Ontario Protocol

Ontario Free/Paid Purchase Router

ontario_purchase_router

Read-onlyIdempotent

Free deterministic pre-purchase routing across Ontario tools. Use this before any paid Ontario tool to decide whether the task is free-only, needs free preflight, or is eligible for a paid result after wallet, Base network, and explicit budget gates. Natural endpoint-verification tasks route to the free readiness verifier and disclose the optional 0.002 USDC settlement-backed receipt only when extra audit evidence is needed. Provider jobs such as publishing, registering, or making an x402 endpoint discoverable can route to the self-serve 0.50 USDC publication product after preflight. Existing paid profiles can route to the 0.10 USDC evidence refresh only after the free refresh validator. Empty calls return safe free discovery guidance instead of guessing a purchase. This tool never invokes another tool, signs a payload, or spends funds.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`task`	Yes	Public task description only; never include credentials or private customer data.
`network`	No	Wallet policy network; Ontario paid tools currently require Base mainnet.	eip155:8453
`max_usdc`	No	Optional owner-authorized per-call USDC ceiling from 0 to 1000. Send a JSON number or decimal string such as 0.5, '0.50', '$0.50' or '0.50 USDC'. Omit when no budget is authorized; a budget is only a ceiling and does not grant spending authority. The router never increases it.
`wallet_enabled`	No	True only when the caller can locally sign an x402 PaymentPayload.
`free_preflight_complete`	No	True only after the recommended free check has completed for this task.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`gates`	Yes
`schema`	Yes
`status`	Yes
`privacy`	No
`reasons`	No
`decision`	Yes
`free_tool`	No
`next_action`	Yes
`payment_flow`	No
`selected_tool`	Yes
`task_category`	Yes
`input_guidance`	No	Safe free task examples returned when an MCP caller invokes the router without a public task.
`paid_candidate`	No
`trust_boundary`	Yes
`router_follow_up`	No	Non-spending request template for rerunning the router after the free preflight.
`optional_paid_upgrade`	No	A non-recommended upgrade disclosed after a matching free route. The caller should stop after the free result unless the stated evidence condition applies.
`listing_maintenance_path`	No	Present for existing-profile refresh intent. Gives the free validator followed by the gated paid refresher.
`provider_publication_path`	No	Present for provider-publication intent. Gives the free launch-kit and validator followed by the gated paid publisher.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed3 schema fields changedOct 5, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / max_usdc / anyOf

Previous value: -[
-  {
-    "pattern": "^(?:(?:0|[1-9][0-9]{0,2})(?:\\.[0-9]+)?|1000(?:\\.0+)?)$",
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  {
-    "maximum": 1000,
-    "minimum": 0,
-    "type": "number"
-  }
-]New value: +[
+  {
+    "pattern": "^\\s*(?:[Uu][Ss][Dd][Cc]?\\s*)?\\$?\\s*(?:(?:0|[1-9][0-9]{0,2})(?:\\.[0-9]+)?|1000(?:\\.0+)?)\\s*(?:[Uu][Ss][Dd][Cc]?)?\\s*$",
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  {
+    "maximum": 1000,
+    "minimum": 0,
+    "type": "number"
+  }
+]

changedInput schema / properties / max_usdc / description

Previous value: -"Optional owner-authorized per-call USDC ceiling from 0 to 1000. Use a unitless JSON number or decimal string, such as 0.5 or '0.50'; do not add a currency symbol or write 'USDC'. Omit when no budget is authorized; a budget is only a ceiling and does not grant spending authority. The router never increases it."New value: +"Optional owner-authorized per-call USDC ceiling from 0 to 1000. Send a JSON number or decimal string such as 0.5, '0.50', '$0.50' or '0.50 USDC'. Omit when no budget is authorized; a budget is only a ceiling and does not grant spending authority. The router never increases it."

changedInput schema / properties / max_usdc / examples

Previous value: -[
-  "0",
-  "0.002",
-  "0.10",
-  "0.50",
-  0.5
-]New value: +[
+  "0",
+  "0.002",
+  "0.10",
+  "0.50",
+  0.5,
+  "0.50 USDC"
+]

