feat(deck): compact card/comment retrieval (summaries, filters, board overview)

Deck read tools returned too many tokens to be usable as boards grow — even
deck_get_stacks(description_max_length=1) exceeded the MCP token limit because
every card was fully serialized in list views.

- Add compact projection models (DeckCardSummary, DeckCommentSummary,
  StackOverview, BoardOverviewResponse) and a uniform detail="summary"|"full"
  knob (summary default) on deck_get_cards / get_stacks / get_stack /
  get_archived_stacks.
- Add pre-serialization filtering: status (open/done/archived/all), label,
  assigned_to.
- Add deck_get_board_overview: board title + label legend + stacks with
  compact card rows + counts in a single call.
- Compact comments: detail / message_max_length / newest-first order on
  deck_get_card_comments.
- Docs + unit/integration tests.

BREAKING CHANGE: deck list tools now default to detail="summary" and
status="open". The include_archived_cards parameter is replaced by status
(use status="all" to include archived cards); pass detail="full" to restore
the previous per-card shape.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

docs/deck.md

@@ -4,6 +4,16 @@
 
 | Tool | Description |
 |------|-------------|
+| `deck_get_boards` | List all Deck boards |
+| `deck_get_board` | Get a board (toggle `include_acl` / `include_users` / `include_labels`) |
+| `deck_get_board_overview` | **Compact whole-board snapshot** — board → stacks → summary card rows in one call |
+| `deck_get_stacks` | List stacks in a board (cards as compact summaries by default) |
+| `deck_get_stack` | Get a single stack (cards as compact summaries by default) |
+| `deck_get_archived_stacks` | List archived stacks and their cards |
+| `deck_get_cards` | List cards in a stack (compact summaries by default) |
+| `deck_get_card` | Get a single card in full detail |
+| `deck_get_labels` / `deck_get_label` | List / get board labels |
+| `deck_get_card_comments` | List card comments (compact, newest-first by default) |
 | `deck_create_board` | Create a new Deck board with title and color |
 | `deck_create_stack` | Create a new stack in a board |
 | `deck_update_stack` | Update stack title and order |
@@ -36,6 +46,44 @@
 
 
 
+### Compact Retrieval (token efficiency)
+
+On large boards the full card objects (description, nested labels, assigned
+users, attachments, etags) make `deck_get_stacks` responses too large to be
+practical. The read tools therefore return **compact card summaries by
+default** and support filtering so you fetch only what you need.
+
+**Shared knobs** on `deck_get_cards`, `deck_get_stacks`, `deck_get_stack`
+(and `deck_get_archived_stacks`, minus `status`):
+
+| Parameter | Default | Effect |
+|-----------|---------|--------|
+| `detail` | `summary` | `summary` returns compact rows (id, title, stackId, labels as titles, assignee UIDs, due/done, counts, a short `descriptionPreview`); `full` returns the complete card objects (the pre-0.92 shape). |
+| `status` | `open` | Filter before serialization: `open` (excludes archived **and** done), `done`, `archived`, or `all`. |
+| `label` | – | Only cards carrying a label with this exact title. |
+| `assigned_to` | – | Only cards assigned to this user UID. |
+| `description_max_length` | – | In `detail="full"`, truncate each description. |
+| `description_preview_length` | `140` | In `detail="summary"`, length of the preview. |
+
+**`deck_get_board_overview(board_id, status="open", label=…, assigned_to=…)`**
+is the token-efficient way to see a whole board: it returns the board title,
+its label legend, and every stack with compact card rows in a single call —
+prefer it over `deck_get_board` + `deck_get_stacks` for "show me the board"
+requests. Use `deck_get_card` for the full body of a specific card.
+
+**Comments** — `deck_get_card_comments` returns compact comments
+(`id`, `actorId`, `message`, `creationDateTime`) by default. Use
+`detail="full"` for the complete objects, `message_max_length` to truncate,
+`order` (`newest`/`oldest`) to sort the page, and `limit`/`offset` to page.
+
+> **Breaking change:** list tools now default to `detail="summary"`
+> and `status="open"`. The previous `include_archived_cards` parameter has
+> been replaced by `status` (`status="all"` includes archived cards, matching
+> `include_archived_cards=True`). Pass `detail="full"` to restore the old
+> per-card shape.
+
+
+
 ### Deck Project Management
 
 The server provides complete Nextcloud Deck integration, enabling you to manage projects, tasks, and workflows:

nextcloud_mcp_server/models/deck.py

@@ -129,6 +129,44 @@ class DeckCard(BaseModel):
         return validated_users
 
 
+class DeckCardSummary(BaseModel):
+    """Compact projection of a :class:`DeckCard` for list/overview views.
+
+    Drops the heavy fields that dominate token cost when many cards are
+    returned at once — the full ``description`` (kept only as a short
+    ``descriptionPreview``), the nested ``labels``/``assignedUsers``/
+    ``attachments`` objects (kept as flat title/uid lists + counts), and the
+    ``etag``/``order``/``*Modified``/``createdAt``/``deletedAt``/``overdue``/
+    ``type``/``owner`` bookkeeping fields. Fetch a single card with
+    ``deck_get_card`` (or ``detail="full"``) when the full body is needed.
+    """
+
+    id: int
+    title: str
+    stackId: int
+    archived: bool = False
+    duedate: Optional[datetime] = None
+    done: Optional[datetime] = None
+    labels: List[str] = Field(
+        default_factory=list, description="Label titles assigned to the card"
+    )
+    assignedUsers: List[str] = Field(
+        default_factory=list, description="UIDs of users assigned to the card"
+    )
+    attachmentCount: Optional[int] = Field(
+        default=None, description="Number of attachments on the card"
+    )
+    commentsUnread: Optional[int] = Field(
+        default=None, description="Number of unread comments (Deck exposes no total)"
+    )
+    hasDescription: bool = Field(
+        default=False, description="Whether the card has a non-empty description"
+    )
+    descriptionPreview: Optional[str] = Field(
+        default=None, description="Truncated preview of the card description"
+    )
+
+
 class DeckStack(BaseModel):
     id: int
     title: str
@@ -136,7 +174,9 @@ class DeckStack(BaseModel):
     order: int
     deletedAt: int
     lastModified: Optional[int] = None
-    cards: Optional[List[DeckCard]] = None
+    # Cards may be projected to DeckCardSummary when a tool is called with
+    # detail="summary" (the default for list tools).
+    cards: Optional[List[Union[DeckCard, DeckCardSummary]]] = None
     etag: Optional[str] = Field(default=None, alias="ETag")
 
