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Check if the Stobo API is reachable and diagnose connection issues.

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Overview

check_connection performs connectivity diagnostics:
  • API reachability — verifies Stobo API server is responding
  • Configuration check — validates your base URL and API key presence
  • Network diagnostics — identifies connection issues
  • Health status — confirms API is operational
This tool is completely free and works without an API key.

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Parameters

This tool takes no parameters.

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Example prompts

Check if Stobo is working

Test the connection

Verify API connectivity

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Response structure

The tool returns a JSON object with:
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status
string
Connection status: “ok”, “error”, “timeout”, or “connection_refused”
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base_url
string
The API base URL being used (from STOBO_BASE_URL env var)
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has_api_key
boolean
Whether an API key is configured (doesn’t validate it, just checks presence)
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http_code
number
HTTP status code from health endpoint (200 = success)
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error
string
Error message if connection failed
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fix
string
Suggested fix for the issue (if applicable)

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Usage example

# How the tool is called in the MCP server
@mcp.tool(annotations=READ_ONLY)
def check_connection() -> str:
    """Check if the Stobo API is reachable."""
    import httpx

    base_url = os.environ.get("STOBO_BASE_URL", "https://api.trystobo.com")
    api_key = os.environ.get("STOBO_API_KEY", "")
    result = {
        "base_url": base_url,
        "has_api_key": bool(api_key),
    }

    try:
        resp = httpx.get(f"{base_url}/api/v1/health", timeout=10)
        result["status"] = "ok" if resp.status_code == 200 else "error"
        result["http_code"] = resp.status_code
    except httpx.ConnectError as e:
        result["status"] = "connection_refused"
        result["error"] = str(e)
        result["fix"] = "The API server is unreachable. Check your network or try again later."
    except httpx.TimeoutException:
        result["status"] = "timeout"
        result["error"] = "Request timed out after 10 seconds"
        result["fix"] = "The API server is slow or unreachable. Check your network."
    except Exception as e:
        result["status"] = "error"
        result["error"] = str(e)

    return json.dumps(result, indent=2)

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Status codes

StatusMeaningAction
okAPI is reachable and respondingNo action needed
errorAPI returned non-200 statusCheck API status or try again
timeoutRequest took too long (>10s)Check network or retry
connection_refusedCannot reach API serverCheck internet, firewall, or API status

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When to use

Use check_connection when:
  • Tools are failing unexpectedly — verify it’s not a connectivity issue
  • First-time setup — confirm configuration is correct
  • After changing STOBO_BASE_URL — verify custom endpoint works
  • Network issues suspected — isolate whether problem is local or API-side
Run this first if any tool is returning connection errors. It’s faster than debugging individual tool failures.

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Common issues and fixes

The API server is not reachable.Possible causes:
  • No internet connection
  • Firewall blocking outbound HTTPS
  • VPN or proxy interfering
  • API server is down (rare)
Fixes:
  • Check your internet connection
  • Try from a different network
  • Disable VPN temporarily
  • Check Stobo status page
The API is slow to respond or unreachable.Possible causes:
  • Slow network connection
  • API server is overloaded (rare)
  • DNS issues
Fixes:
  • Try again in a few seconds
  • Check your network speed
  • Try from a different network
The health endpoint doesn’t exist.Possible causes:
  • Wrong STOBO_BASE_URL configured
  • Typo in base URL
Fixes:
  • Remove STOBO_BASE_URL env var (use default)
  • If using custom URL, verify it’s correct
Connection works but no API key configured.Impact:
  • Free tools work fine
  • Paid tools will fail with auth errors
Fix:
  • If using paid tools, add STOBO_API_KEY to your MCP config
  • If only using free tools, no action needed

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Configuration check

The tool reports your current configuration: 
{
  "status": "ok",
  "base_url": "https://api.trystobo.com",
  "has_api_key": true,
  "http_code": 200
}
This confirms:
  • Using default API endpoint (recommended)
  • API key is configured
  • API server is healthy
If base_url is not https://api.trystobo.com, you might have STOBO_BASE_URL misconfigured. Remove it unless you were specifically told to set it.

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Next steps

If connection check passes:
  • Proceed with using other tools normally
  • If tools still fail, the issue is likely API key or credits
If connection check fails: