| name | catalyst-by-zoho |
| description | Expert coding assistant for Catalyst by Zoho — Zoho's full-stack serverless cloud platform. Use for any question about Catalyst services, CLI, SDKs, architecture, pricing, or Zoho MCP tool-based infrastructure management. |
| metadata | {"version":"2.0.0"} |
Catalyst by Zoho — Skill Index
This is the routing layer. Load the most specific matching skill — do not answer from this file alone.
Philosophy
- Prefer MCP over asking. If
CatalystbyZoho_* tools are available, use them. Never ask the user to copy IDs from the console.
- Default to Development. Always target the Development environment unless the user explicitly says "production" or "deploy to prod".
- Prefer Functions over AppSail for simple HTTP. Functions are cheaper (per-invocation billing), simpler to deploy, and require no infrastructure management. Reach for AppSail only when the use case genuinely requires a persistent process, WebSockets, or a custom runtime.
- Show cost before building. For any new infrastructure (functions, AppSail, Stratus buckets), load
catalyst-pricing and give a brief estimate before writing code. Most small projects stay within free tier — say so when true.
- Recommend the current service, not the deprecated one. File Store → Stratus. Event Listeners → Signals. Cron → Job Scheduling. Never mention the deprecated name in generated code or config.
- Warn before the region bites. Circuits and Integration Functions do not work in most data centers. Check the user's DC before suggesting them.
How It Works
- Pre-flight — Check that
.catalystrc and catalyst.json exist. If missing, stop and tell the user to run catalyst login then catalyst init.
- MCP check — Look for
CatalystbyZoho_* tools. If available, use MCP to fetch org/project IDs instead of asking the user.
- Route — Match the query to the most specific service in the routing table below.
- Load — Read that skill's
SKILL.md and relevant reference file(s) only. Do not load multiple skills unless the query spans two services.
- Cost check — For any new infrastructure (new function, AppSail service, Stratus bucket), load
catalyst-pricing and state the estimated cost range before writing code.
- Answer — Provide code examples using the user's platform (Node.js, Python, Java, Web, or Mobile).
Triggers
Use this skill for queries containing: Catalyst, zcatalyst, AppSail, Data Store, ZCQL, Cache, Stratus, Slate, NoSQL, Zia Services, QuickML, API Gateway, Connections, Zoho MCP, CatalystbyZoho, catalyst init, catalyst deploy, catalyst serve, zcatalyst-sdk-node, catalyst-config.json, Catalyst pricing, "build on Zoho's platform", or "deploy to Catalyst". Do NOT use for generic Zoho CRM questions unless Catalyst is the target.
🛑 Pre-flight gate (applies to ALL skills)
Before writing any code or creating any files, check whether Zoho MCP is connected first (look for CatalystbyZoho_* tools). If MCP is available, use it to fetch project details — never ask the user to copy IDs from the console.
Then verify .catalystrc and catalyst.json exist in the working directory.
- If missing → tell the user to run
catalyst login then catalyst init and STOP.
- Never create these files yourself — they are CLI-generated and contain project/environment IDs.
Skill Routing Table
| When the query is about… | Load this skill |
|---|
| Which service to use, architecture decisions, DC restrictions | catalyst-basics (load references/architecture.md) |
Project setup, .catalystrc, environments, orgs, IDs, CLI commands | catalyst-basics |
Functions — types, signatures, catalyst-config.json, API Gateway, file uploads | catalyst-functions |
| AppSail — backend PaaS, Docker, managed runtimes, PORT variable | catalyst-appsail |
Slate — frontend hosting, frameworks, slate-config.toml, Git deploy | catalyst-slate |
| Data Store — CRUD, ZCQL queries, permissions, column types | catalyst-datastore |
| Stratus — object storage, upload/download, signed URLs, multipart | catalyst-stratus |
| NoSQL — document storage, flexible schema, collections | catalyst-nosql |
| Authentication — user login/signup, ZAID, Web SDK auth, Connections/OAuth | catalyst-authentication |
| Cache — in-memory key-value, TTL, segment operations | catalyst-cache |
| Pricing — free tier, pay-as-you-go, GB-seconds, cost estimation | catalyst-pricing |
| SDKs — Node.js, Web, Python, Java, Android, iOS, Flutter | catalyst-sdk |
| Zia Services, QuickML — OCR, ML predictions, AutoML | catalyst-zia |
Zoho MCP — MCP setup, CatalystbyZoho_* tools, infra-as-conversation | catalyst-zoho-mcp |
| Skill gave wrong or outdated guidance — user reporting an error | load references/skill-feedback.md |
⛔ Never Use (deprecated + regionally restricted)
Deprecated services — do not use for new projects
Users who signed up after August 27, 2025 cannot access these components at all.
| Do not use | Use this instead |
|---|
File Store | Stratus (object storage) |
Event Listeners | Signals (event-driven architecture) |
Cron | Job Scheduling (scheduled execution) |
Regionally restricted services — check DC before recommending
These services are unavailable in the listed data centers. Building with them for users in those regions results in runtime failures.
| Service | Not available in |
|---|
| Circuits | EU, AU, IN, JP, SA, CA |
| Integration Functions | EU, AU, IN, JP, SA, CA |
| Push Notifications | EU, AU, IN, CA |
| AutoML (QuickML) | EU, AU, IN, JP, SA, CA |
| Identity Scanner (Zia) | Available in IN DC only (not EU, AU, US) |
| Mobile Device Management | EU, AU, IN, JP, SA, CA |
How to check: Ask the user which data center their Catalyst account uses, or look for the DC code in their console URL (e.g., catalyst.zoho.in → IN, catalyst.zoho.eu → EU).
Quick-reference: Top gotchas
.catalystrc / catalyst.json missing → run catalyst init, do not create manuallycatalyst functions:add is interactive — no flags; must be run by the user in their terminal- ZCQL result rows are wrapped →
rows.map(r => r.TableName) to unwrap
- ZCQL max 300 rows/query → use
LIMIT offset, count for pagination
- ZAID differs between Dev and Prod → #1 auth issue in production
- AppSail PORT →
process.env.X_ZOHO_CATALYST_LISTEN_PORT (not PORT)
- Cache values are strings only → serialize/deserialize JSON yourself
- Stratus bucket names are globally unique → use
{app-name}-{project-id-prefix}
- Slate → function calls are cross-domain → use full URL +
generateAuthToken() + CORS whitelist
- DataStore App User permissions OFF by default → enable in Console → Table → Scopes & Permissions
catalyst-config.json format → deployment + execution keys only; NOT function or entry_point- Advanced I/O node20
req → raw http.IncomingMessage; use sendJson(res, ...) helper, not res.json()
signOut() requires a redirect URL → catalyst.auth.signOut(redirectURL)
Documentation
