By default Claude Code defers MCP tool schemas (names-only, ~120 tok; full
schemas on demand via tool search). CA-TOK-006 detects config-file signals that
force the FULL schemas into the always-loaded prefix every turn:
- settings.json env.ENABLE_TOOL_SEARCH="false" (high)
- "ToolSearch" in permissions.deny (high)
- configured model is a Haiku model (medium)
- per-server .mcp.json alwaysLoad:true (CC v2.1.121+) (high)
auto[:N] is threshold mode (info, not a trigger).
New engine lib/mcp-deferral.mjs: pure assessMcpDeferral({settings,mcpServers})
(unit-tested, no IO) + thin IO wrapper assessMcpDeferralForRepo shared by TOK and
GAP. Severity scales with aggregate forced-upfront tokens (medium-confidence
reasons cap at medium). feature-gap cliOverMcpLeverFinding fires only as a
companion to CA-TOK-006 (prefer gh/aws/gcloud over MCP for common ops).
Honest scoping (Verifiseringsplikt): triggers on config files ONLY — never
process.env shell vars. Vertex / custom ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL / runtime /model
switch are launch state (would flap snapshots machine-dependently), so they are
DISCLOSED in every finding, not triggered. Tool-level anthropic/alwaysLoad and
claude.ai connectors likewise disclosed. Mechanism verified 2026-06-23 against
code.claude.com/docs (context-window.md, mcp.md#configure-tool-search +
#exempt-a-server-from-deferral, costs.md); the prefix-cache invalidation claim
was NOT-CONFIRMED in docs and is not asserted.
alwaysLoad added to CA-MCP VALID_SERVER_FIELDS (no longer flagged as unknown).
active-config-reader surfaces per-server alwaysLoad. Byte-stable: CA-TOK-006
fires only on new conditions; frozen v5.0.0 + SC-5 snapshots untouched.
Tests 1215 -> 1239 (engine 16, integration 5, lever 2, mcp-field guard 1).
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
`.mcp.json` has no per-server `trust` key — verified 2026-06-18 against
code.claude.com/docs/en/mcp + /settings. MCP server approval is
dialog/settings-based (enableAllProjectMcpServers / enabledMcpjsonServers /
disabledMcpjsonServers), never a JSON field. The scanner's "Missing trust
level" (CA-MCP-001, medium) and "Invalid trust level" (high) were false
positives flagging a field that does not exist.
- scanner: delete both trust checks + VALID_TRUST_LEVELS; drop `trust` from
VALID_SERVER_FIELDS so a stray `trust` is now flagged as an unknown field
- humanizer: remove the two trust-level entries
- knowledge (5 files): point to the real approval mechanism, not a trust field
- fixtures: scrub `trust` (incl. the invalid "local" in optimal-setup)
- tests: flip assertions (no trust-level finding; stray trust -> unknown
field) + add knowledge-staleness re-freeze guards
- snapshots: reseed (marketplace-medium .mcp.json -8 tokens, hermetic)
- gap-matrix: mark the trust verify-first item DONE
Suite: 853/853 green.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01Ter3E2JSi1Khgmuf2kady8
Clears false positives on valid .mcp.json (gap matrix, Batch 1):
- ${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR} is auto-injected at runtime (CC 2.1.139) and never
needs an env block — now allowlisted.
- POSIX expansions like ${VAR%pattern} / ${VAR:-default} are resolved by
Claude Code (CC 2.1.142); the env-var regex now matches only bare
${IDENTIFIER}, so operator expressions are skipped.
Genuine bare unreferenced vars are still flagged (broken-project regression
intact). The MCP `trust` field is untouched — it is verify-first (point 4),
not part of Batch 1.
Tests: hermetic runtime temp-fixture; 23/23 MCP green, both directions covered.
Ref: docs/cc-2.1.x-gap-matrix.md
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01Ter3E2JSi1Khgmuf2kady8
Add /ultraresearch-local for structured research combining local codebase
analysis with external knowledge via parallel agent swarms. Produces research
briefs with triangulation, confidence ratings, and source quality assessment.
New command: /ultraresearch-local with modes --quick, --local, --external, --fg.
New agents: research-orchestrator (opus), docs-researcher, community-researcher,
security-researcher, contrarian-researcher, gemini-bridge (all sonnet).
New template: research-brief-template.md.
Integration: --research flag in /ultraplan-local accepts pre-built research
briefs (up to 3), enriches the interview and exploration phases. Planning
orchestrator cross-references brief findings during synthesis.
Design principle: Context Engineering — right information to right agent at
right time. Research briefs are structured artifacts in the pipeline:
ultraresearch → brief → ultraplan --research → plan → ultraexecute.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
