MCP tools reference

Two tools. Every field accounted for.

Joshua's MCP surface is intentionally tiny: list_user_tools returns the menu, fetch_user_tool returns one full record. Below is exactly what each call returns and where each value comes from — what you wrote, vs. what came from the underlying tool description.

Two sources of truth

  • You — your registration: which tool, what to call it, where the credential lives, and how the agent should use this specific instance.
  • Tool description — the underlying spec, either pulled from the public catalog or one you pasted in privately. Names, summary, auth type, source URL, and the full capability document.

The same description can back many entries — Stripe (test) and Stripe (live) share one description but have separate auth pointers and notes.

list_user_tools

The menu. Returns one row per registered entry — names, summaries, IDs. Optional query argument filters by display name or summary.

Field
Source
Notes
id
You
The id of your registered entry. Pass this to fetch_user_tool to get the full record.
display_name
You
The label you set when you registered the tool — e.g. "Stripe (test)".
slug
Tool description
Stable identifier of the underlying description (e.g. "stripe"). Same slug can appear under many of your entries.
summary
Tool description
One-line summary from the tool description.
auth_type
Tool description
bearer, basic, oauth, or none — declared by the description, not the entry.
verified
Tool description
True if the description has been reviewed and approved into the public catalog.

fetch_user_tool

The full record for one entry. Pass the id from list_user_tools. Combines your registration data with the underlying description.

Field
Source
Notes
id
You
Your entry id (echoed back).
display_name
You
Your label for this entry.
auth_block
You
A pointer to where your credential lives — env var name, 1Password path, Doppler ref, etc. The credential itself is NOT here.
user_context
You
Free-text notes you wrote about this specific entry. The agent is instructed to read and follow them — this is how you steer it between near-duplicates like test vs live, or two workspaces of the same tool.
description_name
Tool description
Display name from the tool description.
description_slug
Tool description
Stable slug from the tool description.
source_type
Tool description
"openapi", "mcp", or "freeform" — tells you what to expect inside spec.
source_url
Tool description
Origin URL of the spec, when one exists.
auth_type
Tool description
Same value as in list_user_tools.
spec
Tool description
The full capability document — OpenAPI JSON, an MCP descriptor, or freeform markdown. Read it as-is.
verified
Tool description
Whether the underlying description is in the verified public catalog.

What's deliberately not here

  • No credentials. Ever. auth_block is a pointer, never a secret.
  • No call execution. Joshua describes APIs; your agent calls them directly.
  • No cross-user data. Your API key scopes every response to your own entries.

See how auth works for the full credentials story.