Glueprint tools missing in sessions (MCP helper)
Sessions run but permission prompts and gp_* tools never appear.
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Agent sessions start and respond normally, but the Glueprint tools (gp_send_channel_message, gp_create_task, and the other gp_* tools) are never available, and permission prompts never surface in the app. Assistants can’t post to their channel, and every tool approval silently falls through.
This almost always means the glueprint-mcp helper binary isn’t reachable on that machine. The desktop app looks for it in two places: next to the app’s own executable, then on your PATH. Work through the checks below in order.
Checks
1. Is the helper inside the app bundle?
ls /Applications/Glueprint.app/Contents/MacOS/You should see glueprint-desktop, glueprint-mcp, and glueprint-analytics. Desktop versions up to and including 1.2.0 shipped only glueprint-desktop — the helper was missing from the bundle. If that’s what you see, update the app; if you can’t update yet, use the workaround below.
2. Is the helper on your PATH?
which glueprint-mcpIf the bundle check failed, this fallback is the only way the app can find the helper. No output means it isn’t installed anywhere — go to the workaround.
3. Is the helper actually launching?
ls -la ~/.glueprint/mcp-debug.logThe helper writes this log every time it starts. If the file exists and its timestamp matches your latest session, the helper is launching and your issue is elsewhere — check the session’s MCP indicator in the chat header and contact support.
4. What does the app log say?
grep -E "MCP binary not found|MCP servers not connected" \
~/Library/Logs/dev.glueprint.app/Glueprint.logMCP binary not found confirms the helper couldn’t be located. MCP servers not connected means the helper (or another MCP server) was found but failed to connect.
5. Managed device? Check for enterprise Claude Code policies
On MDM-managed machines, IT can restrict which MCP servers Claude Code may load — that blocks Glueprint’s tools even when the helper binary is present:
cat "/Library/Application Support/ClaudeCode/managed-settings.json"If this file exists and disables MCP servers or omits glueprint from an allowlist (or denies mcp__glueprint__* permissions), ask your IT team to allow the glueprint MCP server.
6. Quarantined binaries
If the app or a manually copied helper was downloaded outside the App Store / installer flow, Gatekeeper may block it:
xattr -l /Applications/Glueprint.app
xattr -l "$(which glueprint-mcp)"A com.apple.quarantine attribute on the helper prevents it from running. Remove it with xattr -d com.apple.quarantine <path> or reinstall from the official download.
Workaround: install the CLI
The Glueprint CLI ships glueprint-mcp (and glueprint-analytics) and puts them on your PATH, which the desktop app picks up as its fallback:
curl -fsSL https://install.glueprint.ai | shThen quit and relaunch the Glueprint app (it captures your shell PATH at startup) and start a new session. Keep the CLI version in step with the desktop app when you update.
Permanent fix
Update to the latest desktop release — newer builds bundle glueprint-mcp and glueprint-analytics inside the app, so no CLI install or PATH setup is required.