mcporter

name	mcporter
description	Discover and call MCP Server tools via the mcporter CLI. Use when your coordinator notifies you about new MCP tools, or when you need to call external APIs. Includes workflow for generating skill documentation for new MCP servers.

mcporter — MCP Tool CLI

You call MCP Server tools via mcporter. Your config is at ./config/mcporter.json (mcporter's default path — no --config flag needed).

Commands

# List all configured MCP servers and their tool counts
mcporter list

# View a specific server's tools with full parameter schemas
mcporter list <server-name> --schema

# Call a tool — key=value syntax for simple args
mcporter call <server-name>.<tool-name> key=value key2=value2

# Call a tool — JSON syntax for complex args (arrays, objects, numbers)
mcporter call <server-name>.<tool-name> --args '{"key":"value","count":5}'

Output is JSON — parse with jq when needed.

When Your Coordinator Notifies You About New MCP Tools

When your coordinator @mentions you saying a new MCP server has been configured, follow this workflow:

Step 1: Pull the updated config

Run your file-sync skill to get the latest config:

hiclaw-sync

Step 2: Discover the new server and its tools

# Verify the new server appears
mcporter list

# Get full tool schemas — read carefully to understand each tool
mcporter list <server-name> --schema

Step 3: Generate a skill for the new MCP server

After understanding the tools, create a skill directory and SKILL.md so you have a permanent reference. Model it after your github-operations skill:

mkdir -p ~/skills/<server-short-name>-operations

Then write ~/skills/<server-short-name>-operations/SKILL.md with:

1. Front-matter: name, description, assign_when
2. Overview section explaining what the MCP server does
3. For each tool: a section with description, example mcporter call command, and parameter notes
4. Important notes (rate limits, auth, known issues if any)

Use the tool schemas from Step 2 as the source of truth for parameter names, types, and required/optional status.

Example structure:

---
name: weather-operations
description: Query weather data via the weather MCP server. Use when you need current weather, forecasts, or climate data.
assign_when: Worker needs weather information for a task
---

# Weather Operations

## Overview

Use this skill to query weather data via the centralized MCP Server.

## get_weather

Get current weather for a city:

\```bash
mcporter call mcp-weather.get_weather city=Tokyo units=metric
\```

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|-----------|------|----------|-------------|
| city | string | yes | City name |
| units | string | no | Temperature units (default: metric) |

Step 4: Confirm to your coordinator

After generating the skill, reply to your coordinator confirming:

• You pulled the updated config
• You discovered N tools on the new server
• You generated a skill at ~/skills/<name>-operations/SKILL.md
• You're ready to use the new tools

Important Notes

• Transport: MCP Servers use HTTP transport (configured in config/mcporter.json)
• Auth: Authorization header with Bearer token is auto-configured — you don't need to manage credentials
• Permissions: Your MCP access is controlled by your coordinator. If you get 403 from the MCP Server, ask your coordinator to re-authorize your access
• Config not found: If ./config/mcporter.json doesn't exist yet, run hiclaw-sync first — your coordinator pushes the config to MinIO after setting up MCP servers