Prompts

Guided workflows for common tasks

Pre-configured multi-step workflows that combine resources, tools, and AI reasoning to accomplish complex tasks efficiently.

What are Prompts?

Prompts are intelligent workflows that:

• Guide you through multi-step processes
• Combine multiple tools automatically
• Provide context-aware recommendations
• Leverage AI reasoning for better results

Unlike individual tools, prompts orchestrate multiple operations and make intelligent decisions based on intermediate results.

Arch MCP Server provides 8 intelligent workflows that guide you through complex tasks.

Available Prompts

troubleshoot_issue

Diagnose and resolve system errors using Arch Wiki knowledge.

Purpose: Help users identify and fix system problems by leveraging Wiki documentation and AI analysis.

Workflow:

1. Extract keywords from error description
2. Search Arch Wiki for relevant documentation
3. Analyze error context
4. Provide context-aware suggestions
5. Link to detailed Wiki sections

When to use:

• System errors or failures
• Service/daemon issues
• Boot problems
• Configuration errors
• Package conflicts

Example Input:

"Help! My computer won't start up, it's just showing a grub rescue prompt and I don't know what to do"

Example Output:

• Extracted keywords: “boot”, “grub”, “rescue”
• Wiki pages: GRUB, Boot process, System rescue
• Diagnostic steps
• Recovery commands
• Prevention tips

What it does:

1. Parses your error description
2. Identifies key technical terms
3. Searches multiple Wiki pages
4. Prioritizes most relevant sections
5. Provides step-by-step solutions
6. Links to additional resources

audit_aur_package

Perform comprehensive pre-installation security audit for AUR packages.

Purpose: Evaluate package safety before installation by analyzing metadata, PKGBUILD, and trust indicators.

Workflow:

1. Fetch AUR package metadata
2. Analyze package metadata risk
3. Retrieve and analyze PKGBUILD
4. Check for malicious patterns
5. Evaluate maintainer reputation
6. Generate security recommendations

When to use:

• Before installing any AUR package
• Investigating suspicious packages
• Security audits
• Verifying package safety

Example Input:

"I want to install yay but I'm worried about security, can you check if it's safe?"

Example Output:

• Package info (votes: 2500+, popularity: high)
• Metadata risk: LOW
• PKGBUILD analysis: No suspicious patterns
• Maintainer: Known contributor
• Recommendation: SAFE TO INSTALL

Security Checks:

• ✓ Vote count validation
• ✓ Maintainer verification
• ✓ Package age check
• ✓ Update frequency analysis
• ✓ PKGBUILD pattern scanning
• ✓ Dependency safety

What it provides:

1. Overall risk assessment
2. Detailed security findings
3. Line-by-line PKGBUILD analysis
4. Trust indicators
5. Installation recommendation
6. Alternative suggestions (if risky)

analyze_dependencies

Plan package installation by mapping dependencies and determining optimal install order.

Purpose: Understand package dependencies and create installation plan for complex setups.

Workflow:

1. Query official repositories
2. Search AUR if needed
3. Map dependency tree
4. Check for conflicts
5. Suggest installation order
6. Identify optional vs required deps

When to use:

• Installing packages with many dependencies
• Resolving dependency conflicts
• Planning complex installations
• Understanding package relationships

Example Input:

"I'm trying to set up Docker for my development work, what packages do I need to install?"

Example Output:

• Repository: extra
• Required dependencies: containerd, runc, bridge-utils
• Optional dependencies: docker-compose, docker-buildx
• Conflicts: None
• Install order:
  1. containerd
  2. runc
  3. bridge-utils
  4. docker
  5. docker-compose (optional)

What it analyzes:

1. Direct dependencies
2. Transitive dependencies
3. Conflicts and replaces
4. Optional dependencies
5. Make dependencies (AUR)
6. Check dependencies (AUR)

Installation Planning:

• Groups packages by type
• Orders by dependency chain
• Flags potential conflicts
• Highlights optional features
• Suggests pre-installation steps

---

safe_system_update

Enhanced system update workflow with pre-update safety checks.

Purpose: Safely update your system by checking for critical news, disk space, and system health before updating.

Workflow:

1. Check for critical Arch Linux news
2. Review news since last system update
3. Verify sufficient disk space
4. List available updates
5. Check for failed services
6. Provide update recommendations

When to use:

• Before running system updates
• Regular maintenance routines
• After seeing Arch news notifications
• When preparing for major updates

Example Usage:

"I want to update my system but want to make sure it's safe to do so"

Safety Checks:

• ✓ Critical news requiring manual intervention
• ✓ Disk space availability
• ✓ Failed systemd services
• ✓ Database freshness
• ✓ Pacman cache status

---

cleanup_system

Comprehensive system cleanup workflow to free disk space.

Purpose: Clean up orphaned packages, package cache, and verify system integrity.

