Refactor jxa scripts to accept a CLI flag with the path to scripts, else attempt

auto-detection. Update the docs accordingly

Co-authored-by: Claude v2.0.24 + Claude Sonnet 4.5, with the prompt:

```
Convert golang modules in @internal/ to use a command line flag which specifies the path
  for `jxa` scripts. Update @*.md to set the flag to the jxa scripts as an MCP args
  parameter
```

Author: conallob

CLAUDE.md

@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ scripts/                    # JXA automation scripts
 ### Running
 - `make run` - Run the server directly with `go run`
 - `./bin/mcp-omnifocus` - Run the compiled binary
+- `./bin/mcp-omnifocus -scripts /path/to/scripts` - Run with explicit scripts path
 
 ### Testing JXA Scripts
 Scripts can be tested independently:
@@ -91,7 +92,29 @@ All tools are registered in `cmd/mcp-omnifocus/main.go` in the `registerTools()`
 ## Important Implementation Notes
 
 ### Script Path Resolution
-The client automatically detects the JXA scripts directory by checking multiple locations in this order:
+
+The server supports two ways to specify the scripts directory:
+
+#### 1. Command Line Flag (Recommended)
+Use the `-scripts` flag to explicitly specify the path:
+```bash
+./bin/mcp-omnifocus -scripts /path/to/scripts
+```
+
+This is the recommended approach for MCP configurations:
+```json
+{
+  "mcpServers": {
+    "omnifocus": {
+      "command": "/path/to/mcp-omnifocus",
+      "args": ["-scripts", "/path/to/scripts"]
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+
+#### 2. Auto-Detection (Fallback)
+If the `-scripts` flag is not provided, the client automatically detects the JXA scripts directory by checking multiple locations in this order:
 1. Scripts directory next to the binary (release package layout)
 2. Scripts directory one level up (for bin/mcp-omnifocus structure)
 3. Homebrew installation path (`../share/mcp-omnifocus/scripts/`)

QUICKSTART.md

@@ -37,7 +37,8 @@ This creates the executable at `bin/mcp-omnifocus`.
    {
      "mcpServers": {
        "omnifocus": {
-         "command": "/absolute/path/to/mcp-omnifocus/bin/mcp-omnifocus"
+         "command": "/absolute/path/to/mcp-omnifocus/bin/mcp-omnifocus",
+         "args": ["-scripts", "/absolute/path/to/mcp-omnifocus/scripts"]
        }
      }
    }
@@ -48,12 +49,15 @@ This creates the executable at `bin/mcp-omnifocus`.
    {
      "mcpServers": {
        "omnifocus": {
-         "command": "/Users/conall/Documents/GitHub/mcp-omnifocus/bin/mcp-omnifocus"
+         "command": "/Users/conall/Documents/GitHub/mcp-omnifocus/bin/mcp-omnifocus",
+         "args": ["-scripts", "/Users/conall/Documents/GitHub/mcp-omnifocus/scripts"]
        }
      }
    }
    ```
 
+   **Note**: The `-scripts` argument is optional. If omitted, the server will auto-detect the scripts directory, but specifying it explicitly is more reliable.
+
 3. Save the file and restart Claude Desktop.
 
 ### 3. Grant Permissions

README.md

@@ -76,7 +76,8 @@ Edit your Claude Desktop config file (usually at `~/Library/Application Support/
 {
   "mcpServers": {
     "omnifocus": {
-      "command": "/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/mcp-servers/omnifocus/mcp-omnifocus"
+      "command": "/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/mcp-servers/omnifocus/mcp-omnifocus",
+      "args": ["-scripts", "/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/mcp-servers/omnifocus/scripts"]
     }
   }
 }
@@ -87,13 +88,16 @@ Edit your Claude Desktop config file (usually at `~/Library/Application Support/
 {
   "mcpServers": {
     "omnifocus": {
-      "command": "/absolute/path/to/mcp-omnifocus/bin/mcp-omnifocus"
+      "command": "/absolute/path/to/mcp-omnifocus/bin/mcp-omnifocus",
+      "args": ["-scripts", "/absolute/path/to/mcp-omnifocus/scripts"]
     }
   }
 }
 ```
 
-Replace the path with the actual location where you installed or built the binary.
+Replace the paths with the actual locations where you installed or built the binary and scripts.
+
+**Note:** The `-scripts` argument is optional. If not provided, the server will attempt to auto-detect the scripts directory. However, explicitly specifying the path is recommended for reliability.
 
 ## Available Tools
 

cmd/mcp-omnifocus/main.go

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package main
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
+	"flag"
 	"fmt"
 	"log"
 
@@ -16,8 +17,17 @@ const (
 )
 
 func main() {
+	// Define command line flags
+	scriptsPath := flag.String("scripts", "", "Path to the JXA scripts directory (if not specified, auto-detection is used)")
+	flag.Parse()
+
 	// Create OmniFocus client
-	ofClient := omnifocus.NewClient()
+	var ofClient *omnifocus.Client
+	if *scriptsPath != "" {
+		ofClient = omnifocus.NewClientWithPath(*scriptsPath)
+	} else {
+		ofClient = omnifocus.NewClient()
+	}
 
 	// Create MCP server
 	s := server.NewMCPServer(

internal/omnifocus/client.go

@@ -15,14 +15,21 @@ type Client struct {
 	scriptsDir string
 }
 
-// NewClient creates a new OmniFocus client
+// NewClient creates a new OmniFocus client with auto-detected scripts directory
 func NewClient() *Client {
 	scriptsDir := findScriptsDir()
 	return &Client{
 		scriptsDir: scriptsDir,
 	}
 }
 
+// NewClientWithPath creates a new OmniFocus client with a specified scripts directory path
+func NewClientWithPath(scriptsPath string) *Client {
+	return &Client{
+		scriptsDir: scriptsPath,
+	}
+}
+
 // GetScriptsDir returns the path to the scripts directory
 // This is primarily used for testing and debugging
 func (c *Client) GetScriptsDir() string {

internal/omnifocus/client_test.go

@@ -72,3 +72,38 @@ func TestNewClient(t *testing.T) {
 
 	t.Logf("Client initialized with scriptsDir: %s", client.scriptsDir)
 }
+
+func TestNewClientWithPath(t *testing.T) {
+	// Test with a custom path
+	customPath := "/custom/path/to/scripts"
+	client := NewClientWithPath(customPath)
+
+	if client == nil {
+		t.Fatal("NewClientWithPath returned nil")
+	}
+
+	if client.scriptsDir != customPath {
+		t.Errorf("Client scriptsDir = %s, want %s", client.scriptsDir, customPath)
+	}
+
+	t.Logf("Client initialized with custom scriptsDir: %s", client.scriptsDir)
+
+	// Test with the actual scripts directory
+	actualScriptsDir := findScriptsDir()
+	client2 := NewClientWithPath(actualScriptsDir)
+
+	if client2 == nil {
+		t.Fatal("NewClientWithPath returned nil for actual scripts dir")
+	}
+
+	if client2.scriptsDir != actualScriptsDir {
+		t.Errorf("Client scriptsDir = %s, want %s", client2.scriptsDir, actualScriptsDir)
+	}
+
+	// Verify the GetScriptsDir method returns the correct value
+	if client2.GetScriptsDir() != actualScriptsDir {
+		t.Errorf("GetScriptsDir() = %s, want %s", client2.GetScriptsDir(), actualScriptsDir)
+	}
+
+	t.Logf("Client initialized with actual scriptsDir: %s", client2.scriptsDir)
+}