collab

## MCP-First Principle

**Always use MCP tools for session/document operations:**

| Operation | MCP Tool |
|-----------|----------|
| Server health | `check_server_health` |
| List sessions | `list_sessions` |
| Session state | `get_session_state`, `update_session_state` |
| Documents | `get_document`, `list_documents`, `create_document`, `update_document`, `patch_document` |
| Diagrams | `get_diagram`, `list_diagrams`, `create_diagram`, `update_diagram`, `patch_diagram` |
| Snapshots | `has_snapshot`, `save_snapshot`, `load_snapshot`, `delete_snapshot` |
| UI | `render_ui`, `update_ui`, `dismiss_ui` |

**Bash only for:**
- Git commands (`git status`, `git commit`, etc.)
- External tools not available via MCP
- File operations outside `.collab/` folder

# Collab Sessions

Start or resume a collaborative design session. The mermaid-collab server must be running.

This skill is the orchestrator for the collab workflow. It manages session creation, the work item loop, and coordinates other skills.

---

## Step 1: Check Server

```
Tool: mcp__plugin_mermaid-collab_mermaid__check_server_health
Args: {}
```

Returns: `{ "mcp": true, "http": true, "ui": true }` or error

**If not all true:**
```
Server not running. From the plugin directory, run:

  bun run bin/mermaid-collab.ts start

Then run /collab again.
```
**STOP here if server is not running.**

---

## Session Management

Session management handles finding existing sessions, creating new sessions, and resuming previous work.

**Key steps:**
- **Step 2: Find Sessions** - List existing sessions with their phases
- **Step 3: Create Session** - Generate name, create files, invoke gather-session-goals
- **Step 5: Resume Session** - Restore from snapshot or route through ready-to-implement

**Invoke skill: collab-session-mgmt** for detailed session management procedures.

---

## Work Item Loop

The core orchestration loop (Step 4) that processes work items one at a time.

**Key steps:**
- Read design doc and parse wo