cimatron-api

name	cimatron-api
description	Reference card for the cimatron-api MCP doc-search workflow — loaded into the main thread when Claude answers a Cimatron API question directly. Documents the search/read_file/list_index tools, ranking weights, and index schema. To DELEGATE a lookup to a subagent, use the cimatron-api-docs agent instead.

Cimatron API Documentation Lookup

This skill is a reference card loaded into the main conversation when Claude is answering a Cimatron API question directly — it documents the MCP-server doc-search workflow, the parameter shapes, the ranking weights, and the index schema so the answer can come from official Cimatron docs rather than guesswork.

If the lookup would be better handled out-of-band (to parallelize work or to keep a long doc body out of the main context), delegate to the cimatron-api-docs agent instead — it runs the same workflow described below.

How to find a doc

Do not try to enumerate files. Call the mcp__cimatron-api__search tool — it returns ranked entries with the metadata that caused each match, so you can pick the right doc before reading it.

mcp__cimatron-api__search parameters:

Param	Notes
terms	Array of search terms. Multi-term queries are AND-combined and ranked.
service	Usually Cimatron. Optional.
method	Method, Property, Enum, or Procedure. Optional.
category	interfaces, enums, procedures, geometry, filters, tools, sketcher, tips, setup, attributes, release-notes. Optional.
limit	Default 10.

Ranking weights: topics > endpoint > path == service > description > content. If metadata search yields fewer than limit results, the server falls back to a content grep. One call to search should replace any urge to list directories or grep across the tree by hand.

After getting hits, call mcp__cimatron-api__read_file with the path from a hit to read the doc body (200KB cap, server-side path-safety enforced).

For broader browsing, mcp__cimatron-api__list_index returns paginated entry summaries (offset, limit — default 100).

How the index is shaped for Cimatron

One entry per Markdown doc:

Field	Cimatron meaning
path	Relative MD path under api-docs/ on the server
description	One-line summary
topics	Free-form tags + auto-detected (parameter names, enum values, etc.)
service	Always Cimatron (left in for cross-product reuse)
endpoint	Interface/enum/procedure name (e.g. IApplication, MdExtrude)
method	COM call kind when relevant: Property, Method, Enum, Procedure
category	One of the curated areas listed in the category row above
api_version	Cimatron version the entry applies to (e.g. 2024)

Workflow for a user question

1. Pick 1–3 keywords the user is asking about (interface name, operation, parameter, enum value).
2. Call mcp__cimatron-api__search with those terms and whichever filter narrows the result the most (category: "interfaces" for class-style lookups, category: "enums" for enum names, etc.).
3. Call mcp__cimatron-api__read_file only on the top-ranked path(s). Do not pre-load the whole index — the server already consulted it on your behalf.
4. Answer using:
   • Interface/enum/procedure name and the endpoint field
   • Description
   • Properties / methods / parameters from the doc body
   • The doc path so the user can locate it on the server

When the index has no hit

If mcp__cimatron-api__search returns zero results for a reasonable query, tell the user clearly that the topic isn't covered in the current index and suggest they ask a maintainer to add it (via the cimatron-api-admin plugin or the repo's CLI). Do not invent answers.