LLM chat missing 10+ MCP tool definitions — cannot create device identities or use newer tools

[amiable-dev]

Problem

The LLM chat cannot create device identities, send MIDI, switch modes, validate config, or use any of the tools added after v4.23.0. When a device shows is_configured: false, the LLM correctly identifies it needs conductor_create_device_identity (per system prompt instructions) but cannot call it because the tool schema was never sent to the LLM provider.

User-visible behavior

The LLM says:

"Since I don't have access to a conductor_create_device_identity function in my available tools..."

Then suggests manual workarounds instead of performing the operation.

Root Cause

Tool definition mismatch between the GUI and daemon layers.

The GUI's get_mcp_tool_definitions() (conductor-gui/src-tauri/src/llm_commands.rs:190-465) only registers 16 tools — the original set from v4.11.0-v4.15.0 plus the ADR-016 signal tools. But the daemon's mcp_tools.rs defines 25+ tools.

Tools registered in GUI (sent to LLM) — 16 total:

Tool	Risk Tier
conductor_get_status	ReadOnly
conductor_list_devices	ReadOnly
conductor_get_config	ReadOnly
conductor_list_mappings	ReadOnly
conductor_get_mapping	ReadOnly
conductor_get_topology_summary	ReadOnly
conductor_create_mapping	ConfigChange
conductor_update_mapping	ConfigChange
conductor_delete_mapping	ConfigChange
conductor_batch_changes	ConfigChange
conductor_start_midi_learn	Stateful
conductor_stop_midi_learn	Stateful
conductor_get_signal_pulse	Frontend-intercepted
conductor_get_recent_events	Frontend-intercepted
conductor_get_loop_analysis	Frontend-intercepted
conductor_get_mapping_stats	Frontend-intercepted

Tools MISSING from GUI (defined in daemon but not sent to LLM) — 11+ tools:

Tool	Risk Tier	Added In
conductor_create_device_identity	ConfigChange	v4.25.0
conductor_set_device_enabled	Stateful	v4.23.0
conductor_scan_ports	HardwareIO	v4.23.0
conductor_list_device_bindings	ReadOnly	v4.23.0
conductor_send_midi	HardwareIO	v4.26.67
conductor_switch_mode	Stateful	v4.26.69
conductor_validate_config	ReadOnly	v4.26.66
conductor_switch_profile	Stateful	daemon
conductor_get_active_profile	ReadOnly	daemon
conductor_send_sysex	HardwareIO	daemon
conductor_device_reset	HardwareIO	daemon
conductor_list_plugins	ReadOnly	daemon
conductor_plugin_info	ReadOnly	daemon
conductor_enable_plugin	ConfigChange	daemon
conductor_disable_plugin	ConfigChange	daemon

Second issue: system prompt references tools the LLM can't call

The system prompt (chat.js:1350-1435) mentions conductor_create_device_identity, conductor_switch_mode, conductor_batch_changes (this one IS registered), etc. — creating confusion where the LLM knows what it should do but can't actually do it.

Recommended Fix

1. Add missing tool definitions to get_mcp_tool_definitions() in llm_commands.rs

Add ToolDefinition entries for at minimum these high-value tools:

• conductor_create_device_identity — critical for multi-device workflows
• conductor_set_device_enabled — mute/unmute devices
• conductor_scan_ports — trigger port rescan
• conductor_list_device_bindings — view device binding state
• conductor_send_midi — send MIDI messages
• conductor_switch_mode — switch active mode
• conductor_validate_config — validate config

Copy parameter schemas from conductor-daemon/src/daemon/mcp_tools.rs:322-382 (and other tool definitions) to ensure consistency.

2. Consider generating tool definitions from a single source

The current pattern of maintaining parallel tool definitions in the daemon (mcp_tools.rs) and GUI (llm_commands.rs) is error-prone. Options:

• Shared crate: Move ToolDefinition list to conductor-core and import in both
• Code generation: Generate GUI definitions from daemon definitions at build time
• Runtime import: Have the GUI fetch tool definitions from the daemon via IPC

3. Add a test to catch future drift

#[test]
fn test_gui_tools_subset_of_daemon_tools() {
    let gui_tools = get_mcp_tool_definitions();
    let daemon_tools = conductor_daemon::get_tool_definitions();
    for tool in &gui_tools {
        assert!(daemon_tools.iter().any(|d| d.name == tool.name),
            "GUI tool '{}' not found in daemon", tool.name);
    }
}

Scope

• Primary: conductor-gui/src-tauri/src/llm_commands.rs — add missing ToolDefinition entries
• Secondary: conductor-gui/ui/src/lib/stores/chat.js — update system prompt to match available tools exactly
• Optional: Refactor to single source of truth for tool definitions

Acceptance Criteria

• conductor_create_device_identity works from chat (LLM can register devices)
• All multi-device tools (list_device_bindings, set_device_enabled, scan_ports) callable from chat
• conductor_send_midi, conductor_switch_mode, conductor_validate_config callable from chat
• System prompt tool list matches actual tool definitions exactly
• Test exists to prevent future tool definition drift
• Existing tool calls continue to work (no regression)