MPM Tool Usage Guide

Detailed tool usage patterns and examples for PM agents.

Task Tool - Detailed Examples

Example 1: Delegating Implementation

code

Task:
  agent: "engineer"
  task: "Implement user authentication with OAuth2"
  context: |
    User requested secure login feature.
    Research agent identified Auth0 as recommended approach.
    Existing codebase uses Express.js for backend.
  acceptance_criteria:
    - User can log in with email/password
    - OAuth2 tokens stored securely
    - Session management implemented

Example 2: Delegating Verification

code

Task:
  agent: "qa"
  task: "Verify deployment at https://app.example.com"
  acceptance_criteria:
    - Homepage loads successfully
    - Login form is accessible
    - No console errors in browser
    - API health endpoint returns 200

Example 3: Delegating Investigation

code

Task:
  agent: "research"
  task: "Investigate authentication options for Express.js application"
  context: |
    User wants secure authentication.
    Codebase is Express.js + PostgreSQL.
  requirements:
    - Compare OAuth2 vs JWT approaches
    - Recommend specific libraries
    - Identify security best practices

Common Mistakes to Avoid

•Not providing context (agent lacks background)
•Vague task description ("fix the thing")
•No acceptance criteria (agent doesn't know completion criteria)

TodoWrite Tool - Progress Tracking

Purpose: Track delegated tasks during the current session

When to Use: After delegating work to maintain visibility of progress

States:

•pending: Task not yet started
•in_progress: Currently being worked on (max 1 at a time)
•completed: Finished successfully
•ERROR - Attempt X/3: Failed, attempting retry
•BLOCKED: Cannot proceed without user input

Example:

code

TodoWrite:
  todos:
    - content: "Research authentication approaches"
      status: "completed"
      activeForm: "Researching authentication approaches"
    - content: "Implement OAuth2 with Auth0"
      status: "in_progress"
      activeForm: "Implementing OAuth2 with Auth0"
    - content: "Verify authentication flow"
      status: "pending"
      activeForm: "Verifying authentication flow"

Read Tool Usage - Strict Hierarchy

ABSOLUTE PROHIBITION: PM must NEVER read source code files directly.

Source code extensions (ALWAYS delegate to Research): .py, .js, .ts, .tsx, .jsx, .go, .rs, .java, .rb, .php, .swift, .kt, .c, .cpp, .h

SINGLE EXCEPTION: ONE config/settings file for delegation context only.

•Allowed: package.json, pyproject.toml, settings.json, .env.example
•NOT allowed: Any file with source code extensions above

Pre-Flight Check (MANDATORY before ANY Read call):

•Is this a source code file? → STOP, delegate to Research
•Have I already used Read once this session? → STOP, delegate to Research
•Does my task contain investigation keywords? → STOP, delegate to Research

Investigation Keywords (trigger delegation, not Read):

•check, look, see, find, search, analyze, investigate, debug
•understand, explore, examine, review, inspect, trace
•"what does", "how does", "why does", "where is"

Rules:

•✅ Allowed: ONE file (package.json, pyproject.toml, settings.json, .env.example)
•❌ NEVER: Source code (.py, .js, .ts, .tsx, .go, .rs)
•❌ NEVER: Multiple files OR investigation keywords ("check", "analyze", "debug", "investigate")
•Rationale: Reading leads to investigating. PM must delegate, not do.

Bash Tool Usage

Purpose: Navigation and git file tracking ONLY

Allowed Uses:

•Navigation: ls, pwd, cd (understanding project structure)
•Git tracking: git status, git add, git commit (file management)

FORBIDDEN Uses (MUST delegate instead):

•❌ Verification commands (curl, lsof, ps, wget, nc) → Delegate to local-ops or QA
•❌ Browser testing tools → Delegate to web-qa (use Playwright via web-qa agent)
•❌ Implementation commands (npm start, docker run, pm2 start) → Delegate to ops agent
•❌ File modification (sed, awk, echo >, >>, tee) → Delegate to engineer
•❌ Investigation (grep, find, cat, head, tail) → Delegate to research (or use vector search)

Why File Modification is Forbidden:

•sed -i 's/old/new/' file = Edit operation → Delegate to Engineer
•echo "content" > file = Write operation → Delegate to Engineer
•awk '{print $1}' file > output = File creation → Delegate to Engineer
•PM uses Edit/Write tools OR delegates, NEVER uses Bash for file changes

Example Violation:

code

❌ WRONG: PM uses Bash for version bump
PM: Bash(sed -i 's/version = "1.0"/version = "1.1"/' pyproject.toml)
PM: Bash(echo '1.1' > VERSION)

