUT, WARNING, PARTIAL, or an error category (REQ-002, REQ-548c).

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed4 schema fields changedv1.0.5Oct 12, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / action / description

Previous value: -"create, stage, import, sheet, set_active, personality, voice, signal, remove, roster_remove, or roster_list."New value: +"create, stage, import, sheet, set_active, personality, voice, signal, update, remove, roster_remove, or roster_list."

changedInput schema / properties / action / enum

Previous value: -[
-  "create",
-  "stage",
-  "import",
-  "sheet",
-  "set_active",
-  "personality",
-  "voice",
-  "signal",
-  "remove",
-  "roster_remove",
-  "roster_list"
-]New value: +[
+  "create",
+  "stage",
+  "import",
+  "sheet",
+  "set_active",
+  "personality",
+  "voice",
+  "signal",
+  "update",
+  "remove",
+  "roster_remove",
+  "roster_list"
+]

addedInput schema / properties / inventory

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Replace the entity's inventory (update).",
+  "items": {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / stats

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": {},
+  "description": "Mechanical stat keys to shallow-merge into the entity's stats (update).",
+  "propertyNames": {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "type": "object"
+}

Addedv1.0.3Sep 29, 2026

TDQS

A4.7/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

Goes well beyond the annotations: it identifies which actions are read-only (sheet, roster_list), states that mutations persist, are audited, and are undoable via manage_history (action: undo), explains that update shallow-merges stats and preserves omitted fields, and notes that stage and roster_remove are exact inverses. This is exactly the mutation/undo/reversibility context that destructiveHint=true alone does not convey.

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

Conciseness4/5

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

Four sentences, front-loaded with the action inventory, then mutation/undo semantics, then alias precedence, then when/when-not. Dense but no filler; the aliasing sentence is packed tightly and could be slightly more scannable given 27 params.

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

Completeness4/5

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

For a 12-action, 27-param tool with an output schema (so return shapes needn't be explained), the description covers persistence, audit, undo, roster inverses, aliasing, and sibling exclusion. It does not clarify the distinction between stage and set_active, or what import expects from roster_id — minor residual gaps.

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 100%, so baseline is 3; the description earns extra credit by explaining the personality{} and details{} alias groups and the precedence rule (top-level value overrides the grouped alias) plus stats shallow-merge behavior, none of which the schema states. Several params (seed, stat_method, format, pov, examples) are left entirely to the schema, so it stops short of a 5.

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?

Names a specific resource (player characters) and enumerates the concrete operations: create, stage, import, render sheet, set active, personality/voice, patch stats, signal, remove, roster_list. It also explicitly distinguishes itself from manage_npc, so an agent can route correctly without opening the 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?

Contains an explicit 'Use when:' list (creating/importing a PC, staging or activating one, editing sheet or voice, handling player feedback) and an explicit 'Do NOT use when:' with the named alternative manage_npc. Both selection conditions are stated, not inferred.

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