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Render map

render_map

Draws a map of real places as an image: countries, states, counties or ZIP codes colored by data (a choropleth or heat map) or by category, with a legend, a title and pins. Borders come from real geographic data, not from an image model, and region names are matched for you. It draws only real places, never fictional or invented ones. The map is returned as an image in the conversation. Maps cover the world, continents, countries, their states, provinces and counties, and US ZIP code areas. Color regions with ONE of these (choropleth and categories are mutually exclusive):

  • choropleth: a number per region, e.g. {"values": {"California": 39.5, "Texas": 30.5}}. Classes, breaks and palette are picked from the data unless you set them. Say what the numbers are with kind (and midpoint when they have a meaningful center, unit for a short label unit): that is what gets percents, currencies, years and diverging scales right. When the data does not cover every region of the map, add noData: true so the legend explains the uncolored ones.

  • categories: a label per region, e.g. {"values": {"France": "Euro", "Poland": "Złoty"}}. Colors are assigned automatically unless you set colors.

  • regions: explicit hex colors, e.g. {"Texas": "#1D4ED8"}. Also works on top of either mode as an override. Region keys can be names, ISO/FIPS-style codes or common aliases. Typos are auto-corrected, and every correction or unmatched key is reported with suggestions, so there is no need to call get_map_regions first. Get mapId from list_maps if you don't know it. Also available: pins (locations with lat/lon), title, legend (position, title, subtitle), style (theme, borders, region labels; style.labels.content: "value" prints each region's value instead of its name and "name_value" stacks the name above the value, both needing choropleth or categories; style.labels.fit (default "auto") shortens labels that don't fit or overlap and never hides one; any still overlapping are reported in a labels_overlap warning with their keys), extra layers, and output size. A data legend needs a legend.title: what is measured, its unit and the year ("Median household income (US$, 2023)"). An untitled legend leaves the reader guessing. Short units ("%", "°C", "t") go in choropleth.unit, long ones ("litres per person") in the legend title. dryRun: true validates and previews region matching and the color plan without rendering. Without an API key: 30 renders per hour and 5 per minute per conversation (dry runs count), PNG up to 1600 px wide, with Ultimaps attribution on the image. The default 1200 px width is right for viewing in chat, and larger images are returned only as a link. Formats: png. SVG and PDF export are in Ultimaps Studio, from the edit link in the result. Every result includes an image link that works for 30 days, for chat apps that do not display images returned by tools. The result reports corrections, warnings, the resolved color plan, and an edit link that opens the map in Ultimaps Studio, where it can be edited, exported, or published as an interactive, clickable map to embed on a website (free account).

Input Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
mapIdYesMap id from list_maps, e.g. `world`, `united-states`, `europe`, `united-states-california`. It is the map's slug on ultimaps.com (the last path segment, not the whole URL) and always resolves to the current edition.
styleNo
titleNo
dryRunNoValidate and preview without rendering: returns the region matching report, the resolved choropleth plan and a legend preview. No image and no monthly quota for keyed calls, but it still counts against the rate limit (one of the anonymous renders per hour without a key).
layersNoExtra geographic layers to draw, e.g. {"cities": true, "roads": true}. Each map ships a subset (`layers` in list_maps and get_map_regions). Turning on a layer the map lacks is not an error: it is skipped with a `layer_unavailable` warning. Omitted layers are off, except layers a map turns on by default (currently `admin0` on ZIP-code maps); pass false to hide those.
legendNo
outputNoImage size and format. Keep the default width (1200 px) for images viewed in the conversation: much larger renders, and any scale of 2 or more, are too big to show inline and are returned as a link instead. Without an API key: width up to 1600 px, an explicit height up to 1600 px, scale 1. Hard caps: width×scale and height×scale ≤ 8192, and at most 4096×4096 pixels in total.
regionsNoOverride layer. Region key to hex color, applied AFTER choropleth/categories coloring and winning over it. Precedence: choropleth/categories paint first, `regions` overrides win, and everything else gets `choropleth.noDataColor` (choropleth mode), else `style.defaultRegionColor`, else the theme default (in choropleth mode, a contrasting gray when the theme's region color is too close to the palette's lightest class).
locationsNoPin markers. They compose with every mode.
categoriesNoCategorical coloring mode. Mutually exclusive with `choropleth`. Unmatched keys simply leave their regions uncolored. The no-data fill is `style.defaultRegionColor`, and `noDataColor` does not apply here.
choroplethNoNumeric choropleth mode. Mutually exclusive with `categories` (one scale per map). `regions` composes with it as an override layer. If none of the keys in `values` match, the request fails even under `onUnmatched: warn`, since there is nothing to build a scale from. `type`, `classes`, `method` and `palette` are all optional: whatever you leave out is suggested from the data, and the resolved plan is reported in the result. Do send `kind` whenever you know what the numbers are, `midpoint` when they have a meaningful center, and a short `unit`: the values alone cannot tell 42% from 0.42 or a change from a level.
onUnmatchedNowarn = render anyway (unmatched regions get the no-data fill) and report. error = 400 with per-key suggestions. Recommended for production pipelines: error. Exception: in choropleth mode, ZERO matched keys is a 400 even under warn. Region keys in `style.labels.hide` count too: a typo there is a 400 under error. warn

