⚡ CLI Testing & Query Command

Interactive Model Context Protocol Testing

Real-Time MCP Server Testing

Test MCP servers interactively with the aegis query command. Features dual parameter formats for maximum CLI usability and comprehensive debugging capabilities.

Pipe FormatJSON SupportReal-time TestingAuto Type Inference

🚀 Quick Examples

Get started immediately with these common CLI testing patterns. The query command supports multiple formats for maximum flexibility.

🆕 Pipe Format (Recommended)

bash

# Basic pipe format
aegis query calculator 'operation:add|a:5|b:3' --config config.json

# Nested objects with dot notation
aegis query api_client 'config.host:localhost|config.port:8080|timeout:30' --config config.json

# Mixed data types (auto-inferred)
aegis query tool 'text:hello|count:42|active:true|data:null' --config config.json

✅ CLI-friendly, no quote escaping needed

📋 JSON Format (Traditional)

bash

# Traditional JSON format
aegis query calculator '{"operation": "add", "a": 5, "b": 3}' --config config.json

# Complex nested structures
aegis query complex_tool '{"config": {"host": "localhost"}, "data": [1,2,3]}' --config config.json

✅ Full JSON power for complex structures

⚙️ Method Syntax

bash

# Method syntax with pipe format
aegis query --method tools/call --params 'name:read_file|arguments.path:/tmp/test.txt' --config config.json

# Method syntax with JSON format
aegis query --method tools/call --params '{"name": "read_file", "arguments": {"path": "/tmp/test.txt"}}' --config config.json

# List all available tools
aegis query --method tools/list --config config.json

Use --method for direct JSON-RPC method calls

🔧 Pipe Format Guide

The pipe-separated parameter format provides a CLI-friendly alternative to JSON with automatic type inference and nested object support.

Basic Syntax

key:value|other:123|nested.field:test

key:value

Basic parameter

Separator

nested.field

Dot notation

Automatic Type Inference

Input	Interpreted As	JavaScript Type
`text:hello`	"hello"	string
`count:42`	42	number
`active:true`	true	boolean
`data:null`	null	null
`score:3.14`	3.14	number

Advanced Features

bash

# JSON values within pipe format
aegis query complex_tool 'metadata:{"version":"1.0"}|tags:["test","demo"]|count:5' --config config.json

# Escaped pipes for literal pipe characters  
aegis query text_processor 'message:hello\|world|separator:value' --config config.json

# Complex nested configuration
aegis query service 'database.host:localhost|database.port:5432|cache.enabled:true|cache.ttl:300' --config config.json

JSON Values

Embed JSON objects and arrays within pipe format

Escaped Pipes

Use \\| for literal pipe characters

Nested Objects

Create nested structures with dot notation

📊 Format Comparison

Choose the right format for your use case. Both formats are fully supported and can be mixed as needed.

Feature	Pipe Format	JSON Format
CLI Friendly	✅ Excellent	⚠️ Quote Escaping
Simple Parameters	✅ Very Easy	⚠️ Verbose
Nested Objects	✅ Dot Notation	✅ Native
Data Types	✅ Auto-Inferred	✅ Explicit
Complex Structures	✅ Mixed JSON/Pipe	✅ Full JSON Power

🐛 Debugging & Testing Commands

Use these commands for comprehensive MCP server testing and debugging.

Basic Testing Commands

bash

# Basic tool testing
aegis query read_file 'path:test.txt' --config config.json

# Debug with verbose output
aegis query read_file 'path:test.txt' --config config.json --verbose

# JSON output for automation
aegis query calculator 'operation:add|a:5|b:3' --config config.json --json

Command Line Options

Debug Options

--verbose - Show detailed execution information
--debug - Enable MCP communication logging
--timing - Display operation timing information
--json - Output results in JSON format

Output Options

--quiet - Suppress non-essential output
--config path - Specify config file path
--method method - Call specific JSON-RPC method
--params params - Method parameters

Help & Documentation

bash

$ aegis query --help

Usage: aegis query [options] [tool-name] [tool-args]

Query an MCP server tool directly for debugging

Parameter formats supported:
  • JSON format: '{"key": "value", "num": 42}'
  • Pipe format: 'key:value|num:42|nested.field:test'

Examples:
  aegis query read_file '{"path": "/tmp/file.txt"}'
  aegis query read_file 'path:/tmp/file.txt|encoding:utf8'
  aegis query --method tools/call --params 'name:read_file|arguments.path:/tmp/file.txt'

Run aegis query --help anytime to see the latest command syntax and examples.

🎯 Common Usage Patterns

Learn these common patterns to become productive quickly with the query command.

🔍 Server Discovery

bash

# List all available tools
aegis query --config config.json

# Get detailed tool information
aegis query --method tools/list --config config.json --verbose

Start here to understand what tools your MCP server provides.

⚡ Quick Tool Testing

bash

# Test file operations
aegis query read_file 'path:test.txt' --config config.json

# Test calculator with multiple parameters
aegis query calculator 'operation:multiply|a:7|b:6' --config config.json

# Test API calls with complex config
aegis query api_request 'url:https://api.example.com|method:GET|headers.Authorization:Bearer token123' --config config.json

Rapidly test tools during development with minimal typing.

🧪 Error Testing

bash

# Test error handling
aegis query read_file 'path:nonexistent.txt' --config config.json

# Test validation with invalid parameters
aegis query calculator 'operation:divide|a:10|b:0' --config config.json

# Test authentication failures
aegis query api_request 'url:https://api.example.com|headers.Authorization:invalid' --config config.json

Verify your error handling works correctly.

🤖 Automation Integration

bash

# JSON output for scripts
aegis query status_check --config config.json --json

# Combine with jq for processing
aegis query get_metrics --config config.json --json | jq '.result.data'

# Use in CI/CD pipelines
aegis query health_check 'timeout:30' --config config.json --quiet

Integrate with scripts and automation workflows.

💡 Best Practices

Follow these guidelines for effective CLI testing and debugging.

✅ Do

•Use pipe format for simple parameters to avoid quote escaping
•Start with aegis query --config config.json to list available tools
•Use --verbose to understand what's happening
•Test error scenarios to verify proper error handling
•Use dot notation for nested configuration: config.host:localhost

❌ Don't

•Don't use JSON format for simple parameters when pipe format is cleaner
•Don't forget to escape pipes in values: use \\|
•Don't assume all servers implement all standard methods
•Don't skip testing with real data and edge cases
•Don't rely solely on CLI testing - combine with automated tests

🚀 Next Steps

Now that you understand CLI testing, explore these related topics to build comprehensive testing strategies.

MCP

MCP

MCP

⚡ CLI Testing & Query Command

Real-Time MCP Server Testing

🚀 Quick Examples

🆕 Pipe Format (Recommended)

📋 JSON Format (Traditional)

⚙️ Method Syntax

🔧 Pipe Format Guide

Basic Syntax

Automatic Type Inference

Advanced Features

JSON Values

Escaped Pipes

Nested Objects

📊 Format Comparison

🐛 Debugging & Testing Commands

Basic Testing Commands

Command Line Options

Debug Options

Output Options

Help & Documentation

🎯 Common Usage Patterns

🔍 Server Discovery

⚡ Quick Tool Testing

🧪 Error Testing

🤖 Automation Integration

💡 Best Practices

✅ Do

❌ Don't

🚀 Next Steps

📝 YAML Testing

💻 Programmatic Testing

🎯 Examples