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WebMCP Documentation: Reusable Snippets Implementation Plan

Strategy for extracting common code patterns into reusable snippets to maintain consistency and reduce duplication

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Executive Summary

• Tool registration (registerTool()) - 100+ occurrences
• React hooks (useWebMCP()) - 117+ occurrences
• Response formats - 52+ occurrences
• Client initialization - 18+ occurrences

• ✅ Reduce duplication from ~400+ repeated code blocks to ~50 canonical snippets
• ✅ Improve consistency with single source of truth
• ✅ Simplify maintenance - update once, reflect everywhere
• ✅ Reduce errors from copy-paste inconsistencies
• ✅ Speed up authoring with ready-to-use components

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Current State Analysis

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Existing Snippets

• webmcp-tool-storage.jsx
• webmcp-tool-calculator.jsx
• webmcp-tool-dom-query.jsx
• add-webmcp-polyfill.md
• webmcp-polyfill-setup.jsx
• webmcp-tool-color-converter.jsx

• ❌ Limited to full tool examples only
• ❌ No foundational building blocks (imports, schemas, responses)
• ❌ No variation support (basic/advanced versions)
• ❌ No organization by category

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High-Duplication Patterns

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Proposed Snippet Organization

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Directory Structure

snippets/
├── core/                          # Essential patterns
│   ├── register-tool-basic.mdx
│   ├── register-tool-with-schema.mdx
│   ├── use-webmcp-basic.mdx
│   ├── use-webmcp-with-state.mdx
│   ├── response-success.mdx
│   ├── response-error.mdx
│   └── response-markdown.mdx
│
├── imports/                       # Common import statements
│   ├── react-imports.mdx
│   ├── client-imports.mdx
│   ├── extension-imports.mdx
│   └── all-imports.mdx
│
├── validation/                    # Schema patterns
│   ├── zod-basic.mdx
│   ├── zod-complex.mdx
│   ├── json-schema-basic.mdx
│   └── json-schema-complex.mdx
│
├── clients/                       # Transport/client setup
│   ├── tab-client-setup.mdx
│   ├── tab-server-setup.mdx
│   ├── iframe-parent-setup.mdx
│   ├── iframe-child-setup.mdx
│   ├── extension-client-setup.mdx
│   └── mcp-client-provider.mdx
│
├── patterns/                      # Advanced patterns
│   ├── error-handling.mdx
│   ├── fetch-api.mdx
│   ├── optimistic-update.mdx
│   ├── lifecycle-cleanup.mdx
│   └── tool-organization.mdx
│
├── templates/                     # Complete examples
│   ├── basic-tool-template.mdx
│   ├── react-component-template.mdx
│   └── extension-setup-template.mdx
│
└── examples/                      # Full working examples
    ├── webmcp-tool-storage.jsx    (existing)
    ├── webmcp-tool-calculator.jsx (existing)
    └── ...

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Implementation Phases

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Phase 1: Critical Foundation (Week 1)

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1. Core Tool Registration

snippets/core/register-tool-basic.mdx

• Basic registerTool() pattern
• Variations: minimal, with schema, with cleanup

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2. React Hook Patterns

snippets/core/use-webmcp-basic.mdx
snippets/core/use-webmcp-with-state.mdx

• Basic useWebMCP() usage
• With execution state tracking

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3. Response Formats

snippets/core/response-success.mdx
snippets/core/response-error.mdx
snippets/core/response-markdown.mdx

• Standard text response
• Error response with isError
• Markdown formatted response

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4. Import Statements

snippets/imports/react-imports.mdx
snippets/imports/client-imports.mdx

• React setup imports
• Client/transport imports

• quickstart.mdx - Replace 8+ code blocks
• best-practices.mdx - Replace 15+ code blocks
• packages/react-webmcp.mdx - Replace 10+ code blocks

• Reduce code duplication by 30%
• Update 3-5 high-traffic pages
• Create 10-12 foundational snippets

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Phase 2: Validation & Client Setup (Week 2)

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5. Schema Validation

snippets/validation/zod-basic.mdx
snippets/validation/zod-complex.mdx
snippets/validation/json-schema-basic.mdx

• Basic Zod schema with .describe()
• Complex Zod with validation
• JSON Schema equivalents

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6. Client Initialization

snippets/clients/tab-client-setup.mdx
snippets/clients/mcp-client-provider.mdx

• TabClientTransport setup
• React McpClientProvider pattern

• concepts/schemas.mdx - Replace schema examples
• packages/transports.mdx - Replace client setup
• packages/react-webmcp.mdx - Replace provider examples

• Reduce schema duplication by 40%
• Standardize all client setup code
• Create 8-10 validation/client snippets

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Phase 3: Advanced Patterns (Week 3)

