MCP tools reference

Start here

For a typical task, start with trw_session_start, then use trw_recall when prior project knowledge may help. After implementation, run your project checks and record them with trw_build_check; use trw_deliver when the delivery gate is satisfied. The catalog below lists every registered tool and its surface.

Quick reference

Complete registered tool catalog. Surface describes default eligibility, not a guarantee that every session can call the tool.

The trw-mcp server registers 15 tools. Every session gets the always-on kernel; a few more tools are config-gated behind a project flag, and reviewer sessions receive a separate, smaller read-only surface. Registration does not imply that every session can call every tool. See the MCP server reference for runtime details and lifecycle for the delivery gate.

Session and workflow

These tools manage one work session. trw_session_start explicitly requests prior learnings and active-run state; checkpoints preserve milestones that a later session can recover after interruption or compaction.

Learning and knowledge

These tools record, retrieve, and update durable discoveries. Recall is explicit and ranked against the current query; delivery does not promote arbitrary learning text into your client's instruction file.

Quality and verification

Quality tools record validation outcomes, produce structured review artifacts, and enforce the delivery receipt boundary. Run the real project commands first; these tools preserve and evaluate the evidence rather than replacing the test runner.

Requirements

Requirements are the bridge between what you want and what your agent builds. trw_prd_validate checks an AARE-F PRD with EARS-format requirements for completeness before implementation begins; the trw-mcp prd create command drafts one.

Code

trw_code answers code questions from a local index: symbol lookup and before-edit hints that pair a file with the learnings recorded about it. For text search, use rg or grep. Build or refresh the index with the trw-mcp code index command; a query never rebuilds it.

Feedback

Send the TRW maintainer a bug report, install issue, feature request, or general feedback without leaving your editor. Submissions go through the authenticated platform endpoint, and PII - license keys, API key prefixes, your home path, and sensitive env vars - is redacted client-side before anything leaves your machine.

Config-gated tools

Each of these tools appears only while its flag is on in .trw/config.yaml. The peer messaging tools (comms_enabled) are on by default; trw_assess (assess_enabled) and trw_dispatch (dispatch_tools_exposed) are off until you turn them on.

Usage examples

A connected agent calls these tools when the workflow requires them. These examples show the activity shape you may see as a task moves from startup to delivery.

Common patterns

Tools combine differently depending on task risk and client capability. Start with the smallest pattern that preserves the evidence and handoff the task actually needs.

MCP resources

In addition to tools, TRW exposes 6 read-only MCP resources. Your AI reads these for configuration, state, and templates without making a tool call. Unlike tools, resources are not filtered by task type — all of them are readable in every session.

Claude Code MCP tool search

TRW registers 15 MCP tools. Claude Code can defer MCP schemas until they are needed, reducing host-context overhead without changing the server catalog. Other clients own their discovery and schema-loading behavior.

{
  "env": {
    "ENABLE_TOOL_SEARCH": "false"  // disable deferred schemas
  }
}

Next steps

Tools are the primitives. Skills show the packaged workflows built on top of them, agents show who uses them, and lifecycle explains when each one should appear.