Corcava logo The Only Business Tool You Need Corcava
Menu
Solutions
Industries
Designers HR Recruiting Law Firms Real Estate Consulting Digital Marketing Accounting Ecommerce Software Development
Product
Features Integrations
Blog Download
Resources
Templates Docs MCP FAQ API Comparisons Roadmap What's New $ Affiliate Program
Pricing
Free 14‑day trial

No credit card required

Your First MCP Session: A Repeatable Smoke Test Script

Verify your MCP setup works correctly with this step-by-step smoke test. This guide walks you through listing tasks, reading task details, adding comments, and optionally testing time tracking—all with expected outputs and troubleshooting steps if anything fails.

What This Guide Covers

This smoke test validates your MCP integration end-to-end:

Test Steps

  1. List tasks: Verify read access to your workspace
  2. Read a task: Test retrieving specific task details
  3. Add a comment: Verify write permissions work
  4. Time tracking (optional): Test timer start/stop functionality

Prerequisites

Before running the smoke test, ensure you have:

Set up Corcava MCP →

Step-by-Step Smoke Test

Step 1: List Tasks

Start with a simple read operation to verify connection:

Test Prompt

"List my tasks from Corcava. Show me the first 5 tasks with their titles and statuses."

Expected Output:

Here are your tasks: 1. [Task Title 1] - Status: in_progress 2. [Task Title 2] - Status: open 3. [Task Title 3] - Status: done ...

What the AI does:

  1. Calls list_tasks MCP tool
  2. Receives task list from Corcava
  3. Formats and displays results

⚠️ If This Fails:

  • Check API key is correct and active
  • Verify MCP server configuration
  • Ensure client was restarted after config changes
  • See Tools Not Listed

Step 2: Read One Task

Test retrieving specific task details:

Test Prompt

"Get details for task [Task ID from step 1]. Show me the title, description, status, assignee, and due date."

Expected Output:

Task Details: Title: [Task Title] Description: [Task description] Status: in_progress Assignee: [Name] Due Date: 2026-01-30

What the AI does:

  1. Calls get_task with task ID
  2. Retrieves full task details
  3. Displays formatted information

⚠️ If This Fails:

  • Verify task ID is correct (copy from step 1 output)
  • Check API key has read permissions
  • Ensure task exists in your workspace

Step 3: Add a Comment

Test write permissions by adding a comment:

Test Prompt

"Add a comment to task [Task ID]: 'MCP smoke test - first run successful'"

Expected Output:

Comment added successfully to task [Task Title].

What the AI does:

  1. Calls add_task_comment with task ID and comment text
  2. Confirms comment was added
  3. Verifies write permissions work

⚠️ If This Fails:

Step 4: Time Tracking (Optional)

Test time tracking functionality with confirmation:

Test Prompt

"Start tracking time on task [Task ID]. Show me the task details first to confirm it's the right task, then start the timer."

Expected Output:

Task: [Task Title] Starting timer... Timer started successfully on task [Task Title].

Stop Timer Prompt:

"Stop the current timer and add a summary: 'Smoke test completed'"

What the AI does:

  1. Calls get_task to show task details
  2. Calls start_time_tracking to start timer
  3. Later: calls stop_time_tracking and add_task_comment

⚠️ If This Fails:

  • Check API key has time tracking permissions
  • Verify no other timer is already running
  • See Tool Call Failures

Complete Smoke Test Script

Here's the complete script you can copy and run:

Full Test Sequence

1. List Tasks

"List my tasks from Corcava. Show me the first 5 tasks with their titles and statuses."

2. Read Task

"Get details for task [ID from step 1]. Show me the title, description, status, assignee, and due date."

3. Add Comment

"Add a comment to task [ID]: 'MCP smoke test - first run successful'"

4. Time Tracking (Optional)

"Start tracking time on task [ID]. Show task details first, then start timer."
"Stop the current timer and add summary: 'Smoke test completed'"

Verification Checklist

Success Criteria

  • ✅ Tasks list returns results without errors
  • ✅ Task details retrieved successfully
  • ✅ Comment added and visible in Corcava
  • ✅ Timer starts and stops without errors (if tested)
  • ✅ All operations complete in reasonable time (<5 seconds each)

Troubleshooting First-Run Issues

No Tools Available

Symptom: AI says no MCP tools are available

Fix:

  1. Verify MCP server is configured in client settings
  2. Check config file JSON is valid
  3. Restart client completely (not just reload)
  4. See Tools Not Listed

Authentication Errors

Symptom: 401 or 403 errors on tool calls

Fix:

  1. Verify API key is correct in config
  2. Check Authorization header format: "Bearer YOUR_KEY"
  3. Ensure API key is active in Corcava
  4. See 401 Troubleshooting

Related Resources

MCP Quickstart

5-minute setup guide

Troubleshooting Index

Complete troubleshooting guide

Weekly Planning

First workflow to try

Health Checks

Verify server status

Complete Your First MCP Session

Run the smoke test to verify your MCP setup works correctly

Get Started → Try Weekly Planning