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7. Error Handling

snippets/patterns/error-handling.mdx

• Error formatter function
• Try-catch patterns
• Validation error handling

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8. Lifecycle Management

snippets/patterns/lifecycle-cleanup.mdx

• useEffect cleanup
• beforeunload cleanup
• Dynamic tool patterns

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9. Optimistic Updates

snippets/patterns/optimistic-update.mdx

• Immediate UI update
• Background sync
• Error rollback

• best-practices.mdx - Replace advanced patterns
• concepts/tool-registration.mdx - Replace lifecycle examples
• security.mdx - Replace error handling

• Cover 90% of common patterns
• Create 6-8 advanced snippets
• Update all concept pages

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Phase 4: Templates & Migration (Week 4)

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10. Complete Templates

snippets/templates/basic-tool-template.mdx
snippets/templates/react-component-template.mdx

• Ready-to-use tool implementations
• Copy-paste starting points

• All remaining MDX files
• Migration checklist completion
• Documentation updates

• 100% of high-value patterns extracted
• All pages using snippets consistently
• Documentation reflects new structure

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Snippet Design Guidelines

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1. Exportable Components

// snippets/core/register-tool-basic.mdx
export const RegisterToolBasic = ({ toolName = "example_tool", description = "Tool description" }) => {
  return `navigator.modelContext.registerTool({
  name: "${toolName}",
  description: "${description}",
  inputSchema: { type: "object", properties: {} },
  async execute(args) {
    // Implementation here
    return { content: [{ type: "text", text: "Result" }] };
  }
});`;
};

import { RegisterToolBasic } from '/snippets/core/register-tool-basic.mdx';

<RegisterToolBasic toolName="my_tool" description="My tool description" />

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2. Variable Support

// snippets/validation/zod-basic.mdx
export const ZodBasicSchema = ({ fieldName = "query", fieldType = "string" }) => {
  return `inputSchema: {
  ${fieldName}: z.${fieldType}().describe('Field description')
}`;
};

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3. Variation Pattern

// snippets/core/use-webmcp-basic.mdx - Simple version
// snippets/core/use-webmcp-with-state.mdx - With state tracking
// snippets/core/use-webmcp-advanced.mdx - Full featured

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4. Documentation within Snippets

// snippets/core/register-tool-basic.mdx

{/*
# Basic Tool Registration

Use this pattern for simple tools with no input parameters.

## When to use:
- Tools that don't need user input
- Read-only context tools
- Simple getters

## Example:
<RegisterToolBasic toolName="get_page_title" />
*/}

export const RegisterToolBasic = ({ toolName, description }) => { ... };

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Migration Strategy

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Step-by-Step Approach

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1. Create Snippet

• Extract pattern to snippet file
• Add variable support
• Test in isolation
• Document usage

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2. Update One File

• Replace code block with snippet import
• Verify rendering locally (mintlify dev)
• Check code block formatting (twoslash, icons, etc.)
• Commit change

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3. Propagate Pattern

• Update similar code blocks in other files
• Use search to find all instances
• Update in batches by pattern type

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4. Verify & Test

• Run local preview
• Check all pages render correctly
• Verify code examples display properly
• Test snippet variables

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Migration Checklist Template

## Pattern: [Pattern Name]

**Snippet File:** `snippets/.../pattern-name.mdx`

**Files to Update:**
- [ ] quickstart.mdx (3 occurrences)
- [ ] best-practices.mdx (8 occurrences)
- [ ] packages/react-webmcp.mdx (5 occurrences)
- [ ] concepts/schemas.mdx (2 occurrences)

**Testing:**
- [ ] Local preview renders correctly
- [ ] Code formatting preserved (twoslash, icons, lines)
- [ ] Variables work as expected
- [ ] No broken imports

**Commit:** [Commit SHA]

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Maintenance Guidelines

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1. When to Create a Snippet

• ✅ Pattern appears 3+ times across different files
• ✅ Pattern is foundational (imports, basic setup)
• ✅ Pattern needs to stay consistent (security, best practices)
• ✅ Pattern is likely to change (API updates, deprecations)

• ❌ Pattern appears only 1-2 times
• ❌ Pattern is page-specific context
• ❌ Pattern benefits from inline explanation

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2. Updating Snippets

1. Review all usages - Check which pages import it
2. Test changes - Preview all affected pages
3. Document changes - Update snippet comments
4. Communicate impact - Note in changelog/commit

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3. Naming Conventions

• Use kebab-case: register-tool-basic.mdx
• Be descriptive: use-webmcp-with-state.mdx not hook2.mdx
• Include variation: -basic, -advanced, -with-state

