askAboutFile

Instructions

Implementation Reference

• src/tools/askAboutFile.ts:33-73 (handler)

  Main execution method of AskAboutFileTool. Validates required fields (filePath, question), checks file path security via PathValidator, reads the file content, constructs an LLM prompt, sends it to the configured LLM provider, and returns the response.

  async execute(args: any): Promise<MCPToolResponse> {
    try {
      this.logOperation('File analysis started', { filePath: args.filePath, question: args.question });
      
      // Validate required fields
      const fieldError = this.validateRequiredFields(args, ['filePath', 'question']);
      if (fieldError) {
        return this.createErrorResponse(fieldError);
      }
      
      // Validate file path security
      const pathValidation = await PathValidator.validateFilePath(args.filePath);
      if (!pathValidation.valid) {
        return this.createErrorResponse(pathValidation.error!);
      }
      
      // Read file content
      const fileContent = await fs.readFile(pathValidation.resolvedPath!, 'utf8');
      
      // Process with LLM
      const config = ConfigurationManager.getConfig();
      const provider = LLMProviderFactory.createProvider(config.llm.provider);
      const apiKey = this.getApiKey(config.llm.provider, config.llm);
      
      const prompt = this.createFileAnalysisPrompt(fileContent, args.question, args.filePath);
      const response = await provider.processRequest(prompt, config.llm.model, apiKey);
      
      if (!response.success) {
        return this.createErrorResponse(`LLM processing failed: ${response.error}`);
      }
      
      this.logOperation('File analysis completed successfully');
      return this.createSuccessResponse(response.content);
      
    } catch (error) {
      this.logOperation('File analysis failed', { error });
      return this.createErrorResponse(
        `File analysis failed: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}`
      );
    }
  }

• src/tools/askAboutFile.ts:18-31 (schema)

  Input schema for askAboutFile tool defining two required parameters: filePath (absolute path) and question (specific query about the file content).

  readonly inputSchema = {
    type: 'object',
    properties: {
      filePath: {
        type: 'string',
        description: 'Full absolute path to the file to analyze (e.g., "C:\\Users\\username\\project\\src\\file.ts", "/home/user/project/docs/README.md")'
      },
      question: {
        type: 'string',
        description: 'Specific question about the file content (e.g., "Does this file export a validateEmail function?", "What is the main purpose described in this spec?", "Extract all import statements")'
      }
    },
    required: ['filePath', 'question']
  };

• src/tools/askAboutFile.ts:75-92 (helper)

  Helper method that constructs the prompt template sent to the LLM. Includes instructions to be concise and focused, along with file extension, question, and file content.

    private createFileAnalysisPrompt(fileContent: string, question: string, filePath: string): string {
      const fileExtension = path.extname(filePath);
      
      return `You are analyzing a file for a user question. Be concise and focused in your response.
  
  File: ${filePath} (${fileExtension})
  Question: ${question}
  
  Instructions:
  - Answer only what is specifically asked
  - Be brief and to the point
  - Use markdown formatting for code snippets
  - Don't explain things that weren't asked for
  - If the question can be answered with yes/no, start with that
  
  File Content:
  ${fileContent}`;
    }

• src/tools/askAboutFile.ts:94-101 (helper)

  Helper method that retrieves the API key for the configured LLM provider from the configuration.

  private getApiKey(provider: string, llmConfig: any): string {
    const keyField = `${provider}Key`;
    const key = llmConfig[keyField];
    if (!key) {
      throw new Error(`API key not configured for provider: ${provider}`);
    }
    return key;
  }

• src/server.ts:60-67 (registration)

  Tool registration in the MCP server. Instantiates AskAboutFileTool and registers it in the tools map. The server routes incoming CallToolRequest to the tool's execute method by name.

  private setupTools(): void {
    const toolInstances = [
      new AskAboutFileTool(),
      new RunAndExtractTool(),
      new AskFollowUpTool(),
      new ResearchTopicTool(),
      new DeepResearchTool()
    ];