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IBM watsonx Orchestrate provides two MCP servers and agent-agnostic Skills specifications to help coding agents build solutions more reliably while reducing large context overhead.

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MCP servers

watsonx Orchestrate provides two MCP servers to support agent development:
  • Documentation Server — Enables search of watsonx Orchestrate ADK documentation.
  • CLI Server — Executes ADK CLI commands (for example, listing agents, listing tools, and applying modifications).
Relying exclusively on the Documentation Server for the full programming model can lead to large context sizes. This may limit the agent’s ability to generate non-trivial examples and often requires frequent guidance.

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SKILL.md specifications

The sop-builder and wxo-builder specifications follow the Agent Skills format. These specifications provide condensed, high-signal guidance about the watsonx Orchestrate programming model. Benefits
  • Coding-agent agnostic (works with any agent that supports the format).
  • Reduces reliance on long, noisy documentation searches.
  • Improves reliable follow-through and correctness.
Clone the watsonx Orchestrate ADK repository. Agents perform better when ADK examples are locally available. Repository location:
https://github.com/IBM/ibm-watsonx-orchestrate-adk

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Configuring MCP servers and SKILL specifications

For all coding agents:
  1. Configure both MCP servers (Documentation Server and CLI Server).
  2. Download the SKILL specifications (sop-builder and wxo-builder).

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Using modes with MCP access

Choose a mode that includes MCP tool access when external integrations are required. Ask, Plan, and Advanced modes provide MCP capabilities, while Code mode does not. Use Code mode for standard development tasks where MCP is not needed.

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Specification-driven development workflow

Follow this recommended workflow:
  1. Use sop-builder to generate the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
  2. Have the subject matter expert (SME) validate the SOP.
  3. Use wxo-builder to generate the initial watsonx Orchestrate project. The generated README.md serves as the implementation specification.
  4. Update the solution as needed:
    • If the business specification changes → update the SOP → rerun wxo-builder.
    • If the implementation changes → update the README.md → rerun wxo-builder.
    • Apply incremental updates or hand-edit remaining details as required.

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wxO VS Code extension

The wxO VS Code extension streamlines setup of the wxO ADK environment by automatically initializing and configuring the ADK and connecting to a remote wxO runtime. It eliminates manual steps such as managing folder structures, environment variables, and connections.
  • The extension is optional.
  • It does not affect how coding agents, including Bob, consume MCP servers or SKILL specifications.
  • Coding agents operate independently of the extension.

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Important considerations

Coding agents differ in agent-loop quality and underlying model strength. Accuracy and consistency therefore vary across tools. These capabilities accelerate development, but you must still:
  • Understand the generated code and its behavior.
  • Validate correctness and quality.
  • Ensure outputs align with the intended business and technical requirements.
  • For more information on related capabilities, see Skills in Bob.