 
@@ -175,6 +215,20 @@ class DeckComment(BaseModel):
     replyTo: Optional[Any] = None  # Self-referencing, handle later if needed
 
 
+class DeckCommentSummary(BaseModel):
+    """Compact projection of a :class:`DeckComment` for list views.
+
+    Drops ``mentions``, ``actorType``, ``actorDisplayName`` and ``replyTo``,
+    keeping only the fields needed to read the conversation. Long messages are
+    truncated by the tool layer via ``message_max_length``.
+    """
+
+    id: int
+    actorId: str
+    message: str
+    creationDateTime: datetime
+
+
 class DeckSession(BaseModel):
     token: str
 
@@ -220,6 +274,36 @@ class ListStacksResponse(BaseResponse):
     total: int = Field(description="Total number of stacks")
 
 
+class StackOverview(BaseModel):
+    """A stack plus its compact card rows, for the board-overview tool."""
+
+    id: int = Field(description="Stack ID")
+    title: str = Field(description="Stack title")
+    order: Optional[int] = Field(default=None, description="Stack sort order")
+    card_count: int = Field(description="Number of cards returned for this stack")
+    cards: List[DeckCardSummary] = Field(
+        default_factory=list, description="Compact card rows in this stack"
+    )
+
+
+class BoardOverviewResponse(BaseResponse):
+    """Compact whole-board snapshot: board → stacks → summary card rows.
+
+    A single-call replacement for deck_get_board + deck_get_stacks that keeps
+    the response small enough to fit the token budget on large boards.
+    """
+
+    board_id: int = Field(description="Board ID")
+    title: str = Field(description="Board title")
+    labels: List[str] = Field(
+        default_factory=list, description="Board label titles (legend)"
+    )
+    stacks: List[StackOverview] = Field(
+        default_factory=list, description="Stacks with compact card rows"
+    )
+    total_cards: int = Field(description="Total cards across all returned stacks")
+
+
 class CreateStackResponse(BaseResponse):
     """Response model for stack creation."""
 
@@ -269,7 +353,9 @@ class CreateLabelResponse(BaseResponse):
 class ListCardsResponse(BaseResponse):
     """Response model for listing deck cards."""
 
-    cards: list[DeckCard] = Field(description="List of deck cards")
+    cards: list[Union[DeckCard, DeckCardSummary]] = Field(
+        description="List of deck cards (summaries unless detail='full')"
+    )
     total: int = Field(description="Total number of cards")
 
 
@@ -293,7 +379,9 @@ class LabelOperationResponse(StatusResponse):
 class ListCardCommentsResponse(BaseResponse):
     """Response model for listing card comments."""
 
-    results: list[DeckComment] = Field(description="Card comments in this page")
+    results: list[Union[DeckComment, DeckCommentSummary]] = Field(
+        description="Card comments in this page (summaries unless detail='full')"
+    )
     count: int = Field(
         description=(
             "Number of comments returned in this page (page size, not the "

nextcloud_mcp_server/server/deck.py

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import logging
+from typing import Literal, cast
 
 import anyio
 from mcp.server.fastmcp import Context, FastMCP
@@ -9,6 +10,7 @@ from nextcloud_mcp_server.context import get_client
 from nextcloud_mcp_server.models.deck import (
     AttachFileResponse,
     AttachmentOperationResponse,
+    BoardOverviewResponse,
     CardCommentOperationResponse,
     CardCommentResponse,
     CardOperationResponse,
@@ -16,10 +18,15 @@ from nextcloud_mcp_server.models.deck import (
     CreateCardResponse,
     CreateLabelResponse,
     CreateStackResponse,
+    DeckAssignedUser,
     DeckBoard,
     DeckCard,
+    DeckCardSummary,
+    DeckComment,
+    DeckCommentSummary,
     DeckLabel,
     DeckStack,
+    DeckUser,
     LabelOperationResponse,
     ListAttachmentsResponse,
     ListBoardsResponse,
@@ -28,18 +35,33 @@ from nextcloud_mcp_server.models.deck import (
     ListLabelsResponse,
     ListStacksResponse,
     StackOperationResponse,
+    StackOverview,
 )
 from nextcloud_mcp_server.observability.metrics import instrument_tool
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
+# Card status filter applied before serialization. "open" (the default for
+# list tools) hides archived and explicitly-done cards — the actionable set.
+CardStatus = Literal["all", "open", "done", "archived"]
+# Per-card detail level. "summary" (the default for list tools) projects each
+# card to a compact DeckCardSummary; "full" returns the heavy DeckCard.
+DetailLevel = Literal["summary", "full"]
+# Default length for the description preview carried in card summaries.
+_DEFAULT_DESCRIPTION_PREVIEW = 140
 
-def _validate_description_max_length(description_max_length: int | None) -> None:
-    """Tool-layer guard: reject zero/negative truncation thresholds."""
-    if description_max_length is not None and description_max_length <= 0:
-        raise ValueError(
-            f"description_max_length must be positive, got {description_max_length}"
-        )
+
+def _validate_description_max_length(
+    value: int | None, name: str = "description_max_length"
+) -> None:
+    """Tool-layer guard: reject zero/negative length thresholds.
+
+    Reused for every positive-length knob (description truncation/preview,
+    comment message truncation); ``name`` keeps the error message pointed at
+    the parameter the caller actually passed.
+    """
+    if value is not None and value <= 0:
+        raise ValueError(f"{name} must be positive, got {value}")
 
 
 def _truncate_card_descriptions(
@@ -71,38 +93,157 @@ def _apply_board_filters(
     return board
 
