Summary

• Repositions MCP as a pre-launch capability: public wording now says "MCP is coming soon" / "not launched yet" instead of presenting it as an active supported surface.
• Keeps direct CLI commands as the supported public launch path for auth, schema discovery, Avatar, Avatar Video, jobs, balance, and usage workflows.
• Prevents public users from starting MCP or writing MCP/agent client config while keeping future MCP implementation code visible in the open-source repo.
• Updates README/docs/bundled skills, CLI tests, and CI/release binary smoke checks so the launch posture is consistent across help, JSON metadata, schemas, docs, and packaged binaries.

Context

MCP is not launched for the public CLI yet, and there are no existing public MCP users to preserve compatibility for. The product goal is not to hide code or describe a broken feature as "disabled". Instead, the CLI should be honest that MCP is coming soon while making direct CLI commands the only supported launch surface today.

Before this PR, top-level help/docs/setup flows described MCP as usable: users could discover sume mcp, install local client config, inspect MCP client readiness, and see MCP payload schemas through sume tools. That made MCP look launched and reliable even though it is not ready for public users.

Implementation

• src/lib/mcp-launch-status.ts
  • Adds a single source for the coming-soon status object, user-facing message, direct-CLI hint, and pre-launch errors.
  • Uses stable JSON fields: object: "mcp_status", status: "coming_soon", launched: false, and recommended_surface: "direct_cli".
• src/commands/mcp.ts
  • Hides sume mcp from top-level help but leaves explicit command access for clear status/error handling.
  • sume mcp returns mcp_not_launched instead of starting the stdio server.
  • sume mcp install returns mcp_not_launched and does not write client config, even in dry-run mode.
  • sume mcp doctor returns the launch status only, without reading or validating local MCP client config as a launched feature.
• src/commands/setup.ts
  • Hides sume setup from top-level help.
  • sume setup agent returns agent_setup_not_launched and does not install MCP/agent config.
• src/index.ts and src/commands/doctor.ts
  • Removes mcp and setup from root JSON command discovery.
  • Adds coming_soon metadata to sume --json.
  • Updates doctor output to report MCP as coming soon rather than checking launched MCP client readiness.
• src/lib/tool-registry.ts and src/commands/tools.ts
  • Rewords sume tools as CLI command schema discovery.
  • Sets public tool schemas to mcp_input_schema: null and execution.mcp_tool: null.
  • Adds mcp: { status: "coming_soon", launched: false } metadata so agents do not treat MCP payloads as usable.
  • Filters MCP-only helpers like jobs.wait and assets.upload_file from public sume tools list/schema discovery.
• src/mcp/tools.ts
  • Keeps future MCP tool definitions in the codebase but rewords local schema descriptions away from launched MCP terminology.
• .github/workflows/ci.yml and .github/workflows/release.yml
  • Updates binary smoke checks to validate supported direct CLI schemas and the root coming_soon metadata.
  • Removes smoke expectations for MCP-only schemas that are intentionally not public launch contracts.
• README.md, docs/*, agent/*, and src/lib/bundled-skills-data.ts
  • Removes active MCP setup/startup instructions from public launch docs and bundled skills.
  • Replaces those sections with "MCP is coming soon" guidance and direct CLI command examples.
  • Regenerates bundled skill data from the updated agent/ files.
• package.json
  • Updates public package description/keywords so the launch package is positioned as CLI tooling, not launched MCP tooling.

Public Contract / Schema Notes

• sume --help no longer advertises mcp or setup as launched top-level commands.
• sume --json no longer lists mcp or setup under commands; it includes a coming_soon MCP status entry instead.
• Explicit sume mcp, sume mcp install, and sume setup agent calls fail clearly with coming-soon JSON errors in --json mode.
• sume mcp doctor --json remains a status-only command and returns status: "coming_soon" / launched: false.
• sume tools list/schema remains supported for CLI schema discovery but does not expose usable MCP input schemas or MCP-only helper tools as public launch contracts.
• CI/release binary smoke now checks launch-supported schemas and verifies root coming-soon metadata.
• No API endpoints, provider calls, env files, secrets, releases, or deploy behavior are changed.

Verification

• pnpm run typecheck - passed.
• pnpm exec vitest run test/cli.test.ts test/mcp.test.ts - passed after the final test wording amend: 84 tests passed.
• pnpm run check - passed before the final test-title-only/workflow-smoke commits: version check, typecheck, full test suite, node build, and secrets check all passed; 119 tests passed; no obvious secrets found.
• pnpm run build:binary plus local CI-equivalent binary smoke - passed after updating the workflow smoke:
  • ./dist/sume --version
  • ./dist/sume --json tools schema jobs.watch
  • ./dist/sume --json tools schema assets.create
  • ./dist/sume --json tools schema assets.get
  • ./dist/sume --json tools schema avatars.create
  • ./dist/sume --json tools schema avatar-videos.create
  • ./dist/sume --json skills list
  • ./dist/sume --json with "coming_soon" and "mcp_status" checks
• Manual smoke checks on the built CLI:
  • node dist/index.js --help omitted mcp and setup from top-level help.
  • node dist/index.js --json omitted mcp and setup from commands and included coming_soon MCP status.
  • node dist/index.js --json mcp doctor returned object: "mcp_status", status: "coming_soon", launched: false.
  • node dist/index.js --json mcp install --agent codex --dry-run exited nonzero with mcp_not_launched and did not enter config writing.

Review Notes

• Deslop pass: removed launched-MCP instructions and obsolete active setup text rather than leaving contradictory docs around the new behavior.
• Code-quality pass: kept the pre-launch status logic centralized in one small helper and avoided adding feature flags or hidden compatibility modes, since MCP has not launched publicly.
• CI review fix: updated binary/release smoke checks after PR CI correctly exposed stale jobs.wait / assets.upload_file expectations.
• No inline-import issues were introduced by this PR; existing future-MCP dynamic imports remain in the MCP tool implementation code.
• No exhaustive-switch changes were relevant.
• No secrets, env files, API keys, generated local logs, or deployment artifacts are included.

Risk / Rollback

• Risk is low for direct CLI workflows: the change intentionally does not alter auth, API client calls, Avatar/Avatar Video submit logic, jobs, balance, usage, assets, or release installation paths.
• Main behavior risk is that anyone relying on pre-launch MCP commands from a local/internal build will now receive coming-soon errors instead of a server/config install. This is intentional per product direction because MCP is not publicly launched.
• Rollback is straightforward: revert this PR to restore the prior active MCP command/help/docs behavior.

Follow-ups

• When MCP is ready to launch, re-enable the command surface deliberately with updated docs, tests, client config installation, schema contracts, and CI/release smoke coverage.
• Decide whether future MCP launch should reuse the current in-repo server/tool implementation as-is or go through a dedicated launch hardening PR first.