report-issue-local— agent skill

When to Use

The bug is in this server's code, not in @cyanheads/mcp-ts-core. Typical triggers:

• A tool handler returns wrong results or throws on valid input
• A service integration (external API, database, third-party SDK) fails or misbehaves
• Server-specific config (server-config.ts) rejects valid env vars or has wrong defaults
• Resource handlers return stale, incomplete, or incorrect data
• Domain logic errors — wrong calculations, missing edge cases, bad state transitions
• Missing or incorrect .describe() on schema fields causing poor LLM tool use

If the issue is in the framework itself (builders, Context, utilities, type exports, linter), use report-issue-framework instead.

For general gh CLI workflows outside issue filing (PRs, workflows, API access), see the github-cli skill.

Before Filing

1. Identify the repo:

gh repo view --json nameWithOwner -q '.nameWithOwner'

1. Search existing issues — if a close match exists (same symptom, different tool; same tool, different symptom; closed issue that might cover the new case), add a comment on that issue instead of filing a new one — unless the symptom or scope is distinct enough to warrant separate tracking:

gh issue list --search "your error message or keyword" --state all

# Assess a close match before commenting — is it already linked to a fix or referenced elsewhere?
gh issue view <number>              # body
gh issue view <number> --comments   # thread only — without a TTY it prints no body
gh api 'repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/<number>/timeline' --paginate \
  --jq '.[] | select(.event=="cross-referenced") | .source.issue | "\(.repository.full_name)#\(.number) — \(.title)"'

1. Reproduce the issue — confirm it's reproducible. Note the exact input, transport mode, and any relevant env vars.

1. Check logs — review ctx.log output and any framework telemetry for clues. If running HTTP, check the response body for structured error details.

Writing Well-Structured Issues

Good issues are terse and fact-dense. Budget: a bug reads in ~150 words, a feature in ~250, code and logs excluded. Every section past the form's required fields must earn its place — a section you could delete without changing the fix is noise. One or two sentences per bullet; if a bullet runs long, split it or cut it.

• Cut what dilutes the signal. Mechanism walkthroughs (link the PR or doc instead), ceremonial framings ("This issue covers…"), conversation references ("as discussed", "per offline"), restated context the reader already has, and kitchen-sink Additional context blocks. If a paragraph isn't pulling weight, drop it.
• Lead with specifics. Name the tool, service, resource, or symptom. "Currently search_docs returns an empty array for queries containing &" beats "Search is broken." A reader should know what's wrong before the end of the first sentence.
• Embed library/service links on first mention. [Hono](https://hono.dev/), [Supabase](https://supabase.com/). Link to the canonical repo or homepage so readers can verify the dependency and reach docs in one click.
• Use `owner/repo#N` for cross-repo issue references. GitHub auto-renders them as linked references (e.g. cyanheads/mcp-ts-core#46). Bare #N only works for same-repo issues — useful when the bug depends on or relates to a framework issue.
• Add a `Related: #N` line near the top when the issue grows from prior context (discussions, other issues, PRs). Makes provenance clickable.
• Cite cross-references once per body. Link an issue/PR in Related:, the description, or Additional context — not all three. The reader sees them all; redundant linking dilutes signal.
• Prefer Markdown tables for comparisons. When showing options, data sources, strategies, or tradeoffs — tables are the highest-density format for scanning N rows × M attributes.
• Use `Depends on: owner/repo#N` to declare ordering explicitly when implementation is blocked on an upstream framework change or another issue landing first.
• Skip collaborator-framing sign-offs. Lines like "Happy to open a PR", "let me know if you'd like", "willing to contribute", "if that's the preferred flow" read as noise. A PR link beats an offer; if you're the maintainer filing against your own repo, the offer is redundant. End the body at the last substantive point.

Redact Before Posting

GitHub issues are public. Do not include secrets, credentials, API keys, or tokens. Redact sensitive values from env vars, headers, and logs before submitting. Replace with obvious placeholders: REDACTED, sk-...REDACTED. Do not rely on partial masking — partial keys can still be exploited.

Filing a Bug

This repo includes YAML form issue templates (scaffolded from the framework). Use --web to open the form in the browser (preferred when available), or pass --title + --body for non-interactive use.

Browser (interactive)

gh issue create --template "Bug Report" --web

CLI (non-interactive)

Structure the --body to match the template's form fields. Environment is the form's one-row table: the server version from package.json, the installed mcp-ts-core version from node_modules/@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core/package.json (not the ^ range), the runtime with its version (bun --version), the transport, and the OS. Description is two or three sentences; the reproduction is the exact input and the observed output, nothing else. Add ### Additional context only when it changes the fix (a workaround, a related issue, the one log line that matters) — omitted by default.

gh issue create \
  --title "bug(tool_name): concise description" \
  --label "bug" \
  --assignee "@me" \
  --body "$(cat <<'ISSUE'
### Environment

| Server | mcp-ts-core | Runtime | Transport | OS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.4.2 | 0.13.16 | Bun 1.4.4 | stdio | macOS 15.x |

### Description

What happened and what you expected instead.

