FRC-RAG-MCP-Server

This contains a Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server that provides RAG-based access to WPILib documentation for FRC robotics programming.

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Beta Status & Availability

This service is currently in BETA and is hosted locally.

The ONLY available version of WPILib that is currently supported is WPILib 2025.3.2 Release I will add 2026 as soon as it gets released.

• Limited Availability: The server may experience downtime or interruptions
• Performance: Response times may vary based on network conditions
• Scaling: If demand increases, scaling infrastructure is already planned and ready to deploy
• No SLA: This is a community service provided as-is during the beta period

Please be patient as we work to improve reliability and performance. If you experience connectivity issues, please report them so we can address them.

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Benefits of This Setup

A bad practice of WPILib is the yearly breaking changes, while this was ok in the past, with the popularity of agentic coding it's become clear that something needs to be done to help mitigate this issue. This is why this project exists and provides:

✅ Accurate Information: Responses based on official WPILib documentation

✅ Version-Specific: Get answers for your specific WPILib version

✅ Up-to-Date: Documentation can be updated without retraining the AI

✅ Context-Aware: Copilot understands your project's FRC/WPILib context

What is RAG?

RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) is a technique that enhances AI responses by retrieving relevant information from a knowledge base before generating answers. Instead of relying solely on the AI's training data, RAG:

1. Retrieves relevant documentation chunks from a vector database based on your question
2. Augments the AI's context with this retrieved information
3. Generates accurate, up-to-date answers based on the official documentation

This ensures that whatever GenAI model you're using provides accurate, version-specific WPILib guidance rather than potentially outdated information from its training data.

What is a Copilot Instructions File?

The .github/copilot-instructions.md file is a special configuration file that customizes how GitHub Copilot behaves in your project. It:

• Guides Copilot's behavior for your specific project context
• Instructs when to use MCP tools (e.g., "always query the WPILib MCP server for robot code questions")
• Sets coding standards and conventions for your team
• Defines project-specific preferences (framework versions, design patterns, etc.)

Why It's Critical for This Project

For this WPILib RAG MCP server to work effectively, the Copilot instructions file must explicitly tell Copilot to query the MCP server for WPILib-related questions. Without this instruction, Copilot might rely on its training data instead of the accurate, up-to-date documentation in the MCP server.

Setup Instructions

1. The MCP Server

The MCP server is already running at http://97.139.150.106:3000. You don't need to install or run anything - just configure VS Code to connect to it.

2. Configure VS Code to Connect to the MCP Server

You need to add the MCP server configuration to VS Code. There are two ways to do this:

Option A: Automatic Setup (Recommended)

Copy the provided .vscode/mcp.json file to your VS Code user configuration:

Windows:

copy .vscode\mcp.json %APPDATA%\Code\User\mcp.json

macOS/Linux:

cp .vscode/mcp.json ~/.config/Code/User/mcp.json

Option B: Manual Configuration

1. Open VS Code's user configuration folder:

   • Windows: %APPDATA%\Code\User\
   • macOS/Linux: ~/.config/Code/User/

2. Create or edit the file mcp.json in that folder

3. Add the following configuration:

{
	"servers": {
		"WPILibRag": {
			"url": "http://97.139.150.106:3000/",
			"type": "http"
		}
	},
	"inputs": []
}

Important Notes:

• The server name must be exactly WPILibRag (case-sensitive)
• The URL includes the trailing slash
• This is an HTTP-based MCP server, not stdio-based
• The server is remotely hosted - no local installation needed

3. Create the Copilot Instructions File

Create a .github folder in your project root (if it doesn't exist), then create copilot-instructions.md inside it:

your-project/
├── .github/
│   └── copilot-instructions.md
├── src/
├── README.md
└── ... other files

4. Configure the Copilot Instructions File

Add the following content to .github/copilot-instructions.md:

# GitHub Copilot Instructions

⚠️ **CRITICAL - READ THIS FIRST** ⚠️
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

