Skip to content

usage.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
174 lines (130 loc) · 6.24 KB

usage.md

File metadata and controls

174 lines (130 loc) · 6.24 KB

Usage guide

A comprehensive guide to PatternFly MCP Server tools, resources, and configuration.

User Guide:

Built-in tools

MCP tools represent the actions available to interact with the server.

Core server tools provide a resource library for PatternFly. They are extensible by design and intended for use with available MCP resources.

Tool: searchPatternFlyDocs

Use this to search for PatternFly documentation URLs and component names. Accepts partial string matches or * to list all available components. From the content, you can select specific URLs and component names to use with usePatternFlyDocs.

Parameters:

  • searchQuery: string (required) - Full or partial component name to search for (e.g., "button", "table", "*" for all components)

Example:

{
  "searchQuery": "button"
}

Tool: usePatternFlyDocs

Fetch full documentation and component JSON schemas for specific PatternFly URLs or component names.

Feature: This tool automatically detects if a URL belongs to a component (or if a "name" is provided) and appends its machine-readable JSON schema (props, types, validation) to the response, combining human-readable documentation with technical specifications.

Parameters: Parameters are mutually exclusive. Provide either name OR urlList, not both.

  • name: string (optional) - The name of the PatternFly component (e.g., "Button", "Modal"). Recommended for known component lookups.
  • urlList: string[] (optional) - A list of specific documentation URLs discovered via searchPatternFlyDocs (max 15 at a time).

Example with name:

{
  "name": "Button"
}

Example with urlList:

{
  "urlList": ["https://patternfly.org/components/button"]
}

Deprecated tools

Tool: fetchDocs (Removed)

"fetchDocs" has been integrated into "usePatternFlyDocs."

Tool: componentSchemas (Removed)

"componentSchemas" has been integrated into "usePatternFlyDocs" and MCP resources.

Built-in resources

MCP resources represent indexed collections of documentation and machine-readable metadata.

The server exposes a resource-centric architecture via the patternfly:// URI scheme. MCP clients can use these resources directly. Review the roadmap for future resource updates.

Note on AI content: Specialized AI guidance resources are sourced from the patternfly/ai-helpers integration. These are specifically optimized to help LLMs generate more accurate PatternFly code. See Data sources and integrations in architecture.

Discovery resources

Use these indexes to discover what is available in the library:

  • patternfly://docs/index{?version,category,section}: A comprehensive index of all available PatternFly documentation pages.
  • patternfly://docs/meta{?version}: Metadata discovery for available PatternFly documentation pages, helpful for understanding available filter parameters.
  • patternfly://components/index{?version,category}: A list of all available PatternFly component names.
  • patternfly://components/meta{?version}: Metadata discovery for components, helpful for understanding available filter parameters.
  • patternfly://schemas/index{?version,category}: An index of all available component JSON schemas.
  • patternfly://schemas/meta{?version}: Metadata discovery for JSON schemas, helpful for understanding available filter parameters.

Component and documentation resources

Access specific component documentation or technical specifications using the following URI templates (RFC 6570):

  • patternfly://docs/{name}{?version,category,section}: Full human-readable documentation for a specific component (e.g., patternfly://docs/button) or guideline.
  • patternfly://schemas/{name}{?version,category}: Machine-readable JSON Schema for a specific component, detailing props, types, and validation rules (e.g., patternfly://schemas/button).

Context and guidelines

  • patternfly://context: General PatternFly MCP server context, including high-level development rules and accessibility guidelines.

Tip for LLMs: When a user asks about a component you aren't familiar with, first check patternfly://docs/index to find the correct name, then read the documentation via patternfly://docs/{name}. Use patternfly://components/index for a cleaner list of component-only names.

MCP client configuration

Most MCP clients use JSON configuration to specify how the server is started. Below are examples you can adapt for your client.

Minimal client config (stdio)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "patternfly-docs": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@patternfly/patternfly-mcp@latest"],
      "description": "PatternFly React development rules and documentation"
    }
  }
}

HTTP transport mode

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "patternfly-docs": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@patternfly/patternfly-mcp@latest", "--http", "--port", "8080"],
      "description": "PatternFly docs (HTTP transport)"
    }
  }
}

Custom local tool

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "patternfly-docs": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@patternfly/patternfly-mcp@latest",
        "--tool",
        "./mcp-tools/local-custom-tool.js"
      ],
      "description": "PatternFly MCP with a local custom tool"
    }
  }
}

HTTP mode with security

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "patternfly-docs": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@patternfly/patternfly-mcp@latest",
        "--http",
        "--port",
        "3000",
        "--allowed-origins",
        "https://app.com",
        "--allowed-hosts",
        "localhost,127.0.0.1"
      ],
      "description": "PatternFly docs (HTTP transport with security)"
    }
  }
}

Custom MCP tool plugins

You can extend the server's capabilities by loading custom Tool Plugins at startup.

See development documentation for tool plugins.