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honeycombio
by honeycombio

list_columns

Retrieve column details from Honeycomb datasets, including names, types, and descriptions, with pagination, sorting, and search capabilities for data analysis.

Instructions

Lists all columns available in the specified dataset, including their names, types, descriptions, and hidden status. Supports pagination, sorting by type/name/created_at, and searching by name/description. Note: all is NOT supported as a dataset name.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
environmentYesThe Honeycomb environment
datasetYesThe dataset to fetch columns from
pageNoPage number (1-based)
limitNoNumber of items per page
sort_byNoField to sort by
sort_orderNoSort direction
searchNoSearch term to filter results
search_fieldsNoFields to search in (string or array of strings)

Implementation Reference

  • The main handler function for the 'list_columns' tool. It validates input, fetches columns from Honeycomb API using getVisibleColumns, simplifies the column data, applies pagination/sorting/filtering either via cache or manually, and returns a formatted JSON response with content and metadata.
    handler: async (params: z.infer<typeof ListColumnsSchema>) => {
      const { environment, dataset, page, limit, sort_by, sort_order, search, search_fields } = params;
      
      // Validate input parameters
      if (!environment) {
        return handleToolError(new Error("environment parameter is required"), "list_columns");
      }
      if (!dataset) {
        return handleToolError(new Error("dataset parameter is required"), "list_columns");
      }
    
      try {
        // Fetch columns from the API
        const columns = await api.getVisibleColumns(environment, dataset);
        
        // Simplify the response to reduce context window usage
        const simplifiedColumns: SimplifiedColumn[] = columns.map(column => ({
          name: column.key_name,
          type: column.type,
          description: column.description || '',
          hidden: column.hidden || false,
          last_written: column.last_written || null,
          created_at: column.created_at,
        }));
        
        // If no pagination or filtering is requested, return all columns
        if (!page && !limit && !search && !sort_by) {
          return {
            content: [
              {
                type: "text",
                text: JSON.stringify(simplifiedColumns, null, 2),
              },
            ],
            metadata: {
              count: simplifiedColumns.length,
              dataset,
              environment
            }
          };
        }
        
        // Otherwise, use the cache manager to handle pagination, sorting, and filtering
        const cache = getCache();
        const cacheKey = `${dataset}:columns`;
        
        // First, ensure the columns are in the cache
        // This is different from other resources that are automatically cached by API calls
        cache.set(environment, 'column', simplifiedColumns, cacheKey);
        
        const cacheOptions = {
          page: page || 1,
          limit: limit || 10,
          
          // Configure sorting if requested
          ...(sort_by && {
            sort: {
              field: sort_by,
              order: sort_order || 'asc'
            }
          }),
          
          // Configure search if requested
          ...(search && {
            search: {
              field: search_fields || ['name', 'description'],
              term: search,
              caseInsensitive: true
            }
          })
        };
        
        // Access the collection with pagination and filtering
        const result = cache.accessCollection(
          environment, 
          'column', 
          cacheKey, 
          cacheOptions
        );
        
        // If the collection isn't in cache yet, apply the filtering manually
        if (!result) {
          // Basic implementation for non-cached data
          let filteredColumns = [...simplifiedColumns];
          
          // Apply search if requested
          if (search) {
            const searchFields = Array.isArray(search_fields) 
              ? search_fields 
              : search_fields 
                ? [search_fields] 
                : ['name', 'description'];
                
            const searchTerm = search.toLowerCase();
            
            filteredColumns = filteredColumns.filter(column => {
              return searchFields.some(field => {
                const value = column[field as keyof typeof column];
                return typeof value === 'string' && value.toLowerCase().includes(searchTerm);
              });
            });
          }
          
          // Apply sorting if requested
          if (sort_by) {
            const field = sort_by;
            const order = sort_order || 'asc';
            
            filteredColumns.sort((a, b) => {
              const aValue = a[field as keyof typeof a];
              const bValue = b[field as keyof typeof b];
              
              if (typeof aValue === 'string' && typeof bValue === 'string') {
                return order === 'asc' 
                  ? aValue.localeCompare(bValue) 
                  : bValue.localeCompare(aValue);
              }
              
              // Null-safe comparison for nullable values
              if (aValue === null || aValue === undefined) return order === 'asc' ? -1 : 1;
              if (bValue === null || bValue === undefined) return order === 'asc' ? 1 : -1;
              
              return order === 'asc' 
                ? (aValue > bValue ? 1 : -1) 
                : (bValue > aValue ? 1 : -1);
            });
          }
          
          // Apply pagination
          const itemLimit = limit || 10;
          const currentPage = page || 1;
          const total = filteredColumns.length;
          const pages = Math.ceil(total / itemLimit);
          const offset = (currentPage - 1) * itemLimit;
          
