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Sonar Connections

by com.sonarconnections
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City map layers

city_gis
Read-only

Search and read a city GIS, a public ArcGIS organization of map layers covering parcels, zoning, districts, bikeways, parks, neighborhoods, permits and more. SOURCES: longbeach (City of Long Beach, 174 public layers listed) and huntingtonbeach (City of Huntington Beach, 113 servable of 121 listed; the other 8 are hosted on the City's own server, which this connector does not read). Pass source to choose; it defaults to longbeach. Each answer names the city it came from, and a search answer says how many results it refused and why. Every layer is read live from the publisher's own published ArcGIS organization, and every response names that publisher as its source and carries the license state in the publisher's own terms. HOW TO USE IT: call with search to find layers by topic and get their item ids, then call with item_id AND THE SAME source to read one layer. Reading a layer returns its field schema, its row count and a capped sample of rows; add filter to match a word across the layer's text fields. WHAT IT WILL NOT DO: it never returns raw geometry, so a polygon layer answers which, where and how many rather than emitting coordinates. Any layer whose field names look like they describe individual people (owner or applicant names, home addresses, plates, dates of birth), and any Survey123 response layer whatever its columns are called, returns its schema and counts only, never rows, and says what triggered that. The screen is conservative and can fire on a layer that only describes places, which is why it reports its reasons. Coverage today: two city GIS organizations, the City of Long Beach and the City of Huntington Beach.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
layerNoLayer index within the service (default 0)
limitNoResults to return, 1 to 50 (default 10)
filterNoMatch a word across the layer text fields, e.g. a street or a name
searchNoFind layers by topic, e.g. "zoning", "parks", "bike"
sourceNoWhich city GIS: "longbeach" or "huntingtonbeach" (default longbeach)
item_idNoArcGIS item id from a search result, to read that layer

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. First observed

TDQS

A4.8/5.0
Behavior5/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnly/openWorld/non-destructive, and the description adds substantial context beyond them: it never returns raw geometry, privacy-screening logic that returns schema+counts only for person-like fields and Survey123 layers, live reads from the publisher, and license/source attribution per response. It even explains false-positive behavior of the screen.

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?

Dense but well-organized with labeled sections (SOURCES, HOW TO USE IT, WHAT IT WILL NOT DO). Front-loads the purpose. It is longer than strictly necessary and the closing coverage sentence repeats earlier content, but nearly every sentence earns its place.

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?

With no output schema, the description compensates by describing what a read returns (field schema, row count, capped sample rows) and what search returns (result count with refused-result reporting). For a 6-parameter, open-world read tool this is complete enough to invoke correctly.

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 baseline would be 3, but the description adds real meaning: `source` defaults to longbeach and must match between search and read calls, `item_id` comes from a search result, and `filter` matches a word across text fields while `limit` caps rows. It goes beyond restating the schema by explaining how parameters interrelate.

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+resource ('Search and read a city GIS') and names the concrete coverage (parcels, zoning, permits, etc.) plus the two ArcGIS organizations. It is clearly distinguishable from siblings like city_datasets and city_records, which cover different resources.

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?

Provides an explicit workflow: call with `search` to find layers and item ids, then call with `item_id` AND the same `source` to read one layer. It also states the default source and the fallback behavior, leaving nothing to inference about when to use which mode.

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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