Workflow:

1. List orphaned packages
2. Calculate reclaimable space
3. Check pacman cache statistics
4. Remove orphans (with confirmation)
5. Clean package cache
6. Verify package integrity

When to use:

• Low disk space
• Regular system maintenance
• After removing large packages
• Cleaning up test installations

Example Input:

"My disk is almost full, can you help clean up my system?"

Parameters:

• aggressive (optional): Perform more aggressive cleanup (default: false)

What it cleans:

• Orphaned packages
• Old package cache files
• Unused dependencies
• Corrupted package files (identifies for manual review)

---

package_investigation

Deep research and security analysis before installing a package.

Purpose: Thoroughly investigate a package’s safety, dependencies, and characteristics before installation.

Workflow:

1. Check official repositories first
2. If AUR: fetch metadata and analyze trust
3. Fetch and analyze PKGBUILD
4. Review dependencies and conflicts
5. Check for known issues
6. Generate comprehensive report

When to use:

• Before installing unfamiliar packages
• When package name seems suspicious
• Security-conscious installations
• Understanding package impact

Example Input:

"I want to install 'signal-desktop', what should I know about it?"

Investigation Areas:

• Package source (official vs AUR)
• Security analysis
• Dependency tree
• Disk space requirements
• Known issues or warnings

---

mirror_optimization

Test and configure optimal package mirrors based on your location.

Purpose: Find and configure the fastest repository mirrors for better download speeds.

Workflow:

1. List currently active mirrors
2. Test mirror latency
3. Suggest fastest mirrors by location
4. Check mirrorlist health
5. Provide configuration recommendations

When to use:

• Slow package downloads
• After moving to new location/region
• Mirror connectivity issues
• Initial system setup

Example Input:

"My package downloads are really slow, can you help optimize my mirrors?"

Parameters:

• country (optional): Country code for mirror suggestions (e.g., “US”, “DE”, “JP”)

Optimization Steps:

• Tests mirror response times
• Ranks by latency
• Filters by protocol (HTTPS preferred)
• Checks mirror sync status
• Provides mirrorlist configuration

---

system_health_check

Comprehensive system diagnostic to identify potential issues.

Purpose: Perform a complete health check of your Arch Linux system.

Workflow:

1. Get system information (kernel, memory, uptime)
2. Check disk space usage
3. Identify failed systemd services
4. Review boot logs for errors
5. Check package database freshness
6. Verify pacman cache health
7. List recent failed transactions
8. Generate health report with recommendations

When to use:

• Troubleshooting system issues
• Regular health monitoring
• After system updates
• Before major system changes

Example Usage:

"Can you check if my system is healthy? Something feels off"

Diagnostic Areas:

• ✓ System resources (CPU, memory, disk)
• ✓ Systemd service status
• ✓ Package manager health
• ✓ Recent errors and warnings
• ✓ Database and cache status

---

Prompt Usage Patterns

Troubleshooting Pattern

User: "I'm trying to start nginx but it keeps saying permission denied, what's going wrong?"
AI (using troubleshoot_issue):
  → Searches Wiki: "nginx", "systemd", "permissions"
  → Finds relevant sections
  → Provides diagnostic commands
  → Suggests fixes with explanations

Security Audit Pattern

User: "I found this package called 'crypto-miner-helper' on AUR, should I trust it?"
AI (using audit_aur_package):
  → Fetches metadata (votes, maintainer, age)
  → Analyzes PKGBUILD for malicious code
  → Checks maintainer reputation
  → Provides risk assessment
  → Recommends action

Dependency Analysis Pattern

User: "I want to set up a development environment with Docker, what all do I need to install?"
AI (using analyze_dependencies):
  → Checks official repos first
  → Maps dependency tree
  → Identifies optional features
  → Suggests install order
  → Warns about conflicts

Combining Prompts

Prompts can be chained for complex workflows:

Example: Safe AUR Installation

1. audit_aur_package → Check if package is safe
2. analyze_dependencies → Plan installation
3. (Manual) install_package_secure → Execute install

Example: System Issue Resolution

1. troubleshoot_issue → Diagnose problem
2. search_archwiki → Get detailed docs
3. (Manual) Apply suggested fix
4. troubleshoot_issue → Verify resolution

Prompt vs Tool vs Resource

Type	Purpose	Interaction	Examples
Resource	Read data	Passive lookup	archwiki://, aur://*/info
Tool	Single operation	Execute function	search_aur, analyze_pkgbuild_safety
Prompt	Multi-step workflow	Guided process	troubleshoot_issue, audit_aur_package

When to use each:

• Resource: Direct data access, you know exact location
• Tool: Single specific operation needed
• Prompt: Complex task requiring multiple steps and AI reasoning

Learn More

Resources

URI-based data access

Tools

Individual executable functions

Examples

Practical usage scenarios

Installation

Setup and configuration