dart-query

Production-ready MCP server for Dart AI task management with batch operations, SQL-like selectors, CSV import, and zero context rot.

What Problem Does This Solve?

The Context Rot Problem

When managing tasks in Dart AI through an LLM, you quickly run into context rot:

You: "Update all high-priority tasks in Engineering to assign them to John"

LLM: Let me list the tasks...
[Fetches 847 tasks, fills context window with JSON]
[Context limit hit before making any updates]
[Lost track of what we were doing]

Traditional approach (context explosion):

1. List all tasks → 2000+ tokens
2. Filter in LLM → context fills with intermediate data
3. Update each task individually → 50+ API calls, each response adds more context
4. By task #10, you've lost context of what you're doing
5. No way to verify results without re-fetching everything

dart-query approach (zero context rot):

1. Single DartQL query: "dartboard = 'Engineering' AND priority = 'high'"
2. Server-side batch operation updates all 50 tasks
3. Returns summary: "50 tasks updated in 12s"
4. Context usage: ~100 tokens total

Context-Efficient Design

Every operation is designed to minimize token usage while maximizing capability:

Key features for context efficiency:

• Progressive disclosure: info tool discovers capabilities without reading schemas
• Detail levels: Return minimal/standard/full data based on need
• Batch operations: Single operation handles hundreds of tasks
• Config caching: 5-minute cache prevents repeated fetches
• DartQL language: SQL-like selectors instead of procedural filtering

Production Safety Without Sandbox

Dart AI has no sandbox environment - all operations are production. dart-query provides safety through:

• Dry-run modes: Preview every batch operation before execution
• Validation phases: CSV imports validate before creating anything
• Confirmation flags: Batch deletes require explicit confirm=true
• Recoverable operations: Deleted tasks go to trash, not permanent deletion
• Error isolation: Failed operations don't corrupt subsequent work

Quick Start

1. Installation

Option A: Install from npm (recommended)

npm install -g @standardbeagle/dart-query

Option B: Install from source

git clone https://github.com/standardbeagle/dart-query
cd dart-query
npm install
npm run build

2. Get Your Dart AI Token

Visit https://app.dartai.com/?settings=account and copy your token (starts with dsa_)

3. Configure MCP

Option A: Using npm global install

Add to your MCP settings (e.g., ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dart-query": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@standardbeagle/dart-query"],
      "env": {
        "DART_TOKEN": "dsa_your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option B: Using local installation

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dart-query": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/dart-query/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "DART_TOKEN": "dsa_your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option C: Using SLOP-MCP for dynamic management

# With npm package
slop register dart-query \
  --command npx \
  --args "-y" "@standardbeagle/dart-query" \
  --env DART_TOKEN=dsa_your_token_here \
  --scope user

# With local installation
slop register dart-query \
  --command node \
  --args dist/index.js \
  --env DART_TOKEN=dsa_your_token_here \
  --scope user

4. Verify Connection

// Get workspace config
get_config({})

// Explore capabilities
info({ level: "overview" })

5. Your First Operations

// Create a task
create_task({
  title: "Test dart-query MCP",
  dartboard: "Personal/test",
  priority: "high"
})

// Batch update multiple tasks (dry run first!)
batch_update_tasks({
  selector: "dartboard = 'Personal/test' AND priority = 'high'",
  updates: { status: "Doing" },
  dry_run: true  // Preview first
})

// Execute after reviewing preview
batch_update_tasks({
  selector: "dartboard = 'Personal/test' AND priority = 'high'",
  updates: { status: "Doing" },
  dry_run: false
})

// Clean up
batch_delete_tasks({
  selector: "dartboard = 'Personal/test'",
  dry_run: false,
  confirm: true  // Required safety flag
})

Core Features

🔍 Progressive Discovery

Start with info tool to explore capabilities without loading all schemas. Navigate overview → group → tool with increasing detail.

🎯 DartQL Query Language

SQL-like WHERE clause syntax for powerful batch operations:

dartboard = 'Engineering' AND priority = 'high' AND tags CONTAINS 'bug'

📊 CSV Bulk Import

Import hundreds of tasks from CSV with validation, error recovery, and fuzzy matching:

• Validate phase catches errors before creating anything
• Parallel import with configurable concurrency
• Continue-on-error mode for resilience

⚡ Batch Operations

Update or delete hundreds of tasks in a single operation:

• Server-side execution (no context rot)
• Dry-run preview mode
• Parallel processing with rate limiting

💾 Context Efficiency

• Detail levels (minimal/standard/full)
• 5-minute config cache
• Token-optimized responses
• Progressive disclosure of capabilities

🛡️ Production Safety

• No sandbox: all operations are production
• Dry-run modes for batch operations
• Validation phases for CSV imports
• Confirmation flags for destructive operations
• Recoverable deletions (tasks → trash)

