Tool Configurations
<metadata>- Scope: Configuration standards for development tools, IDEs, and MCP integrations
- Load if: Writing/editing IDE config files (.vscode/, .kiro/, .cursor/) OR configuring MCP tools
- Prerequisites: @smith-principles/SKILL.md, @smith-standards/SKILL.md
CRITICAL: Tool Configuration (Primacy Zone)
<required>- Check codebase and local docs BEFORE using MCP tools
- Use MCP tools only when task specifically requires them
- Activate tools conditionally, not by default
- Mandating Serena MCP for all plans (only multi-session)
- Requiring Context7 for all libraries (only unfamiliar external)
- Loading MCP tools unconditionally
This document defines configuration standards for development tools, IDEs, and external integrations.
</context>IDE & Extension Settings
- Global Settings:
$HOME/Library/Application Support/[Code|Cursor|Kiro]/User/settings.json - Workspace Settings:
.vscode/settings.json,.cursor/settings.json,.kiro/settings/ - Claude Code: Same configuration across all IDEs, follow skill standards
- Consistency: Synchronized extension preferences across all environments
Pytest Configuration (MANDATORY)
- Log Level:
log_cli_level = "WARNING"in bothpytest.iniandpyproject.toml - Purpose: Suppress INFO/DEBUG logs from external libraries during test execution
- Exception: Use DEBUG level only when actively debugging specific issues
For detailed pytest execution patterns: See @smith-python/SKILL.md#action-recency-zone
MCP Tool Integration (Optional)
<context>MCP (Model Context Protocol) tools provide enhanced capabilities for specific scenarios. Use them conditionally when their specific functionality is needed.
These tools are NOT required for standard development work.
</context>Available MCP Tools
Serena MCP - Session Persistence:
- Purpose: Persist plans and context across sessions
- Use for: Complex multi-session tasks, plan recovery, session restarts
- Configuration:
.kiro/settings/mcp.jsonor IDE settings - Avoid: Single-session tasks, simple bug fixes
Context7 - External Library Documentation:
- Purpose: Fetch documentation for external libraries
- Use for: Unfamiliar NPM/PyPI packages, external API references
- Configuration: MCP settings
- Avoid: Libraries already in codebase, standard library usage
Fetch/WebFetch - Web Content Retrieval:
- Purpose: Retrieve web content from URLs
- Use for: User-provided URLs, web documentation explicitly requested
- Configuration: Use WebFetch tool if available
- Avoid: Content available locally, speculative browsing
For MCP server configuration in Kiro: See @smith-ctx-kiro/SKILL.md#critical-serena-mcp-is-mandatory
MCP Server Lifecycle
<context>Installation:
claude mcp add --transport stdio --scope user server-name -- command args
Scopes: --scope local (default, ~/.claude.json), --scope project (.mcp.json in repo root), --scope user (~/.claude.json)
Discovery:
claude mcp list
Removal:
claude mcp remove server-name
Debugging failures:
- Check logs:
~/.claude/logs/mcp-*.log - Startup timeout: relaunch Claude Code with a higher
MCP_TIMEOUTenv var - Restart: remove + re-add the server
- Config reload: restart Claude Code session after
changes to
.mcp.jsonor settings
Common issues:
- Server not found: verify command path is absolute
- Permission denied: check executable permissions
- Startup timeout: increase
MCP_TIMEOUTfor slow servers
Configuration Hierarchy
$HOME/.smith/- Global personal standards (symlinked to projects)AGENTS.md- Project-level agent instructions.vscode/,.cursor/,.kiro/settings/- IDE-specific configs- MCP tool configs - Serena, Context7, etc.
Synchronization Points
- IDE Settings: Automatically sync from master documents
- Project Files: Reference personal standards instead of duplicating
- Optional Tools: Configure MCP tools conditionally based on task needs
- Tool Extensions: Apply these standards in all generated content
Update Workflow
- Master Update: Modify authoritative documents
- Automatic Sync: Run synchronization script to update all tool configurations
- Validation: Verify consistency across all tools and configurations
- Documentation: Update project-specific documentation with references
@smith-ctx-claude/SKILL.md- Claude Code patterns@smith-prompts/SKILL.md- Structured output patterns@smith-python/SKILL.md- Virtual environment, pytest patterns@smith-ide/SKILL.md- IDE-specific path syntax
ACTION (Recency Zone)
<required>Before using MCP tools:
- Check codebase and local docs first
- Use MCP only when local info insufficient
- Configure tools conditionally per task