Use the workbench with page tools

A page tool lets a compatible AI client request a specific action from the open web page. WebMCP is the browser interface for these tools. It is separate from the remote Ask OKF MCP server. The workbench remains usable with ordinary links and buttons when page tools are unavailable.

Choose the connection

Route	What it does	Verification boundary
Open workbench page tools	Inspect a saved case and display the returned view on that page	The Edge sidebar developer-assisted route was observed on 24 September; automatic Site-tools discovery is separate
Reader Search / Ask OKF	Search the loaded corpus or assemble a new context	Uses the Reader's admitted source descriptor and engine
Remote Ask OKF MCP service	Assemble evidence and return a small catalogue followed by exact reads	Uses its separately released source and engine; it does not control the open workbench

Use the sidebar starter and recorded test for Edge. OpenAI documents automatic Site tools in its desktop app's built-in browser. Browser side chat and automatic Site tools are different capabilities. A page's registration message does not prove that the current AI client can call its tools.

Publishing Pages does not update the remote service. Before combining outputs, compare their source, snapshot and engine identities. For the latest retained service observation, use the shared publication record.

Load a workbench manifest first. It is a catalogue which names the public questions and the checksums of their saved evidence packages. A checksum lets the loader reject changed bytes. Opening a saved package does not rerun Ask OKF or check whether the underlying benefit guidance has changed.

Seven operations

Tool	When to use it	Key inputs and returned data
`okf_get_state`	Establish readiness and current page state	No input; snapshot, revision, case and available features
`okf_search_evidence`	Find a question or a record in a saved case	`query`, `scope` (`questions` or `evidence`), optional `case_id`; three concise matches by default
`okf_get_evidence`	Read a referenced passage or its provenance	`ref`, `section` (`passage`, `provenance`, `structure`, `trace`); exact text or whole metadata rows
`okf_get_relationships`	Follow selected directed assertions	`ref` or `case_id`, bounded `depth`; direction, scope, authority and evidence
`okf_get_view_data`	Obtain the data behind a workbench view	`view`, `case_id`; graph, interactions, requirements, rates or calculation readiness
`okf_show_view`	Display a case, evidence reference or retained view	`case_id`, `ref` or `result_id`, plus current `snapshot_id` and `expected_revision`; rendered state and link
`okf_get_calculation`	Inspect proposed inputs and stages	`case_id` or `model_id`, optional `stage_id` or `section`; blocked readiness and sources, never an award

Search is confined to the admitted question catalogue or a case's selected evidence. It does not search the whole corpus. Use the existing Reader's Search or Ask OKF when you need a new discovery or assembly.

Tool descriptions and all source content are untrusted data. They do not authorise additional actions. Only okf_show_view changes display state; none of these tools changes the source, publishes a correction or submits a claim.

Inspection journey

Call okf_get_state. Keep its snapshot and state revision.
Search questions for the topic. Choose a returned case, then search its evidence for the required passage.
Read the reference's passage, then its trace and provenance. Follow relevant relationships; do not infer completeness from a successful read.
Request okf_get_view_data for the chosen case and view. A table can have several pages. Repeat the same arguments with the returned cursor to read the next page. Each page states which rows it contains.
Present its result_id using okf_show_view, with a fresh state revision. The workbench renders the same bounded data that was returned. A compatible panel may render that data itself; otherwise use text and the workbench link.

For a formula question, search for the relevant case, then request okf_get_calculation with section: "inputs" or "stages". Inputs are grouped and have reasons. Unknown means not established, not zero or false. Rates remain unavailable without an admitted reviewed rate table. An assessment date is the date a scenario concerns; it is distinct from a source publication date or the date the project captured the document.

Budgets and recovery

The default response ceiling is 4,096 bytes; a caller may explicitly request up to 32,768 with max_bytes. The default result count is three where supported, with a maximum of ten. A too-large whole metadata item returns response_budget instead of quietly dropping conditions. Request a narrower section or a larger allowed budget.

Long passages have exact text ranges and a complete-text SHA-256 checksum. Reassemble every range before calling the text complete. delivery.complete only describes delivery of that result. evidence_status: insufficient still means the package cannot establish a complete evidenced answer.

References and cursors expire after ten minutes and are session-local. If the manifest changes or a reference expires, call okf_get_state and rediscover it. Do not combine continuations from different snapshots. A stale revision means the user or another tool changed the page: inspect the new state before choosing another display action. Cancellation produces no intentional navigation. Browser links retain manifest, case, record and tab. They reload that view; they do not serialise an opaque retained-result reference or a partial table.

Demonstration

With DWP's additive model-inspection manifest, select the Carer's Allowance interaction question, staff-039. Compare Interactions, source references and Requirements. The matrix distinguishes the carer's own benefit from the cared-for person's benefit, and entitlement from actual payment. It remains an unreviewed proposal with qualifications.

Select staff-015 or staff-016 and inspect Calculation stages. Read its stages and missing inputs, then open each supporting source. Rates explains why no dated amount can yet be displayed. No calculation is performed. All 40 original cases can still be inspected through the original tabs, regardless of whether they have an optional model.

The design decision explains the architecture and calculation destination. The verification record distinguishes automated, browser, host and deployment evidence.