          // Return formatted response
          const paginatedResponse: PaginatedResponse<typeof simplifiedColumns[0]> = {
            data: filteredColumns.slice(offset, offset + itemLimit),
            metadata: {
              total,
              page: currentPage,
              pages,
              limit: itemLimit
            }
          };
          
          return {
            content: [
              {
                type: "text",
                text: JSON.stringify(paginatedResponse, null, 2),
              },
            ],
          };
        }
        
        // Format the cached result and type-cast the unknown data
        const typedData = result.data as typeof simplifiedColumns;
        
        // Format the cached result
        const paginatedResponse: PaginatedResponse<typeof simplifiedColumns[0]> = {
          data: typedData,
          metadata: {
            total: result.total,
            page: result.page || 1,
            pages: result.pages || 1,
            limit: limit || 10
          }
        };
        
        return {
          content: [
            {
              type: "text",
              text: JSON.stringify(paginatedResponse, null, 2),
            },
          ],
        };
      } catch (error) {
        return handleToolError(error, "list_columns");
      }
    }
  • Zod schema defining the input parameters for the list_columns tool, merging base dataset fields with pagination, sorting, and search options.
    export const ListColumnsSchema = z.object({
      environment: z.string().min(1).trim().describe("The Honeycomb environment"),
      dataset: z.string().min(1).trim().describe("The dataset to fetch columns from"),
    }).merge(PaginationSchema).describe("Parameters for listing columns in a Honeycomb dataset. Returns column names, types, and additional metadata.");
  • Registration of the list_columns tool (imported and created at lines 3 and 29) into the MCP server via the registerTools function, which adds it to the tools array and calls server.tool() for each.
    export function registerTools(server: McpServer, api: HoneycombAPI) {
      const tools = [
        // Dataset tools
        createListDatasetsTool(api),
        createListColumnsTool(api),
    
        // Query tools
        createRunQueryTool(api),
        createAnalyzeColumnsTool(api),
    
        // Board tools
        createListBoardsTool(api),
        createGetBoardTool(api),
    
        // Marker tools
        createListMarkersTool(api),
    
        // Recipient tools
        createListRecipientsTool(api),
    
        // SLO tools
        createListSLOsTool(api),
        createGetSLOTool(api),
    
        // Trigger tools
        createListTriggersTool(api),
        createGetTriggerTool(api),
        
        // Trace tools
        createTraceDeepLinkTool(api),
        
        // Instrumentation tools
        createInstrumentationGuidanceTool(api)
      ];
    
      // Register each tool with the server
      for (const tool of tools) {
        // Register the tool with the server using type assertion to bypass TypeScript's strict type checking
        (server as any).tool(
          tool.name,
          tool.description,
          tool.schema, 
          async (args: Record<string, any>, extra: any) => {
            try {
              // Validate and ensure required fields are present before passing to handler
              if (tool.name.includes("analyze_columns") && (!args.environment || !args.dataset || !args.columns)) {
                throw new Error("Missing required fields: environment, dataset, and columns are required");
              } else if (tool.name.includes("run_query") && (!args.environment || !args.dataset)) {
                throw new Error("Missing required fields: environment and dataset are required");
              }
              
              // Use type assertion to satisfy TypeScript's type checking
              const result = await tool.handler(args as any);
              
              // If the result already has the expected format, return it directly
              if (result && typeof result === 'object' && 'content' in result) {
                return result as any;
              }
              
              // Otherwise, format the result as expected by the SDK
              return {
                content: [
                  {
                    type: "text",
                    text: typeof result === 'string' ? result : JSON.stringify(result, null, 2),
                  },
                ],
              } as any;
            } catch (error) {
              // Format errors to match the SDK's expected format
              return {
                content: [
                  {
                    type: "text",
                    text: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
                  },
                ],
                isError: true,
              } as any;
            }
          }
        );
      }
    }
  • TypeScript interface defining the simplified column structure used in the tool's response to reduce token usage.
    interface SimplifiedColumn {
      name: string;
      type: string;
      description: string;
      hidden: boolean;
      last_written?: string | null;
      created_at: string;
    }
  • Shared Zod schema for pagination, sorting, and search options, merged into ListColumnsSchema.
     export const PaginationSchema = z.object({
      page: z.number().positive().int().optional().describe("Page number (1-based)"),
      limit: z.number().positive().int().optional().describe("Number of items per page"),
      sort_by: z.string().optional().describe("Field to sort by"),
      sort_order: z.enum(['asc', 'desc']).optional().describe("Sort direction"),
      search: z.string().trim().optional().describe("Search term to filter results"),
      search_fields: z.union([
        z.string(),
        z.array(z.string().min(1))
      ]).optional().describe("Fields to search in (string or array of strings)"),
    });

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