🛑 **MANDATORY REQUIREMENT - NO EXCEPTIONS** 🛑

Before answering ANY question about:
- WPILib APIs, classes, methods, or syntax
- Robot code (commands, subsystems, autonomous)
- FRC programming patterns or best practices
- Command-based programming
- Any WPILib framework functionality

YOU MUST:
1. **STOP** - Do not answer from memory or training data
2. **QUERY** - Use `mcp_wpilibrag_query_wpilib_docs` tool FIRST
3. **VERIFY** - Base your answer on the retrieved documentation
4. **CITE** - Reference the official WPILib documentation

This is NOT optional. This is a MANDATORY step for ALL WPILib-related questions.

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

## Project Context
This is a WPILib robotics project for FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition).

### Project Configuration
- **WPILib Version**: [SPECIFY VERSION HERE - e.g., 2025.1.1]
- **Programming Language**: [SPECIFY LANGUAGE HERE - Java/C++/Python]
- **Target Platform**: FRC Robot (roboRIO)

## WPILib RAG Server Usage
- **Tool Name**: `mcp_wpilibrag_query_wpilib_docs`
- **When to Use**: ALWAYS for any WPILib-related question (see mandatory requirement above)
- **Parameters**: 
  - `question`: The user's question
  - `version`: WPILib version (default: "2025")
  - `language`: "Java", "Python", "C++", or "API Reference"

## Preferences
- Follow WPILib best practices and conventions
- Use appropriate design patterns for robot code (Command-based, subsystems, etc.)
- Ensure thread safety when necessary
- Include proper error handling and logging
- Reference official WPILib documentation for all framework-specific code

## Code Style
- Write clear, maintainable code
- Add comments for complex logic but avoid over-commenting
- Use descriptive variable and method names
- Follow FRC/WPILib naming conventions

## Additional Notes
- Remember to consider real-time constraints for robot code
- Always consider competition requirements and rules

┌─────────────────┐
│   Your Code     │
│   Questions     │
└────────┬────────┘
         │
         v
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│   GitHub Copilot                    │
│   (reads copilot-instructions.md)   │
└────────┬────────────────────────────┘
         │
         v
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│   MCP Server                        │
│   (WPILibRag)                       │
└────────┬────────────────────────────┘
         │
         v
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│   RAG System                        │
│   - Vector Database                 │
│   - WPILib Documentation Chunks     │
│   - Similarity Search               │
└────────┬────────────────────────────┘
         │
         v
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│   Retrieved Documentation           │
│   (sent back to Copilot)            │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Available MCP Tools

This MCP server provides the following tools:

• mcp_wpilibrag_query_wpilib_docs - Query WPILib documentation by version and language
• mcp_wpilibrag_get_latest_version - Get the latest WPILib version available
• mcp_wpilibrag_list_available_versions - List all available WPILib versions
• mcp_wpilibrag_list_available_languages - List available languages for a version
• mcp_wpilibrag_embed_query - Generate embedding vectors for custom searches

Troubleshooting

MCP Server Not Connecting

• Verify the mcp.json file is in the correct location (%APPDATA%\Code\User\ on Windows)
• Check that the server name is exactly WPILibRag (case-sensitive)
• Ensure the URL is http://97.139.150.106:3000/ with the trailing slash
• Restart VS Code after configuration changes
• Check the Output panel (View → Output → GitHub Copilot Chat)
• Verify you have internet connectivity to reach the remote server

Copilot Not Using MCP Server

• Ensure .github/copilot-instructions.md exists in your project root
• Check that the instructions explicitly mention using the MCP server
• Try asking explicitly: "Query the WPILib MCP server for..."

Outdated Documentation

• Check which WPILib version is loaded in the MCP server
• Update the version in your copilot-instructions.md to match
• Verify the RAG database has the correct version loaded

Contributing

Still planning on what I am going to open-source and how much due to the running cost of this project. I will for sure open source something, but I may ask Vendors for a small fee to add their lib documentation to this. I hope that they join forces, instead of spin up their own versions of this.