# MCP tools overview

Solo exposes MCP tools through the local MCP server configured in **Settings > Integrations > MCP**. Compatible clients launch Solo's bundled stdio helper, and the running Solo app enforces which tools are available.

This section is a tool reference. For setup steps and client configuration, see [MCP server integration](/docs/integrations/mcp-server).

## Core tool groups

Core tools are available when the MCP server is enabled:

- [Project tools](/docs/mcp-tools/project) choose the effective Solo project, create, rename, and delete projects, and inspect project state.
- [Workspace tools](./workspaces.md) list, create, edit, delete, and reorder workspaces, and move projects between them.
- [Services tools](/docs/mcp-tools/services) discover localhost services and wait for ports.
- [Process tools](/docs/mcp-tools/process) list, inspect, select, rename, start, stop, restart, close, and send input to Solo processes.
- [Bulk tools](/docs/mcp-tools/bulk) provide project-scoped batch operations to start trusted commands, stop running commands regardless of trust, or restart by first stopping running commands and then starting trusted commands.
- [Output tools](/docs/mcp-tools/output) read, search, clear, and inspect terminal output and ports.
- [Agent and terminal tools](/docs/mcp-tools/agent-terminal) spawn terminals or agents, bind MCP sessions to Solo-managed processes, and manage agent tool configurations.
- [Coordination tools](/docs/mcp-tools/coordination) provide project-scoped lease locks for shared work.
- [Setup and support tools](./setup-support.md) provide local help, search Solo's official documentation, summarize the enabled tool catalog, run a smoke test, draft feedback, and write agent integration instructions.

## Feature tool groups

Feature tools are turned on from each feature's own settings page. They augment the same MCP server; they do not start separate servers:

- [Scratchpad tools](/docs/mcp-tools/scratchpads) expose project-scoped Markdown scratchpads. Switch: **Enabled in MCP** in **Settings > Features > Scratchpads**.
- [Todo tools](/docs/mcp-tools/todos) expose project-scoped todos, blockers, locks, tags, and comments. Switch: **Enabled in MCP** in **Settings > Features > Todos**.
- [Timer tools](/docs/mcp-tools/timers) schedule user turns for Solo-managed agent processes. Switch: **Timers** in **Settings > Agents > Timers**.
- [Key-value tools](/docs/mcp-tools/key-value) expose project-scoped JSON storage. Switch: **Key-value tools** in **Settings > Agents > Key-value**.
- [Prompt template tools](./prompt-templates.md) expose Solo prompt templates for listing, editing, and export. Switch: **Prompt template MCP tools** in **Settings > Features > Prompt templates**.

**Settings > Integrations > MCP** summarizes these groups, shows whether each is on, and links to its page with **Edit**.

Scratchpads, todos, and timers inherit MCP server enablement until an explicit setting is saved. Key-value and prompt template tools default off until enabled.

## Turned-off features

Todos, Scratchpads, and Prompt templates also each have a feature switch at the top of their page in **Settings > Features**. Turning a feature off hides it throughout Solo and removes its MCP tools, plus its MCP resources for todos and scratchpads, even when its MCP switch is on. Its data is kept.

Calls to a hidden tool fail with a message that names the switch to turn back on:

- Feature off: "Todos are turned off in Solo. Turn them on in Settings > Todos."
- Only the MCP switch off: "Todo MCP tools are turned off. Turn them on in Settings > Todos."

Timer and key-value tools have only their MCP switch, so their message points to **Settings > Agents > Timers** or **Settings > Agents > Key-value**.

The same feature switches apply outside MCP. While Todos or Scratchpads are off, the [local HTTP API](../integrations/http-api.md) refuses their endpoints with `403 forbidden`, and the [`solo` CLI](../cli/overview.md) prints the same message and exits with code `77`.

## Input validation

Many tools, including every tool that creates agents, todos, scratchpads, or timers, reject parameters they don't recognize instead of ignoring them. For example, `todo_create` rejects `description` and points you to `body`. Check a tool's input schema for its accepted fields.

## Prompts and resources

Besides tools, the server exposes built-in MCP prompts (orchestration playbooks) and readable MCP resources for scratchpads and todos. See [MCP prompts and resources](./prompts-and-resources.md).

## Scope and identity

Most tools operate on the effective project scope. A client can select that scope with `select_project`, or Solo can infer it from the MCP session and the bound Solo process.

Agents launched by Solo are normally identified automatically. If auto-identification fails, `identify_session` lets a client assert its own `SOLO_PROCESS_ID`, and clients outside Solo can register as external actors. Use `whoami` to inspect the caller identity, effective project, and process association. See [Agent and terminal tools](./agent-terminal.md).

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