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Choosing the Right IDs in MCP: Find Projects, Boards, and Tasks

Navigate MCP IDs safely and accurately. This developer-friendly guide shows you how to find the right project, board, and task IDs, avoid acting on wrong items, and use prompt patterns that restate targets before performing operations.

What This Guide Covers

This guide helps you work with MCP IDs correctly:

Key Topics

  • ID discovery: How to find project, board, and task IDs
  • Verification patterns: Confirm you have the right ID before acting
  • Safety prompts: Restate target before performing operations
  • Common mistakes: How to avoid wrong ID errors
  • Best practices: ID selection workflows

Finding IDs

Finding Project IDs

List Projects to Find ID

"List all my projects from Corcava. For each project, show me the project name and its ID."

What the AI does:

  1. Calls list_projects to get all projects
  2. Returns project list with IDs and names
  3. You can identify the project you need

Finding Task IDs

Search Tasks to Find ID

"Find tasks with 'authentication' in the title. Show me the task title and ID for each matching task."

What the AI does:

  1. Calls list_tasks with search filters
  2. Returns matching tasks with IDs
  3. You can select the correct task ID

Finding Board IDs

List Boards to Find ID

"List all boards in project [Project ID]. Show me the board name and ID for each."

What the AI does:

  1. Calls list_boards for the project
  2. Returns board list with IDs and names
  3. You can identify the board you need

Verification Patterns

Pattern 1: Get Before Update

Always fetch the item first to verify you have the right ID:

Safe Update Pattern

"Before updating task [Task ID], first get the task details and show me: - Task title - Current status - Project name Confirm this is the task I want to update. Only then proceed with the update."

What the AI does:

  1. Calls get_task to fetch task details
  2. Shows task information for verification
  3. Waits for confirmation
  4. Only then calls update_task

Pattern 2: Restate Target Before Acting

Have the AI restate what it's about to act on:

Restatement Pattern

"I want to update task [Task ID]. But first: 1. Get the task details 2. Show me: 'I'm about to update task: [Title] in project [Project Name]' 3. Wait for me to confirm: 'YES, UPDATE THIS TASK' 4. Only then proceed with the update If I don't confirm, don't update anything."

Benefits:

  • AI explicitly states what it will act on
  • You can verify before proceeding
  • Prevents wrong ID mistakes

Pattern 3: Search Then Select

Search for items, then select from results:

Search and Select Pattern

"Find tasks with 'API refactor' in the title. Show me a list with task IDs and titles. I'll tell you which one to update."

Workflow:

  1. AI searches and shows results
  2. You select the correct task
  3. AI uses the selected ID
  4. Reduces ID confusion

Complete Examples

Example 1: Safe Task Update

Complete Safe Update Prompt

"I want to update task [Task ID]. Follow these steps: 1. First, get the task details using get_task 2. Show me: 'Task to update: [Title] in project [Project Name], current status: [Status]' 3. Restate: 'I'm about to change status from [Current] to [New]' 4. Wait for me to type: 'CONFIRM UPDATE' 5. Only then call update_task If I don't type 'CONFIRM UPDATE', don't make any changes."

This pattern: Get → Verify → Restate → Confirm → Act

Example 2: Finding and Using Project ID

Complete Project ID Workflow

"I want to create a task in the 'API Development' project. But I don't know the project ID. 1. First, list all projects and find the one named 'API Development' 2. Show me: 'Found project: API Development, ID: [ID]' 3. Confirm this is correct 4. Then create the task in that project using the ID"

This pattern: Search → Verify → Use

Avoiding Common Mistakes

Common ID Mistakes

  • Using wrong ID: Always verify ID matches the item you want
  • Assuming ID format: Don't guess IDs—always fetch them
  • Not verifying before write: Always get item details before updating
  • ID confusion: Similar task titles can have different IDs
  • Stale IDs: IDs don't change, but items might be deleted

Best Practices

ID Selection Best Practices

  • Always list first: Use list operations to find IDs
  • Get before update: Fetch item details before modifying
  • Restate target: Have AI explicitly state what it will act on
  • Search then select: Search for items, then choose from results
  • Verify with names: Match IDs to names/titles before using
  • Confirm before write: Always confirm ID is correct before write operations

Troubleshooting

Wrong Item Updated

Symptom: Updated the wrong task/project

Fix:

  • Always use "get before update" pattern
  • Have AI restate target before acting
  • Verify ID matches item name/title

ID Not Found

Symptom: Error saying ID doesn't exist

Fix:

  • List items to find current IDs
  • Item may have been deleted
  • Check you're using correct workspace

Related Resources

List Tasks Tool

Find task IDs

List Projects Tool

Find project IDs

Write Approval Patterns

Safe write operations

Cross-Project Search

Find items across projects

Navigate IDs Safely

Use verification patterns to ensure you're acting on the right items

Write Approval →Tool Reference