> ## 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 resources

> The six reference documents your AI assistant can look up in the STE MCP, so it reads rates, wage bases, counts, and versions correctly.

A resource is a read-only reference document your AI assistant can look up while it answers. Resources don't run calculations. They explain how to read the numbers correctly.

Tax numbers are easy to misread, and a misread number gives no sign of an error. A rate of `2.0` means 2% on a percent-based tax, not 0.02. But Pennsylvania's local services tax is a flat annual dollar amount, not a percentage. A wage base of `null` usually means the tax has no cap, not that no wages are taxed. Resources hold these rules so your assistant reads each number correctly.

## The six resources

| Resource | Your assistant reads it when | Key rules |
| - | - | - |
| `ste://conventions/units` | It reports a rate, wage base, threshold, or supplemental rate. | A percent rate of `2.0` is 2%. Some taxes are flat dollar amounts. A `null` wage base usually means no cap. An empty supplemental rate list means no flat rate, not 0%. Canadian amounts are in CAD. |
| `ste://conventions/counting` | It trusts a count or a "more results" flag. | A count can mean all taxes on file (the registry) or only taxes active on a date (in force). Your assistant should say which one it used. Counting taxes and counting places give different answers. |
| `ste://conventions/refusals` | A tool refuses a request, such as one for a release that isn't installed. | Your assistant changes only what caused the refusal and tells you what it changed. It doesn't send the same request again. |
| `ste://db/versions` | It needs to pin reference data to a release. | Lists the releases the server can read, newest first. Your assistant uses a version exactly as listed, such as `2026.10.1`. |
| `ste://taxonomy/tax-types` | It filters on a tax type. | The tax type is the fourth part of a Unique Tax ID, such as `ER_SUTA`. |
| `ste://schema/paycalc` | A pay calculation field is unclear. | The request and response format for a pay calculation, including where each field goes. For example, filing status has no top-level field. It goes in the tax jurisdiction entry's miscellaneous parameters, as a name and value pair. |

## How you use them

You don't need to do anything. The STE MCP tells your assistant that the six resources exist and when each one applies. Your assistant reads one when it decides the question needs it.

For example, ask:

> What is the disability wage base for California?

Your assistant reads the units resource and reports that California's wage base is uncapped, not zero.

You can also ask for a resource by name, or attach one:

* **Ask by name.** For example: "Read `ste://db/versions` and list the installed releases, newest first."
* **Attach one.** Use your client's own mention syntax, such as `@ste:ste://db/versions` in Claude Code.

> [!NOTE]
>
> **Resources are not loaded automatically.** Your assistant gets the six addresses at the start of a session, but it reads a document's contents only when it asks for it. A read is optional, so an answer doesn't prove a resource was read.

## Which clients support resources

| Client | Resources |
| - | - |
| 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 |

Support for the tools other than Claude Desktop and Claude Code comes from each tool's own documentation. Support in other AI tools varies, so check your tool's MCP documentation.

If your organization connects through a gateway or relay, the gateway must also pass resources through. Some pass tools only.

Resources are an addition, not a requirement. The tool descriptions your assistant reads in every client carry the core rules.

## Next steps

> **[Prompts](https://docs.symmetry.com/ste/ai-interfaces/mcp-prompts.md)**
>
> Saved step-by-step procedures you start yourself.

> **[Tools](https://docs.symmetry.com/ste/ai-interfaces/mcp-tools)**
>
> The full catalogue of what the STE MCP server can reach.