# Balford metalworking engineering answers

> Metal stamping, deep drawing and DFM answers from Balford's own published engineering pages.

- name: net.balford/ask
- version: 1.0.0
- connection class: R0 (autonomous)
- trust: 83/100 flags: no-repository
- quality: 92/100 (new)
- owner: not claimed
- descriptor: https://api.protogrid.dev/v1/servers/net.balford%2Fask
- tools: https://api.protogrid.dev/v1/servers/net.balford%2Fask/tools

**An agent can connect right now, no human step.** Remote endpoint, no authentication, reachable on the last probe.

## Connection (mcpServers)

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ask": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://balford.net/ask/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```


## Trust

- hygiene: 80
- liveness: 100
- freshness: 100
- provenance: 55
- drivers: +dns-namespace +website +reachable +uptime-100% +updated-6d-ago -no-repository
- Derived from observable signals (official registry feed and our own credential-free probes); no code audit performed.

## Quality 92/100 (new)

### protocol: 100 (weight 25)

- pass `protocol.modern`: supports 2026-07-28 (server/discover)
- pass `protocol.stateless`: answers without a session
- pass `protocol.transport`: streamable HTTP
- pass `protocol.list_ttl`: tool list is cacheable (ttlMs 3600000)

### authorization: n/a (weight 15)

- n/a `auth.prm`, `auth.as_metadata`, `auth.cimd`: no remote uses OAuth
- n/a `auth.secret_in_url`: no templated URL

### tool hygiene: 86 (weight 30)

- pass `tools.descriptions`: every tool has a description
- pass `tools.description_length`: descriptions are concise
- pass `tools.schemas`: every tool has an object input schema
- pass `tools.annotations`: 3 of 3 tools declare readOnlyHint or destructiveHint
- fail `tools.directory_hints`: no tool declares all four of readOnlyHint, destructiveHint, idempotentHint and openWorldHint; missing: list_engineering_topics (destructiveHint); ask_balford_engineering (destructiveHint); search_balford_material (destructiveHint)
- pass `tools.token_cost`: about 702 tokens to load every tool
- pass `tools.api_dump`: tools are not a one-to-one API dump

### stability: n/a (weight 15)

- n/a `stability.changes`, `stability.rug_pull`: tool history recorded for 6 of the 7 days needed

### dependencies: n/a (weight 15)

- n/a `deps.known_vulns`, `deps.mcp_sdk_version`, `deps.resolvable`: no npm or PyPI package

- tools: 3, about 702 tokens to load them all
- tool set hash: 77f6062e2ad0fbac057d325efe10a2fa
- badge: [![protogrid quality](https://protogrid.dev/badge/net.balford/ask.svg)](https://protogrid.dev/servers/net.balford/ask)
- Checks run on what our credential-free, read-only probes observe; tools are never called and no code audit is performed.

### Tool changes

_No tool definition changes recorded._

## Remotes

- https://balford.net/ask/mcp (streamable-http, auth none, reachable true, uptime30d 1)

## Packages

_none_

## Tools (3)

- `ask_balford_engineering`: Answer a metalworking engineering or sourcing question from Balford's own published engineering material. Covers fine blanking and thinning / ironing deep drawing as focus processes, plus progressive and transfer dies, precision stamping, sheet metal, CNC, brazing, annealing, plating, tolerances, DFM and RFQ preparation. Returns a written answer with numbered citations plus the source pages. Use this for 'how do I', 'what is', 'which process fits', or 'what do you need for an RFQ' questions. It will not quote a price, a lead-time guarantee, a certification Balford does not hold, or anything from a customer drawing. Answers are assembled from Balford's own published engineering material and cite the page each claim came from. Nothing is quoted that is not already public on balford.net. This is not a quotation, a certification claim, or a dimensional acceptance.
- `list_engineering_topics`: List the canonical engineering questions Balford's knowledge base is built around, grouped by process family, with the URL of the answer page for each. Use this to find the right published answer before asking a free-form question, or to see whether a topic is covered at all. Costs no model tokens.
- `search_balford_material`: Retrieve the passages of Balford's published engineering material that match a query, without writing an answer. Use this to check what Balford has actually published on a topic, to gather source URLs for a citation, or to ground your own reasoning. Costs no model tokens. Answers are assembled from Balford's own published engineering material and cite the page each claim came from. Nothing is quoted that is not already public on balford.net. This is not a quotation, a certification claim, or a dimensional acceptance.