MCP Workflow

# MCP Workflow Skill

Quick Reference

```bash # Start MCP Server node scripts/mcp-server.js

# Run a workflow ./scripts/workflow-engine.sh run <workflow-name> [--input <json>]

# List available workflows ./scripts/workflow-engine.sh list

# Create new workflow from template ./scripts/workflow-engine.sh create <name> --from <template>

# Validate workflow ./scripts/workflow-engine.sh validate <workflow-file> ```

Overview

• This skill implements workflow automation using the Model Context Protocol (MCP), enabling:
• Prompt Chains: Multi-step prompt sequences
• Dynamic Workflows: Context-aware adaptation
• Resource Integration: File/data embedding
• Cross-Server Coordination: Multi-MCP orchestration

Workflow Patterns

1. Prompt Chain Pattern ``` plan → generate → execute → validate ```

2. Dynamic Prompt Pattern ``` context → adapt → generate → output ```

3. Resource Embedding Pattern ``` resource://{type}/{id} → load → embed → process ```

4. External Trigger Pattern ``` trigger → validate → dispatch → execute ```

Built-in Templates

| Template | Description | Use Case | |----------|-------------|----------| | `meal-planner` | Weekly meal planning | Nutrition, shopping lists | | `code-review` | Automated code review | PR analysis, quality checks | | `weekly-report` | Status report generation | Team updates, metrics | | `documentation-generator` | Doc generation | API docs, changelogs |

MCP Server Features

Resources - `file://{path}` - File system access - `memory://{key}` - Memory storage - `config://{section}` - Configuration values

Tools - `workflow.run` - Execute workflow - `workflow.list` - List workflows - `workflow.validate` - Validate workflow JSON - `prompt.render` - Render prompt template

Prompts - `chain:plan` - Planning prompt - `chain:generate` - Generation prompt - `chain:review` - Review prompt

Example Usage

Meal Planner Workflow ```bash ./scripts/workflow-engine.sh run meal-planner \ --input '{"diet":"vegetarian","days":7,"budget":50}' ```

Code Review Workflow ```bash ./scripts/workflow-engine.sh run code-review \ --input '{"repo":"myapp","pr":123}' ```

Weekly Report ```bash ./scripts/workflow-engine.sh run weekly-report \ --input '{"project":"dashboard","week":"2024-W01"}' ```

Best Practices

1. Workflow Design - Keep steps atomic and focused - Use clear input/output contracts - Implement error handling at each step - Version your workflows

2. Prompt Engineering - Use system prompts for context - Provide examples in few-shot prompts - Chain prompts for complex tasks - Validate outputs before next step

3. Resource Management - Use URI patterns consistently - Cache frequently accessed resources - Clean up temporary resources - Document resource schemas

4. Cross-Server Coordination - Define clear interfaces between servers - Use standardized message formats - Implement health checks - Handle timeouts gracefully

Configuration

Create `~/.openclaw/mcp-workflow.json`: ```json { "servers": [ { "name": "local", "command": "node scripts/mcp-server.js", "env": {} } ], "workflowsDir": "./workflows", "templatesDir": "./scripts/templates", "defaultTimeout": 30000 } ```

Integration with OpenClaw

Use in your OpenClaw session: ```bash # Load the skill openclaw skill load mcp-workflow

# Run workflow openclaw workflow run meal-planner --input '{"days":5}' ```

References

• MCP Specification
• Workflow Patterns
• Jason Zhou Insights