/contributing

name: contributing
description: Use when contributing to the Butterbase codebase, adding new MCP tools, creating API routes, writing migrations, or understanding the monorepo architecture

1. Overview

Contributor guide for the Butterbase monorepo. Covers architecture, how to add MCP tools, API routes, database migrations, and coding conventions.

---

2. Monorepo Map

| Directory | Package | Purpose | |-----------|---------|---------| | `packages/cli` | `@butterbase/cli` (v0.1.3) | Published CLI tool (Commander.js). Commands: init, apps, schema, functions, storage, deploy, data, env, keys, realtime, status, open | | `packages/sdk` | `@butterbase/sdk` (v1.2.1) | Published TypeScript SDK. Modules: auth, storage, functions, AI, billing, realtime, admin | | `packages/shared` | `@butterbase/shared` | Internal shared types, constants, schema DSL, error types | | `packages/plugin` | `@butterbase/plugin` | Claude Code plugin (this package — skills for AI agents) | | `services/control-api` | `@butterbase/control-api` | Fastify API server — the brain. Routes, plugins, services. Port 4000 | | `services/mcp-server` | `@butterbase/mcp-server` | MCP server with ~28 tools (consolidated `manage_*` action-based tools + a few standalone ones like `init_app`, `deploy_function`, `select_rows`). Runs via stdio or HTTP (served by control-api at `/mcp`) | | `services/deno-runtime` | — | Serverless function executor. Deno-based worker isolation. Port 7133 | | `services/cron-scheduler` | `@butterbase/cron-scheduler` | Cron job runner using node-cron + cron-parser | | `services/dashboard` | — | React management UI (Vite + Radix UI) | | `services/dashboard-api` | — | Dashboard backend proxy. Port 4100 | | `services/docs` | `@butterbase/docs` | Astro/Starlight documentation site | | `services/storage-indexer` | — | Cloudflare Worker for S3 event indexing | | `db/control-plane` | — | SQL migrations (sequential numbering, `001_` upward). Control plane database schema | | `db/data-plane` | — | Per-app database initialization scripts |

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3. Adding a New MCP Tool (4 Steps)

Step 1: Create tool file at `services/mcp-server/src/tools/my-new-tool.ts`

Decide whether the new capability is a standalone tool (single, self-contained operation like `init_app`) or another action on an existing umbrella tool (`manage_schema`, `manage_function`, etc). Most new operations should be added as actions on an existing `manage_*` tool — this keeps the surface area small for AI agents.

For a brand-new standalone tool, follow the pattern from `init-app.ts`:

import type { McpServer } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/mcp.js';
import { z } from 'zod';
import { apiPost } from '../api-client.js';

interface MyResponse {
  // response shape
}

export function registerMyNewTool(server: McpServer) {
  server.tool(
    'my_new_tool',      // snake_case name
    `Tool description.   // Multi-line description with examples

Example:
  Input: { ... }
  Output: { ... }

Common errors:
  - ERROR_CODE: Description`,
    {
      // Zod schema for parameters
      app_id: z.string().describe('The app ID'),
      param: z.string().describe('Parameter description'),
    },
    async ({ app_id, param }) => {
      const result = await apiPost<MyResponse>(`/v1/${app_id}/my-endpoint`, { param });
      return {
        content: [{
          type: 'text' as const,
          text: JSON.stringify(result, null, 2),
        }],
      };
    }
  );
}

API client functions available: `apiGet`, `apiPost`, `apiPatch`, `apiDelete` (from `../api-client.js`).

Step 2: Register in `services/mcp-server/src/create-server.ts`

import { registerMyNewTool } from './tools/my-new-tool.js';
// ...
registerMyNewTool(server);

Step 3: Create the backing API route in `services/control-api/src/routes/`

• Fastify route handler matching the endpoint your tool calls
• Register in `services/control-api/src/index.ts`

Step 4: Update documentation in `services/mcp-server/src/docs/user-documentation.ts`

• Add tool to the relevant section's table in the `SECTIONS` object

---

4. Adding a Database Migration

• **IMPORTANT**: Use `scripts/migrate.ts` or `scripts/backfill-migrations.ts`, NEVER raw `psql`
• Migration files: `db/control-plane/NNN_description.sql` (sequential numbering, starting at `001_initial_schema.sql`)
• Pick the next free three-digit prefix; never edit a committed migration
• Run migrations: `npx tsx scripts/migrate.ts`

---

5. Coding Conventions

| Convention | Example | |-----------|---------| | MCP tool names | `snake_case`. Two flavours: standalone (`init_app`, `deploy_function`, `select_rows`) and `manage_*` umbrella tools that take an `action` enum (`manage_schema`, `manage_rls`, `manage_function`, `manage_frontend`, etc.) | | App IDs | `app_` prefix: `app_abc123` | | Service keys | `bb_sk_` prefix: `bb_sk_a1b2c3...` | | Environment variables | `BUTTERBASE_` prefix: `BUTTERBASE_API_KEY` | | Response metadata | `_meta.next_actions` (suggested next tool calls), `_meta.resource_info` (quota/state) | | Error codes | `UPPERCASE_WITH_UNDERSCORES`: `AUTH_RLS_POLICY_VIOLATION`, `QUOTA_TABLE_LIMIT` | | Domain | `butterbase.ai` (never "nira") |

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6. Running Locally

docker-compose -f docker-compose.local.yml up

| Service | Port | URL | |---------|------|-----| | Control API | 4000 | `http://localhost:4000` | | Dashboard API | 4100 | `http://localhost:4100` | | Deno Runtime | 7133 | `http://localhost:7133` | | Control Plane DB | 5433 | `postgres://localhost:5433` | | Data Plane DB | 5435 | `postgres://localhost:5435` | | PgBouncer | 6432 | `postgres://localhost:6432` | | LocalStack (S3) | 4566 | `http://localhost:4566` |

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7. Testing

• Framework: Vitest
• Run tests per workspace: `cd services/control-api && npm test`
• Test files: `__tests__/` directory or co-located `*.test.ts`
• Build all workspaces: `npm run build` (from repo root)
• Type check: `npx tsc --noEm