# Available tools

> The search, read, browse, create, and edit tools that the Specify MCP server exposes.

The Specify MCP server provides five tools. Read tools require the `mcp:read` scope, and write tools require the `mcp:write` scope. The exact input schema is defined by the JSON Schema that clients receive from `tools/list`.

## Tool list

| Tool | Scope | What it does |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `search` | `mcp:read` | Searches workspace docs by meaning and title, and returns results from enabled external connectors grouped by source. |
| `read_document` | `mcp:read` | Reads the full body or a section of a text or PDF document. |
| `browse` | `mcp:read` | Explores the workspace through the document tree, recent documents, and title search. |
| `create_document` | `mcp:write` | Creates a new document from a Markdown body. |
| `update_document` | `mcp:write` | Finds and replaces exact text in a document, or appends to the end of the body. |

## search

Use it to find the docs a task needs.

| Input | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `query` | Search query |
| `topK` | Optional. Number of results to return (1–25) |

## read_document

Reads a document found through search or browsing. You can read long documents section by section.

| Input | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `nodeId` | ID of the document to read |
| `around`, `offset`, `limit`, `page` | Optional. Specify the section to read. |

## browse

| Input | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `mode` | One of `tree` (document tree), `recent` (recent documents), or `search` (title search) |
| `query` | Optional. Search query for `search` mode |
| `limit` | Optional. Number of items to return |

## create_document

| Input | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `title` | Document title |
| `content` | Markdown body |
| `parentNodeId` | Optional. Parent folder to create the document in |

## update_document

| Input | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `nodeId` | ID of the document to edit |
| `search` | Optional. Text to replace (must match exactly) |
| `replace` | Replacement content. If `search` is omitted, it's appended to the end of the body. |

Uploaded file documents can't be edited.

## Permissions and limits

- Every tool call checks the token, workspace membership, scope, admin access policy, and rate limits each time. If a member leaves or a token is revoked, the existing token can no longer access data.
- Write tools require a workspace role of Editor or higher, and don't run while workspace writes are locked.
- Documents and folders excluded from MCP exposure, along with everything beneath them, don't appear in search, read, or edit results.
- If a tool fails because of an input or permission problem, it returns an error result with an explanation the agent can read and act on.