Content
# Workday Studio MCP
A local MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that gives Claude direct access to your Workday Studio workspace. Read, write, plan, and validate integration assemblies without copy-pasting XML back and forth.
Everything runs **locally** on your machine — no network calls, no tenant credentials, no shared state. The server only sees the Studio Workspace folder you point it at.
---
## What you get
26 tools across these categories:
| Category | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Navigation** | `list_studio_projects`, `list_project_files`, `read_integration_file`, `search_studio_files`, `get_workspace_structure` |
| **File management** | `write_integration_file`, `copy_file_from_project`, `rename_file`, `delete_file`, `validate_xml_file` |
| **Project setup** | `create_studio_project`, `create_xsl_transform` |
| **Assembly editing** | `list_assembly_steps`, `list_integration_params`, `add_assembly_step`, `update_sub_flow`, `rename_steps`, `delete_assembly_step`, `validate_assembly` |
| **Planning** | `plan_integration` — design elicitation + skeleton generator; `get_workflow` — where an integration stands and what to do next |
| **Reference** | `get_step_type_reference` — confirmed step type docs with production XML examples; `lookup_soap_operations` — WWS service/operation lookup with WSDL links; `get_patterns` — the curated cross-integration knowledge base (diagram rules, MVEL/XSLT/RAAS idioms) by section or search |
| **Diagnostics** | `parse_server_log` — parse a Workday integration server log from `~/Downloads` |
| **Knowledge capture** | `log_learning` — append a discovered pattern/gotcha to the shared intake log (`learnings.md`) |
A growing knowledge base lives at [`docs/studio-integration-patterns.md`](docs/studio-integration-patterns.md) — hard-won lessons captured from real Studio debugging sessions.
For a single-page digest of the tools, the `plan_integration` design brief, validator rule codes, the SOAP catalog, and the highest-value patterns, see [`docs/quick-reference.md`](docs/quick-reference.md).
---
## Quick install
One line:
```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/krishnagutta/Workday-studio-mcp/main/bin/quickstart.sh | bash
```
This clones the repo to `~/Workday-studio-mcp`, installs dependencies, and prints the exact `claude mcp add` command for your machine.
Or do it manually — see **Manual setup** below.
---
## Prerequisites
- **Node.js 18+** — check with `node --version`
- **Workday Studio** installed with at least one project in your workspace
- **Claude Desktop** or **Claude Code (CLI)** — both work
---
## Manual setup
**1. Clone and install**
```bash
git clone https://github.com/krishnagutta/Workday-studio-mcp.git
cd Workday-studio-mcp
npm install
```
**2. Configure your workspace path**
```bash
cp config.json.example config.json
```
Open `config.json` and set `workspace_path` to the folder containing your Studio projects (the same one Eclipse opens):
```json
{
"workspace_path": "/Users/yourname/Documents/Studio Workspace",
"max_file_size_kb": 500,
"backup_on_write": true,
"excluded_dirs": [".git", ".settings", "bin", "build", "node_modules", ".metadata", ".plugins"],
"excluded_extensions": [".class", ".jar", ".zip", ".bak"]
}
```
Or skip `config.json` entirely and use an env var:
```bash
export STUDIO_WORKSPACE_PATH="/Users/yourname/Documents/Studio Workspace"
```
**3. Verify it starts**
```bash
node src/index.mjs
```
You should see:
```
[studio-mcp] Server started. Workspace: /Users/yourname/Documents/Studio Workspace
```
Press `Ctrl+C` to stop — Claude will spawn it on demand.
---
## Connect to Claude
### Option A — Claude Code (CLI)
```bash
claude mcp add studio-mcp node /absolute/path/to/Workday-studio-mcp/src/index.mjs
```
Confirm:
```bash
claude mcp list
```
### Option B — Claude Desktop
Edit the config file:
- **macOS:** `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
- **Windows:** `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`
Add inside `mcpServers`:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"studio-mcp": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/Workday-studio-mcp/src/index.mjs"]
}
}
}
```
Save and **restart Claude Desktop**.
> **Tip:** Use `which node` to get your full node path if Claude can't find it.
---
## Use it
### List projects
> "List my Studio projects"
### Read a file
> "Read the assembly.xml from INT145"
### Plan a new integration
> "I need to build a new integration"
Claude asks design questions (data source, destination, trigger, record volume, auth, error handling) before generating anything. Then it writes a skeleton `assembly.xml` + `assembly-diagram.xml` you can open in Studio immediately.
It also writes an **`aidlc-docs/`** folder at the project root, so the design rationale outlives the conversation:
```
<your project>/aidlc-docs/
├── plan.md # design brief, per-sub-flow prop contracts, open gaps, tenant handoff checklist
└── state.json # lifecycle state — sub-flow status, decisions log
```
Commit these with your integration: they are the record of *why* it is shaped this way. Regenerating the scaffold refreshes both files but preserves the `created` date and the `decisions` log. Attribute **names** are recorded, never credential values.
### Pick up where you left off
> "What's the status of INT999_Employee_Sync?"
`get_workflow` reads `aidlc-docs/state.json` and reports the phase, which sub-flows are built vs still TODO stubs, the last validation result, and the single next recommended action — without reading the XML. For a project that predates `aidlc-docs/`, call it with `retrofit=true` to derive state from the existing assembly.