 
+def _extract_uid(user: "DeckUser | DeckAssignedUser") -> str | None:
+    """Pull the bare UID out of either assigned-user shape the API returns."""
+    if isinstance(user, DeckAssignedUser):
+        return user.participant.uid
+    if isinstance(user, DeckUser):
+        return user.uid
+    return None
+
+
+def _filter_cards(
+    cards: list[DeckCard],
+    *,
+    status: CardStatus,
+    label: str | None,
+    assigned_to: str | None,
+) -> list[DeckCard]:
+    """Narrow a flat card list by status/label/assignee before serialization.
+
+    The upstream Deck API returns every card (including archived ones) inline,
+    so this filtering reduces the tokens the caller sees but not network
+    bandwidth. ``status="open"`` excludes archived and explicitly-done cards.
+    """
+    if status == "open":
+        cards = [c for c in cards if not c.archived and c.done is None]
+    elif status == "done":
+        cards = [c for c in cards if c.done is not None]
+    elif status == "archived":
+        cards = [c for c in cards if c.archived]
+    # status == "all": no status filter
+
+    if label is not None:
+        cards = [
+            c for c in cards if any(lbl.title == label for lbl in (c.labels or []))
+        ]
+    if assigned_to is not None:
+        cards = [
+            c
+            for c in cards
+            if assigned_to in {_extract_uid(u) for u in (c.assignedUsers or [])}
+        ]
+    return cards
+
+
+def _summarize_card(card: DeckCard, description_preview_length: int) -> DeckCardSummary:
+    """Project a full DeckCard down to its compact DeckCardSummary."""
+    description = card.description or ""
+    has_description = bool(description.strip())
+    preview: str | None = None
+    if has_description:
+        preview = description[:description_preview_length]
+        if len(description) > description_preview_length:
+            preview += "…"
+    assignees = [
+        uid for u in (card.assignedUsers or []) if (uid := _extract_uid(u)) is not None
+    ]
+    return DeckCardSummary(
+        id=card.id,
+        title=card.title,
+        stackId=card.stackId,
+        archived=card.archived,
+        duedate=card.duedate,
+        done=card.done,
+        labels=[lbl.title for lbl in (card.labels or [])],
+        assignedUsers=assignees,
+        attachmentCount=card.attachmentCount,
+        commentsUnread=card.commentsUnread,
+        hasDescription=has_description,
+        descriptionPreview=preview,
+    )
+
+
+def _shape_cards(
+    cards: list[DeckCard],
+    *,
+    detail: DetailLevel,
+    status: CardStatus,
+    label: str | None,
+    assigned_to: str | None,
+    description_max_length: int | None,
+    description_preview_length: int,
+) -> list[DeckCard | DeckCardSummary]:
+    """Filter then project a card list according to the requested detail level."""
+    filtered = _filter_cards(cards, status=status, label=label, assigned_to=assigned_to)
+    if detail == "full":
+        _truncate_card_descriptions(filtered, description_max_length)
+        return list(filtered)
+    return [_summarize_card(c, description_preview_length) for c in filtered]
+
+
 def _apply_stack_filters(
     stack: DeckStack,
     *,
     include_cards: bool,
-    include_archived_cards: bool,
+    detail: DetailLevel,
+    status: CardStatus,
+    label: str | None,
+    assigned_to: str | None,
     description_max_length: int | None,
+    description_preview_length: int,
 ) -> DeckStack:
-    """Apply card-shaping filters to a single stack; returns the stack."""
-    # Note: the upstream Deck API returns archived cards inline within
-    # active stacks (the Deck UI filters them frontend-side). Defaulting
-    # include_archived_cards to False mirrors that UI behavior — this is
-    # the breaking change called out in the PR description.
+    """Apply card filtering + projection to a single stack; returns the stack."""
     if not include_cards:
         stack.cards = None
     elif stack.cards:
-        if not include_archived_cards:
-            stack.cards = [c for c in stack.cards if not c.archived]
-        _truncate_card_descriptions(stack.cards, description_max_length)
+        # Cards come straight from the client as DeckCard; the field type is a
+        # union only because summary projection writes summaries back into it.
+        stack.cards = _shape_cards(
+            cast(list[DeckCard], stack.cards),
+            detail=detail,
+            status=status,
+            label=label,
+            assigned_to=assigned_to,
+            description_max_length=description_max_length,
+            description_preview_length=description_preview_length,
+        )
     return stack
 
 
-def _apply_card_filters(
-    cards: list[DeckCard],
+def _truncate_comment_message(message: str, message_max_length: int | None) -> str:
+    """Truncate a comment strictly longer than the limit; appends "…"."""
+    if message_max_length is not None and len(message) > message_max_length:
+        return message[:message_max_length] + "…"
+    return message
+
+
+def _shape_comments(
+    comments: list[DeckComment],
     *,
-    include_archived_cards: bool,
-    description_max_length: int | None,
-) -> list[DeckCard]:
-    """Apply filters to a flat list of cards; returns the (possibly new) list."""
-    if not include_archived_cards:
-        cards = [c for c in cards if not c.archived]
-    _truncate_card_descriptions(cards, description_max_length)
-    return cards
+    detail: DetailLevel,
+    message_max_length: int | None,
+    order: Literal["newest", "oldest"],
+) -> list[DeckComment | DeckCommentSummary]:
+    """Order, truncate and (optionally) project a page of card comments."""
+    ordered = sorted(
+        comments, key=lambda c: c.creationDateTime, reverse=(order == "newest")
+    )
+    if detail == "full":
+        for comment in ordered:
+            comment.message = _truncate_comment_message(
+                comment.message, message_max_length
+            )
+        return list(ordered)
+    return [
+        DeckCommentSummary(
+            id=c.id,
+            actorId=c.actorId,
+            message=_truncate_comment_message(c.message, message_max_length),
+            creationDateTime=c.creationDateTime,
+        )
+        for c in ordered
+    ]
 
 
 # Card attachments — file shares ("Share from Files" picker in the Deck UI).
@@ -311,31 +452,52 @@ def configure_deck_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
         ctx: Context,
         board_id: int,
         include_cards: bool = True,
-        include_archived_cards: bool = False,
+        detail: DetailLevel = "summary",
+        status: CardStatus = "open",
+        label: str | None = None,
+        assigned_to: str | None = None,
         description_max_length: int | None = None,
+        description_preview_length: int = _DEFAULT_DESCRIPTION_PREVIEW,
     ) -> ListStacksResponse:
         """Get all stacks in a Nextcloud Deck board.
 
