connector-bootstrap

name

connector-bootstrap

description

MUST be consulted at the start of ANY Plane-related request before answering the user or declaring tools unavailable. Discovers Plane tools across any MCP server, connector, or instance naming convention (cowork mode, remote MCP, local MCP, self-hosted, cloud). Use when the user mentions sprint, backlog, work item, cycle, epic, module, milestone, initiative, project, issue, ticket, task, standup, retro, estimate, roadmap, board, Plane, or any work-management operation — even if Plane tools are not visible yet. Also use before saying "I don't have access to Plane tools" or "tool not available".

Plane Connector Bootstrap

This skill ensures Plane tools are reliably discovered in any environment: cowork mode, remote MCP, local MCP, Claude connectors, custom proxies, or self-hosted instances. Tool names vary by environment — never assume tools are missing without probing first.

Why This Skill Exists

In cowork mode and certain remote setups, MCP/connector tools are deferred: Claude only sees their names in a system reminder until ToolSearch loads their schemas. A user request mentioning "sprint" or "work item" may arrive before the Plane tools are materialized into the tool set. You must probe before refusing.

Symptoms this skill prevents:

• Responding "I don't have access to Plane tools" when they are in fact available as deferred tools.
• Missing tools because the naming convention is different (mcp__<any>__plane-i-*, mcp__plane__*, plane_*, connector-plane-*, or fully custom).
• Only finding tools for one instance when multiple Plane workspaces are connected.

Mandatory Bootstrap Protocol

Execute these steps before answering any Plane-related user request:

Step 1 — Probe with ToolSearch

Call ToolSearch with multiple query variants. Do not stop at the first empty result:

ToolSearch(query="plane", max_results=20)
ToolSearch(query="work_item cycle project", max_results=20)
ToolSearch(query="list_projects create_work_item", max_results=20)
ToolSearch(query="sprint backlog issue", max_results=20)

If the user mentioned a specific concept (e.g. "module", "epic", "milestone", "initiative"), add a targeted query:

ToolSearch(query="+module list", max_results=10)
ToolSearch(query="+epic create", max_results=10)
ToolSearch(query="+milestone", max_results=10)
ToolSearch(query="+intake", max_results=10)

Use the select: form when you already know an action name from a skill:

ToolSearch(query="select:create_cycle,add_work_items_to_cycle,list_archived_cycles", max_results=10)

Step 2 — Match by Action Suffix, Not by Prefix

Plane MCP tools may appear under any of these shapes (non-exhaustive):

• mcp__<provider>__<prefix>-<action>
• mcp__<instance-slug>__<action>
• mcp__plane__<action>
• plane_<action>
• connector_plane_<action>
• <workspace>-plane-<action>
• A fully custom name chosen by the connector author

Match tools by the action suffix (e.g., create_cycle, list_work_items, add_work_items_to_cycle). The prefix is environment-dependent and MUST NOT be hardcoded in this plugin or in your responses.

Step 3 — Handle Multiple Instances

If the user has multiple Plane workspaces/instances connected, ToolSearch will return multiple tools with the same action suffix but different prefixes. In that case:

1. List the discovered instances to the user by their prefix/slug.
2. Ask which instance to operate on (use AskUserQuestion if available).
3. Remember the chosen instance for the rest of the conversation.
4. If only one instance matches, proceed without asking.

Step 4 — Cache Discovered Names for the Session

Once you have resolved the actual tool names, keep them in working memory for the remainder of the conversation. Do not re-probe for every call in the same session unless the user switches instances or a call fails with "tool not found".

Step 5 — Only Then Decide Whether Tools Are Missing

You may conclude "Plane tools are not connected" only after Steps 1–3 return no matches across all query variants. When reporting this to the user, say what you probed and suggest how to connect Plane (MCP, connector, or cowork).

Discovery Cheat Sheet — Action Names to Probe

Group queries by Plane domain. Use these as ToolSearch inputs:

Domain	Representative actions to search for
Workspace	get_me, get_workspace_members, get_workspace_features
Projects	list_projects, create_project, get_project_members, retrieve_project
Work items	list_work_items, create_work_item, update_work_item, search_work_items, retrieve_work_item_by_identifier
Cycles / sprints	list_cycles, create_cycle, add_work_items_to_cycle, list_archived_cycles, transfer_cycle_work_items
Modules	list_modules, create_module, add_work_items_to_module
Epics	list_epics, create_epic, update_epic
Initiatives	list_initiatives, create_initiative
Milestones	list_milestones, create_milestone, add_work_items_to_milestone
States	list_states, create_state
Labels	list_labels, create_label
Relations	list_work_item_relations, create_work_item_relation
Comments / links	list_work_item_comments, create_work_item_link
Work logs	list_work_logs, create_work_log
Intake	list_intake_work_items, create_intake_work_item
Work item types / properties

Refusal Policy (Hard Rule)

Before you output any message that says or implies "I don't have Plane tools", "I can't access Plane", "tool not available", or "Plane is not connected":

1. You MUST have run at least four distinct ToolSearch queries covering the domains relevant to the user's request.
2. You MUST have attempted select: form for at least one action name taken from the relevant skill.
3. If the user's request involves multiple domains (e.g., sprint + backlog + work items), you MUST probe each.

Only then is a refusal justified — and it should include the list of probes you ran.

Integration with Other Skills

All other plane-ops skills reference action names (e.g., create_cycle). Resolve those through this bootstrap protocol once per session. Every skill assumes that, by the time its logic runs, the actual tool names for the current instance have been discovered.