NEW: mcp runbook and http runbook

Use YAML files to declare either MCP tool workflows or HTTP endpoint workflows with scheduling, assertions, and multi-step chaining.

  mcp-http mcp runbook --file ./runbook.yaml
mcp-http http runbook --file ./http-runbook.yaml

Validate syntax and structure only (no calls):

  mcp-http mcp runbook --file ./runbook.yaml --validate-only
mcp-http http runbook --file ./http-runbook.yaml --validate-only

YAML capabilities (NEW)

  • Declarative MCP connection blocks
  • Auth schemes: bearer, apikey, basic, customHeaders, azureClientCredentials
  • Azure Key Vault secret references for tokens/keys/passwords/client IDs/client secrets
  • Step output chaining via templates like {{ steps.stepId.property }}
  • Assertion checks per step (assert) to mark pass/fail from result data
  • Assertion failure behavior control with continueOnAssertFailure
  • Scheduled execution:
    • repeat N times
    • or run at everySeconds frequency for forSeconds
  • Runtime iteration token: {{ iteration.index }}
  • Environment token: {{ env.MY_VAR }}

Example MCP runbook with assertions 

  version: "1"
defaultConnection: weather
continueOnAssertFailure: false
connections:
  - name: weather
    endpoint: https://example.com/mcp
    auth:
      type: bearer
      tokenFromKeyVault:
        vaultName: my-kv
        secretName: weather-token

steps:
  - id: query
    tool: search_weather
    params:
      city: London
    assert:
      path: result.status
      operator: equals
      value: ok

  - id: summarize
    tool: summarize_weather
    params:
      input: "{{ steps.query.result }}"
      runNumber: "{{ iteration.index }}"

schedule:
  repeat: 3
  everySeconds: 10
  forSeconds: 30

Example HTTP runbook with assertions 

  version: "1"
defaultConnection: weather-http
continueOnAssertFailure: true
connections:
  - name: weather-http
    endpoint: https://example.com/weather?city={city}
    auth:
      type: custom
      headers: []
steps:
  - id: first
    inputs:
      city: London
    assert:
      path: isSuccess
      operator: equals
      value: true

  - id: second
    inputs:
      previousCity: "{{ steps.first.body.city }}"
    assert:
      path: statusCode
      operator: equals
      value: 200

schedule:
  repeat: 2

Assertion operators

OperatorMeaning
equalsValue at path equals value
notEqualsValue at path does not equal value
containsString value at path contains value
existspath is present in result

Use path: "$" (or omit path) to assert the full step result.

Validation feedback and hints

When parsing or validation fails, the CLI now prints:

  • exact syntax/structure errors
  • helpful hints for common YAML issues
  • hints for fixing step ids, connections, schedule fields, endpoint selectors, and assertion config

Security notes (.NET + OWASP aligned)

  • Prefer Key Vault references over inline secrets.
  • Keep runbook files out of source control when they include sensitive values.
  • Use --validate-only in CI before execution.
  • Use least-privilege app registrations and vault access policies.
  • Avoid logging raw secret values; redact sensitive output in pipelines.