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Experimental settings

Opt-in server options documented here are not covered by the same stability guarantees as the rest of the docs. They may change behavior, graduate to stable configuration, or be removed without a major release.

Stable docs:

How experimental options work

  • CLI: --experimental-<kebab-name> (for example, --experimental-context-management)
  • Programmatic: experimental<CamelName> on the object passed to start() (for example, experimentalContextManagement: true)
  • Startup: The server logs a warning when any registered experimental option is enabled

Using an experimental flag without the experimental prefix (CLI or programmatic) is ignored.

Lifecycle

  1. Experimental — documented only on this page; behavior may change between releases.
  2. Graduating — when a flag loses its experimental prefix in code, its documentation moves to usage or development in the same change; remove it from the index below.
  3. Removed — when a flag fails to graduate, delete the row and section here; stable docs should not need updates.

Index

Internal name CLI flag Programmatic option Value type
contextManagement --experimental-context-management experimentalContextManagement boolean

contextManagement

Context management (also called token-saver mode) switches the server from the default two-step search-and-fetch workflow to a resource-link workflow for MCP clients that read patternfly:// URIs directly.

contextManagement is part of a broader set of updates intended to optimize the PatternFly MCP server's use of MCP resources and streamline code. Additional refactors may be included under this umbrella under later releases.

Mode Registered tools Typical workflow
Default (off) searchPatternFlyDocs, usePatternFlyDocs Search returns text with URLs, names, and URIs; fetch content with usePatternFlyDocs.
Context management searchPatternFly only Search returns resource_link items; read content with resources/read.

Built-in MCP resources (patternfly://docs/..., patternfly://schemas/..., indexes, and patternfly://context) remain available in both modes.

Important!

In default mode, searchPatternFlyDocs returns and usePatternFlyDocs accepts patternfly:// URIs. This is a compatibility bridge for limited MCP clients. This is a transitional allowance: context management is the architecture the PatternFly MCP tools are moving towards, where URIs are returned as links and read through MCP resources. However, this does not mean the older technique of returning Markdown will go away; there is still a possible future where the PatternFly MCP retains the older Markdown response techniques to purposefully support limited and agentless MCP clients.

Tool: searchPatternFly

Registered only when context management is enabled.

Search PatternFly components, documentation, guidelines, and JSON schemas by keyword. Returns MCP resource_link content items (collections, docs, and schemas).

Parameters:

  • query: string (required) — Case-insensitive, full or partial keyword query (e.g., "button", "react", "*" for all resources)
  • version: string (optional) — Filter by PatternFly version ("current", "latest", or "v6")

Example:

{
  "query": "button"
}

CLI

npx -y @patternfly/patternfly-mcp@latest --experimental-context-management

HTTP transport:

npx -y @patternfly/patternfly-mcp@latest --http --port 8080 --experimental-context-management

Programmatic

import { start } from '@patternfly/patternfly-mcp';

const server = await start({
  experimentalContextManagement: true
});

MCP client configuration

Stdio:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "patternfly-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@patternfly/patternfly-mcp@latest",
        "--experimental-context-management"
      ],
      "description": "PatternFly rules and documentation (experimental context management)"
    }
  }
}

HTTP:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "patternfly-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@patternfly/patternfly-mcp@latest",
        "--http",
        "--port",
        "8080",
        "--experimental-context-management"
      ],
      "description": "PatternFly rules and documentation (HTTP, experimental context management)"
    }
  }
}