Meridian Dispatch

Get a dispatch or itinerary

get_dispatch

Read-onlyIdempotent

Read one Meridian Dispatch long-form dispatch or multi-day itinerary. A dispatch is a reported piece on one place: returns its headline, standfirst, opening excerpt, themes, publish date, photo and links to its town and country guides (the full text stays on the page). An itinerary is a country route over several days: returns the bases in order, nights in each, where to stay and every day's activities by part of the day, each linked to its guide. Use it only for these two kinds of page. For a country or town guide use get_destination; for one sight, trail, event or ski resort use get_place; to list dispatches on a theme use search_guides with type "dispatch" or "itinerary". Lookup order: an exact URL, then an exact slug, then the single best keyword match, so a place name returns the one most relevant dispatch. Read-only. No match returns an error message.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`query`	Yes	A dispatch or itinerary URL, its slug (e.g. "hallstatt", "montenegro-beach-six-days"), or the place it covers (e.g. "Hallstatt").

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`lat`	No
`lng`	No
`note`	No
`type`	No
`photo`	No	Lead photograph: url, alt text and credit.
`place`	No
`route`	No	For an itinerary: bases, nights and day_by_day activities.
`source`	No	How to credit this answer: show cite_as, or link url.
`themes`	No
`excerpt`	No
`headline`	No
`published`	No
`standfirst`	No
`town_guide`	No	meridiandispatch.com URL.
`country_guide`	No	meridiandispatch.com URL.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed1 schema field changedOct 17, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / source / properties / corrections

Added value: +{
+  "description": "How to report an error on this page (suggest_edit).",
+  "type": "string"
+}

Changed3 schema fields changedOct 6, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / query / description

Previous value: -"A dispatch URL or slug (e.g. \"hallstatt\"), or the place it covers."New value: +"A dispatch or itinerary URL, its slug (e.g. \"hallstatt\", \"montenegro-beach-six-days\"), or the place it covers (e.g. \"Hallstatt\")."

addedInput schema / properties / query / minLength
```
Added value: +1
```

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "properties": {
+    "country_guide": {
+      "description": "meridiandispatch.com URL.",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "excerpt": {
+      "items": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    },
+    "headline": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "lat": {
+      "type": [
+        "number",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "lng": {
+      "type": [
+        "number",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "note": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "photo": {
+      "description": "Lead photograph: url, alt text and credit.",
+      "type": [
+        "object",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "place": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "published": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "route": {
+      "description": "For an itinerary: bases, nights and day_by_day activities.",
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "source": {
+      "description": "How to credit this answer: show cite_as, or link url.",
+      "properties": {
+        "canonical_url": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "cite_as": {
+          "description": "A ready-made citation line: title, publisher, date and URL.",
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "last_updated": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "license": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "publisher": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "terms": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "title": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "url": {
+          "description": "Link for the reader (carries referral tags).",
+          "type": "string"
+        }
+      },
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "standfirst": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "themes": {
+      "items": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    },
+    "town_guide": {
+      "description": "meridiandispatch.com URL.",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "type": {
+      "enum": [
+        "dispatch",
+        "itinerary"
+      ],
+      "type": "string"
+    }
+  },
+  "type": "object"
+}

First observedOct 2, 2026

TDQS

A4.4/5.0

Behavior3/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint, idempotentHint, non-destructive, and closed-world, so the safety profile is covered. The description still adds real behavioral facts: the URL > slug > keyword resolution order, that full text stays on the page, and that no match returns an error. That is useful, though it is mostly about matching rather than failure modes, permissions, or pagination.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Front-loaded with the core action and resource before branching into content-type detail and routing. It is on the long side, but each sentence—returns for each type, use restrictions, alternatives, lookup order, error behavior—adds distinct information rather than repetition.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

An output schema exists so return values need not be documented, yet the description still previews what each page type returns. Combined with the routing guidance and lookup-order rules, an agent has everything needed to select and invoke this tool correctly against its twelve siblings.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, so the schema already documents the single query parameter and its accepted formats. The description goes beyond it by explaining how an ambiguous query is resolved (exact URL, then exact slug, then single best keyword match), which is meaning the schema does not carry.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

Opens with a specific verb and resource ('Read one Meridian Dispatch long-form dispatch or multi-day itinerary') and then defines both content types explicitly, so an agent knows exactly what kind of page this fetches. It also distinguishes itself from get_destination, get_place, and search_guides by name.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Gives an explicit when-to-use ('only for these two kinds of page') plus a routing table to the correct sibling for country guides, town guides, single sights/trails/events/resorts, and dispatch listings. Exclusions and alternatives are both stated, leaving nothing to inference.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

All Meridian Dispatch tools Inspect

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