Verified Agent Skill record

Troubleshoot Binlog MCP

Diagnose why the dotnet-msbuild binlog MCP server cannot connect, using the user's error, host MCP status, workspace SDK and NuGet configuration, and a bounded reproduction of the unchanged launch command, then recommend the smallest policy-safe recovery.

Tasks

Diagnose binlog MCP server startup failures such as CONNECTION_CLOSED, connection failures, or Microsoft.AITools.BinlogMcp not found
Reproduce the host's unchanged dnx launch command from the affected workspace and capture stdout, stderr, and exit code
Inspect workspace SDK selection (global.json), dotnet --info, dotnet --version, and dotnet nuget list source including inherited NuGet configuration
Run dotnet package search Microsoft.AITools.BinlogMcp --exact-match --prerelease --format json as a supporting probe when package availability is unclear
Recommend a policy-safe recovery such as mirroring the package into an approved feed or repairing feed authentication, and verify MCP initialization and a tool listing containing binlog tools such as binlog_overview

Inputs

User's error message such as CONNECTION_CLOSED
Host MCP status or startup logs already available
Host MCP command, arguments, and environment from available configuration (shipped command: dotnet dnx Microsoft.AITools.BinlogMcp --yes --prerelease)
Affected workspace directory including applicable global.json and inherited NuGet configuration
Optionally an existing binlog file to resume analysis after recovery

Outputs

Diagnosis of why the binlog MCP server failed to launch or connect
Redacted evidence from diagnostics (no credential settings, private feed URLs, tokens, or credential-provider output)
Smallest policy-safe recovery recommendation
Final status line: MCP status: connected, failed, or unverified

Limitations and checks

Cannot see host errors never exposed to the agent, inject session-start context, or guarantee activation merely because a plugin was installed
Not for errors inside a binlog (use binlog-failure-analysis), capturing binlogs (use binlog-generation), or unrelated MCP servers
CONNECTION_CLOSED alone only says the transport closed, not why
A timeout, silence, or open process is not proof that MCP initialized; package search does not apply package source mapping
No binlog file or project build is needed for this diagnosis
Confirm the binlog server is actually failing before troubleshooting; if connected and its tools are discoverable, stop startup troubleshooting
Confirm the SDK selected in the workspace directory (global.json) rather than assuming the installed SDK is the selected one, and do not silently upgrade the repository or remove its SDK pin
Confirm diagnostics use the host's unchanged launch command and environment; do not initially add --source, replace configuration, remove global.json, clear caches, or install another copy