Expert coding assistant for Catalyst by Zoho — Zoho's full-stack serverless cloud platform. Use for any question about Catalyst services, CLI, SDKs, architecture, pricing, or Zoho MCP tool-based infrastructure management.

Catalyst by Zoho — Skill Index This is the routing layer. Load the most specific matching skill — do not answer from this file alone. Philosophy Prefer MCP over asking. If CatalystbyZoho tools are available, use them. Never ask the user to copy IDs from the console. Default to Development. Always target the Development environment unless the user explicitly says "production" or "deploy to prod". "Build an app" means Slate + Function by default. When a user says "build an app", "create an app", or "make a simple app" without specifying backend only, the default output is a Slate frontend + Advanced I/O function backend . Do NOT build only a function and call it an app. If the user's intent is clearly backend only (e.g. "build an API", "write a function"), skip Slate. Prefer Functions over AppSail for simple HTTP. Functions are cheaper (per invocation billing), simpler to deploy, and require no infrastructure management. Reach for AppSail only when the use case genuinely requires a persistent process, or a custom runtime. Show cost before building. For any new infrastructure (functions, AppSail, Stratus buckets), load catalyst pricing and give a brief estimate before writing code. Most small projects stay within free tier — say so when true. Recommend the current service, not the deprecated one. File Store → Stratus. Event Listeners → Signals. Cron → Job Scheduling. Never mention the deprecated name in generated code or config. Warn before the region bites. Circuits and Integration Functions do not work in most data centers. Check the user's DC before suggesting them. How It Works 1. Pre flight — Check that .catalystrc and catalyst.json exist. If missing, use MCP to get org/project IDs and run catalyst init org <orgId p <projectId ni . Never use interactive catalyst init . 2. MCP check — Look for CatalystbyZoho tools. If available, use MCP to fetch org/project IDs instead of asking the user. 3. Route — Match the query to the most specific service in the routing table below. 4. Load lazily — Read ONLY the single reference file needed for the current step. Do NOT preload multiple skills upfront. For "build an app" requests: (a) assume Slate frontend + AIO function unless the user says backend only, (b) sketch the architecture briefly and confirm with the user before building, (c) then load one reference file per service as you write each part — catalyst slate for the frontend, catalyst functions for the backend. 5. Cost check — Only load catalyst pricing if the user specifically asks about cost, or if the plan includes AppSail, Stratus, or other paid tier services. Skip for basic Functions + DataStore projects (likely free tier). 6. Answer — Provide code examples using the user's platform (Node.js, Python, Java, Web, or Mobile). Triggers Use this skill for queries containing: Catalyst, zcatalyst, AppSail, Data Store, ZCQL, Cache, Stratus, Slate, NoSQL, Zia Services, QuickML, API Gateway, Connections, Zoho MCP, CatalystbyZoho, catalyst init , catalyst deploy , catalyst serve , zcatalyst sdk node , catalyst config.json , Catalyst pricing, "build on Zoho's platform", or "deploy to Catalyst". Do NOT use for generic Zoho CRM questions unless Catalyst is the target. 🛑 Pre flight gate (project mutating tasks only) Step 1 — MCP check (do this before anything else for infrastructure tasks): Look for CatalystbyZoho tools in your tool list. If present — use MCP to fetch org/project IDs. Never ask the user to copy IDs from the console. How to call MCP tools correctly: 1. ZohoMCP getSchema takes query params , NOT body : 2. Always call ZohoMCP getSchema first for any CatalystbyZoho tool — never guess the argument shape. Many tools require path variables (e.g. project id ) that are invisible without the schema. 3. ZohoMCP executeTool takes a body with this shape: 4. Tools with no required path variables (e.g. List All Organizations , List All Projects ) can be called with arguments: {} . If NOT present and the task creates resources, writes files, deploys, or reads project IDs — HARD STOP. Do NOT write any code or create any files. Tell the user: "Zoho MCP needs to be connected before I can work with your Catalyst project. Load the catalyst zoho mcp skill to set it up — it takes under a minute." Do not proceed until CatalystbyZoho tools are visible. This gate applies only when the task writes Catalyst project files, deploys, reads project/environment IDs, or performs MCP project operations. Skip it for informational questions (pricing, architecture advice, service selection, "what is Catalyst?", install help, SDK usage, or any question that doesn't require an initialized project). For project mutating tasks: verify .catalystrc and catalyst.json exist in the working directory. If missing → use MCP tools to get the org ID and project ID, then run: Never ask the user to run catalyst init interactively. Never create .catalystrc or catalyst.json yourself — they must be generated by the CLI. Note: NI mode can only link an existing project. If no project exists yet, tell the user to create one in the Catalyst console, then come back — you'll link it with catalyst init ni . Catalyst at a Glance New to Catalyst? Here's what each service does in one line: Service What it is Functions Serverless functions — Basic I/O (HTTP), Advanced I/O, Event, Cron, Integration, Email Parser, Push Notification. Per invocation billing. AppSail PaaS for long running web apps — Node.js, Java, Python managed runtimes, or any Docker container. Data Store Relational