# AIWG MCP Capability Audit Status: v2026.6.1 re-audit pass for #1584 and #1613 AIWG's MCP server is a provider-agnostic optional hook. The baseline integration path for every provider is file deployment plus the CLI bridge: `aiwg discover` to find a capability and `aiwg show ` to fetch it. MCP adds structured, model-callable access to the same catalog and to selected project operations, but no provider should depend on MCP for basic AIWG reachability. ## Current Tool Inventory ### Core tools, always registered The default `aiwg mcp serve` surface currently registers 15 tools: | Tool | Status | Boundary | |---|---|---| | `discover` | active | Cross-type ranked search; mirrors `aiwg discover --json` | | `skill-list` / `skill-show` | active | Skill catalog enumeration and full body fetch | | `command-list` / `command-show` | active | CLI command catalog and command spec lookup | | `rule-list` / `rule-show` | active | Rule catalog and rule body fetch; CLI equivalent is `aiwg show rule ` | | `agent-list` / `agent-show` | active | Agent catalog and full agent definition fetch | | `template-list` / `template-show` / `template-render` | active | Template catalog, raw body fetch, and simple rendering | | `command-run` | active | Allow-listed CLI dispatch; destructive commands require `confirmed: true` | | `artifact-read` / `artifact-write` | active | Project-required `.aiwg/` artifact IO | ### Opt-in toolsets `AIWG_MCP_TOOLSETS` or `aiwg mcp serve --toolsets=` enables 51 additional tools: | Toolset | Tools | Count | Boundary decision | |---|---:|---:|---| | `flows` | `flow-list`, `flow-show`, `flow-run` | 3 | Declarative YAML Flows are headline orchestration primitives, but `flow-run` can lead to project mutation and shell execution, so this stays opt-in | | `missions` | `mission-guide`, `mission-dispatch`, `mission-status` | 3 | AIWG Mission is distinct from low-level `mc-*`; dispatch is long-running/cross-stack capable, so this stays opt-in | | `memory` | `memory-*`, `reflections-*` list/get/put/delete/path | 10 | Project state, off by default because it writes persistent memory | | `kb` | `kb-*` list/get/put/delete/path | 5 | Knowledge-base state, off by default because it can be large and writeable | | `research` | `provenance-*`, `research-store-*` list/get/put/delete/path | 10 | Research corpus/provenance state, opt-in by domain | | `activity-log` | show/append/stats | 3 | Lightweight but project-specific event stream | | `index` | build/query/deps/stats | 4 | Project graph operations; `index-build` can be expensive | | `ralph` | start/status/abort/attach | 4 | Long-running loops; start/abort require confirmation semantics | | `mc` | start/dispatch/status/stop/list | 5 | Mission Control orchestration; stop is destructive | | `ops` | status/list/use/push | 4 | Operational workspace actions; push is shared-state affecting | `core` is always implicit. `all` expands to all opt-in toolsets. Unknown toolset names warn and are skipped rather than aborting server startup. ## CLI to MCP Coverage Matrix This re-audit keeps the default core lean and classifies the post-#1533 surfaces as follows: | Surface | MCP status | Decision | |---|---|---| | Declarative YAML Flows (`agentic/code/frameworks/*/flows/*.playbook.yaml`) | First-class through opt-in `flows` toolset | `flow-list` and `flow-show` expose the YAML source of truth; `flow-run` is confirmation-gated and returns the playbook plus wrapper skill for host execution until a standalone `aiwg flow` executor exists | | AIWG Mission (`aiwg-mission` kernel skill) | First-class through opt-in `missions` toolset | `mission-guide` fetches the primitive; `mission-dispatch` delegates durable execution to `aiwg mc dispatch`; `mission-status` reads through `aiwg mc status` | | Legacy Mission Control (`aiwg mc`) | First-class through opt-in `mc` toolset | Remains the low-level durable session substrate; not merged with `missions` because the abstractions are intentionally different | | `run skill` | Command-run only | Kept behind `command-run` because it executes script-bearing skills and already has argv/confirmation controls | | `status` / `doctor` | Command-run only | Read-heavy diagnostic commands; no extra first-class schema justified yet | | New/renamed CLI commands (`fanout`, `chunk`, `corpus`, `wizard`, `session`, `repo-access`, `features`, `feedback`, `address-issues`, `issue-audit`, `diagnose`, `doc-consolidate`, `best-practices-audit`, `skill-lint`, `agentcard`, `packages`, `local-executor`) | Command-run