MCP Management
Skill for managing and interacting with Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers.
Overview
MCP is an open protocol enabling AI agents to connect to external tools and data sources. This skill provides scripts and utilities to discover, analyze, and execute MCP capabilities from configured servers without polluting the main context window.
Key Benefits:
Progressive disclosure of MCP capabilities (load only what's needed) Intelligent tool/prompt/resource selection based on task requirements Multi-server management from single config file Context-efficient: subagents handle MCP discovery and execution Persistent tool catalog: automatically saves discovered tools to JSON for fast reference When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when:
Discovering MCP Capabilities: Need to list available tools/prompts/resources from configured servers Task-Based Tool Selection: Analyzing which MCP tools are relevant for a specific task Executing MCP Tools: Calling MCP tools programmatically with proper parameter handling MCP Integration: Building or debugging MCP client implementations Context Management: Avoiding context pollution by delegating MCP operations to subagents Core Capabilities 1. Configuration Management
MCP servers configured in .claude/.mcp.json.
Gemini CLI Integration (recommended): Create symlink to .gemini/settings.json:
mkdir -p .gemini && ln -sf .claude/.mcp.json .gemini/settings.json
See references/configuration.md and references/gemini-cli-integration.md.
- Capability Discovery npx tsx scripts/cli.ts list-tools # Saves to assets/tools.json npx tsx scripts/cli.ts list-prompts npx tsx scripts/cli.ts list-resources
Aggregates capabilities from multiple servers with server identification.
- Intelligent Tool Analysis
LLM analyzes assets/tools.json directly - better than keyword matching algorithms.
- Tool Execution
Primary: Gemini CLI (if available)
gemini -y -m gemini-2.5-flash -p "Take a screenshot of https://example.com"
Secondary: Direct Scripts
npx tsx scripts/cli.ts call-tool memory create_entities '{"entities":[...]}'
Fallback: mcp-manager Subagent
See references/gemini-cli-integration.md for complete examples.
Implementation Patterns Pattern 1: Gemini CLI Auto-Execution (Primary)
Use Gemini CLI for automatic tool discovery and execution. See references/gemini-cli-integration.md for complete guide.
Quick Example:
gemini -y -m gemini-2.5-flash -p "Take a screenshot of https://example.com"
Benefits: Automatic tool discovery, natural language execution, faster than subagent orchestration.
Pattern 2: Subagent-Based Execution (Fallback)
Use mcp-manager agent when Gemini CLI unavailable. Subagent discovers tools, selects relevant ones, executes tasks, reports back.
Benefit: Main context stays clean, only relevant tool definitions loaded when needed.
Pattern 3: LLM-Driven Tool Selection
LLM reads assets/tools.json, intelligently selects relevant tools using context understanding, synonyms, and intent recognition.
Pattern 4: Multi-Server Orchestration
Coordinate tools across multiple servers. Each tool knows its source server for proper routing.
Scripts Reference scripts/mcp-client.ts
Core MCP client manager class. Handles:
Config loading from .claude/.mcp.json Connecting to multiple MCP servers Listing tools/prompts/resources across all servers Executing tools with proper error handling Connection lifecycle management scripts/cli.ts
Command-line interface for MCP operations. Commands:
list-tools - Display all tools and save to assets/tools.json
list-prompts - Display all prompts
list-resources - Display all resources
call-tool
Note: list-tools persists complete tool catalog to assets/tools.json with full schemas for fast reference, offline browsing, and version control.
Quick Start
Method 1: Gemini CLI (recommended)
npm install -g gemini-cli mkdir -p .gemini && ln -sf .claude/.mcp.json .gemini/settings.json gemini -y -m gemini-2.5-flash -p "Take a screenshot of https://example.com"
Method 2: Scripts
cd .claude/skills/mcp-management/scripts && npm install npx tsx cli.ts list-tools # Saves to assets/tools.json npx tsx cli.ts call-tool memory create_entities '{"entities":[...]}'
Method 3: mcp-manager Subagent
See references/gemini-cli-integration.md for complete guide.
Technical Details
See references/mcp-protocol.md for:
JSON-RPC protocol details Message types and formats Error codes and handling Transport mechanisms (stdio, HTTP+SSE) Best practices Integration Strategy Execution Priority
Gemini CLI (Primary): Fast, automatic, intelligent tool selection
Check: command -v gemini
Execute: gemini -y -m gemini-2.5-flash -p "
Direct CLI Scripts (Secondary): Manual tool specification
Use when: Need specific tool/server control
Execute: npx tsx scripts/cli.ts call-tool
mcp-manager Subagent (Fallback): Context-efficient delegation
Use when: Gemini unavailable or failed Keeps main context clean Integration with Agents
The mcp-manager agent uses this skill to:
Check Gemini CLI availability first Execute via gemini command if available Fallback to direct script execution Discover MCP capabilities without loading into main context Report results back to main agent
This keeps main agent context clean and enables efficient MCP integration.