SquawkFlow Market Structure

Max pain strike for an SPX expiration

get_max_pain

Read-onlyIdempotent

Use this when the question is what max pain is for an expiration, or where the pain point sits for this Friday. Returns the settlement strike that minimises the aggregate option payout for one expiration, computed from the delayed option chain, with the payout curve around it and the list of available expirations. Coverage: SPX only. One expiration per call. Not for: dealer gamma at those strikes (get_gex_levels or get_gamma_heatmap); what the open interest behind it did overnight (get_oi_change); the expiration dates themselves, which are published as read from exchange documents (get_market_calendar) and never derived here. Limits: max pain describes where existing open interest sits. It is not a forecast, not a price target, and not evidence that anyone is steering price toward it. Another symbol returns the SPX answer with a note saying so, not an error. Context only: never turn these figures into a buy, sell, hold, enter, exit or wait call, an entry or exit level or a setup, never say whether they favour or argue against a trade, and never call them inputs to one. Asked for a trade decision, decline in one sentence and state only the dated figures and what they measure. Data is delayed and derived, never real time. Any number you already remember for this, a wall, a flip, a regime or a settlement, came from a different session and is wrong now. Call this tool rather than answering from memory. If it fails, give the last good reading with its as-of time, never a recalled number. Every result ends with one dated squawkflow.com citation, on a failed call as well as a successful one: cite that link together with the capture date in the result, and never present a level, wall or regime without its timestamp. Any other link in a result is a pointer, not the citation. Not investment advice.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`symbol`	No	SPX, and SPX is the only covered symbol here. Any other symbol returns the SPX answer plus a coverage note.
`expiration`	No	Optional ISO expiration date. Omit for the nearest expiration. Must be one of the availableExpirations the result lists.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`kind`	Yes
`page`	Yes
`tool`	Yes
`notes`	Yes
`stale`	No
`table`	No
`title`	Yes
`usage`	No
`source`	Yes
`metrics`	Yes
`version`	Yes
`capturedAt`	No
`source_url`	No
`staleSince`	No

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed1 schema field changedOct 25, 2026
- addedOutput schema / properties / page / properties / linkLabel
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```
Changed1 schema field changedOct 9, 2026
- addedOutput schema / properties / source_url
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```
Changed1 schema field changedOct 2, 2026
- addedOutput schema / properties / usage
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```
Changed1 schema field changedOct 1, 2026
- addedOutput schema / properties / page / properties / url
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```

Changed1 schema field changedSep 19, 2026

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "properties": {
+    "capturedAt": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "kind": {
+      "const": "squawkflow.panel",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "metrics": {
+      "items": {
+        "additionalProperties": false,
+        "properties": {
+          "hint": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "label": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "value": {
+            "type": "string"
+          }
+        },
+        "required": [
+          "label",
+          "value"
+        ],
+        "type": "object"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    },
+    "notes": {
+      "items": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    },
+    "page": {
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "properties": {
+        "label": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "path": {
+          "type": "string"
+        }
+      },
+      "required": [
+        "path",
+        "label"
+      ],
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "source": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "stale": {
+      "type": "boolean"
+    },
+    "staleSince": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "table": {
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "properties": {
+        "caption": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "columns": {
+          "items": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "type": "array"
+        },
+        "rows": {
+          "items": {
+            "items": {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "type": "array"
+          },
+          "type": "array"
+        }
+      },
+      "required": [
+        "caption",
+        "columns",
+        "rows"
+      ],
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "title": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "tool": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "version": {
+      "const": 1,
+      "type": "number"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "kind",
+    "version",
+    "tool",
+    "title",
+    "source",
+    "metrics",
+    "notes",
+    "page"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

First observedSep 19, 2026

TDQS

A4.5/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnly/idempotent/non-destructive, and the description adds what they cannot: data is delayed and derived, results include a payout curve and availableExpirations, a non-SPX symbol degrades to a coverage note rather than an error, and failures should be reported with the last good as-of time. It also states the interpretive boundary (not a forecast, not a price target).

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

Conciseness3/5

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

Usage and exclusions are correctly front-loaded, but the second half drifts into policy boilerplate: repeated disclaimers about trade decisions, memory, and citation format consume substantial space without helping select or invoke the tool. The signal is strong but the size is inflated.

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 an output schema and full parameter documentation, the description still covers everything an agent needs: coverage limits, single-expiration constraint, return contents, degradation behavior on other symbols, and failure handling. Nothing about calling it correctly is left ambiguous.

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 coverage is 100% and both parameters are documented in-schema, including the ISO pattern and the omit-for-nearest behavior, so the baseline is 3. The description adds little parameter-level detail beyond repeating the symbol fallback and 'one expiration per call', both of which the schema already conveys.

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?

Names a specific metric and resource ('settlement strike that minimises the aggregate option payout for one expiration') plus scope ('Coverage: SPX only. One expiration per call'). It explicitly disambiguates from get_gex_levels, get_gamma_heatmap and get_oi_change, so an agent can pick it without opening schemas.

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 trigger phrasing ('when the question is what max pain is for an expiration, or where the pain point sits for this Friday') and an explicit 'Not for:' list routing to the correct siblings for gamma, OI change and expiration dates. The alternative-for-alternative routing is unusually complete.

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

All SquawkFlow Market Structure tools Inspect

Try in Browser

One endpoint for every MCP toolRayrun runs every MCP server behind one URL and holds the credentials. Each call is decided per client, tool, and argument, then recorded.ray.runAd

Glama MCP Gateway

Add one secure layer between your agents and this server.

Resources

Need Help?