MCP Prompts Guide

The Cisco Support MCP Server includes 5 specialized MCP prompts that provide guided workflows for common Cisco support scenarios. These prompts generate structured investigation plans that help you use the bug search tools more effectively.

Available Prompts

1. cisco-incident-investigation

Investigate Cisco bugs related to specific incident symptoms and errors

Required Arguments:

• symptom - The error message, symptom, or behavior observed
• product - Cisco product experiencing the issue

Optional Arguments:

• severity - Incident severity level (1=Critical, 2=High, 3=Medium)
• software_version - Current software version if known

Example Usage:

Use the cisco-incident-investigation prompt with symptom "device crashes randomly", product "Cisco ASR 1000", and severity "1"

When to Use:

• Production incidents requiring immediate investigation
• Recurring issues that need systematic analysis
• Critical symptoms affecting network operations
• When you need to correlate symptoms with known bugs

2. cisco-upgrade-planning

Research known issues and bugs before upgrading Cisco software or hardware

Required Arguments:

• current_version - Current software version (e.g., "15.2(4)S")
• target_version - Target upgrade version (e.g., "15.2(4)S5")
• product - Cisco product being upgraded

Optional Arguments:

• environment - Environment type (production, staging, lab)

Example Usage:

Use the cisco-upgrade-planning prompt for upgrading from version "15.2(4)S" to "15.2(4)S5" on "Cisco ASR 9000" in "production"

When to Use:

• Planning major software upgrades
• Assessing risks before production changes
• Researching compatibility issues
• Building upgrade test plans

3. cisco-maintenance-prep

Prepare for maintenance windows by identifying potential issues and bugs

Required Arguments:

• maintenance_type - Type of maintenance (software upgrade, hardware replacement, configuration change)
• product - Cisco product undergoing maintenance

Optional Arguments:

• software_version - Current or target software version
• timeline - Maintenance window timeline

Example Usage:

Use the cisco-maintenance-prep prompt for "software upgrade" maintenance on "Cisco Catalyst 9000" with timeline "next week"

When to Use:

• Scheduled maintenance windows
• Hardware replacement planning
• Configuration change preparation
• Risk assessment for maintenance activities

4. cisco-security-advisory

Research security-related bugs and vulnerabilities for Cisco products

Required Arguments:

• product - Cisco product to check for security issues

Optional Arguments:

• software_version - Software version to check
• security_focus - Specific security concern (CVE, vulnerability type, etc.)

Example Usage:

Use the cisco-security-advisory prompt for product "Cisco IOS XE" with security_focus "authentication bypass"

When to Use:

• Security vulnerability assessments
• Compliance audits and reporting
• Incident response for security events
• Proactive security monitoring

5. cisco-known-issues

Check for known issues in specific Cisco software releases or products

Required Arguments:

• product - Cisco product to check
• software_version - Specific software version or range

Optional Arguments:

• issue_type - Type of issues to focus on (performance, stability, features)

Example Usage:

Use the cisco-known-issues prompt for product "Cisco ASR 1000" version "16.12.04" with issue_type "performance"

When to Use:

• Evaluating software stability
• Performance troubleshooting
• Feature compatibility checks
• Release readiness assessment

How Prompts Work

1. Prompt Selection

Choose the appropriate prompt based on your scenario:

• Reactive: Use cisco-incident-investigation for active problems
• Proactive: Use cisco-upgrade-planning or cisco-maintenance-prep for planned activities
• Security: Use cisco-security-advisory for vulnerability assessments
• Assessment: Use cisco-known-issues for general evaluation

2. Argument Input

Provide the required and optional arguments:

• Be specific: Use exact product names and version numbers
• Include context: Add environment details and timelines
• Focus scope: Use optional arguments to narrow the investigation

3. Guided Workflow

Receive a structured investigation plan that includes:

• Systematic search strategy
• Prioritized tool usage
• Risk assessment criteria
• Mitigation recommendations

4. Tool Execution

Follow the plan to systematically search for bugs:

• Execute searches in logical order
• Apply appropriate filters and parameters
• Cross-reference findings across multiple tools
• Document results for analysis

5. Expert Analysis

Get recommendations based on findings:

• Risk prioritization
• Impact assessment
• Mitigation strategies
• Next steps and follow-up actions

Benefits of Using Prompts

Structured Approach

• Consistency: Follow expert-designed workflows for repeatable results
• Completeness: Ensure all relevant aspects are investigated
• Efficiency: Reduce investigation time with targeted searches
• Documentation: Generate structured reports and findings

Best Practices Integration

• Experience: Incorporate years of Cisco support knowledge
• Methodology: Apply proven troubleshooting techniques
• Standards: Follow industry best practices for incident response
• Compliance: Meet organizational requirements for change management

Knowledge Transfer

• Learning: Understand effective investigation methodologies
• Training: Develop skills through guided practice
• Standardization: Align team approaches to problem-solving
• Mentoring: Transfer expert knowledge to junior staff

Comprehensive Coverage

• Multi-angle: Investigate from multiple perspectives
• Risk-based: Prioritize based on potential impact
• Systematic: Follow logical progression through investigation steps
• Traceable: Maintain audit trail of investigation process

Prompt Usage Patterns

Emergency Response (cisco-incident-investigation)

1. Identify symptoms and affected systems
2. Gather initial data (product, version, error messages)
3. Execute prompt with high severity
4. Follow emergency escalation procedures
5. Document findings and resolutions

Change Management (cisco-upgrade-planning)

1. Define upgrade scope and objectives
2. Identify current and target versions
3. Execute prompt for risk assessment
4. Develop test plan based on findings
5. Schedule and execute upgrade with mitigation

Preventive Maintenance (cisco-maintenance-prep)

1. Plan maintenance activities and timeline
2. Identify affected systems and versions
3. Execute prompt for risk identification
4. Prepare contingency plans
5. Execute maintenance with monitoring

Security Assessment (cisco-security-advisory)

1. Define security assessment scope
2. Inventory affected products and versions
3. Execute prompt for vulnerability research
4. Prioritize findings by risk level
5. Implement security mitigations

Quality Assurance (cisco-known-issues)

1. Define evaluation criteria and scope
2. Identify products and versions to assess
3. Execute prompt for comprehensive review
4. Analyze findings for quality impact
5. Make go/no-go recommendations

Integration with CI/CD

Automated Quality Gates

# Example: Pre-deployment security check
npx mcp-cisco-support --prompt cisco-security-advisory \
  --product "Cisco ASR 1000" \
  --software_version "16.12.04" \
  --output-format json > security-assessment.json

Scheduled Assessments

# Example: Weekly known issues review
npx mcp-cisco-support --prompt cisco-known-issues \
  --product "Cisco Catalyst 9000" \
  --software_version "17.6.01" \
  --schedule weekly

Customization and Extension

Custom Prompt Development

The prompt framework can be extended to support:

• Organization-specific workflows
• Custom investigation procedures
• Integration with ticketing systems
• Automated reporting and notifications

Prompt Configuration

{
  "prompts": {
    "cisco-incident-investigation": {
      "enabled": true,
      "timeout": 300,
      "retries": 3
    },
    "cisco-upgrade-planning": {
      "enabled": true,
      "include_psirt": true,
      "risk_threshold": "medium"
    }
  }
}