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What are MCP Tools?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) tools are the coordination primitives that power Routa’s multi-agent system. They enable agents to:
  • Create and manage other agents
  • Delegate tasks across the agent hierarchy
  • Share information through notes
  • Subscribe to workspace events
  • Manage git operations and workspace state
Every tool in Routa is exposed via MCP, making them accessible to both internal agents and external MCP clients.

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Tool Categories

Agent Tools

Create agents, delegate tasks, coordinate work across the agent hierarchy

Task Tools

Create, update, and track tasks with status, dependencies, and verification

Note Tools

Shared documents for specs, task blocks, and agent collaboration

Workspace Tools

Git operations, workspace metadata, and specialist management

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Tool Modes: Essential vs Full

Routa supports two tool registration modes to optimize for different use cases:

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Essential Mode (12 tools)

The essential mode includes only the core coordination tools needed for the Routa workflow:
  • Agent tools (7): list_agents, read_agent_conversation, create_agent, set_agent_name, delegate_task, delegate_task_to_agent, send_message_to_agent, report_to_parent
  • Note tools (5): create_note, read_note, list_notes, set_note_content, convert_task_blocks
This mode is optimized for:
  • Faster tool discovery and selection
  • Reduced prompt complexity
  • Specialist agents with focused responsibilities

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Full Mode (34 tools)

The full mode includes all available tools:
  • Task tools (4): create_task, list_tasks, update_task_status, update_task
  • Agent tools (14): All essential tools + wake_or_create_task_agent, send_message_to_task_agent, get_agent_status, get_agent_summary, subscribe_to_events, unsubscribe_from_events
  • Note tools (7): All essential tools + append_to_note, get_my_task
  • Workspace tools (9): git_status, git_diff, git_commit, get_workspace_info, get_workspace_details, set_workspace_title, list_workspaces, create_workspace, list_specialists
This mode is optimized for:
  • Maximum flexibility
  • Power users and custom workflows
  • Direct access to all capabilities
The mode is configured per MCP server instance via RoutaMcpToolManager.setToolMode(mode).

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Setting Tool Mode

import { RoutaMcpToolManager } from "@/core/mcp/routa-mcp-tool-manager";

const toolManager = new RoutaMcpToolManager(agentTools, workspaceId);

// Use essential mode (default)
toolManager.setToolMode("essential");

// Or use full mode
toolManager.setToolMode("full");

toolManager.registerTools(mcpServer);

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Common Patterns

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Coordinator Pattern

  1. Read/write the spec note with set_note_content (auto-creates tasks from @@@task blocks)
  2. Delegate tasks with delegate_task_to_agent
  3. Subscribe to TASK_COMPLETED events to coordinate waves
  4. Read agent conversations with read_agent_conversation to check progress

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Implementor Pattern

  1. Read task details with read_note or get_my_task
  2. Coordinate with other agents via list_agents and read_agent_conversation
  3. Update task notes with progress
  4. Report completion with report_to_parent

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Verifier Pattern

  1. Read spec and task notes
  2. Check git diff with workspace tools
  3. Run verification commands
  4. Report results with report_to_parent

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Tool Result Format

All tools return a ToolResult with this structure: 
type ToolResult = 
  | { success: true; data: any }
  | { success: false; error: string }
MCP tools wrap this in the MCP response format: 
{
  "content": [
    {
      "type": "text",
      "text": "{\"key\":\"value\"}"
    }
  ],
  "isError": false
}

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Next Steps

Agent Tools

Learn about agent coordination and delegation

Task Tools

Understand task creation and lifecycle management

Note Tools

Master the spec workflow and task block parsing

Workspace Tools

Explore git integration and workspace management

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