• Use PascalCase: RegisterToolBasic
• Match filename: register-tool-basic.mdx → RegisterToolBasic
• Be explicit: ZodBasicSchema not just Schema

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4. Version Control

## Snippets - 2025-11-10

### Added
- `snippets/core/register-tool-basic.mdx` - Basic tool registration pattern

### Changed
- `snippets/validation/zod-basic.mdx` - Added optional field support

### Deprecated
- `snippets/old-pattern.mdx` - Replaced by `new-pattern.mdx`

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Benefits Analysis

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Before Snippets

• 100+ duplicated registerTool() blocks
• Manual updates required across 19+ files
• Inconsistent patterns (some with cleanup, some without)
• Copy-paste errors common
• ~400 total repeated code blocks

• 🔴 API changes require updating 50+ locations
• 🔴 Inconsistencies between examples
• 🔴 New contributors unsure which pattern to use
• 🔴 Outdated examples slip through reviews

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After Snippets

• ~50 canonical snippet sources
• Import once, use everywhere
• Consistent patterns site-wide
• Single source of truth

• 🟢 API changes update in 1 location
• 🟢 Guaranteed consistency
• 🟢 Clear “official” patterns
• 🟢 Easier to maintain and review

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Metrics

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Risk Mitigation

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Potential Risks

1. Over-abstraction
   • Risk: Snippets become too generic, lose context
   • Mitigation: Keep page-specific context inline, snippet only reusable parts
2. Breaking changes
   • Risk: Snippet update breaks multiple pages
   • Mitigation: Preview all pages before committing, use semantic versioning
3. Discovery
   • Risk: Contributors don’t know snippets exist
   • Mitigation: Document in CLAUDE.md, create snippet catalog
4. Flexibility
   • Risk: Snippets too rigid for variations
   • Mitigation: Use props/variables, create variation snippets

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Rollback Plan

1. Git revert to previous commit
2. Keep snippet files, but don’t import them
3. Gradually adopt with more testing
4. Revert individual pages, not all-or-nothing

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Success Criteria

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Phase 1 Success

• ✅ 10-12 foundational snippets created
• ✅ 3-5 high-traffic pages using snippets
• ✅ 30% reduction in code duplication
• ✅ Zero rendering errors

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Phase 2 Success

• ✅ 20+ snippets covering validation & clients
• ✅ 50% reduction in duplication
• ✅ All schema examples standardized
• ✅ Clear organization structure

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Phase 3 Success

• ✅ 30+ snippets covering advanced patterns
• ✅ 75% reduction in duplication
• ✅ All concept pages updated
• ✅ Best practices documented

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Phase 4 Success

• ✅ 90%+ of high-value patterns extracted
• ✅ All pages using snippets consistently
• ✅ Complete documentation and guidelines
• ✅ Maintenance workflow established

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Next Steps

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Immediate Actions

1. ✅ Review this plan - Get team feedback
2. ⏳ Create Phase 1 snippets - Start with highest-value patterns
3. ⏳ Update quickstart.mdx - Pilot implementation
4. ⏳ Test and refine - Validate approach
5. ⏳ Document in CLAUDE.md - Add snippet guidelines

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Week 1 Goals

• Create 10-12 core snippets
• Update 3 high-traffic pages
• Establish workflow
• Document learnings

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Long-term Goals

• Complete all 4 phases
• Create snippet catalog
• Automate snippet testing
• Monitor adoption and effectiveness

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Appendix A: High-Value Snippet List

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Must-Create Snippets (Phase 1)

1. Core Registration
   • snippets/core/register-tool-basic.mdx
   • snippets/core/register-tool-with-schema.mdx
2. React Hooks
   • snippets/core/use-webmcp-basic.mdx
   • snippets/core/use-webmcp-with-state.mdx
3. Responses
   • snippets/core/response-success.mdx
   • snippets/core/response-error.mdx
   • snippets/core/response-markdown.mdx
4. Imports
   • snippets/imports/react-imports.mdx
   • snippets/imports/client-imports.mdx

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High-Priority Snippets (Phase 2)

5. Validation
   • snippets/validation/zod-basic.mdx
   • snippets/validation/zod-complex.mdx
   • snippets/validation/json-schema-basic.mdx
6. Clients
   • snippets/clients/tab-client-setup.mdx
   • snippets/clients/mcp-client-provider.mdx

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Nice-to-Have Snippets (Phase 3-4)

7. Patterns
   • snippets/patterns/error-handling.mdx
   • snippets/patterns/lifecycle-cleanup.mdx
   • snippets/patterns/optimistic-update.mdx
   • snippets/patterns/fetch-api.mdx
8. Templates
   • snippets/templates/basic-tool-template.mdx
   • snippets/templates/react-component-template.mdx

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Appendix B: Migration Priority Matrix