MCP Tool Discovery Guide
Snow-Flow provides 400+ tools via MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers. Tools are lazy-loaded to save tokens - use tool_search to discover them.
Quick Start
// Find tools for a specific task
tool_search({ query: "incident" }) // ServiceNow incidents
tool_search({ query: "widget" }) // Widget development
tool_search({ query: "update set" }) // Update Set management
tool_search({ query: "cmdb" }) // CMDB operations
Tool Categories
ServiceNow Core Operations
| Query | Tools Found |
|---|
"incident" | Incident CRUD, metrics, SLA |
"change" | Change requests, CAB, risk |
"problem" | Problem management, known errors |
"cmdb" | CI search, relationships, discovery |
"user lookup" | User/group queries |
"query table" | Universal table queries |
ServiceNow Development
| Query | Tools Found |
|---|
"widget" | Widget create/update/sync |
"business rule" | BR creation and management |
"script include" | Reusable scripts |
"client script" | Client-side scripts |
"ui policy" | Form policies |
"ui action" | Buttons and links |
"update set" | Update Set lifecycle |
"snow deploy" | Artifact deployment |
ServiceNow Platform
| Query | Tools Found |
|---|
"flow designer" | Flow/subflow creation |
"workspace" | Workspace builder |
"catalog" | Service catalog items |
"knowledge" | Knowledge articles |
"notification" | Email notifications |
"scheduled job" | Scheduled scripts |
"rest" | REST API integration |
"import" | Import sets, transform maps |
Activity & Instance
| Query | Tools Found |
|---|
"activity" | Activity tracking (always available) |
"instance info" | Instance URL and config |
"property" | System properties |
"logs" | System logs |
Enterprise (if enabled)
| Query | Tools Found |
|---|
"jira" | Jira issues, transitions, comments |
"azure devops" | Work items, boards, pipelines |
"confluence" | Pages, spaces, search |
"github" | Issues, PRs, workflows, releases |
"gitlab" | Issues, MRs, pipelines |
Always-Available Tools
These tools are loaded by default (no discovery needed):
// Activity tracking
activity_start({ source, storyTitle, storyType, ... })
activity_update({ activityId, status, summary })
activity_complete({ activityId, summary })
activity_add_artifact({ activityId, artifactType, ... })
// Core tool discovery
tool_search({ query, enable: true })
How tool_search Works
- Search - Finds tools matching your query
- Enable - Automatically enables found tools for your session
- Use - Call the discovered tool by name
// Step 1: Search
tool_search({ query: "jira" })
// Returns: jira_search_issues, jira_get_issue, jira_create_issue, ...
// Step 2: Call discovered tool
jira_search_issues({ jql: "project = PROJ AND status = Open" })
Search Tips
Be Specific
// Too broad - may not find what you need
tool_search({ query: "github" }) // Returns 20+ tools
// More specific - finds exactly what you need
tool_search({ query: "github content" }) // File content tools
tool_search({ query: "github repository" }) // Repo info tools
tool_search({ query: "github pull request" }) // PR tools
Search by Action
tool_search({ query: "create incident" })
tool_search({ query: "update widget" })
tool_search({ query: "query cmdb" })
tool_search({ query: "deploy business rule" })
Search by Table
tool_search({ query: "sys_script_include" })
tool_search({ query: "sp_widget" })
tool_search({ query: "sysevent_email_action" })
Tool Naming Patterns
Tools follow consistent naming patterns:
| Pattern | Example | Purpose |
|---|
snow_* | snow_query_table | ServiceNow operations |
snow_deploy_* | snow_deploy_widget | Artifact creation |
snow_update_* | snow_update_set_manage | Update operations |
jira_* | jira_search_issues | Jira integration |
azdo_* | azdo_search_work_items | Azure DevOps |
confluence_* | confluence_create_page | Confluence |
github_* | github_create_issue | GitHub |
gitlab_* | gitlab_create_mr | GitLab |
MCP Server Categories
Snow-Flow includes specialized MCP servers:
| Server | Purpose | Example Tools |
|---|
| ServiceNow Unified | Core ServiceNow ops | Query, CRUD, scripts |
| ServiceNow Development | Artifact management | Deploy, widget sync |
| ServiceNow Automation | Script execution | Background scripts |
| ServiceNow ITSM | IT Service Management | Incidents, changes |
| ServiceNow Platform | Platform features | Flows, workspaces |
| Enterprise | External integrations | Jira, Azure, GitHub |
Best Practices
- Discover Before Using - Always use
tool_search first - Be Specific - Narrow queries find better matches
- Check Results - Review tool descriptions before calling
- Enable by Default -
enable: true is the default - Silent Discovery - Don't tell users you're discovering tools
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|
| Tool not found | Try different query terms |
| Too many results | Be more specific in query |
| Tool doesn't work | Check parameters, may need auth |
| Enterprise tool missing | Verify enterprise auth status |
Example Workflows
Finding Incident Tools
// Discover
tool_search({ query: "incident" })
// Use discovered tools
snow_query_incidents({ filters: { active: true, priority: 1 } })
snow_create_incident({ short_description: "...", caller_id: "..." })
Finding Widget Tools
// Discover
tool_search({ query: "widget" })
// Use discovered tools
snow_find_artifact({ type: "widget", query: "incident" })
snow_widget_pull({ widget_name: "incident-dashboard", local_path: "./widgets" })
Finding Enterprise Tools
// Discover Jira tools
tool_search({ query: "jira" })
// Use discovered tools
jira_search_issues({ jql: "project = SNOW AND status = Open" })
jira_transition_issue({ issueKey: "SNOW-123", transition: "In Progress" })
