---
name: mcp-guide-c04e3ee81597
description: Guide for selecting and using MCP servers (Git, GitHub, Context7, Knip, Memory, Sequential Thinking). Use when you need help choosing the right tool for version control, GitHub operations, documentation lookup, dead code detection, or knowledge persistence.
allowed-tools: Read, Grep, Glob
---
# MCP Server Usage Guide
This project has MCP servers configured in the workspace `.mcp.json` file. These tools form the **AI Project Management Additions** to assist with automated linting, state tracking, and development.
## Available Servers
| Server | Purpose | When to Use |
| ---------------------- | ---------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **context7** | Library documentation lookup | Query up-to-date docs for libraries/frameworks (React, Next.js, etc.) |
| **github** | GitHub API operations | PRs, issues, repos, commits, code search via GitHub API |
| **knip** | Dead code detection | Find unused exports, dependencies, and files in the codebase |
| **spec-lint** | Enforce spec immutability | Automatically run to ensure no progress leaks into specs |
| **next-devtools** | Next.js inspection | Debugging React components and Next.js state |
| **memory** | Persistent knowledge graph | Store/recall architectural decisions, patterns, known issues |
| **git** | Git operations | Commits, diffs, branches, history viewing |
| **filesystem** | File operations | Read/write project files |
| **sequentialthinking** | Structured reasoning | Complex debugging, architecture decisions |
| **time** | Timezone utilities | Timestamps (rarely needed) |
---
## Git & GitHub Tool Selection Guide
Three tools available for version control and GitHub operations. Choose based on the task:
| Task | Use This | Why |
| ---------------------- | -------------------- | ------------------------- |
| View status, diff, log | **Git MCP** | Clean structured output |
| Create commits | **Git MCP** | Proper message formatting |
| List/switch branches | **Git MCP** | Simple operations |
| Push to remote | **Bash `git push`** | MCP doesn't support push |
| Create PRs | **Bash `gh pr`** | Reliable, no auth issues |
| Create/update issues | **Bash `gh issue`** | Reliable, no auth issues |
| Add issue comments | **Bash `gh issue`** | Reliable, no auth issues |
| Search issues | **Bash `gh issue`** | Reliable, no auth issues |
| Search code on GitHub | **Bash `gh search`** | Reliable, no auth issues |
| List/manage milestones | **Bash `gh api`** | No MCP milestone support |
| Complex git operations | **Bash `git`** | Rebase, cherry-pick, etc. |
> **⚠️ IMPORTANT:** The GitHub MCP server frequently has authentication failures ("Bad credentials" errors) even when tokens are configured. **Always prefer the `gh` CLI via Bash** for GitHub operations (issues, PRs, searches). The `gh` CLI is pre-authenticated and reliable.
### Decision Flowchart
```
Is it a GitHub.com operation (issues, PRs, remote files)?
├─ Yes → Use Bash `gh` CLI (gh issue, gh pr, gh api)
│ └─ GitHub MCP is unreliable due to auth issues
└─ No → Is it a local git operation?
├─ Yes → Use Git MCP
│ └─ Unless it's push/pull/fetch → Use `git` in Bash
└─ No → Use Bash
```
### Git MCP Server
Use for local repository operations:
```
mcp__git__git_status # Working tree status
mcp__git__git_diff # View changes (staged/unstaged)
mcp__git__git_log # Commit history
mcp__git__git_commit # Create commits
mcp__git__git_branch # List branches
mcp__git__git_checkout # Switch branches
mcp__git__git_add # Stage files
```
**Limitations:** Cannot push, pull, fetch, or perform remote operations.
### GitHub MCP Server
> **⚠️ NOT RECOMMENDED:** The GitHub MCP server frequently fails with "Bad credentials" authentication errors. **Use the `gh` CLI via Bash instead** for all GitHub operations.
Available tools (but prefer `gh` CLI):
```
mcp__github__create_issue # Use: gh issue create
mcp__github__update_issue # Use: gh issue edit
mcp__github__add_issue_comment # Use: gh issue comment
mcp__github__list_issues # Use: gh issue list
mcp__github__create_pull_request # Use: gh pr create
mcp__github__get_pull_request # Use: gh pr view
mcp__github__search_code # Use: gh search code
mcp__github__get_file_contents # Use: gh api repos/OWNER/REPO/contents/PATH
```
**Limitations:** Unreliable authentication, no milestone CRUD.
### Bash git/gh CLI (Preferred for GitHub)
**The `gh` CLI is the most reliable way to interact with GitHub.** Use it for all GitHub operations.
> For detailed issue management (epics, sub-issues, milestones, GraphQL API), see the `/github-issues` skill.
