Connector Readiness

Connector Readiness

Treat connector readiness as three separate gates. Passing an earlier gate does not imply that a later gate works.

Readiness Gates

1. Configured
   • Confirm the plugin or server is enabled in the client that will do the work.
   • Confirm the endpoint, transport, and client version.
   • Restart or start a fresh client process after changing plugin or MCP configuration when the client loads tools only at startup.
2. Authenticated
   • Run the connector's identity or health command as the same operating-system user and client that owns the work.
   • Record the account and plan or seat without exposing tokens.
3. Artifact-capable
   • Run the smallest representative read-only operation against the exact artifact, object, node, or repository needed by the task.
   • Require a real payload such as a name, dimensions, revision, or metadata. A connected status, successful OAuth callback, or tool listing is insufficient.

Error Classification

• Authentication or permission: re-authenticate, confirm the account, and verify that account can access the target artifact.
• Invalid argument: re-extract exact identifiers from the canonical link and try a documented orientation call. If unrelated exact artifacts fail too, investigate the client wrapper or server schema instead of repeatedly guessing identifiers.
• Quota or plan limit: stop retrying. Preserve the exact server response, check current official plan guidance, and distinguish a server-side quota from broken local configuration.
• Client or model incompatibility: update the client, start a fresh process, and rerun the artifact-capability gate.
• Timeout or oversized response: narrow the operation to a smaller object without substituting an unauthoritative source.

Design-Source Connectors

For design-to-code work:

• Use the provider's design-to-code skill before its primary context tool.
• Copy an exact frame or layer link; do not guess a node identifier.
• Prefer the primary design-context call. Use identity, metadata, or screenshot calls only for diagnosis and orientation.
• If a live call is quota-blocked, label any accepted repository snapshot or export as a fallback with immutable lineage. Do not describe fallback data as a successful live connector read.

Remote Worker Verification

Configuration may differ by user, client, host, or already-running session.

• Inspect readiness under the worker's real user and login environment.
• Verify both the client's connector list and a representative tool call.
• Inspect the active worker transcript or trace for the exact call and result. A healthy connector in a different client does not prove the worker used it.
• Record the client, version, user, session, target identifier, operation, and observed outcome.

Done

Call the connector ready only when the intended worker returns a real payload from the required artifact. If quota, permissions, or external state prevents that, report the connector as configured or authenticated but not artifact-capable.