[✨ Triage] dotnet/aspire#12430 by JamesNK - Disable resource related MCP tools when there is no resource service spe ...

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Triage for dotnet/aspire#12430.
Repo filter: area-dashboard issues.
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Ping MihaZupan for any issues.

This is a test triage report generated by AI, aimed at helping the triage team quickly identify past issues/PRs that may be related.
Take any conclusions with a large grain of salt.

Tool logs

dotnet/aspire#12430: Disable resource related MCP tools when there is no resource service specified by JamesNK
[Tool] Searching for resource service dashboard, resource graph no service, resource command tools no resource service, hide resources page, MCP tools resource service (IncludeOpen=True, IncludeClosed=True, IncludeIssues=True, IncludePullRequests=True, Repository=dotnet/aspire)
[Tool] Found 94 issues, 275 comments, 40 returned results (32561 ms)

Here are the related issues and discussions for triaging issue #12430 ("Disable resource related MCP tools when there is no resource service specified"):

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Directly Related Issues and PRs

PR #1815 (Jan 2024) - Allow dashboard to run without resource service

• Implements logic so that if no resource service endpoint is configured, resource-related UI (Resources, Console Logs) is hidden.
• Comments discuss using IDashboardClient.IsEnabled to conditionally show/hide UI elements.
• Pending work (at the time): routing away from / when no resource service is present.
• Discussion about reading configuration from IConfiguration vs environment variables.
• This PR is the main implementation for hiding resource-related features when no resource service is present.

PR #2201 (Feb 2024) - Make resources page inaccessible in standalone mode

• Fixes the issue where the dashboard in standalone mode would show an empty resources page.
• Redirects users to the structured logs page instead.
• Prevents navigation to resources page in the browser when no resource service is configured.

PR #2199 (Feb 2024) - Fix dashboard running without resource server

• Ensures dashboard works when no resource server is present.
• ApplicationName control does not wait for connection if client is not enabled.
• Adds tests for dashboard behavior in this scenario.

PR #12148 (Oct 2025) - Add dashboard MCP server

• Adds MCP server and tools to dashboard.
• Discussion about what happens if MCP server config is missing: fallback to default endpoint or show instructions.
• Suggests MCP tools should be configurable and hidden if no MCP server is present.
• Discussion about disabling/hiding MCP tools if not configured, which is directly relevant to the issue.

PR #12438 (Oct 2025) - [WIP] Disable MCP tools when no resource service is specified

• Work in progress PR directly addressing issue #12430.
• No comments yet, but this is the implementation for the issue.

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Related Feature Requests and Discussions

Issue #7882 (Mar 2025) - Dashboard configuration option to disable the resource graph

• Requests an option to disable the resource graph if not useful.
• Discussion about dynamic UI hiding/showing based on resource relationships.
• Solution: add explicit configuration option.

PR #8106 (Mar 2025) - Add a dashboard configuration option to disable resource graph view

• Implements the configuration option discussed in #7882.

Issue #2773 (Mar 2024) - Some issues about use DashBoard

• Asks about configuring resource server and what happens when dashboard is run standalone.
• Response clarifies that dashboard is not a resource server and resource/console log panels are not available if no resource service is configured.

Issue #7000 (Dec 2024) - How to configure the "Resource List" when running Dashboard in standalone mode

• Asks about configuring dashboard to show resource list and console log.
• Response points to documentation and clarifies that resource service endpoint must be set.

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Resource Command Tools

Issue #9804 (Jun 2025) - Add ResourceCommandService

• Adds API for executing resource commands.
• Comments clarify that this fixes the need for programmatic resource start/stop.
• Not directly about hiding tools, but relevant for understanding how resource commands are surfaced.

PR #8453 (Apr 2025) - Disable resource command buttons while they are running

• UI improvement to disable command buttons while executing.
• Not about hiding tools, but relevant for resource command tool UX.

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MCP Server and Tools

Issue #10957 (Aug 2025) - Add built-in MCP server (preview) to dashboard with streaming HTTP and minimal tool surface

• Introduces MCP server and tools for resource info, logs, commands.
• Discussion about exposing tools and making them configurable.

PR #12148 (Oct 2025) - Add dashboard MCP server

• See above for details.

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Summary

• The dashboard already implements logic to hide resource-related UI (resources page, console logs, resource commands) when no resource service is configured (see PRs #1815, #2201, #2199).
• Recent work on MCP server and tools (PR #12148, #12438) is extending this logic to MCP tools, with discussion about hiding/disabling them if not configured.
• Configuration options exist to explicitly disable resource graph and related features (#7882, #8106).
• Documentation and issues clarify that dashboard is not a resource server and resource-related features are unavailable without configuration (#2773, #7000).
• The work-in-progress PR #12438 is the direct implementation for issue #12430.

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Actionable Conclusion

• The issue is well-understood and is being actively addressed.
• The dashboard should hide/disable resource-related MCP tools if no resource service is configured, consistent with existing behavior for other resource features.
• The work-in-progress PR #12438 is the implementation for this issue.

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If you need further details on any specific PR or issue, let me know!