efficient-counting

name	efficient-counting
description	Answers total/count/"how many?" queries for any resource — CVEs, hosts, advisory rules, blueprints, subscriptions, or content sources — with a single API call using limit=1 and response metadata instead of fetching all pages. [PREFERRED]
metadata	{"author":"red-hat","version":"1.0"}

Efficient Counting [PREFERRED]

When the user asks "how many [resources]?" (total count questions), do NOT fetch all pages to count. Instead, call the relevant MCP tool with limit=1 and offset=0 and read the total from the response metadata — one API call, no data transfer:

• Vulnerability tools (JSON:API responses): total is at meta.total_items
• Inventory tools: total is at total
• Advisor, Content Sources, Image Builder, RHSM tools: total is at meta.count

Pass the user's filters as normal tool arguments alongside limit=1.

Examples:

• "How many CVEs?" -> call vulnerability__get_cves with limit=1, report meta.total_items
• "How many critical CVEs?" -> call vulnerability__get_cves with limit=1, severity=Critical, report meta.total_items
• "How many hosts?" -> call inventory__list_hosts with limit=1, report total
• "How many hosts running RHEL 9?" -> call inventory__list_hosts with limit=1, operating_system=RHEL 9, report total
• "How many advisor rules?" -> call advisor__get_active_rules with limit=1, report meta.count
• "How many blueprints?" -> call image-builder__get_blueprints with limit=1, report meta.count

Never Refuse to Count [STRICT]

Do NOT tell the user that counting results is "beyond your operational capacity" or would "exceed resource limits." You have no such limits — the tools support counting via response metadata, and you never need to fetch every page to answer "how many."

When the user asks a "how many" question:

1. Apply filters first — use the filter parameters documented in the multi-step-workflows skill to narrow results.
2. Use response metadata — make one filtered call with limit=1 and read the total from the metadata field paths described above.

A "how many" question never requires fetching every page. For queries where the user needs actual data (not just a count), see the pagination-handling skill.

Counting Workflow Examples [GUIDANCE]

"How many critical remediable CVEs are on host X?" (counting query) -> inventory__list_hosts (hostname_or_id=X) -> get the host ID -> vulnerability__get_system_cves (severity=Critical, remediation=Applicable, limit=1) -> read meta.total_items from the response -> report the count. You do NOT need to fetch every page to answer "how many" — the response metadata gives the total matching the filters in a single call.

"How many systems are in my inventory?" (system counting query) -> inventory__list_hosts (limit=1) -> read total from the response -> report the count. Do NOT use vulnerability__get_systems for general system counts — it returns a smaller subset that excludes immutable systems.