```bash
# Issues (preferred over GitHub MCP)
gh issue list --search "keyword" # Search issues
gh issue list --state all --limit 30 # List all issues
gh issue view 123 # View issue details
gh issue create --title "Title" --body "Body"
gh issue edit 123 --add-label "bug"
gh issue comment 123 --body "Comment text"
# Pull Requests (preferred over GitHub MCP)
gh pr list # List open PRs
gh pr view 123 # View PR details
gh pr create --title "Title" --body "Body"
gh pr merge 123 --squash
# Search (preferred over GitHub MCP)
gh search issues "keyword repo:owner/repo"
gh search code "function_name repo:owner/repo"
# API access for anything else
gh api repos/OWNER/REPO/milestones
gh api repos/OWNER/REPO/contents/path/to/file
# Remote git operations (not in Git MCP)
git push origin branch-name
git pull origin main
git fetch --all
# Complex git operations
git rebase -i HEAD~3
git cherry-pick abc123
git stash push -m "message"
```
---
## Context7 Usage
Use Context7 to fetch up-to-date documentation for libraries and frameworks:
```
# Get documentation for a library
resolve-library-id: "react"
get-library-docs: { libraryId: "/react/react", topic: "hooks" }
```
Best for:
- Checking current API signatures
- Understanding library-specific patterns
- Verifying framework best practices
---
## Knip Usage
Use Knip to detect dead code and unused dependencies:
```
# Run knip analysis
run_knip: { cwd: "/path/to/project" }
# Get knip documentation
get_knip_docs: { topic: "configuration" }
```
Best for:
- Finding unused exports before refactoring
- Identifying dead code after feature removal
- Cleaning up unused dependencies
---
## Memory Server Usage
The memory server maintains project knowledge across sessions. Use it to:
**Query existing knowledge:**
```
mcp__memory__search_nodes("ruleset") # Find ruleset architecture info
mcp__memory__search_nodes("technical") # Find known technical debt
mcp__memory__open_nodes(["KeyFiles"]) # Get key file locations
```
**Store new knowledge:**
```
mcp__memory__create_entities([...]) # Add new architectural concepts
mcp__memory__add_observations([...]) # Add details to existing entities
mcp__memory__create_relations([...]) # Link concepts together
```
**When to update memory:**
- After making significant architectural decisions
- When discovering important patterns or gotchas
- After resolving tricky bugs (document the solution)
- When adding new major features
---
## Sequential Thinking Usage
Use `mcp__sequentialthinking__sequentialthinking` for:
- Debugging complex ruleset merge issues
- Planning multi-step refactors
- Working through character creation edge cases
- Designing new edition support
- Any problem requiring step-by-step reasoning with revision
---
Source attribution: Jasrags
Original project: https://github.com/Jasrags/ShadowMaster/blob/9657a180de9698f24190d80259acd983b07ce169/.claude/skills/mcp-guide/SKILL.md
License: GPL-3.0-only
License information: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html
Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Mega AI Hub.
## Upstream license notice
GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
Version 3, 29 June 2007
Copyright (C) 2024 ShadowMaster RPG System
This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with this program. If not, see .
GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
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END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS
How to Apply These Terms to Your New Programs
If you develop a new program, and you want it to be of the greatest
possible use to the public, the best way to achieve this is to make it
free software which everyone can redistribute and change under these terms.
To do so, attach the following notices to the program. It is safest
to attach them to the start of each source file to most effectively
state the exclusion of warranty; and each file should have at least
the "copyright" line and a pointer to where the full notice is found.
Copyright (C)
This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with this program. If not, see .
Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper mail.
If the program does terminal interaction, make it output a short
notice like this when it starts in an interactive mode:
Copyright (C)
This program comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details type `show w'.
This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it
under certain conditions; type `show c' for details.
The hypothetical commands `show w' and `show c' should show the appropriate
parts of the General Public License. Of course, your program's commands
might be different; for details click here.
You should also get your employer (if you work as a programmer) or school,
if any, to sign a "copyright disclaimer" for the program, if necessary.
For more details on this, and other aspects of the GPL, click here.
# Mega AI Hub resource metadata
Creator / publisher: Jasrags
Original project: https://github.com/Jasrags/ShadowMaster/blob/9657a180de9698f24190d80259acd983b07ce169/.claude/skills/mcp-guide/SKILL.md
Attribution basis: Source repository record
Fields of work: Content & Media, Development & Engineering, Product Management
Roles: Backend Developer, Data Engineer, DevOps / SRE, Product Manager, Technical Writer
Specialties: API, Backend
Tools: GitHub, Context7, Knip, Memory, Sequentialthinking
Country applicability: Country not specified
Classification basis: Source catalog labels
Instruction SHA-256: 8c2d778027a0798766ef5e50755fb34d11ad9bf58e33519fbaed1006064498aa