This skill is the cross-tool index. Exact syntax lives in specialist skills. Paths are discovered via tool-discovery — never assumed.
Always-on baseline (Skyrim work)
skyrim-memoryskyrim-tool-routertool-discoverywhen any external binary/MCP might be neededskyrim-versioned-workspacebefore first write
Tool roles (do not collapse these)
| Tool | Role | Skill(s) | If missing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skyrim Forge | Typed automation broker: doctor, capabilities, Papyrus compile pipeline, FOMOD, release/nexus gates, tool-resolve | skyrim-forge |
Bundle-managed; the AIO installs it. Continue with narrower tools if absent |
| houseCARL | Live MO2 load-order MCP: true winners, conflict trees, reviewable patch ESPs, Nexus keyless lookup, VFS assets | housecarl + mutagen/spid/kid/skypatcher authoring helpers |
Recommend houseCARL-Setup + .NET 9 pair + MCP register |
| Spooky's AutoMod Toolkit | CLI for ESP/Papyrus/MCM/NIF/BSA/audio/SKSE project workflows with --json |
spookys-automod-toolkit + skyrim-plugin-authoring |
Recommend toolkit release + .NET 8 SDK |
| codebase-memory-mcp | Knowledge-graph code navigation (call graphs, impact) | codebase-memory |
Recommend DeusData install + MCP wire |
| Headroom | Context compression / retrieve / session stats MCP | headroom |
Optional; recommend pip install when context thrash is real |
| Superpowers | Process discipline (debug, TDD, plans, verification) | using-superpowers + family |
Bundled skill text works; plugin optional |
| Ponytail | Minimal-diff / anti-over-engineering mode | ponytail + family |
Bundled skill text works; plugin optional |
| CodeBurn | Local AI token/cost analytics | codeburn |
Optional npx codeburn |
Capability and schema overhead
Prefer an existing CLI when it fully answers the task. A dormant CLI adds 0 tokens of MCP schema; commands, instructions and output still consume context when used. houseCARL is MCP only -- no CLI, and provides live MO2 load-order evidence that an offline plugin reader cannot replace.
Historical schema estimates, not per-turn bills: Forge MCP 52 tools / 17,488 bytes / ~4,372 tokens (bytes/4); houseCARL Full 45 tools / 167,072 bytes / ~41,768; Lean 125,476 bytes / ~31,369; ReadOnly 70,418 bytes / ~17,604. Tool count alone is a poor size proxy.
Preferring a cheaper server you have already connected does not guarantee
lower usage. Scope, native filtering, deferred discovery, caching and actual
calls decide what enters context. Start by not registering irrelevant
servers. Codex supports enabled_tools / disabled_tools; Hermes supports
tools.include / tools.exclude; Claude Code supports deferred Tool Search.
Do not buy a new router for a capability already native to the provider.
Use Forge CLI for typed engineering, Spooky CLI for its specialist workflows,
and houseCARL for live load-order truth, conflict trees, VFS and keyless Nexus.
See capability-profiles for setup and measurement boundaries.
Decision cheat-sheet
| User need | Prefer |
|---|---|
| "What wins this FormID in MY list?" | houseCARL - nothing else can answer it |
| "Typed release / FOMOD / nexus policy / doctor" | Forge CLI (forge release-build, forge doctor) |
| "Create ESL + quest + compile papyrus from CLI" | Spooky, or Forge CLI - both free |
| "Read a record / query a plugin off disk" | Forge CLI record-query / plugin-info before houseCARL |
| "Build or validate a patch plugin from a plan" | Forge CLI plugin-build / plugin-plan-validate |
| "Edit what the LIVE load order resolves to" | houseCARL - Forge has no view of MO2 |
| "SPID/KID/SkyPatcher line syntax" | *-authoring / dedicated V4 syntax skills — never invent |
| "Who calls this function in the repo?" | codebase-memory |
| "Context is huge / compress this log" | headroom |
| "Stop over-engineering" | ponytail |
| "How much did this AI session cost?" | codeburn |
| "Bug / plan / verify before done" | superpowers process skills |
Provider adaptation
- Claude Code: houseCARL ships as a Claude plugin; Superpowers/Ponytail/Headroom often install as plugins. Skills in this pack still work as plain
SKILL.md. - Grok Build: register MCP servers in
%USERPROFILE%\.grok\config.toml. Use pack scriptTOOLS\Fix-Grok-Codebase-Memory-Direct.ps1only after editing the exe path. Skills go in%USERPROFILE%\.grok\skills. - Codex: user skills in
%USERPROFILE%\.agents\skills;%CODEX_HOME%\skillsis legacy-only. MCP per Codex docs. houseCARL may ship acodex\skill stub — still require MCP binary. - Kimi / Hermes / others: copy provider-native skills; wire MCP if the harness supports it; otherwise say MCP unavailable and use CLI fallbacks.
Hard rules
- Missing tool → recommend install with verify command; continue with fallback when safe.
- Never claim houseCARL/Forge results without the tool actually responding.
- Never launch xEdit/CK GUI.
- Game Data / MO2 staging / saves remain read-only except via explicit owned project outputs.
- houseCARL patches are new MO2 mods to review — originals untouched (default lane).
- Tool outputs (DynDOLOD, ParallaxGen, Reqtificator, …) must not be frozen into hand patches — see
tool-output-awareness.
Session tool report (optional once per session)
TOOLS: forge=<found|missing> housecarl=<found|missing|mcp-down> spooky=<found|missing> codebase-memory=<found|missing|mcp-down> headroom=<found|missing> codeburn=<found|missing> mo2=<set|unset>
houseCARL first-time / Vortex
Never leave houseCARL "almost installed." Run pack automation:
TOOLS\Setup-HouseCarl.ps1
- MO2 users → instance auto-detected or
-Mo2Instance - Vortex users → shim auto-built at
%LOCALAPPDATA%\houseCARL-Shim - Then full AI restart
AIO installer (pack)
New users and missing-tool recovery:
# Pack root
.\INSTALL-AIO.ps1
.\INSTALL-AIO.ps1 -Mode OnlineLatest
.\TOOLS\Ensure-Tools.ps1
.\TOOLS\Update-From-GitHub.ps1
Offline snapshots live in BUNDLED-TOOLS\offline\. Component registry: BUNDLED-TOOLS\CATALOG.json.
After MCP changes the user must fully restart the AI application.