**Source URL:** https://limited.veevavault.dev/qualityone/mcp/vault-documentation-mcp-server/guides/formatting-mcp-queries

# Formatting MCP Queries

To get the best results from the Vault Documentation MCP Server tools, treat your queries like highly specific search engine terms. While the tools support natural language, they perform best when you include specific technical identifiers like class names, endpoint names, or component types.

## General Formatting Tips

*   **Be Surgical**: Include the specific "noun" of what you are looking for (e.g., Document, Picklist, RecordService).
*   **Use Contextual Keywords**: Add verbs like Create, Update, Query, or Execute to narrow down the documentation section.
*   **Avoid Filler**: Words like "please show me how to" or "can you find" are unnecessary. Instead of "How do I create a document?", use *Create Document API*.

## Handling the Release Parameter

By default, the tools search the General Release documentation. If you need information for the limited release Vault API version, specify the release parameter (`release="limited"`). For **`retrieve_vapil_javadocs`** queries, only the General Release documentation is available.

## Example

**Query**

```
> update single user api uri path parameters
```

**Response**

```text
✦ The Update Single User API endpoint uses the following URI path parameter:

  URI Path Parameter

│ Parameter │ Description |
───────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│ {id}      │ The system-assigned unique numeric ID of the user. You can also use the keyword me to update the profile of the currently authenticated user. │

  Endpoint Details
   * Method: PUT
   * URI Path: /api/{version}/objects/users/{id}
   * Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

  Example Request

   1 curl -X PUT -H "Authorization: {AUTH_VALUE}" \
   2 -H "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded" \
   3 -d "user_timezone__v=America/New_York" \
   4 -d "user_title__v=Senior Engineer" \
   5 "https://{server}/api/v26.1/objects/users/25001"

  Pro-Tip
  Since Vault v18.1, users are managed as Object Records. For most updates, it is recommended to use the generic Update Object Record endpoint instead:
  PUT /api/{version}/vobjects/user__sys/{id}
```

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