Re: Mini brakes
"IIRC which can come in two varieties depending on whether you need to expand or contract the circlip to fit it in place."
In the application of a mini brake cylinder (not a master cylinder which is bolted to the bulkhead), a slave brake cylinder retainer clip clip should be removed by a blunt-ish screwdriver. Maybe by needle nose pliers. Not your decent screwdriver for obvious reasons.