+        Cards are returned as compact summaries by default to keep the
+        response small on large boards. Filtering/projection happen
+        client-side after the API returns the full board, so they reduce the
+        tokens the caller sees but not network bandwidth.
+
         Args:
             board_id: The ID of the board
             include_cards: Include cards inside each stack (default True). Set
                 False for a lightweight stack listing; fetch cards separately
                 via deck_get_cards.
-            include_archived_cards: Include archived cards (default False).
-                Only relevant when include_cards is True.
-            description_max_length: If set, truncate each card's description
-                to this many characters. Useful for keeping responses compact
-                on boards with long card specs.
+            detail: "summary" (default) returns compact card rows; "full"
+                returns the complete card objects (the old behavior).
+            status: Which cards to include — "open" (default; excludes
+                archived and done), "done", "archived", or "all".
+            label: If set, only cards carrying a label with this exact title.
+            assigned_to: If set, only cards assigned to this user UID.
+            description_max_length: In detail="full", truncate each card's
+                description to this many characters.
+            description_preview_length: In detail="summary", length of the
+                description preview carried on each card (default 140).
         """
         _validate_description_max_length(description_max_length)
+        _validate_description_max_length(
+            description_preview_length, "description_preview_length"
+        )
         client = await get_client(ctx)
         stacks = await client.deck.get_stacks(board_id)
         stacks = [
             _apply_stack_filters(
                 stack,
                 include_cards=include_cards,
-                include_archived_cards=include_archived_cards,
+                detail=detail,
+                status=status,
+                label=label,
+                assigned_to=assigned_to,
                 description_max_length=description_max_length,
+                description_preview_length=description_preview_length,
             )
             for stack in stacks
         ]
@@ -352,28 +514,44 @@ def configure_deck_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
         board_id: int,
         stack_id: int,
         include_cards: bool = True,
-        include_archived_cards: bool = False,
+        detail: DetailLevel = "summary",
+        status: CardStatus = "open",
+        label: str | None = None,
+        assigned_to: str | None = None,
         description_max_length: int | None = None,
+        description_preview_length: int = _DEFAULT_DESCRIPTION_PREVIEW,
     ) -> DeckStack:
         """Get details of a specific Nextcloud Deck stack.
 
+        Cards are returned as compact summaries by default; see
+        deck_get_stacks for the shared parameter semantics.
+
         Args:
             board_id: The ID of the board
             stack_id: The ID of the stack
             include_cards: Include cards in the stack (default True).
-            include_archived_cards: Include archived cards (default False).
-                Only relevant when include_cards is True.
-            description_max_length: If set, truncate each card's description
-                to this many characters.
+            detail: "summary" (default) or "full".
+            status: "open" (default), "done", "archived", or "all".
+            label: If set, only cards carrying a label with this exact title.
+            assigned_to: If set, only cards assigned to this user UID.
+            description_max_length: In detail="full", truncate descriptions.
+            description_preview_length: In detail="summary", preview length.
         """
         _validate_description_max_length(description_max_length)
+        _validate_description_max_length(
+            description_preview_length, "description_preview_length"
+        )
         client = await get_client(ctx)
         stack = await client.deck.get_stack(board_id, stack_id)
         return _apply_stack_filters(
             stack,
             include_cards=include_cards,
-            include_archived_cards=include_archived_cards,
+            detail=detail,
+            status=status,
+            label=label,
+            assigned_to=assigned_to,
             description_max_length=description_max_length,
+            description_preview_length=description_preview_length,
         )
 
     @mcp.tool(
@@ -385,7 +563,9 @@ def configure_deck_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
     async def deck_get_archived_stacks(
         ctx: Context,
         board_id: int,
+        detail: DetailLevel = "summary",
         description_max_length: int | None = None,
+        description_preview_length: int = _DEFAULT_DESCRIPTION_PREVIEW,
     ) -> ListStacksResponse:
         """List archived stacks (with their archived cards) for a Nextcloud
         Deck board.
@@ -395,26 +575,33 @@ def configure_deck_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
         archived via deck_archive_card). The shape mirrors deck_get_stacks.
 
         Cards are always included on the returned stacks (an archived stack
-        without its cards would have no audit value); pass
-        ``description_max_length`` if you need to keep the response compact.
+        without its cards would have no audit value) and returned as compact
+        summaries by default.
 
         Args:
             board_id: The ID of the board
-            description_max_length: If set, truncate each card's description
-                to this many characters.
+            detail: "summary" (default) or "full".
+            description_max_length: In detail="full", truncate descriptions.
+            description_preview_length: In detail="summary", preview length.
         """
         _validate_description_max_length(description_max_length)
+        _validate_description_max_length(
+            description_preview_length, "description_preview_length"
+        )
         client = await get_client(ctx)
         stacks = await client.deck.get_archived_stacks(board_id)
-        # All cards in archived stacks are themselves archived; route through
-        # the same helper as the active-stack path so future filter additions
-        # apply uniformly.
+        # All cards in archived stacks are themselves archived; status="all"
+        # keeps them (an "open"/"done" filter would drop the whole point).
         stacks = [
             _apply_stack_filters(
                 stack,
                 include_cards=True,
-                include_archived_cards=True,
+                detail=detail,
+                status="all",
+                label=None,
+                assigned_to=None,
                 description_max_length=description_max_length,
+                description_preview_length=description_preview_length,
             )
             for stack in stacks
         ]
@@ -430,36 +617,133 @@ def configure_deck_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
         ctx: Context,
         board_id: int,
         stack_id: int,
-        include_archived_cards: bool = False,
+        detail: DetailLevel = "summary",
+        status: CardStatus = "open",
+        label: str | None = None,
+        assigned_to: str | None = None,
         description_max_length: int | None = None,
+        description_preview_length: int = _DEFAULT_DESCRIPTION_PREVIEW,
     ) -> ListCardsResponse:
         """Get all cards in a Nextcloud Deck stack.
 
-        Filtering is applied client-side after the API returns the full
-        stack, so ``include_archived_cards=False`` and
-        ``description_max_length`` reduce response size visible to the
-        caller but not network bandwidth — network-wise this tool is
-        equivalent to deck_get_stack(include_cards=True).
+        Cards are returned as compact summaries by default. Filtering and
+        projection are applied client-side after the API returns the full
+        stack, so they reduce the tokens the caller sees but not network
+        bandwidth — network-wise this tool is equivalent to
+        deck_get_stack(include_cards=True).
 