tables (rows + columns, foreign keys). Queried via ZCQL (SQL like) or SDK. Stratus Object/file storage (like S3). Buckets, folders, objects. Up to 250 GB per object. Slate Frontend hosting (like Vercel). Deploys React, Next.js, Vue, Angular, Svelte, Preact, Astro, SolidJS, static HTML. Cache In memory key value store. Divided into segments. TTL in hours, max 48 h. NoSQL Document storage with flexible schema (no fixed columns). For unstructured/polymorphic data. Authentication Built in user sign up/login (ZAID). OAuth Connections for third party APIs. SmartBrowz Headless browser automation, PDF/screenshot generation, Browser Logic functions, Browser Grid (parallel browsers), and Dataverse (web scraping). Zia Services Pre trained AI/ML: OCR, Face Analytics, Text Analytics, Object Detection, Barcode, Moderation. QuickML AutoML — train models on your own data without writing ML code. (Not in EU/AU/IN/JP/SA/CA) Circuits Serverless workflow orchestration (step functions). (Not in EU/AU/IN/JP/SA/CA) Signals Event driven triggers / pub sub (replaces legacy Event Listeners). Job Scheduling Recurring/scheduled function execution (replaces legacy Cron). Zoho MCP AI tool integration — lets AI agents manage Catalyst infrastructure via CatalystbyZoho tools. ZCQL SQL like query language for Data Store. SELECT , INSERT , UPDATE , DELETE . Max 300 rows per SELECT. ZAID Zoho Account ID — the built in auth identity layer. Used with Web SDK for user auth flows. Skill Routing Table When the query is about… Load this skill Which service to use, architecture decisions, DC restrictions catalyst basics (load skills/catalyst basics/references/architecture.md ) Project setup, .catalystrc , environments, orgs, IDs, CLI commands catalyst basics Functions — types, signatures, catalyst config.json , API Gateway, file uploads catalyst functions AppSail — backend PaaS, Docker, managed runtimes, PORT variable catalyst appsail Slate — frontend hosting, frameworks, slate config.toml , Git deploy catalyst slate Data Store — CRUD, ZCQL queries, permissions, column types catalyst datastore Stratus — object storage, upload/download, signed URLs, multipart catalyst stratus NoSQL — document storage, flexible schema, collections catalyst nosql Authentication — user login/signup, ZAID, Web SDK auth, Connections/OAuth catalyst authentication Cache — in memory key value, TTL, segment operations catalyst cache Pricing — free tier, pay as you go, GB seconds, cost estimation catalyst pricing SDKs — Node.js, Web, Python, Java, Android, iOS, Flutter catalyst sdk Zia Services, QuickML — OCR, ML predictions, AutoML catalyst zia Signals — event driven triggers, publish/subscribe, event listeners, custom publisher, webhook target, dispatch policy catalyst signals SmartBrowz — headless browser, Puppeteer, Playwright, Selenium, Browser Logic, PDF generation, screenshot, Browser Grid, Dataverse catalyst smartbrowz Job Scheduling — cron/scheduled execution, recurring jobs catalyst basics (load skills/catalyst basics/references/architecture.md — no dedicated skill yet) Zoho MCP — MCP setup, CatalystbyZoho tools, infra as conversation catalyst zoho mcp Skill gave wrong or outdated guidance — user reporting an error load catalyst by zoho/references/skill feedback.md ⛔ Never Use (deprecated + regionally restricted) Deprecated services — do not use for new projects Users who signed up after August 27, 2025 cannot access these components at all. Do not use Use this instead ~~File Store~~ Stratus (object storage) ~~Event Listeners~~ Signals (event driven architecture) ~~Cron~~ Job Scheduling (scheduled execution) Regionally restricted services — check DC before recommending These services are unavailable in the listed data centers. Building with them for users in those regions results in runtime failures. Service Not available in Circuits EU, AU, IN, JP, SA, CA Integration Functions EU, AU, IN, JP, SA, CA Push Notifications EU, AU, IN, CA AutoML (QuickML) EU, AU, IN, JP, SA, CA Identity Scanner (Zia) Available in IN DC only (not EU, AU, US, JP, SA, CA) Mobile Device Management EU, AU, IN, JP, SA, CA How to check: Ask the user which data center their Catalyst account uses, or look for the DC code in their console URL (e.g., catalyst.zoho.in → IN, catalyst.zoho.eu → EU). Non Interactive Mode CLI v1.27.0+ supports non interactive (NI) mode — the CLI takes all answers from flags and sensible defaults instead of prompting. Enable: Add ni (or non interactive ) to any supported command, or set ZCATALYST NON INTERACTIVE=1 in the environment. Disabled commands: functions:setup → use functions:add ni ; functions:shell → use functions:execute Blocked options: remote on functions:delete and client:delete is not allowed in NI mode. Tip: catalyst <command ni help shows the NI specific help for that command. .catalystrc — Reading org and project context After catalyst init , a .catalystrc file is written to the project root. Read it at the start of any session to identify the active project without asking the user. Actual format: How to read the active project ID and org ID: 1. Read defaults.project → this is the active project's idx value 2. Find the entry in projects where idx matches → get its id → this is the project ID to use with p 3. From the same entry, read env[0].id → this is the org ID to use with org Quick reference: Top gotchas TERMINOLOGY: always say "organization" or "org", NEVER "portal" — the catalyst init CLI prompt says "Select a default Catalyst portal" but this is the CLI's legacy wording; the correct term is organization .catalystrc / catalyst.json missing → run catalyst init org <orgId p <projectId ni (get IDs from MCP); never create these files manually, never use intera

catalyst-by-zoho