Tool Groups

Common Use Cases

Bulk Task Management

// Update all overdue high-priority tasks
batch_update_tasks({
  selector: "due_at < '2026-01-18' AND priority = 'high' AND status != 'Done'",
  updates: { priority: "critical", assignees: ["john@company.com"] },
  dry_run: true  // Preview first!
})

Project Cleanup

// Archive completed tasks from Q4 2025
batch_update_tasks({
  selector: "completed_at >= '2025-10-01' AND completed_at < '2026-01-01'",
  updates: { dartboard: "Archive" },
  dry_run: false,
  concurrency: 10
})

CSV Migration

// Import tasks from external system
import_tasks_csv({
  csv_file_path: "./jira-export.csv",
  dartboard: "Engineering",
  column_mapping: {
    "Issue Summary": "title",
    "Assignee Email": "assignee",
    "Priority": "priority"
  },
  validate_only: true  // Validate first!
})

Search and Update

// Find all authentication-related tasks
const results = search_tasks({
  query: "authentication oauth security",
  dartboard: "Engineering",
  limit: 20
})

// Update them in batch
batch_update_tasks({
  selector: "tags CONTAINS 'security' AND title LIKE '%auth%'",
  updates: { priority: "high" }
})

Documentation

📖 Complete Tool Documentation →

Detailed documentation for all tools including:

• Full parameter references
• Return value schemas
• How-to guides for common workflows
• Use case examples
• DartQL syntax reference
• CSV import formats
• Error handling strategies
• Performance optimization tips

Production Safety Checklist

Before ANY batch operation:

• Use dry_run: true and review preview
• Verify selector matches ONLY intended tasks
• Test with small dataset first (< 10 tasks)
• Have rollback plan (tasks go to trash, recoverable)

Before CSV import:

• Use validate_only: true and fix all errors
• Test with 5-10 rows first
• Verify column mapping is correct
• Check references exist in workspace (get_config)

Before batch delete:

• Triple-check selector specificity
• Understand tasks move to trash (recoverable)
• Set confirm: true (required safety flag)

Performance Metrics

Tested with production Dart API:

Concurrency: 10-20 parallel operations, production rate limits observed

Troubleshooting

Authentication Issues

Error: Invalid DART_TOKEN

Solution: Ensure token starts with dsa_ and get fresh token from https://app.dartai.com/?settings=account

Rate Limiting (429)

Error: Rate limit exceeded

Solution: Reduce concurrency parameter (default: 5, try: 2-3). Automatic retry with exponential backoff.

CSV Import Errors

Error: Row 3, column 'priority': Invalid priority: "5". Available: critical, high, medium, low

Solution: Use validate_only: true to see all errors. Check available values with get_config().

DartQL Syntax Errors

Error: Unknown field: priorty. Did you mean: priority?

Solution: Use fuzzy match suggestions. Reference field list with info({ level: "tool", target: "batch_update_tasks" }).

See TOOLS.md for comprehensive troubleshooting guide.

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build TypeScript
npm run build

# Type checking
npm run typecheck

# Run tests (unit tests only - no sandbox for integration)
npm test

Project Structure

src/
├── index.ts              # MCP server entry point
├── tools/                # Tool implementations (info, CRUD, batch, import)
├── api/dartClient.ts     # Dart API wrapper with retry logic
├── parsers/              # DartQL and CSV parsers
├── cache/configCache.ts  # 5-minute config cache
├── batch/                # Batch operation tracking
└── types/index.ts        # TypeScript interfaces

Design Philosophy

1. Context efficiency first: Every feature minimizes token usage
2. Production safety: Dry-run, validation, confirmation flags
3. Progressive disclosure: Discover capabilities without overwhelming schemas
4. Zero context rot: Batch operations prevent context pollution
5. Fail-safe defaults: dry_run: true, validate_only: true by default

Comparison: Traditional vs dart-query

Update 50 Tasks (Traditional LLM approach)

1. list_tasks() → Returns 50 task objects (~15,000 tokens)
2. For each task:
   - update_task(task1) → ~300 tokens
   - update_task(task2) → ~300 tokens
   - ... (50 iterations)
3. Total: ~30,000 tokens, 50 API calls, context window exhausted

Update 50 Tasks (dart-query)

1. batch_update_tasks({
     selector: "dartboard = 'X' AND priority = 'high'",
     updates: { assignee: "john@company.com" }
   })
2. Total: ~200 tokens, 1 API call, zero context rot

Token savings: 99% Time savings: 90% Context rot: Eliminated

Related Projects

• Dart AI - AI-powered task management platform
• MCP - Model Context Protocol specification
• SLOP-MCP - Dynamic MCP server management

License

MIT

Built for production use. Tested with live Dart AI workspace managing 2000+ tasks across 67 dartboards.