         Args:
             board_id: The ID of the board
             stack_id: The ID of the stack
-            include_archived_cards: Include archived cards (default False).
-                Archived cards can also be retrieved per-board via
-                deck_get_archived_stacks.
-            description_max_length: If set, truncate each card's description
-                to this many characters.
+            detail: "summary" (default) returns compact card rows; "full"
+                returns the complete card objects.
+            status: "open" (default; excludes archived and done), "done",
+                "archived", or "all".
+            label: If set, only cards carrying a label with this exact title.
+            assigned_to: If set, only cards assigned to this user UID.
+            description_max_length: In detail="full", truncate descriptions.
+            description_preview_length: In detail="summary", preview length.
         """
         _validate_description_max_length(description_max_length)
+        _validate_description_max_length(
+            description_preview_length, "description_preview_length"
+        )
         client = await get_client(ctx)
         stack = await client.deck.get_stack(board_id, stack_id)
-        cards = _apply_card_filters(
-            stack.cards or [],
-            include_archived_cards=include_archived_cards,
+        cards = _shape_cards(
+            cast(list[DeckCard], stack.cards or []),
+            detail=detail,
+            status=status,
+            label=label,
+            assigned_to=assigned_to,
             description_max_length=description_max_length,
+            description_preview_length=description_preview_length,
         )
         return ListCardsResponse(cards=cards, total=len(cards))
 
+    @mcp.tool(
+        title="Get Deck Board Overview",
+        annotations=ToolAnnotations(readOnlyHint=True, openWorldHint=True),
+    )
+    @require_scopes("deck.read")
+    @instrument_tool
+    async def deck_get_board_overview(
+        ctx: Context,
+        board_id: int,
+        status: CardStatus = "open",
+        label: str | None = None,
+        assigned_to: str | None = None,
+        description_preview_length: int = _DEFAULT_DESCRIPTION_PREVIEW,
+    ) -> BoardOverviewResponse:
+        """Get a compact, whole-board snapshot in a single call.
+
+        Returns the board title, its label legend, and every stack with its
+        cards projected to compact summary rows. This is the token-efficient
+        replacement for calling deck_get_board + deck_get_stacks when you just
+        need to see the state of the board — prefer it for "show me the
+        board" / "what's in progress" style requests on large boards.
+
+        Args:
+            board_id: The ID of the board
+            status: Which cards to include — "open" (default; excludes
+                archived and done), "done", "archived", or "all".
+            label: If set, only cards carrying a label with this exact title.
+            assigned_to: If set, only cards assigned to this user UID.
+            description_preview_length: Length of the description preview
+                carried on each card summary (default 140).
+        """
+        _validate_description_max_length(
+            description_preview_length, "description_preview_length"
+        )
+        client = await get_client(ctx)
+
+        board_holder: list[DeckBoard] = []
+        stacks_holder: list[list[DeckStack]] = []
+
+        async def _get_board() -> None:
+            board_holder.append(await client.deck.get_board(board_id))
+
+        async def _get_stacks() -> None:
+            stacks_holder.append(await client.deck.get_stacks(board_id))
+
+        async with anyio.create_task_group() as tg:
+            tg.start_soon(_get_board)
+            tg.start_soon(_get_stacks)
+
+        board = board_holder[0]
+        stacks = stacks_holder[0]
+
+        stack_overviews: list[StackOverview] = []
+        total_cards = 0
+        for stack in stacks:
+            summaries = [
+                _summarize_card(c, description_preview_length)
+                for c in _filter_cards(
+                    cast(list[DeckCard], stack.cards or []),
+                    status=status,
+                    label=label,
+                    assigned_to=assigned_to,
+                )
+            ]
+            total_cards += len(summaries)
+            stack_overviews.append(
+                StackOverview(
+                    id=stack.id,
+                    title=stack.title,
+                    order=stack.order,
+                    card_count=len(summaries),
+                    cards=summaries,
+                )
+            )
+
+        return BoardOverviewResponse(
+            board_id=board.id,
+            title=board.title,
+            labels=[lbl.title for lbl in (board.labels or [])],
+            stacks=stack_overviews,
+            total_cards=total_cards,
+        )
+
     @mcp.tool(
         title="Get Deck Card",
         annotations=ToolAnnotations(readOnlyHint=True, openWorldHint=True),
@@ -1016,18 +1300,40 @@ def configure_deck_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
     @require_scopes("deck.read")
     @instrument_tool
     async def deck_get_card_comments(
-        ctx: Context, card_id: int, limit: int = 20, offset: int = 0
+        ctx: Context,
+        card_id: int,
+        limit: int = 20,
+        offset: int = 0,
+        detail: DetailLevel = "summary",
+        message_max_length: int | None = None,
+        order: Literal["newest", "oldest"] = "newest",
     ) -> ListCardCommentsResponse:
-        """List comments on a Nextcloud Deck card
+        """List comments on a Nextcloud Deck card.
+
+        Returns compact comments by default (dropping mentions, actor type and
+        display name). Ordering and truncation apply within the returned page.
 
         Args:
             card_id: The ID of the card
             limit: Maximum number of comments to return (default 20, max 200)
             offset: Pagination offset (default 0)
+            detail: "summary" (default) returns compact comments; "full"
+                returns the complete comment objects.
+            message_max_length: If set, truncate each comment message to this
+                many characters.
+            order: "newest" (default) or "oldest" — sort the page by creation
+                time.
         """
+        _validate_description_max_length(message_max_length, "message_max_length")
         client = await get_client(ctx)
         comments = await client.deck.get_comments(card_id, limit=limit, offset=offset)
-        return ListCardCommentsResponse(results=comments, count=len(comments))
+        shaped = _shape_comments(
+            comments,
+            detail=detail,
+            message_max_length=message_max_length,
+            order=order,
+        )
+        return ListCardCommentsResponse(results=shaped, count=len(shaped))
 
