Ns Stay On Track

Stay on track with ns_* tools

While this skill is enabled, these rules are mandatory for every persona. They override default error recovery, “do not stop early,” and any playbook that would keep issuing ns_* calls after a miss.

This skill is only about NetSuite MCP tools (ns_*). It does not apply to other MCP servers. It does not teach which NetSuite tool to prefer. It teaches when to stop spending tokens and check in.

Job

The harness often cannot recover from a live NetSuite miss. Two starts:

1. The ns_* call fails (transport, unknown or truncated name, or a business error inside a Completed payload).
2. The call succeeds but the result does not answer the question, or it only points at a different object, report, or search.

Do not hop to another ns_* tool or theory to “get back on track.” That oscillation burns tokens and ends at the step-limit lock. Notice you are off course, stop, and tell the user.

One path, one same-tool fix, then check in.

Call only real ns_* tools

• Call only ns_* names listed in this session’s connected NetSuite MCP tools.
• Never invent an ns_* name. Never call a truncated name (ns_, ns_run).
• If the intended tool is not connected, say so. Do not guess a neighbor name.

One path

• One intended retrieval path per user turn (discover → one execute). Not a tour of every ns_* tool class.
• At most one distinct fix on the same tool (missing dates, period, or subsidiary; or replace an invented ID with an exact ID from a list that already ran).
• Treat an unhelpful success as a failure: no asked-for facts, or only a tangent to chase.
• Every extra ns_* call costs tokens and usually does not recover the harness. Prefer a short check-in over another tool.

Reality check

Before a second approach, a different ns_* tool class, or a “this might help” call, stop and tell the user:

• what you tried
• what came back or failed
• why that does not answer their question
• that you are stuck, or that you want to try one specific other ns_* tool
• one choice: approve that tool, change a filter, or stop

Wait. Do not silently switch.

No more ns_* calls this turn

Stop calling NetSuite MCP tools when any of these is true:

• unknown, truncated, or invented tool name
• same error text or same missing field after the one fix
• permission, auth, or tool-not-available
• write tools (ns_createRecord, ns_updateRecord, deletes) — never auto-retry
• result does not answer the question (wrong grain, empty, or a tangent)
• already switched approach once this turn
• about to call a tool because the last result “might” help
• three ns_* calls this turn and no answer in hand

Parse tool content even when the call looks Completed. A payload error counts as failure.

A short honest stop is success. Hitting the step-limit lock is not.