allow-listed | Unit coverage now compares `loadCommandAllowList()` with the TypeScript command registry so additions fail on drift | | agentskills.io import/validation (#1569) | Not a separate MCP source yet | Standard-conforming skills should surface through the existing `skill-list`, `skill-show`, `discover`, and `command-run` paths after they enter the AIWG artifact corpus | | Browser-consumable index export (#1578) | CLI/index toolset boundary | Existing `index-*` MCP tools cover build/query/deps/stats. Browser export remains CLI/API surface until a stable export command needs a schema wrapper | ## Provider-Agnostic Positioning MCP configuration belongs to the user or workspace, not to a specific AIWG provider adapter. The same `aiwg mcp serve` process can be connected from Claude, Codex, Cursor, Factory, GitHub Copilot, OpenCode, Warp, Windsurf, Hermes, OpenClaw, or any other MCP-capable host. Provider adapters should therefore say: - Baseline: deploy files and use `aiwg discover` / `aiwg show`. - Optional enrichment: connect `aiwg mcp serve` for structured tool calls. - No provider requires MCP for skills, discovery, or rule reachability. Hermes now follows this framing: rules are compressed into `AGENTS.md` as `### Rule:` sections, with full rule bodies reachable by `aiwg show rule `; MCP exposes the same rule path when configured. ## Install, Inject, and Profile UX Check The current CLI surface is coherent but should be described as two related flows: | Flow | Commands | Current state | |---|---|---| | AIWG's own server | `aiwg mcp serve [--toolsets=...]`, `aiwg mcp install `, `aiwg mcp info` | Serves the AIWG catalog and project tools; install writes provider-specific config where a file path is known | | External server registry | `aiwg mcp add/update/remove/list`, `aiwg mcp inject`, `aiwg mcp profile` | Maintains registered third-party MCP servers and injects selected sets into provider configs | Profiles are named server subsets stored in `~/.aiwg/mcp-profiles.json`. Built-in presets are `minimal`, `dev`, `ops`, `research`, `incident`, and `full`. The profile model is provider-agnostic; provider overrides may deny high-risk tools for a given host. Ephemeral profile launch remains the cleanest default where supported: `aiwg session --profile ` injects a temporary config for Claude and creates a profile-scoped runtime home for Codex. Persistent injection remains available through `aiwg mcp inject --provider --profile `. ## What MCP Uniquely Adds MCP adds value when the host can call tools directly: - Structured JSON schemas for catalog lookup, command dispatch, artifact IO, and subsystem operations. - Runtime tool availability without copying large skill or rule bodies into context. - Cross-provider access to the same external MCP server registry and profile presets. - Long-running orchestration controls where the host can poll status tools. - A standard integration surface for non-AIWG systems that cannot read `AGENTS.md` but can call MCP. The CLI + `AGENTS.md` bridge already covers: - Capability discovery through `aiwg discover`. - Full body fetches through `aiwg show skill|agent|command|rule`. - Rule delivery for providers that load generated context files. - Operator-driven command execution from a shell. Decision: keep MCP optional and lean by default. Do not move baseline rule or skill delivery behind MCP. Use opt-in toolsets for writeable, project-specific, expensive, or long-running surfaces. ## Recommendations - `workflow-run` has been removed from core. Migration path: use `command-run` for general CLI execution, `AIWG_MCP_TOOLSETS=flows` plus `flow-list` / `flow-show` / `flow-run` for declarative YAML Flow access, or `AIWG_MCP_TOOLSETS=missions` plus `mission-guide` / `mission-dispatch` / `mission-status` for Mission access. - Keep `command-run` in core; it is the structured equivalent of the CLI bridge and preserves one canonical execution path. - Keep flows, missions, memory, research, activity-log, index, ralph, mc, and ops outside core because they expand schema size, touch project state, or trigger long-running/shared-state operations. - Update provider docs that still say MCP is required or that only the legacy five-tool surface exists. - Re-measure schema token cost after each toolset change and publish the core/all count in release notes.