Loading ToolBench
Backstage backend plugin that exposes the service catalog, TechDocs, and scaffolder as MCP tools for AI coding agents.
Solid foundation with complete schemas and descriptions for all 12 tools. Tool naming follows verb_noun convention (search_, get_, list_, register_, check_, scaffold_, etc.). Descriptions are present and contextual (avg ~120 chars), meeting the 10-1024 char baseline. All parameters have type definitions and descriptions. However, several tools lack output schema documentation, error handling guidance is minimal, and some parameter descriptions could be more prescriptive about constraints and formats. No tool annotations (readOnlyHint/destructiveHint) despite clear risk classifications. Missing idempotency guidance for write operations.
Check whether the current token has a given Backstage permission.
Get full details of a catalog entity by kind, namespace, and name.
Check the status and logs of a running or completed scaffolder task.
Get a system entity and all components that belong to it.
Retrieve TechDocs metadata for a catalog entity.
List all API entities in the catalog, with optional type filter.
Output schemas not documented. Tools return data but LLMs cannot predict field structure for downstream chaining. E.g., search_catalog returns results but fields are not specified; get_entity returns entity details but schema is not visible in source.
No tool annotations (readOnlyHint, destructiveHint, idempotentHint). Tools are marked with Risk classification in metadata but not exposed via MCP tool annotations. Agents cannot determine safety/idempotency from tool definition alone.
Error handling lacks recovery guidance. No documented error responses, retryability classification, or actionable error messages. E.g., register_component may fail if URL is invalid or entity already exists, but no guidance on what to do next.
Inferred effective spec: <=2025-11-25.
| Scored | Grade | Overall | Spec posture | Rubric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-23 | C | 61 | <=2025-11-25 | v2 |
List catalog entities with optional kind and label filters.
List all Group entities — teams, squads, and their members.
List all available Backstage software templates (self-service scaffolding recipes).
Register an existing repository as a catalog component by providing its catalog-info.yaml URL.
Trigger a Backstage software template to scaffold a new service, library, or documentation site.
Full-text search across the software catalog — components, APIs, systems, groups, and users.
scaffold_service 'values' parameter lacks structure. Described as 'object' with no schema for required/optional fields. LLMs cannot determine what keys to pass without calling list_templates first, forcing multi-step discovery.
list_* tools lack pagination guidance. No documented next_cursor, total_count, or offset/limit behavior. Large result sets could exhaust context window without explicit pagination support.