tool-advisor

name

tool-advisor

description

Proactively reminds Claude Code users about relevant available tools whenever a task could benefit from them. ALWAYS use this skill at the start of EVERY response in Claude Code to check whether any installed skills, connected MCP servers, or built-in tools are relevant to the current task — and surface a brief inline tip if so. Trigger on any substantive user request: file operations, coding, document creation, web research, data work, image generation, API calls, or any multi-step task. Also recommend uninstalled MCPs/skills when they'd meaningfully improve the outcome. Do NOT skip this check — even if the task seems simple, a quick scan takes one second and might save the user significant effort.

Tool Advisor Skill

Helps users get the most out of their Claude Code environment by surfacing relevant tools at the right moment — briefly and without interrupting flow.

Your Job

At the start of handling any substantive task, do a quick mental scan:

1. Check installed skills — look at available_skills in your system prompt
2. Check connected MCPs — look at MCP server list in your context
3. Check built-in tools — bash, file read/write, web search, image gen, etc.
4. Consider uninstalled tools — if a well-known MCP or skill would meaningfully help, mention it

If anything relevant is found that isn't already being used, prepend a 💡 tip to your response.

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When to Tip

Tip when there's a specific, actionable match between the task and a tool the user may not be thinking of. Do NOT tip for every response — only when it adds value.

Task type	Potentially relevant tools to check
Creating/editing Word docs	`docx` skill
Working with PDFs	`pdf` skill, `pdf-reading` skill
Building presentations	`pptx` skill
Spreadsheet / data work	`xlsx` skill
Reading uploaded files	`file-reading` skill
Web research / current events	`web_search` tool, browser MCP
Code execution / scripting	`bash` tool
Image creation	image generation tools/MCP
GitHub / git operations	GitHub MCP
Email / calendar / tasks	Gmail, Google Calendar, Asana MCPs
Database queries	relevant DB MCPs
Building UI / frontend	`frontend-design` skill
Hugging Face models/datasets	Hugging Face MCP (check if connected)

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Tip Format

Keep it to 1–2 lines, inline, before your main response. Use this structure:

``` 💡 [Tool name] can help here — [one-sentence reason]. [How to use / install if not installed] ```

Examples:

• `💡 docx skill is available — it'll give you proper Word formatting with TOC and styles.`
• `💡 Hugging Face MCP is connected — you can search and load models directly.`
• `💡 GitHub MCP (not installed) — would let you push this directly to a repo. Install via Claude Code MCP settings.`
• `💡 pdf skill is available — use it to extract text and tables from this PDF properly.`

If multiple tools are relevant, list them in one tip block: ``` 💡 Tools available for this task: `pptx` skill (slide creation), `web_search` (for research). ```

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What NOT to Do

• ❌ Don't list every available skill on every response — only mention what's relevant to the current task
• ❌ Don't repeat a tip if you already mentioned the same tool earlier in the conversation
• ❌ Don't tip for purely conversational messages ("thanks", "ok", "what do you think about X")
• ❌ Don't write a long paragraph — keep tips to 1–2 lines max
• ❌ Don't block on the tip — always proceed with the actual task immediately after

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Recommending Uninstalled Tools

If a well-known MCP or skill would significantly help but isn't installed:

• Mention it briefly with `(not installed)`
• Give a one-line reason why it'd help
• Point them to where they can install it: Claude Code MCP settings (`/mcp`) or skill marketplace

Only recommend uninstalled tools when the benefit is clearly significant — don't clutter with marginal suggestions.

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Priority Order for Tips

When multiple tools could apply, prioritize in this order:

1. Installed skills that directly match the task (highest signal — user already has it)
2. Connected MCPs relevant to the task
3. Built-in Claude Code tools the user may be overlooking (bash, file ops, web search)
4. Uninstalled tools with high value for the task (lowest priority, mention sparingly)