Follow next and refresh tools
Each reply says what to do next; tool schemas and skill packages update separately and are refreshed through the host.
There is no guidance tool or topic to load. Each MCP result's briefing (What to do) and next give the instruction for that moment. The MCP server sends its standing rules when the host connects. The skills carry the rest. The host's tool list and an installed skill package can go stale. Each has its own refresh.
Support revision: envoy@2026-10. Last updated: 3 November 2026.
Where the instructions come from
| Source | What it carries | When it changes |
|---|---|---|
The briefing and next in every MCP result | The one thing to do now: the What to do line and next {tool, args, wait_seconds} | Every call. Follow it exactly; see MCP replies. The HTTP API returns next with action, after_seconds and by. |
| MCP server instructions | Read the briefing first, follow What to do, keep secrets out of replies, and act only on the payment path available to the connection | Sent at initialization; the host picks them up on connect or refresh. |
| The two skills | When to use Envoy and the safety rules for each job | When you install a new package; see Two focused skills. |
| Tool schemas | The default catalog's tools, inputs, outputs and annotations; Claude and ChatGPT connections omit report_checkout_result and report_checkout_step | When the contract changes; the host must refresh its list. |
Refresh the tool list
A host keeps the tool list it discovered. It is stale if it differs from the catalog connection and discovery lists for that host, or if a call returns an MCP InvalidParams error for an unknown tool.
- Use the host's refresh control for the connector, or remove and re-add it where the host has no refresh.
- Start a fresh task and list the tools again.
- Confirm that the connection is authenticated with a read-only
get_accountcall.
When Envoy asks you to reconnect, use the host's authentication controls. App builders follow authentication for token renewal and reconnect. Do not collect tokens or callback codes in chat. A temporary service error alone is not an instruction to sign out.
Refreshing tools does not update an installed skill, and installing a new skill package does not refresh tools. Neither one changes the account connection, grants spending authority or changes a purchase in progress. Per-host controls are in the host installation guide and Connection and discovery.
Keep the task through an update
An update never replaces a purchase. Keep its idempotency_key and purchase_id in the host's designated task storage. After a refresh or reconnect, read that purchase's status before another purchase action. Never start a second purchase or pay again because the tools changed. Stop checking when Envoy returns no next tool. Do not repeatedly read a ready purchase without a new checkout need.