### Steps to reproduce

1. Call `tool_name` with input: `{ "key": "value" }`
2. Observe error / wrong output

### Actual behavior

Error or incorrect output here

### Expected behavior

What should have happened.
ISSUE
)"

Title conventions

Format: type(scope): description

• type: bug, feat, docs, chore
• scope: tool name, service name, resource name, config, auth, or domain area

Examples:

• bug(search_docs): returns empty results for queries with special characters
• feat(analytics): add date range filter to usage_report tool
• docs(setup): .env.example missing REDIS_URL

Labels

Every issue needs exactly one primary label. Stack secondary labels on top when applicable.

Primary (required — pick one):

Secondary (optional — stack on top of primary):

blocked-by-framework comes off when this server adopts the release that ships the fix. An issue blocked on the SDK through the framework takes blocked-by-framework, not blocked-by-sdk — the server's own unblock is still a framework release.

Combine labels: --label "bug" --label "regression".

Secondary labels are not GitHub defaults — if gh issue create --label "regression" fails with label not found, create it once:

gh label create regression --color e99695 --description "Worked before, broken after a change"
gh label create performance --color 5319e7 --description "Memory, CPU, latency, or resource usage"
gh label create security --color b60205 --description "Vulnerability, CVE, or hardening work"
gh label create breaking-change --color d93f0b --description "Change will break public API or an existing tool contract"
gh label create blocked-by-framework --color fbca04 --description "Fix requires a released change in @cyanheads/mcp-ts-core"
gh label create blocked-by-sdk --color c5def5 --description "Fix requires changes in @modelcontextprotocol/sdk"
gh label create surplus-token-idea --color FF10F0 --description "Worth exploring when token budget allows"

Attaching logs or large output

Note: --body-file replaces the entire body — it does not supplement a --body flag. For structured bugs with logs, either embed the log content in the Additional context section of a normal --body, or file the issue first and add the log as a comment:

bun run rebuild && bun run start:stdio 2>&1 | head -200 > /tmp/server-error.log

# As part of a new issue (the log becomes the entire body — no template fields)
gh issue create \
  --title "bug(ingest): crashes on large payload" \
  --label "bug" \
  --assignee "@me" \
  --body-file /tmp/server-error.log

# Or as a comment on an existing issue (preferred — keeps the structured body intact)
gh issue comment <number> --body-file /tmp/server-error.log

Filing a Feature Request

Browser (interactive)

gh issue create --template "Feature Request" --web

CLI (non-interactive)

Read .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/feature_request.yml and match its field labels and order. The default form requires Use case and Proposed behavior; Alternatives considered and Additional context are optional. Include an optional section only when it changes what the reader needs to do. Scope boundaries belong in Additional context when necessary, not in a mandatory extra heading.

gh issue create \
  --title "feat(scope): concise description" \
  --label "enhancement" \
  --assignee "@me" \
  --body "$(cat <<'ISSUE'
### Use case

One or two sentences: who hits this gap and why it matters. Name the specific tool, service, resource, or domain area. Kept short on purpose — a field that invites a paragraph gets padded with background and skipped by the next reader.

Related: #N

### Proposed behavior

What you want the server to do, then the new behavior or surface. For tool/resource changes, show example input/output or the new schema fields. Link external libraries or services on first mention: [lib name](https://github.com/owner/repo).

// Example: new input field or output shape

### Alternatives considered

What you tried or evaluated instead, and why it didn't fit.

### Additional context

Only context needed to act, such as a relevant dependency or a scope boundary. Omit this section when it adds nothing.
ISSUE
)"

Triage: Framework vs Server

Not sure where the bug lives? Quick checks:

When genuinely ambiguous, file against this server's repo and note that it might be a framework issue. The maintainer can transfer it upstream.

Following Up

# View the issue body, then its comment thread (--comments without a TTY prints no body)
gh issue view <number>
gh issue view <number> --comments

# Add context
gh issue comment <number> --body "Additional findings..."

# List your open issues
gh issue list --author @me

# Close if resolved
gh issue close <number> --reason completed --comment "Fixed in <commit or PR>"

Checklist

• [ ] Confirmed bug is in server code, not the framework
• [ ] Searched existing issues — no duplicate found; close matches commented instead of duplicated
• [ ] All secrets, credentials, and tokens redacted
• [ ] Title follows type(scope): description format
• [ ] Primary label assigned (bug / enhancement / documentation)
• [ ] If bug: Environment table filled in, repro steps, actual vs expected behavior included
• [ ] If feature: the repository form's required fields are present; optional sections follow its labels and order and add necessary context
• [ ] Inside the budget — ~150 words for a bug, ~250 for a feature, code and logs excluded — and every section past the form's fields earns its place