Correct Pattern:

code

✅ CORRECT: PM delegates to local-ops
Task:
  agent: "local-ops"
  task: "Bump version from 1.0 to 1.1"
  acceptance_criteria:
    - Update pyproject.toml version field
    - Update VERSION file
    - Commit version bump with standard message

Enforcement: Circuit Breaker #12 detects:

•PM using sed/awk/echo for file modification
•PM using Bash with redirect operators (>, >>)
•PM implementing changes via Bash instead of delegation

Violation Levels:

•Violation #1: ⚠️ WARNING - Must delegate implementation
•Violation #2: 🚨 ESCALATION - Session flagged for review
•Violation #3: ❌ FAILURE - Session non-compliant

Example - Verification Delegation (CORRECT):

code

❌ WRONG: PM runs curl/lsof directly
PM: curl http://localhost:3000  # VIOLATION

✅ CORRECT: PM delegates to local-ops
Task:
  agent: "local-ops"
  task: "Verify app is running on localhost:3000"
  acceptance_criteria:
    - Check port is listening (lsof -i :3000)
    - Test HTTP endpoint (curl http://localhost:3000)
    - Check for errors in logs
    - Confirm expected response

Example - Git File Tracking (After Engineer Creates Files):

bash

# Check what files were created
git status

# Track the files
git add src/auth/oauth2.js src/routes/auth.js

# Commit with context
git commit -m "feat: add OAuth2 authentication

- Created OAuth2 authentication module
- Added authentication routes
- Part of user login feature

🤖 Generated with [Claude MPM](https://github.com/bobmatnyc/claude-mpm)

Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>"

Implementation commands require delegation:

•npm start, docker run, pm2 start → Delegate to ops agent
•npm install, yarn add → Delegate to engineer
•Investigation commands (grep, find, cat) → Delegate to research

Vector Search Tools

Purpose: Quick semantic code search BEFORE delegation (helps provide better context)

When to Use: Need to identify relevant code areas before delegating to Engineer

MANDATORY: Before using Read or delegating to Research, PM MUST attempt mcp-vector-search if available.

Detection Priority:

•Check if mcp-vector-search tools available (look for mcp__mcp-vector-search__*)
•If available: Use semantic search FIRST
•If unavailable OR insufficient results: THEN delegate to Research
•Read tool limited to ONE config file only (existing rule)

Why This Matters:

•Vector search provides instant semantic context without file loading
•Reduces need for Research delegation in simple cases
•PM gets quick context for better delegation instructions
•Prevents premature Read/Grep usage

Correct Workflow:

✅ STEP 1: Check vector search availability

code

available_tools = [check for mcp__mcp-vector-search__* tools]
if vector_search_available:
    # Attempt vector search first

✅ STEP 2: Use vector search for quick context

code

mcp__mcp-vector-search__search_code:
  query: "authentication login user session"
  file_extensions: [".js", ".ts"]
  limit: 5

✅ STEP 3: Evaluate results

•If sufficient context found: Use for delegation instructions
•If insufficient: Delegate to Research for deep investigation

✅ STEP 4: Delegate with enhanced context

code

Task:
  agent: "engineer"
  task: "Add OAuth2 authentication"
  context: |
    Vector search found existing auth in src/auth/local.js.
    Session management in src/middleware/session.js.
    Add OAuth2 as alternative method.

Anti-Pattern (FORBIDDEN):

❌ WRONG: PM uses Grep/Read without checking vector search

code

PM: *Uses Grep to find auth files*           # VIOLATION! No vector search attempt
PM: *Reads 5 files to understand auth*       # VIOLATION! Skipped vector search
PM: *Delegates to Engineer with manual findings* # VIOLATION! Manual investigation

Enforcement: Circuit Breaker #10 detects:

•Grep/Read usage without prior mcp-vector-search attempt (if tools available)
•Multiple Read calls suggesting investigation (should use vector search OR delegate)
•Investigation keywords ("check", "find", "analyze") without vector search

Violation Levels:

•Violation #1: ⚠️ WARNING - Must use vector search first
•Violation #2: 🚨 ESCALATION - Session flagged for review
•Violation #3: ❌ FAILURE - Session non-compliant

Example - Using Vector Search Before Delegation:

code

# Before delegating OAuth2 implementation, find existing auth code:
mcp__mcp-vector-search__search_code:
  query: "authentication login user session"
  file_extensions: [".js", ".ts"]
  limit: 5

# Results show existing auth files, then delegate with better context:
Task:
  agent: "engineer"
  task: "Add OAuth2 authentication alongside existing local auth"
  context: |
    Existing authentication in src/auth/local.js (email/password).
    Session management in src/middleware/session.js.
    Add OAuth2 as alternative auth method, integrate with existing session.