     @mcp.tool(
         title="Create Deck Card Comment",

tests/server/test_deck_mcp.py

@@ -353,3 +353,71 @@ async def test_deck_card_comment_message_too_long_mcp(
         {"card_id": card_id, "message": too_long},
     )
     assert result.isError is True, "Expected validation error for >1000 char message"
+
+
+# Compact retrieval (summary projection + board overview)
+
+
+async def test_deck_get_stacks_summary_default_omits_full_card_fields_mcp(
+    nc_mcp_client: ClientSession, temporary_board_with_card: tuple
+):
+    """deck_get_stacks defaults to compact summaries: the card row carries
+    title/labels but not the heavy full-card fields (owner/type/etag)."""
+    board_data, stack_data, card_data = temporary_board_with_card
+    board_id = board_data["id"]
+
+    result = await nc_mcp_client.call_tool("deck_get_stacks", {"board_id": board_id})
+    assert result.isError is False, f"deck_get_stacks failed: {result.content}"
+    payload = json.loads(result.content[0].text)
+
+    cards = [c for stack in payload["stacks"] for c in (stack.get("cards") or [])]
+    card = next(c for c in cards if c["id"] == card_data["id"])
+    # Summary fields present...
+    assert card["title"] == card_data["title"]
+    assert "hasDescription" in card
+    assert "labels" in card and isinstance(card["labels"], list)
+    # ...heavy full-card fields absent.
+    assert "owner" not in card
+    assert "type" not in card
+
+
+async def test_deck_get_stacks_detail_full_keeps_card_fields_mcp(
+    nc_mcp_client: ClientSession, temporary_board_with_card: tuple
+):
+    """detail="full" restores the complete card objects (owner/type present)."""
+    board_data, _, card_data = temporary_board_with_card
+    board_id = board_data["id"]
+
+    result = await nc_mcp_client.call_tool(
+        "deck_get_stacks", {"board_id": board_id, "detail": "full"}
+    )
+    assert result.isError is False, f"deck_get_stacks(full) failed: {result.content}"
+    payload = json.loads(result.content[0].text)
+
+    cards = [c for stack in payload["stacks"] for c in (stack.get("cards") or [])]
+    card = next(c for c in cards if c["id"] == card_data["id"])
+    assert "owner" in card
+    assert "type" in card
+
+
+async def test_deck_get_board_overview_mcp(
+    nc_mcp_client: ClientSession, temporary_board_with_card: tuple
+):
+    """deck_get_board_overview returns board title + stacks with compact rows."""
+    board_data, stack_data, card_data = temporary_board_with_card
+    board_id = board_data["id"]
+
+    result = await nc_mcp_client.call_tool(
+        "deck_get_board_overview", {"board_id": board_id}
+    )
+    assert result.isError is False, f"board overview failed: {result.content}"
+    payload = json.loads(result.content[0].text)
+
+    assert payload["board_id"] == board_id
+    assert payload["title"] == board_data["title"]
+    assert payload["total_cards"] >= 1
+
+    stack = next(s for s in payload["stacks"] if s["id"] == stack_data["id"])
+    assert stack["card_count"] == len(stack["cards"])
+    card_ids = [c["id"] for c in stack["cards"]]
+    assert card_data["id"] in card_ids

tests/unit/test_deck_server.py

@@ -1,9 +1,15 @@
+from datetime import datetime, timezone
+
 import pytest
 
 from nextcloud_mcp_server.models.deck import (
     DeckACL,
+    DeckAssignedUser,
     DeckBoard,
     DeckCard,
+    DeckCardSummary,
+    DeckComment,
+    DeckCommentSummary,
     DeckLabel,
     DeckPermissions,
     DeckStack,
@@ -12,11 +18,16 @@ from nextcloud_mcp_server.models.deck import (
 from nextcloud_mcp_server.server.deck import (
     _SHARE_TYPE_DECK,
     _apply_board_filters,
-    _apply_card_filters,
     _apply_stack_filters,
+    _extract_uid,
+    _filter_cards,
     _resolve_note_attach_path,
     _resolve_note_path,
+    _shape_cards,
+    _shape_comments,
+    _summarize_card,
     _truncate_card_descriptions,
+    _truncate_comment_message,
     _validate_description_max_length,
 )
 
@@ -30,6 +41,12 @@ def _make_card(
     card_id: int,
     description: str | None = "desc",
     archived: bool = False,
+    *,
+    done: datetime | None = None,
+    labels: list[DeckLabel] | None = None,
+    assigned_users: list | None = None,
+    attachment_count: int | None = None,
+    comments_unread: int | None = None,
 ) -> DeckCard:
     return DeckCard(
         id=card_id,
@@ -40,6 +57,30 @@ def _make_card(
         archived=archived,
         owner="testuser",
         description=description,
+        done=done,
+        labels=labels,
+        assignedUsers=assigned_users,
+        attachmentCount=attachment_count,
+        commentsUnread=comments_unread,
+    )
+
+
+def _make_comment(
+    comment_id: int,
+    message: str = "hello",
+    *,
+    actor: str = "alice",
+    created: datetime | None = None,
+) -> DeckComment:
+    return DeckComment(
+        id=comment_id,
+        objectId=1,
+        message=message,
+        actorId=actor,
+        actorType="users",
+        actorDisplayName=actor.title(),
+        creationDateTime=created or datetime(2024, 1, comment_id, tzinfo=timezone.utc),
+        mentions=[],
     )
 
 
@@ -231,67 +272,210 @@ def test_apply_board_filters_excludes_all():
     assert result.labels == []
 
