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Monocle integrates with your agent through one of two modes: MCP tools or skills. Both expose the same operations — the difference is how the agent invokes them.
  • MCP tools mode runs a built-in MCP server (monocle serve-mcp) that exposes review operations as tools the agent calls directly. This is the default for Claude Code.
  • Skills mode installs SKILL.md instruction files (agentskills.io format) that tell the agent which monocle review CLI commands to run. This is the default for all other agents.
You can override the default with --integration-mode when registering. See agent setup for details.

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Available operations

These operations are available as both MCP tools and skills:
OperationMCP toolSkillDescription
Get feedbackget_feedback/get-feedbackRetrieve pending review feedback
Get feedback (blocking)get_feedback with wait: true/get-feedback-waitBlock until the reviewer submits feedback
Send artifactsend_artifact/review-planSubmit content (plans, decisions, summaries) for review
Send artifact (blocking)send_artifact with wait: true/review-plan-waitSubmit content and iterate on feedback until approved
Check statusreview_status—Check if feedback is pending or a pause was requested
Add filesadd_files—Add files to the current review session

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Get feedback

Retrieves any feedback you’ve submitted and delivers it to the agent. If you’ve submitted multiple reviews since the agent last checked, they’re all delivered together in one batch. With Claude Code and MCP channels, the agent calls this automatically after receiving a push notification. With other agents, feedback is retrieved on demand — either by the agent on its own, or when you ask it to check.

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Get feedback (blocking)

Same as get feedback, but the agent blocks and waits until you submit. Use this when a pause has been requested or when the agent should hold off until you’ve reviewed its work.

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Send artifact

Tells the agent to send content to monocle for review using monocle review send-artifact (skills) or the send_artifact tool (MCP). The content appears in your TUI alongside file diffs, and you can leave line-level comments on it.

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Send artifact (blocking)

Same as send artifact, but the agent blocks after submitting and waits for your response. If you request changes, the agent updates and resubmits — iterating until you approve (submit with no comments). This is what enables review gating: the agent cannot move forward until you sign off.

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Registration

monocle register writes the appropriate config for your agent. In MCP tools mode, it configures an MCP server entry and installs slash commands. In skills mode, it writes skill files to the agent’s skill directory. 
# Default: MCP tools mode — configures .mcp.json and .claude/commands/
monocle register claude

# To use skills mode instead:
monocle register claude --integration-mode skills
Run monocle register once per project, or with --global to apply across all projects.

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Making operations automatic

Operations are available to your agent, but the agent decides when to use them. If you want the agent to automatically submit plans for review or check for feedback at specific points, add instructions to your agent’s project configuration file (CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, etc.): 
## Monocle Integration

When Monocle is running:
- Use the `/review-plan` skill to send content (plans, decisions, summaries) for the reviewer to see
- Use the content's filename as the identifier so updates replace the previous version
- In plan mode, use `/review-plan-wait` instead — it blocks until the reviewer responds.
  If they request changes, update and resubmit until approved.
You can also invoke /review-plan and /review-plan-wait yourself at any time by asking your agent to run them.