Tool naming

Use the MCP server name as a namespace and the tool name as a short verb. AI clients commonly combine both names when exposing tools to a model.

Recommended pattern

Server	Tool	Model-facing name
shell	run	shell_run
files	read	files_read
files	write	files_write
files	edit	files_edit
files	patch	files_patch
search	glob	search_glob
search	grep	search_grep
web	fetch	web_fetch
web	search	web_search
tasks	run	tasks_run
skills	list	skills_list
skills	get	skills_get

Avoid repeating the noun at both levels (shell + shell → shell_shell). Group related tools in one server when they share a natural namespace.

Good tool names are:

• Short: read, search, format, deploy
• Action-oriented: describe what happens when called
• Stable: do not encode versions or implementation details
• Distinct: every --name in one server process must be unique

Tool names may contain 1–128 ASCII letters, digits, ., _, or -.

Descriptions matter

The model sees the tool description. State what the tool does, when to use it, and any important constraint:

Search Rust source files with a regular expression. Returns path, line number,
and matching text. Use this before reading a full file.

Avoid descriptions such as “run command” that do not help the model select the right tool.

The repository's mcp.example.json follows this convention and is exercised by the deterministic example test suite.