 
+# Shared default kwargs for _apply_stack_filters in summary mode ------------
+
+_STACK_DEFAULTS = dict(
+    detail="summary",
+    status="open",
+    label=None,
+    assigned_to=None,
+    description_max_length=None,
+    description_preview_length=140,
+)
+
+
+# _filter_cards -------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def test_filter_cards_open_excludes_archived_and_done():
+    """status="open" drops both archived and explicitly-done cards."""
+    done_at = datetime(2024, 1, 1, tzinfo=timezone.utc)
+    cards = [
+        _make_card(1),
+        _make_card(2, archived=True),
+        _make_card(3, done=done_at),
+    ]
+    result = _filter_cards(cards, status="open", label=None, assigned_to=None)
+    assert [c.id for c in result] == [1]
+
+
+def test_filter_cards_done_keeps_only_done():
+    """status="done" keeps only cards with a done timestamp."""
+    done_at = datetime(2024, 1, 1, tzinfo=timezone.utc)
+    cards = [_make_card(1), _make_card(2, done=done_at)]
+    result = _filter_cards(cards, status="done", label=None, assigned_to=None)
+    assert [c.id for c in result] == [2]
+
+
+def test_filter_cards_archived_keeps_only_archived():
+    """status="archived" keeps only archived cards."""
+    cards = [_make_card(1), _make_card(2, archived=True)]
+    result = _filter_cards(cards, status="archived", label=None, assigned_to=None)
+    assert [c.id for c in result] == [2]
+
+
+def test_filter_cards_all_keeps_everything():
+    """status="all" applies no status filter."""
+    cards = [_make_card(1), _make_card(2, archived=True)]
+    result = _filter_cards(cards, status="all", label=None, assigned_to=None)
+    assert [c.id for c in result] == [1, 2]
+
+
+def test_filter_cards_by_label_matches_title_exactly():
+    """label filtering matches the exact label title."""
+    a = _make_card(1, labels=[DeckLabel(id=1, title="bug", color="f00")])
+    b = _make_card(2, labels=[DeckLabel(id=2, title="feature", color="0f0")])
+    result = _filter_cards([a, b], status="all", label="bug", assigned_to=None)
+    assert [c.id for c in result] == [1]
+
+
+def test_filter_cards_by_assignee_handles_both_user_shapes():
+    """assigned_to matches DeckUser and DeckAssignedUser shapes alike."""
+    direct = _make_card(1, assigned_users=[_make_user("alice")])
+    wrapped = _make_card(
+        2,
+        assigned_users=[
+            DeckAssignedUser(id=9, participant=_make_user("bob"), cardId=2, type=0)
+        ],
+    )
+    result = _filter_cards(
+        [direct, wrapped], status="all", label=None, assigned_to="bob"
+    )
+    assert [c.id for c in result] == [2]
+
+
+# _extract_uid --------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def test_extract_uid_from_deck_user():
+    assert _extract_uid(_make_user("alice")) == "alice"
+
+
+def test_extract_uid_from_assigned_user():
+    assigned = DeckAssignedUser(id=1, participant=_make_user("bob"), cardId=1, type=0)
+    assert _extract_uid(assigned) == "bob"
+
+
+# _summarize_card -----------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def test_summarize_card_projects_compact_fields():
+    """Summary carries flat label titles, assignee uids, counts, and a preview."""
+    card = _make_card(
+        1,
+        description="x" * 50,
+        labels=[DeckLabel(id=1, title="bug", color="f00")],
+        assigned_users=[_make_user("alice")],
+        attachment_count=3,
+        comments_unread=2,
+    )
+    summary = _summarize_card(card, description_preview_length=10)
+    assert isinstance(summary, DeckCardSummary)
+    assert summary.labels == ["bug"]
+    assert summary.assignedUsers == ["alice"]
+    assert summary.attachmentCount == 3
+    assert summary.commentsUnread == 2
+    assert summary.hasDescription is True
+    assert summary.descriptionPreview is not None
+    assert summary.descriptionPreview.endswith("…")
+    assert len(summary.descriptionPreview) == 11  # 10 chars + ellipsis
+
+
+def test_summarize_card_short_description_has_no_ellipsis():
+    """A description within the preview length is carried verbatim."""
+    summary = _summarize_card(_make_card(1, description="hi"), 140)
+    assert summary.descriptionPreview == "hi"
+    assert summary.hasDescription is True
+
+
+def test_summarize_card_empty_description():
+    """An empty/whitespace description yields hasDescription=False, no preview."""
+    summary = _summarize_card(_make_card(1, description="   "), 140)
+    assert summary.hasDescription is False
+    assert summary.descriptionPreview is None
+
+
+# _shape_cards --------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def test_shape_cards_summary_returns_summaries():
+    """detail="summary" projects every (filtered) card to a DeckCardSummary."""
+    cards = [_make_card(1), _make_card(2, archived=True)]
+    result = _shape_cards(
+        cards,
+        detail="summary",
+        status="open",
+        label=None,
+        assigned_to=None,
+        description_max_length=None,
+        description_preview_length=140,
+    )
+    assert [type(c) for c in result] == [DeckCardSummary]
+    assert result[0].id == 1
+
+
+def test_shape_cards_full_returns_truncated_full_cards():
+    """detail="full" returns DeckCard objects with descriptions truncated."""
+    cards = [_make_card(1, description="x" * 50)]
+    result = _shape_cards(
+        cards,
+        detail="full",
+        status="all",
+        label=None,
+        assigned_to=None,
+        description_max_length=10,
+        description_preview_length=140,
+    )
+    assert isinstance(result[0], DeckCard)
+    assert result[0].description is not None
+    assert result[0].description.endswith("…")
+
+
 # _apply_stack_filters ------------------------------------------------------
 
 
 def test_apply_stack_filters_include_cards_false_strips_cards():
     """include_cards=False sets cards to None regardless of other flags."""
     stack = _make_stack(cards=[_make_card(1), _make_card(2, archived=True)])
-    result = _apply_stack_filters(
-        stack,
-        include_cards=False,
-        include_archived_cards=True,
-        description_max_length=None,
-    )
+    result = _apply_stack_filters(stack, include_cards=False, **_STACK_DEFAULTS)
     assert result.cards is None
 
 
-def test_apply_stack_filters_excludes_archived_by_default():
-    """include_archived_cards=False filters out archived cards."""
+def test_apply_stack_filters_summary_excludes_archived_by_default():
+    """Default status="open" filters out archived cards and returns summaries."""
     stack = _make_stack(
         cards=[_make_card(1, archived=False), _make_card(2, archived=True)]
     )
-    result = _apply_stack_filters(
-        stack,
-        include_cards=True,
-        include_archived_cards=False,
-        description_max_length=None,
-    )
+    result = _apply_stack_filters(stack, include_cards=True, **_STACK_DEFAULTS)
     assert result.cards is not None
     assert [c.id for c in result.cards] == [1]
+    assert all(isinstance(c, DeckCardSummary) for c in result.cards)
 