Changed5 schema fields changedSep 23, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / max_usdc / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "pattern": "^(?:(?:0|[1-9][0-9]{0,2})(?:\\.[0-9]+)?|1000(?:\\.0+)?)$",
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  {
+    "maximum": 1000,
+    "minimum": 0,
+    "type": "number"
+  }
+]

changedInput schema / properties / max_usdc / description

Previous value: -"Optional owner-authorized per-call USDC ceiling from 0 to 1000. Use a decimal string without a currency symbol or unit, such as '0.50', not '$0.50' or '0.50 USDC'. Omit when no spending budget is authorized; do not infer authorization from these examples. The router never increases it."New value: +"Optional owner-authorized per-call USDC ceiling from 0 to 1000. Use a unitless JSON number or decimal string, such as 0.5 or '0.50'; do not add a currency symbol or write 'USDC'. Omit when no budget is authorized; a budget is only a ceiling and does not grant spending authority. The router never increases it."

changedInput schema / properties / max_usdc / examples

Previous value: -[
-  "0",
-  "0.002",
-  "0.10",
-  "0.50"
-]New value: +[
+  "0",
+  "0.002",
+  "0.10",
+  "0.50",
+  0.5
+]

removedInput schema / properties / max_usdc / pattern

Removed value: -"^(?:(?:0|[1-9][0-9]{0,2})(?:\\.[0-9]+)?|1000(?:\\.0+)?)$"

removedInput schema / properties / max_usdc / type
```
Removed value: -"string"
```

Changed3 schema fields changedSep 20, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / max_usdc / description

Previous value: -"Optional explicit per-call USDC ceiling. The router never increases it."New value: +"Optional owner-authorized per-call USDC ceiling from 0 to 1000. Use a decimal string without a currency symbol or unit, such as '0.50', not '$0.50' or '0.50 USDC'. Omit when no spending budget is authorized; do not infer authorization from these examples. The router never increases it."

addedInput schema / properties / max_usdc / examples

Added value: +[
+  "0",
+  "0.002",
+  "0.10",
+  "0.50"
+]

addedInput schema / properties / max_usdc / pattern

Added value: +"^(?:(?:0|[1-9][0-9]{0,2})(?:\\.[0-9]+)?|1000(?:\\.0+)?)$"

First observedSep 5, 2026

TDQS

A4.6/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

Annotations already cover the safety profile (readOnly, idempotent, non-destructive, openWorld), yet the description adds substantial context: it never invokes tools, signs payloads, or spends funds; budgets are ceilings and never increased; empty calls return free discovery guidance rather than guessing a purchase. This is rich behavioral disclosure beyond structured fields.

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 routing purpose, and every sentence carries routing or safety information (price points, gates, no-spend guarantee). It is dense and somewhat long, but none of the content is wasted given the multi-branch routing behavior.

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 handles return values and annotations cover safety, so the description's job is to explain routing logic and gates—all of which are covered (preflight requirement, wallet/network prerequisites, budget ceiling behavior). Nothing an agent needs to call it correctly is missing.

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

Parameters3/5

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

Schema description coverage is 100%, so all five parameters are already documented in the schema. The description references the wallet, Base network, and budget gates conceptually but adds no syntax or format detail beyond what the schema provides. Baseline 3 for high-coverage schema applies.

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?

States a specific verb and resource ('Free deterministic pre-purchase routing across Ontario tools') and immediately scopes what it does and does not do ('This tool never invokes another tool, signs a payload, or spends funds'). An agent can distinguish this decision/routing role from siblings like x402_readiness_verify or ontario_refresh-listing without opening any schema.

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?

Explicitly says 'Use this before any paid Ontario tool' and enumerates the decision branches (free-only, needs free preflight, eligible for paid result). It also names downstream alternatives and their gating conditions, e.g. the free refresh validator before the 0.10 USDC evidence refresh, and states the empty-call fallback.

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

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Ontario Free/Paid Purchase Router

Input Schema

Output Schema

Schema Changelog

TDQS

Glama MCP Gateway

Resources