catalyst-functions

How It Works

1. Pre-flight (once per session). Confirm the ZohoMCP_* meta-tools (ZohoMCP_getSchema, ZohoMCP_executeTool, ZohoMCP_listTools, ZohoMCP_getFeatures) are present in the tool list — that is the "MCP connected" signal (the CatalystbyZoho_* names never appear as tools). Then complete the canonical readiness gate → ../catalyst-basics/references/preflight.md. It establishes/verifies org/project and scaffolds a missing project via catalyst init --org <orgId> -p <projectId> -ni (never interactive; NI mode links an existing project — if none exists, the user must create one in the console first). Then add functions non-interactively:

   catalyst functions:add --name <name> --type <type> --stack <stack> -ni
   # e.g. catalyst functions:add --name api --type aio --stack node20 -ni
   

2. Identify the function type — Basic I/O for simple request/response, Advanced I/O for raw HTTP control, Event for trigger-based (triggered by Signals; Event Listeners is deprecated), Job for scheduled (via Job Scheduling — prefer over the legacy Cron type for new projects), Integration for Zoho service events, Browser Logic for Puppeteer.

3. Load references/functions-basics.md — for the matching handler signature, catalyst-config.json keys, SDK init pattern, and CORS setup.

4. Load references/functions-advanced.md — for file uploads (busboy), streaming responses, error handling, or chaining functions.

5. Load references/api-gateway.md — for routing rules, rate limiting, or gateway-level CORS.

6. Validate config — Confirm catalyst-config.json uses deployment + execution keys only. Never use function or entry_point.

7. Serve & test locally, THEN deploy (local-first). Before catalyst deploy, run catalyst serve and test the function on Local — Data Store / Stratus / other managed calls proxy to the Development environment automatically:

   • HTTP functions (Basic/Advanced I/O): curl http://localhost:<port>/server/<name>/execute (port is dynamic — use what the CLI prints).
   • Event/Cron/Job/Integration functions (no HTTP trigger): catalyst functions:execute <name> --input '{…}'.
   • Run any project test suite (npm test, pytest). Iterate locally until it passes.
   • Only then deploy to Development: catalyst deploy --only functions:<name> -ni (one function) or catalyst deploy --only functions -ni (all). Verify on the Development URL before promoting to Production. Full loop: ../catalyst-basics/references/project-basics.md → Environments.