dev_diary.md

Development Diary

2024-01-XX - MVP Character Skeletons and Gradio Group Chat

Goal

Create working skeletons for the three missing characters (Magpie, Raven, Crow) with placeholder tools, expand the MCP server to handle all tools, and build a Gradio group chat interface for the hackathon demo.

Implementation

Character Skeletons Created:

• Magpie (Sanguine temperament): Enthusiastic trend-spotter with tools: search_web, find_trending_topics, get_quick_facts
• Raven (Choleric temperament): Passionate activist with tools: search_news, get_environmental_data, verify_claim
• Crow (Phlegmatic temperament): Calm observer with tools: get_bird_sightings, get_weather_patterns, analyze_temporal_patterns

All characters follow the Corvus pattern with Groq client setup, system prompts matching their temperaments, and stub respond() methods returning mock messages for MVP.

Tool Entrypoints: Created three new entrypoint modules grouped by tool type:

• src/cluas_mcp/web/web_search_entrypoint.py - 3 functions
• src/cluas_mcp/news/news_search_entrypoint.py - 3 functions
• src/cluas_mcp/observation/observation_entrypoint.py - 3 functions

All return structured mock data matching expected real response formats, with TODO comments for future full implementation.

MCP Server Expansion: Updated src/cluas_mcp/server.py to:

• List all 10 tools (9 new + academic_search) in list_tools()
• Route all tool calls to appropriate entrypoints in call_tool()
• Added formatting functions for all tool result types

Gradio Interface: Built src/gradio/app.py with:

• Sequential responses from all 4 characters
• Character names and emojis displayed
• Conversation history maintained
• Simple, MVP-focused implementation (no async handling yet)

Issues Encountered and Resolved

1. Circular Import Issue: src/gradio/__init__.py was causing circular imports. Resolution: Deleted the file entirely as it wasn't needed. Updated root app.py to import directly from src.gradio.app.

2. Import Path Inconsistencies: Several files had incorrect import paths (missing src. prefix):

   • src/gradio/app.py - character imports
   • src/cluas_mcp/academic/semantic_scholar.py
   • src/cluas_mcp/academic/pubmed.py
   • src/cluas_mcp/academic/arxiv.py
   • src/cluas_mcp/academic/thing.py

   Resolution: Fixed all imports to use consistent src. prefix pattern.

3. Gradio API Compatibility: theme=gr.themes.Soft() parameter not supported in this Gradio version. Resolution: Removed the theme parameter.

4. Gradio 6.x Migration: The initial implementation used Gradio 5.x tuple format for chat history. Resolution: Migrated to Gradio 6.x messages format with structured content blocks:

   • Changed from List[Tuple[str, str]] to List[dict] with {"role": "user/assistant", "content": [{"type": "text", "text": "..."}]}
   • Updated get_character_response() to parse Gradio 6.x format and extract text from content blocks
   • Updated chat_fn() to return messages in the new structured format
   • Verified compatibility with Gradio 6.0.0-dev.4

5. Groq Tool Calling Error: "Tool choice is none, but model called a tool" (400 error). Resolution: Added tool_choice="auto" parameter to both Corvus and Magpie's Groq API calls. This allows the model to decide whether to use tools, rather than defaulting to None which rejects tool calls.

Testing

• All characters instantiate successfully
• Character responses work (stub implementations)
• Gradio app imports and initializes correctly
• All imports resolve properly
• No linter errors

Status

MVP complete and working. Magpie now has full Groq integration with tool calling. Raven and Crow still have stub implementations. All placeholder tools return structured mock data. Ready for hackathon demo. Future enhancements: full tool implementations for Raven/Crow, async responses, memory functionality, tool usage indicators.

Character Integration Progress

• ✅ Corvus: Full Groq integration with academic_search tool (working)
• ✅ Magpie: Full Groq integration with 3 tools (search_web, find_trending_topics, get_quick_facts) - just implemented
• ⏳ Raven: Stub implementation (needs Groq integration)
• ⏳ Crow: Stub implementation (needs Groq integration)

Commits

• 71f5dac - Added character skeletons (Magpie, Raven, Crow) with placeholder tools, MCP server routes, and Gradio group chat interface
• 1868ae1 - Fixed import paths: removed gradio init.py, fixed all src. imports, removed theme parameter
• 1f44947 - Added documentation: steps_taken.md and dev_diary.md for character skeletons implementation
• 8696667 - Migrated chat_fn to Gradio 6.x messages format with structured content blocks
• 28718e5 - Implemented full Groq integration for Magpie with tool calling for search_web, find_trending_topics, and get_quick_facts

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End-of-Day Progress Report (2025-11-21, 23:26)
Accomplished
Feature branch merged
Merged stable feature branch (character skeletons, MCP server tools, Gradio 6.x compatibility) into main; successfully pulled remote updates.
Groq integration for Magpie
Implemented complete Groq integration for Magpie, including tool-calling logic for all tools: search_web, find_trending_topics, get_quick_facts.
Added helper formatting and async support for responses.
Documented individual steps and committed granularly.
Fixed Groq API tool_use error
Resolved 400 error ("Tool choice is none, but model called a tool") by adding tool_choice="auto" for both Corvus and Magpie. Now both characters can call their tools from the LLM.
Documentation
Updated dev diary and steps_taken.md for each significant change.
Maintained clean commit history (granular, logical commits).
Current Status
Corvus & Magpie: Working Groq integration & tool calls.
MCP: All 10 tools listed, tool MPC routing correct.
Gradio Chat: All 4 characters visible, system runs.
Raven & Crow: Still stubs (to be upgraded).
No uncommitted changes; project state is stable, demo-ready for MVP.
Next Steps
Bring Raven and Crow up to parity (Groq+tools).
Continue UI/polish and E2E testing.
Prepare for next rounds of hackathon demo/test/iteration.

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