Analysis Tools

Analysis tools fetch and aggregate large datasets from the Tekmetric API, then return structured data with intelligent formatting guidance for Claude. These tools handle server-side pagination and data processing, while Claude applies its domain knowledge to categorize, format, and interpret the results.

Available Analysis Tools

Vehicle Service Analysis

Get a complete service history timeline for any vehicle, formatted as clean markdown tables with intelligent categorization.

Tool Name: vehicle_service_analysis

What It Does:

• Fetches all repair orders for a vehicle (server-side pagination)
• Extracts services, parts, costs, labor hours, and customer concerns
• Returns concise timeline data
• Claude categorizes services (oil changes, brakes, tires, etc.) using automotive knowledge
• Presents as scannable markdown tables with spending analysis

Use Cases:

• Review complete maintenance history before recommending services
• Identify recurring issues or chronic problems
• Assess maintenance adherence (oil changes, scheduled services)
• Understand spending patterns and vehicle health
• Prepare for customer conversations with full context

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
vehicle_id	number	Yes	Vehicle ID to analyze
shop_id	number	No	Shop ID (uses default if not specified)
start_date	string	No	Filter history from date (YYYY-MM-DD)
end_date	string	No	Filter history to date (YYYY-MM-DD)
max_pages	number	No	Maximum pages to fetch (default 10, max 50)

Example Usage:

Analyze service history for vehicle 12345

Show me the complete maintenance timeline for vehicle 67890

Get service history for vehicle 12345 from 2024-01-01

Example Output:

The tool returns a complete timeline that Claude formats like this:

---

Service Timeline

Date	Miles	Services & Parts	Hours	Cost	Notes
2024-01-15	45,200	Oil Change, Air Filter • Motorcraft Oil, K&N Filter	1.5	$89.50	Check engine light
2024-04-22	48,100	Brake Service • Front Pads, Rotors	2.0	$425.00
2024-07-10	51,300	Oil Change, Tire Rotation	1.0	$75.00

Analysis Summary

• Service Frequency: 3 visits over 6 months, average $196.50 per visit
• Common Services: Oil changes (2x), brake work (1x), tire maintenance (1x)
• Maintenance Schedule: Oil changes at ~3,100 mile intervals (good adherence)
• Notable Patterns: No recurring issues identified

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What Makes This Tool Smart:

1. Server-Side Pagination: Automatically fetches all repair orders across multiple pages
2. Concise Data: Returns only essential information (no bloat)
3. Claude's Intelligence: Categorizes services using automotive knowledge (not brittle keyword matching)
4. Scannable Format: Markdown tables make it easy to read
5. Complete Context: Includes dates, mileage, parts, concerns, costs

Performance:

• Fetches up to 50 pages (5,000 repair orders) by default
• Typical execution: 1-3 seconds for most vehicles
• Metadata included: records fetched, pages traversed, execution time

How Analysis Tools Work

Analysis tools follow a collaborative pattern:

1. Tool Does Data Work

• Fetches paginated API data (handles pagination automatically)
• Aggregates and processes records
• Extracts relevant information
• Returns structured data + formatting guidance

2. Claude Does Intelligent Work

• Categorizes items using domain knowledge
• Formats as clean markdown tables
• Identifies patterns and insights
• Presents information clearly

This approach avoids:

• ❌ Hard-coded categorization logic (brittle)
• ❌ Keyword matching that breaks with variations
• ❌ Massive context dumps (inefficient)
• ❌ Loss of domain expertise (Claude knows automotive stuff!)

Comparison: Regular Tools vs Analysis Tools

Regular Tools (e.g., get_repair_orders)

• Return raw paginated data
• Limited to 25 results per call
• Requires multiple calls for complete history
• No aggregation or processing
• Good for: Quick lookups, recent data

Analysis Tools (e.g., vehicle_service_analysis)

• Handle pagination automatically (server-side)
• Return complete datasets (up to configured limits)
• Aggregated and processed
• Formatted for readability
• Good for: Complete timelines, historical analysis, patterns

Configuration

Analysis tools respect these configuration settings:

# Maximum pages to fetch per analysis
TEKMETRIC_ANALYSIS_MAX_PAGES=50

# Maximum records to process
TEKMETRIC_ANALYSIS_MAX_RECORDS=5000

# Timeout for analysis operations (seconds)
TEKMETRIC_ANALYSIS_TIMEOUT_SECONDS=120

Troubleshooting

Slow responses:

• Reduce max_pages parameter
• Use date filters to limit scope
• Check if vehicle has thousands of repair orders

Missing data:

• Verify vehicle ID is correct
• Check shop ID if using multi-shop setup
• Ensure date filters aren't too restrictive

Incomplete results:

• Increase max_pages if needed (up to 50)
• Check metadata to see how many pages were fetched
• Consider splitting by date range for very active vehicles

Related Documentation

• Repair Orders Tool - For quick repair order lookups
• Vehicles Tool - For finding vehicle IDs
• Configuration - Analysis tool settings