 
-def test_apply_stack_filters_keeps_archived_when_requested():
-    """include_archived_cards=True retains archived cards."""
+def test_apply_stack_filters_status_all_keeps_archived():
+    """status="all" retains archived cards."""
     stack = _make_stack(
         cards=[_make_card(1, archived=False), _make_card(2, archived=True)]
     )
-    result = _apply_stack_filters(
-        stack,
-        include_cards=True,
-        include_archived_cards=True,
-        description_max_length=None,
-    )
+    kwargs = {**_STACK_DEFAULTS, "status": "all"}
+    result = _apply_stack_filters(stack, include_cards=True, **kwargs)
     assert result.cards is not None
     assert [c.id for c in result.cards] == [1, 2]
 
 
-def test_apply_stack_filters_truncates_descriptions_after_archive_filter():
-    """Truncation runs on the post-archive-filter card set."""
+def test_apply_stack_filters_full_truncates_descriptions_after_filter():
+    """detail="full" truncation runs on the post-status-filter card set."""
     stack = _make_stack(
         cards=[
             _make_card(1, description="x" * 50, archived=False),
             _make_card(2, description="y" * 50, archived=True),
         ]
     )
-    result = _apply_stack_filters(
-        stack,
-        include_cards=True,
-        include_archived_cards=False,
-        description_max_length=10,
-    )
+    kwargs = {**_STACK_DEFAULTS, "detail": "full", "description_max_length": 10}
+    result = _apply_stack_filters(stack, include_cards=True, **kwargs)
     assert result.cards is not None
     assert len(result.cards) == 1
+    assert isinstance(result.cards[0], DeckCard)
     assert result.cards[0].description is not None
     assert result.cards[0].description.endswith("…")
 
@@ -299,78 +483,72 @@ def test_apply_stack_filters_truncates_descriptions_after_archive_filter():
 def test_apply_stack_filters_handles_none_cards():
     """A stack with no cards (cards=None) is left untouched."""
     stack = _make_stack(cards=None)
-    result = _apply_stack_filters(
-        stack,
-        include_cards=True,
-        include_archived_cards=False,
-        description_max_length=10,
-    )
+    result = _apply_stack_filters(stack, include_cards=True, **_STACK_DEFAULTS)
     assert result.cards is None
 
 
-def test_apply_stack_filters_all_archived_yields_empty_list_not_none():
-    """A stack whose cards are all archived yields cards == [], not None.
+def test_apply_stack_filters_all_filtered_yields_empty_list_not_none():
+    """A stack whose cards are all filtered out yields cards == [], not None.
 
     Pin the contract: include_cards=True with all cards filtered out
     means "the stack was loaded but had nothing to show", which is
     semantically distinct from include_cards=False (cards=None,
-    "explicitly suppressed"). Callers checking ``stack.cards is None``
-    can use that to distinguish the two states.
+    "explicitly suppressed").
     """
     stack = _make_stack(
         cards=[_make_card(1, archived=True), _make_card(2, archived=True)]
     )
-    result = _apply_stack_filters(
-        stack,
-        include_cards=True,
-        include_archived_cards=False,
-        description_max_length=None,
-    )
+    result = _apply_stack_filters(stack, include_cards=True, **_STACK_DEFAULTS)
     assert result.cards == []
     assert result.cards is not None
 
 
-# _apply_card_filters -------------------------------------------------------
+# _shape_comments -----------------------------------------------------------
 
 
-def test_apply_card_filters_excludes_archived_by_default():
-    """include_archived_cards=False filters archived cards out of the flat list."""
-    cards = [
-        _make_card(1, archived=False),
-        _make_card(2, archived=True),
-        _make_card(3, archived=False),
-    ]
-    result = _apply_card_filters(
-        cards, include_archived_cards=False, description_max_length=None
+def test_shape_comments_summary_drops_actor_metadata():
+    """detail="summary" projects comments to compact DeckCommentSummary rows."""
+    comments = [_make_comment(1, "hi", actor="alice")]
+    result = _shape_comments(
+        comments, detail="summary", message_max_length=None, order="newest"
     )
-    assert [c.id for c in result] == [1, 3]
+    assert isinstance(result[0], DeckCommentSummary)
+    assert result[0].actorId == "alice"
+    assert result[0].message == "hi"
 
 
-def test_apply_card_filters_keeps_archived_when_requested():
-    """include_archived_cards=True retains archived cards."""
-    cards = [_make_card(1, archived=False), _make_card(2, archived=True)]
-    result = _apply_card_filters(
-        cards, include_archived_cards=True, description_max_length=None
+def test_shape_comments_newest_first():
+    """order="newest" sorts the page by creation time descending."""
+    comments = [_make_comment(1), _make_comment(3), _make_comment(2)]
+    result = _shape_comments(
+        comments, detail="summary", message_max_length=None, order="newest"
     )
-    assert [c.id for c in result] == [1, 2]
+    assert [c.id for c in result] == [3, 2, 1]
 
 
-def test_apply_card_filters_truncates_descriptions():
-    """description_max_length is honored on the returned cards."""
-    cards = [_make_card(1, description="x" * 50)]
-    result = _apply_card_filters(
-        cards, include_archived_cards=True, description_max_length=10
+def test_shape_comments_oldest_first():
+    """order="oldest" sorts the page by creation time ascending."""
+    comments = [_make_comment(3), _make_comment(1), _make_comment(2)]
+    result = _shape_comments(
+        comments, detail="summary", message_max_length=None, order="oldest"
     )
-    assert result[0].description is not None
-    assert result[0].description.endswith("…")
+    assert [c.id for c in result] == [1, 2, 3]
 
 
-def test_apply_card_filters_empty_list_is_noop():
-    """An empty input returns an empty output."""
-    result = _apply_card_filters(
-        [], include_archived_cards=False, description_max_length=10
+def test_shape_comments_full_truncates_message():
+    """detail="full" keeps DeckComment but truncates long messages when asked."""
+    comments = [_make_comment(1, "x" * 50)]
+    result = _shape_comments(
+        comments, detail="full", message_max_length=10, order="newest"
     )
-    assert result == []
+    assert isinstance(result[0], DeckComment)
+    assert result[0].message.endswith("…")
+    assert len(result[0].message) == 11
+
+
+def test_truncate_comment_message_no_op_when_within_limit():
+    assert _truncate_comment_message("short", 100) == "short"
+    assert _truncate_comment_message("short", None) == "short"
 
 
 # _resolve_note_path -------------------------------------------------------