Tool Routing Architecture

The hpe-networking-mcp package provides unified, low-token tool routing across multi-platform HPE Networking toolsets (Aruba Central, GreenLake Platform, Mist, ClearPass, Apstra, EdgeConnect, UXI, Axis Atmos, and AOS8 migration tooling).

High-Level Topology

                  ┌───────────────────────────────┐
                  │    Client (Casper / CLI)       │
                  └───────────────┬───────────────┘
                                  │ tool request
                                  ▼
                  ┌───────────────────────────────┐
                  │          MCP Router           │
                  └───────┬───────────────┬───────┘
                          │               │
        semantic search   │               │ fast path (#82/#83)
                          ▼               ▼
     ┌────────────────────────┐  ┌────────────────────────┐
     │       find_tool        │  │   Fast-Path Wrappers   │
     └────────────┬───────────┘  └────────────┬───────────┘
                  │                           │
                  └─────────────┬─────────────┘
                                │ dispatch
                                ▼
                  ┌───────────────────────────────┐
                  │      9 Platform Backends      │
                  └───────────────┬───────────────┘
                                  │ REST / WSS
                                  ▼
                  ┌───────────────────────────────┐
                  │          Vendor APIs          │
                  └───────────────────────────────┘

Core Components

1. MCP Router (tool_router.py)
   • Single low-token entry point for discovery and execution.
   • Proxies tool execution requests to enabled platform backends.
2. Semantic Discovery (find_tool)
   • Combines semantic vector search (via LanceDB / SQLite tool index) with keyword matches.
   • Serves as the primary discovery mechanism for model intent routing.
3. Fast-Path Wrappers
   • High-frequency read-only helper wrappers (shipped in #82/#83).
   • Short-circuit complex tool searches for routine operations.
4. Platform Backends & Data Stores
   • Backends: Central Monitoring, Central Config, Central Ops, NAC, Central Streaming, GLP, RAG.
   • RAG Corpus & Specs: Hybrid document vector search (LanceDB) and exact OpenAPI spec search (SQLite).
   • Hardware Catalog: SQLite database for HPE hardware specifications and migration taxonomy.

Key Architectural Principles

• Low-Token Default: Router mode (HPE_MCP_ROUTER_MODE=minimal) keeps default tool schemas concise.
• Read-Only Safety: Direct read dispatch uses invoke_read_tool; non-read or destructive operations require invoke_tool with explicit user intent.
• RAG-First & API-First: Model queries query exact OpenAPI definitions (lookup_api) or documented guidance (ask_docs/search_docs) before attempting write operations.