skill-server-start

name	skill-server-start
description	Start or register local app/dev servers through the servers CLI/MCP with locks, readiness checks, logs, and agent traces.
user_invocable	true

skill-server-start

Use this when a repo needs a dev/app server started, registered, or made reachable for agents.

Rules

• Prefer MCP tools when available: mcp__servers__init_local_server, mcp__servers__start_local_server, and mcp__servers__get_local_server_status.
• CLI fallback: servers servers:init, servers servers:start, servers servers:status, servers servers:logs, and servers servers:debug.
• Do not start long-running servers with bare bun run dev &, npm run dev &, nohup, or unmanaged tmux panes.
• For cross-machine access, make the app command bind to 0.0.0.0 and record the port. Use http://<machine>:<port> or the computed Tailscale URL.
• Always pass --agent <name> and --reason <why> so operations and traces explain who touched the server.

Workflow

1. Verify the installed surface:

   servers --version
   servers-mcp --version
   servers --help | grep 'servers:start'
   

2. Register or update the app server:

   servers servers:init --name <slug> --path . --command '<start command>' --port <port> --force
   

   If the command serves other machines, include the app's host flag, for example bun run dev --host 0.0.0.0.

3. Start through the lifecycle lock:

   servers servers:start <slug> --agent <agent> --reason '<reason>' --timeout 60000
   

4. Confirm readiness and record the observed status:

   servers servers:status <slug> --refresh
   

5. If start fails, inspect before changing anything:

   servers servers:debug <slug>
   servers servers:logs <slug> --lines 120
   

Done When

The server is registered, servers servers:status <slug> --refresh reports ready/online, the command/port/log path are visible in servers servers:debug, and no unmanaged duplicate process was started.