Source Management

1---2name: source-management3description: Manages connected MCP sources for enterprise search. Detects available sources, guides users to connect new ones, handles source priority ordering, and manages rate limiting awareness.4user-invocable: false5---6 7# Source Management8 9> If you see unfamiliar placeholders or need to check which tools are connected, see [CONNECTORS.md](../../CONNECTORS.md).10 11Knows what sources are available, helps connect new ones, and manages how sources are queried.12 13## Checking Available Sources14 15Determine which MCP sources are connected by checking available tools. Each source corresponds to a set of MCP tools:16 17| Source | Key capabilities |18|--------|-----------------|19| **~~chat** | Search messages, read channels and threads |20| **~~email** | Search messages, read individual emails |21| **~~cloud storage** | Search files, fetch document contents |22| **~~project tracker** | Search tasks, typeahead search |23| **~~CRM** | Query records (accounts, contacts, opportunities) |24| **~~knowledge base** | Semantic search, keyword search |25 26If a tool prefix is available, the source is connected and searchable.27 28## Guiding Users to Connect Sources29 30When a user searches but has few or no sources connected:31 32```33You currently have [N] source(s) connected: [list].34 35To expand your search, you can connect additional sources in your MCP settings:36- ~~chat — messages, threads, channels37- ~~email — emails, conversations, attachments38- ~~cloud storage — docs, sheets, slides39- ~~project tracker — tasks, projects, milestones40- ~~CRM — accounts, contacts, opportunities41- ~~knowledge base — wiki pages, knowledge base articles42 43The more sources you connect, the more complete your search results.44```45 46When a user asks about a specific tool that is not connected:47 48```49[Tool name] isn't currently connected. To add it:501. Open your MCP settings512. Add the [tool] MCP server configuration523. Authenticate when prompted53 54Once connected, it will be automatically included in future searches.55```56 57## Source Priority Ordering58 59Different query types benefit from searching certain sources first. Use these priorities to weight results, not to skip sources:60 61### By Query Type62 63**Decision queries** ("What did we decide..."):64```651. ~~chat (conversations where decisions happen)662. ~~email (decision confirmations, announcements)673. ~~cloud storage (meeting notes, decision logs)684. Wiki (if decisions are documented)695. Task tracker (if decisions are captured in tasks)70```71 72**Status queries** ("What's the status of..."):73```741. Task tracker (~~project tracker — authoritative status)752. ~~chat (real-time discussion)763. ~~cloud storage (status docs, reports)774. ~~email (status update emails)785. Wiki (project pages)79```80 81**Document queries** ("Where's the doc for..."):82```831. ~~cloud storage (primary doc storage)842. Wiki / ~~knowledge base (knowledge base)853. ~~email (docs shared via email)864. ~~chat (docs shared in channels)875. Task tracker (docs linked to tasks)88```89 90**People queries** ("Who works on..." / "Who knows about..."):91```921. ~~chat (message authors, channel members)932. Task tracker (task assignees)943. ~~cloud storage (doc authors, collaborators)954. ~~CRM (account owners, contacts)965. ~~email (email participants)97```98 99**Factual/Policy queries** ("What's our policy on..."):100```1011. Wiki / ~~knowledge base (official documentation)1022. ~~cloud storage (policy docs, handbooks)1033. ~~email (policy announcements)1044. ~~chat (policy discussions)105```106 107### Default Priority (General Queries)108 109When query type is unclear:110```1111. ~~chat (highest volume, most real-time)1122. ~~email (formal communications)1133. ~~cloud storage (documents and files)1144. Wiki / ~~knowledge base (structured knowledge)1155. Task tracker (work items)1166. CRM (customer data)117```118 119## Rate Limiting Awareness120 121MCP sources may have rate limits. Handle them gracefully:122 123### Detection124 125Rate limit responses typically appear as:126- HTTP 429 responses127- Error messages mentioning "rate limit", "too many requests", or "quota exceeded"128- Throttled or delayed responses129 130### Handling131 132When a source is rate limited:133 1341. **Do not retry immediately** — respect the limit1352. **Continue with other sources** — do not block the entire search1363. **Inform the user**:137```138Note: [Source] is temporarily rate limited. Results below are from139[other sources]. You can retry in a few minutes to include [source].140```1414. **For digests** — if rate limited mid-scan, note which time range was covered before the limit hit142 143### Prevention144 145- Avoid unnecessary API calls — check if the source is likely to have relevant results before querying146- Use targeted queries over broad scans when possible147- For digests, batch requests where the API supports it148- Cache awareness: if a search was just run, avoid re-running the same query immediately149 150## Source Health151 152Track source availability during a session:153 154```155Source Status:156  ~~chat:        ✓ Available157  ~~email:        ✓ Available158  ~~cloud storage:  ✓ Available159  ~~project tracker:        ✗ Not connected160  ~~CRM:   ✗ Not connected161  ~~knowledge base:      ⚠ Rate limited (retry in 2 min)162```163 164When reporting search results, include which sources were searched so the user knows the scope of the answer.165 166## Adding Custom Sources167 168The enterprise search plugin works with any MCP-connected source. As new MCP servers become available, they can be added to the `.mcp.json` configuration. The search and digest commands will automatically detect and include new sources based on available tools.169 170To add a new source:1711. Add the MCP server configuration to `.mcp.json`1722. Authenticate if required1733. The source will be included in subsequent searches automatically