| name | askit-build-mcp |
| description | Creates and improves MCP server definitions (a portable .mcp.json) for a plugin to the Advanced Skill Library Standard. Use when you need to add an MCP server to a plugin, author or extend .mcp.json, or wire the per-target mcpServers manifest pointer. |
| metadata | {"version":"0.1.0","tier":"universal","audience":"advanced"} |
askit-build-mcp
Purpose
Author the plugin's MCP servers as one portable .mcp.json at the plugin root (the standard { "mcpServers": { ... } } format) and wire the per-target mcpServers manifest pointer. Two modes: create adds a server; improve fixes findings. MCP is Universal-tier: the server definition is portable and both Claude and Codex ingest a bundled .mcp.json referenced by the native manifest's mcpServers pointer (Standard sec 3.9). Authoring depth is in references/authoring-mcp.md. Follows the shared builder contract (../../docs/reference/builder-pattern.md).
When to use
When the user asks to add, scaffold, author, or improve an MCP server (tools, resources, or prompts via the Model Context Protocol) for a plugin.
create mode
- Brief interview: server name (kebab-case), transport (
stdio or http), the command plus args (stdio) or the url (http), and any secrets as an env-var NAME (never an inline value). Skip the interview if these are already in context.
- Author or extend the root
.mcp.json: add the server under mcpServers. Copy templates/mcp.json if the file does not exist yet.
- Register the server in
library.json components.mcpServers as { name, version, tier, status }.
- Wire the per-target pointer: run
node scripts/generators/gen-manifest.mjs <plugin-root> --write --target=all. Each native manifest gains "mcpServers": "./.mcp.json".
- Assess with
node scripts/evaluate.mjs . --json and iterate to 0 errors (mcp-valid, the S3 components index, and the S6 per-target pointer).
improve mode
- Run
node scripts/evaluate.mjs . --json and read the report.
- For each finding: a malformed server (mcp-valid) -> add the missing
command or url; a committed secret (mcp-valid) -> replace the inline value with an env-var reference or bearer_token_env_var; a missing pointer (S6) -> regenerate the manifests; an undeclared server (S3) -> add it to components.mcpServers. For any other finding, read its message and apply the fix it states.
- Re-run evaluate to confirm.
Scope
The root .mcp.json is the single authored source; the manifest pointers are generated, so never hand-edit a generated manifest. Secrets MUST be referenced from the environment, never committed (Standard sec 9). MCP is the one plugin-distributable component both agents ingest, and emission is just the manifest-pointer wiring (no per-type render engine, per the builder pattern).
