Skill: mcp-tool-manager

Purpose

Seamlessly switch between live and mocked external dependencies using the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This skill enables autonomous development even when external services are unavailable, rate-limited, or require authentication.

When to Use

•When the project integrates with external APIs (Stripe, AWS, Twilio, etc.).
•During local development and testing (use mocks).
•During integration testing and production deployments (use live tools).

How It Works

Step 1: Configure MCP Tools in CLAUDE.md

Define both live and mock tool configurations:

markdown

## MCP Tool Configuration

### Live Tools (for production/integration)
- **Stripe**: `mcp://stripe-live`
- **AWS S3**: `mcp://aws-s3-live`
- **SendGrid**: `mcp://sendgrid-live`

### Mock Tools (for development/testing)
- **Stripe**: `mcp://stripe-mock`
- **AWS S3**: `mcp://aws-s3-mock`
- **SendGrid**: `mcp://sendgrid-mock`

### Active Mode
- **Default**: `mock`
- **Override**: Set `RALPH_MCP_MODE=live` environment variable.

Step 2: Implement Mock Tools

For each external API, create a mock MCP tool that simulates the API's behavior:

Example: Stripe Mock (mcp://stripe-mock)

json

{
  "name": "stripe-mock",
  "description": "A mock Stripe API for testing.",
  "tools": [
    {
      "name": "create_payment_intent",
      "description": "Creates a mock payment intent.",
      "input_schema": {
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
          "amount": { "type": "integer" },
          "currency": { "type": "string" }
        }
      },
      "output": {
        "id": "pi_mock_123",
        "status": "succeeded",
        "amount": "{{amount}}",
        "currency": "{{currency}}"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Step 3: Dynamic Tool Selection in ralph.sh

Modify ralph.sh to select the correct tool set based on the environment:

bash

# In ralph.sh
MCP_MODE="${RALPH_MCP_MODE:-mock}"

if [[ "$MCP_MODE" == "live" ]]; then
  echo "Using LIVE MCP tools. Ensure credentials are configured."
  export MCP_CONFIG=".ralph/mcp_live.json"
else
  echo "Using MOCK MCP tools."
  export MCP_CONFIG=".ralph/mcp_mock.json"
fi

Step 4: Auto-Generate Mocks from OpenAPI Specs

If a mock tool does not exist, the agent can attempt to generate one:

bash

claude --print "You are an API Mock Generator. Your task is to create a mock MCP tool based on the following OpenAPI specification.

**OpenAPI Spec:**
$(cat openapi/stripe.yaml)

**Output:**
A JSON file defining the mock MCP tool with realistic sample responses for each endpoint.
"

Configuration

Add the following to your CLAUDE.md:

markdown

## MCP Tool Manager

- **Default Mode**: mock
- **Live Config**: `.ralph/mcp_live.json`
- **Mock Config**: `.ralph/mcp_mock.json`
- **Auto-Generate Mocks**: Enabled