> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.symmetry.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# STE MCP prompts

> The seven saved procedures you can start in the STE MCP, with the values each one needs and an example for each.

A prompt is a saved, step-by-step procedure that you start yourself. You fill in a few values, such as a state and a date, and your AI assistant follows the procedure instead of improvising one.

Prompts are different from [sample prompts](https://docs.symmetry.com/ste/ai-interfaces/mcp-sample-prompts.md). A sample prompt is a question you type in plain English. A prompt is a built-in procedure that calls several tools in a set order.

## How to start a prompt

In Claude Code, prompts appear as slash commands. The format is:

```text theme={null}
/mcp__ste__<prompt name> <value 1> <value 2> ...
```

Type `/mcp__ste__` and let autocomplete list all seven. The `ste` part is the name you gave the STE MCP when you connected it, so use that name if it's different, such as `stesymmetry`. In Claude Desktop, choose a prompt from the **+** menu.

* Enter values in the order shown in the table below.
* You can leave optional values off the end.
* To skip an optional value in the middle, enter an empty `""` in its place.
* Prompts take identifiers and dates only. They never take wages or year-to-date amounts. If a procedure needs a payroll amount, your assistant asks you for it.

> [!NOTE]
>
> **Starting a prompt is free, but the work it triggers isn't.** The calculations and lookups a prompt tells your assistant to run are billed like any other call. `ste_rate_vs_paycheck` runs two pay calculations.

## The seven prompts

| Prompt | Use it to | Values |
| - | - | - |
| `ste_release_impact` | Compare two STE releases, including future-dated changes. | `base_version`, `compare_version`, `from_date`, `to_date`. Optional: `state`, `tax_type`. |
| `ste_year_end_changes` | List the rate changes loaded for a date range. | `from_date`, `to_date`. Optional: `state`, `tax_type`, `version`. |
| `ste_rate_vs_paycheck` | See how a rate change affects an employee's paycheck. | `u_tax_id`, `base_date`, `compare_date`. |
| `ste_engine_vs_reference` | Compare a calculation with the published rates for one release. | `u_tax_id`, `pay_date`, `version`. |
| `ste_jurisdiction_dossier` | List the taxes for a place and check that each is still levied. | `state`. Optional: `county`, `city`, `psd_code`, `school_district`. |
| `ste_reconcile_cents` | Find why a calculation differs from a state's calculator by under a dollar. | `state`, `pay_date`. |
| `ste_benefit_treatment` | Look up how a benefit is taxed. | `benefit`, `pay_date`. Optional: `u_tax_ids`, `state`, `tax_type`. |

Enter dates as `YYYY-MM-DD`. A date in another format doesn't cause an error. It matches nothing.

## Examples

### `ste_release_impact`

```text theme={null}
/mcp__ste__ste_release_impact 2026.8.2 2026.9.1 2026-01-01 2027-01-31 NV ER_SUTA
```

You get a change list that includes future-dated rows. To see what a change costs an employee, the prompt sends you to `ste_pay_calc_diff`.

### `ste_year_end_changes`

```text theme={null}
/mcp__ste__ste_year_end_changes 2026-12-01 2027-01-31 OH
```

You get the full total for the window, not the length of one page. It covers changes loaded as of today's reference data, so a later release can add a change dated inside a window you already checked.

### `ste_rate_vs_paycheck`

```text theme={null}
/mcp__ste__ste_rate_vs_paycheck 32-000-0000-ER_SUTA-000 2026-01-01 2026-07-01
```

You get the difference in tax between two pay calculations that differ only by pay date. Your assistant asks you for any payroll amount it doesn't have.

### `ste_engine_vs_reference`

```text theme={null}
/mcp__ste__ste_engine_vs_reference 00-000-0000-FICA-000 2026-06-15 2026.8.2
```

Both sides are pinned to the same release, so you see the tax and not a version mismatch. You get a comparison, or a statement that the two sides read different data.

### `ste_jurisdiction_dossier`

```text theme={null}
/mcp__ste__ste_jurisdiction_dossier PA Monroe
```

Each tax is labeled levied, repealed, or computed inside the engine, with its effective date and the rate's unit.

### `ste_reconcile_cents`

```text theme={null}
/mcp__ste__ste_reconcile_cents CO 2026-06-15
```

The prompt checks the rounding rule, supplemental method, and bracket basis before it concludes the rate is wrong.

### `ste_benefit_treatment`

```text theme={null}
/mcp__ste__ste_benefit_treatment HSA 2026-06-15 42-000-0000-ER_SUTA-000
```

Give either tax IDs, or a state and a tax type, but not both. If the reference tables have no explicit rule, the answer says so and asks the engine instead of guessing.

## Which clients support prompts

| Client | Prompts |
| - | - |
| Claude Desktop | Yes |
| Claude Code | Yes |
| Cursor | Yes |
| VS Code (GitHub Copilot) | Yes |
| Gemini CLI | Yes |
| Windsurf (Devin Desktop) | Yes, in the legacy Cascade agent |
| Zed | Yes |

Support for the tools other than Claude Desktop and Claude Code comes from each tool's own documentation. Other tools may start prompts differently from the commands on this page, so check your tool's MCP documentation.

If your organization connects through a gateway or relay, the gateway must also pass prompts through. Some pass tools only, so you may see no prompts even in a supported client.

## Next steps

> **[Resources](https://docs.symmetry.com/ste/ai-interfaces/mcp-resources.md)**
>
> Reference documents your assistant can look up.

> **[Sample prompts](https://docs.symmetry.com/ste/ai-interfaces/mcp-sample-prompts.md)**
>
> Plain-English questions by role, ready to copy.