### Fill in a sub-flow
> "Fill in the GetWorkers sub-flow — here's the RAAS sample: [paste XML]"
`update_sub_flow` surgically replaces the TODO stub with real steps and validates the result.
### Search across integrations
> "Find all uses of integrationMapLookup"
### Validate
> "Validate the assembly for INT145"
Returns errors (broken routes, illegal comments, missing attributes) and warnings (missing XSL files, unresolved sub-flow endpoints).
### Look up a step type
> "Show me the cc:http-out reference"
Returns confirmed XML examples, schema rules, and gotchas.
### Rename a step safely
> "Rename AsyncMediation3 to SetTransactionProps"
`rename_steps` updates the step ID in `assembly.xml` **and** every href in `assembly-diagram.xml` atomically — renaming in only one file crashes Studio's diagram view.
### Find a SOAP operation
> "Which WWS service has Put_Applicant?"
`lookup_soap_operations` searches the Workday Web Services catalog and returns the service, common operations, and WSDL link.
### Pull curated guidance before hand-editing a diagram
> "Show me the diagram rules before I edit assembly-diagram.xml"
`get_patterns` serves the curated knowledge base — the cross-integration rules that span step types (EMF `@mixed` index math, swimlane layout, the three-entry add/remove rule, MVEL/XSLT/RAAS idioms). Call it with no args for an index, `topic="Diagram Rules"` for a section, or `search="swimlane"` to find by keyword. These are the same lessons in [`docs/studio-integration-patterns.md`](docs/studio-integration-patterns.md), now reachable from any MCP session.
### Capture a discovery
When Claude hits an undocumented Studio behavior during a session, it logs the pattern to `learnings.md` via `log_learning` — entries are reviewed and promoted into the curated knowledge base.
### Parse a server log
After downloading a `server-{wid}.log` from Workday (View Integration Events → expand documents → click the `server-*.log`):
> "Parse my latest server log"
Returns structured timeline, unique errors, and XSLT messages. The parser auto-finds the most recent `server-*.log` in `~/Downloads`.
---
## Project structure
```
Workday-studio-mcp/
├── src/
│ ├── index.mjs # Entry — registers tools, starts server
│ ├── config.mjs # Loads workspace path
│ ├── fs.mjs # FS helpers + path traversal protection
│ ├── xml.mjs # XML validation wrapper
│ ├── assembly-validator.mjs # Studio-specific assembly rules
│ ├── aidlc-docs.mjs # Persists the integration plan + lifecycle state
│ └── tools/
│ ├── list-projects.mjs
│ ├── list-files.mjs
│ ├── read-file.mjs
│ ├── write-file.mjs
│ ├── search-files.mjs
│ ├── workspace-tree.mjs
│ ├── validate-xml.mjs
│ ├── create-project.mjs
│ ├── list-assembly-steps.mjs
│ ├── list-integration-params.mjs
│ ├── add-assembly-step.mjs
│ ├── create-xsl-transform.mjs
│ ├── copy-file-from-project.mjs
│ ├── rename-file.mjs
│ ├── delete-file.mjs
│ ├── get-step-type-reference.mjs # Step type docs
│ ├── lookup-soap-operations.mjs # WWS service/operation catalog
│ ├── get-patterns.mjs # Serves the curated knowledge base
│ ├── plan-integration.mjs # Design elicitation
│ ├── get-workflow.mjs # Lifecycle status + next action
│ ├── update-sub-flow.mjs # Surgical sub-flow replacement
│ ├── rename-steps.mjs # Atomic step rename (assembly + diagram)
│ ├── delete-assembly-step.mjs # Atomic step delete (assembly + diagram)
│ ├── validate-assembly.mjs # Studio rules engine
│ ├── log-learning.mjs # Knowledge-capture intake
│ └── parse-server-log.mjs # Local log parser
├── docs/
│ └── studio-integration-patterns.md # Shared knowledge base
├── learnings.md # Append-only learnings intake queue
├── bin/
│ ├── install.sh
│ └── quickstart.sh
├── test/ # `npm test` — node:test, no dependencies
│ ├── fixtures/
│ └── *.test.mjs
├── config.json.example
├── CLAUDE.md # Instructions for Claude when working in this repo
├── package.json
└── .gitignore
```
---
## Security
- The server only sees files inside your configured `workspace_path` — path traversal attempts are blocked.
- No credentials, API keys, or Workday tenant details are stored or transmitted.
- `config.json` (which contains your local workspace path) is gitignored.
- The server runs over stdio — no network ports are opened.
---
## Contributing patterns back
When you discover a new Studio quirk, schema rule, or assembly pattern, add it to [`docs/studio-integration-patterns.md`](docs/studio-integration-patterns.md) and open a PR. See [`CLAUDE.md`](CLAUDE.md) for guidance on what kinds of learnings belong there. The goal is a collective memory across the team — every debugging session that finds a new gotcha makes the next one cheaper.
---
## Troubleshooting
**`workspace_path not configured`**
Run `cp config.json.example config.json` and set the path.
**`Workspace path does not exist`**
Check the path in `config.json` matches your Studio workspace folder.
**Tools don't appear in Claude**
Ensure the path in your Claude config is absolute, not relative. Restart Claude Desktop after editing.
**`node: command not found` in Claude**
Use the full node path:
```
/usr/local/bin/node /full/path/to/src/index.mjs
```
Find it with `which node`.
---
## License
MIT