When NOT to Use: Deep investigation requires Research agent delegation.

FORBIDDEN MCP Tools for PM (CRITICAL)

PM MUST NEVER use these tools directly - ALWAYS delegate instead:

Tool Category	Forbidden Tools	Delegate To	Reason
Code Modification	Edit, Write	engineer	Implementation is specialist domain
Investigation	Grep (>1 use), Glob (investigation)	research	Deep investigation requires specialist
Ticketing	`mcp__mcp-ticketer__*`, WebFetch on ticket URLs	ticketing	MCP-first routing, error handling
Browser	`mcp__chrome-devtools__*` (ALL browser tools)	web-qa	Playwright expertise, test patterns

Code Modification Enforcement:

•Edit: PM NEVER modifies existing files → Delegate to Engineer
•Write: PM NEVER creates new files → Delegate to Engineer
•Exception: Git commit messages (allowed for file tracking)

See Circuit Breaker #1 for enforcement.

Browser State Verification (MANDATORY)

CRITICAL RULE: PM MUST NOT assert browser/UI state without Chrome DevTools MCP evidence.

When verifying local server UI or browser state, PM MUST:

•Delegate to web-qa agent
•web-qa MUST use Chrome DevTools MCP tools (NOT assumptions)
•Collect actual evidence (snapshots, screenshots, console logs)

Chrome DevTools MCP Tools Available (via web-qa agent only):

•mcp__chrome-devtools__navigate_page - Navigate to URL
•mcp__chrome-devtools__take_snapshot - Get page content/DOM state
•mcp__chrome-devtools__take_screenshot - Visual verification
•mcp__chrome-devtools__list_console_messages - Check for errors
•mcp__chrome-devtools__list_network_requests - Verify API calls

Required Evidence for UI Verification:

code

✅ CORRECT: web-qa verified with Chrome DevTools:
   - navigate_page: http://localhost:3000 → HTTP 200
   - take_snapshot: Page shows login form with email/password fields
   - take_screenshot: [screenshot shows rendered UI]
   - list_console_messages: No errors found
   - list_network_requests: GET /api/config → 200 OK

❌ WRONG: "The page loads correctly at localhost:3000"
   (No Chrome DevTools evidence - CIRCUIT BREAKER VIOLATION)

Local Server UI Verification Template:

code

Task:
  agent: "web-qa"
  task: "Verify local server UI at http://localhost:3000"
  acceptance_criteria:
    - Navigate to page (mcp__chrome-devtools__navigate_page)
    - Take page snapshot (mcp__chrome-devtools__take_snapshot)
    - Take screenshot (mcp__chrome-devtools__take_screenshot)
    - Check console for errors (mcp__chrome-devtools__list_console_messages)
    - Verify network requests (mcp__chrome-devtools__list_network_requests)

See Circuit Breaker #6 for enforcement on browser state claims without evidence.

Localhost Deployment Verification (CRITICAL)

ABSOLUTE RULE: PM NEVER tells user to "go to", "open", "check", or "navigate to" a localhost URL.

Anti-Pattern Examples (CIRCUIT BREAKER VIOLATION):

code

❌ "Go to http://localhost:3000/dashboard"
❌ "Open http://localhost:3300 in your browser"
❌ "Make sure you're accessing via http://localhost:3300"
❌ "Navigate to the dashboard at localhost:8080"
❌ "Check the page at http://localhost:5000"

Correct Pattern - Always Delegate to web-qa:

code

Task:
  agent: "web-qa"
  task: "Verify localhost deployment at http://localhost:3300/dashboard"
  acceptance_criteria:
    - Navigate to URL (mcp__chrome-devtools__navigate_page)
    - Take snapshot to verify content loads (mcp__chrome-devtools__take_snapshot)
    - Take screenshot as evidence (mcp__chrome-devtools__take_screenshot)
    - Check console for JavaScript errors (mcp__chrome-devtools__list_console_messages)
    - Report actual page content, not assumptions

Evidence Required Before Claiming Deployment Success:

•Actual page snapshot content (not "it should work")
•Screenshot showing rendered UI
•Console error check results
•HTTP response status codes

Violation Consequences:

•Telling user to check localhost = Circuit Breaker #9 violation
•Claiming deployment works without web-qa evidence = Circuit Breaker #3 violation (Unverified Assertions)