Output Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
dryRunYes
formatNoImage format; absent on dry runs.
legendNoDry runs: legend preview, [{label, color}] or {points, stops} for a gradient.
editUrlNoOpens this map in Ultimaps Studio to edit, export, or publish it as an interactive map that can be embedded on a website.
artifactNoA stored copy of the image at a public, unguessable link that expires. Set on every render while link storage is available.
embedUrlNoKeyless GET image URL, when the render is shareable that way.
renderIdYesThe API render id; quote it to Ultimaps support.
warningsYes
choroplethNoThe resolved choropleth plan. Dry runs add `reason` and `breaks`.
regionMatchingYes
keylessRemainingNoAnonymous renders left this hour: for this conversation, or for this AI service when it sends no conversation id.
matchingTruncatedYesTrue when `corrected`/`unmatched` list only the first 5 of their counts. Repeat the call with dryRun: true for the full report.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Changed2 schema fields changed
    • changedOutput schema / properties / editUrl / description
      Previous value: -"Opens this map in Ultimaps Studio for editing or export."New value: +"Opens this map in Ultimaps Studio to edit, export, or publish it as an interactive map that can be embedded on a website."
    • addedOutput schema / properties / warnings / items / properties / notice
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Plain-language sentence the map viewer shows the user, when the warning has one.",
      +  "type": "string"
      +}
  2. Changed1 schema field changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / output / properties / format / description
      Previous value: -"`png` (default) or `svg`. SVG needs a Pro API key and is returned as a link. PDF is not available."New value: +"`png` (default) or `svg`. `svg` works only with an API key that allows it, and is returned as a link; otherwise export SVG in Ultimaps Studio. PDF is not available."
  3. Changed7 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / choropleth / properties / noData / description
      Previous value: -"Adds a \"No data\" row to the legend for regions without a value: true, or {\"label\": \"Not reported\"}. Off unless you send it. Send it whenever your data does not cover the whole map (the result reports how many regions have no value); without it those regions are drawn in a grey the legend does not explain. With full coverage the row is left out. A `nodata_low_contrast` warning means the default fill for those regions is hard to tell from the palette (grey palettes): send `noDataColor`."New value: +"Adds a \"No data\" row to the legend for regions without a value: true, or {\"label\": \"Not reported\"}. Off unless you send it. Send it whenever your data does not cover the whole map (the result reports how many regions have no value); without it those regions are drawn in a gray the legend does not explain. With full coverage the row is left out. A `nodata_low_contrast` warning means the default fill for those regions is hard to tell from the palette (gray palettes): send `noDataColor`."
    • changedInput schema / properties / choropleth / properties / noDataColor / description
      Previous value: -"Fill for regions absent from `values`. Choropleth mode only. Overrides `style.defaultRegionColor` when both are set. When neither is set, the theme's region color is used if it stays apart from the palette (CIEDE2000 ≥ 12 from the lightest class, ≥ 8 from every class) or is transparent by design; otherwise a light, slightly theme-tinted grey that does and keeps the region borders visible, so missing data never reads as the lowest class or as the neutral of a diverging palette. Grey palettes can leave no such color: the theme color is then darkened and a `nodata_low_contrast` warning asks for an explicit `noDataColor`.\n"New value: +"Fill for regions absent from `values`. Choropleth mode only. Overrides `style.defaultRegionColor` when both are set. When neither is set, the theme's region color is used if it stays apart from the palette (CIEDE2000 ≥ 12 from the lightest class, ≥ 8 from every class) or is transparent by design; otherwise a light, slightly theme-tinted gray that does and keeps the region borders visible, so missing data never reads as the lowest class or as the neutral of a diverging palette. Gray palettes can leave no such color: the theme color is then darkened and a `nodata_low_contrast` warning asks for an explicit `noDataColor`.\n"
    • changedInput schema / properties / layers / properties / admin0 / description
      Previous value: -"Surrounding land, as a filled area of neighbouring countries or states."New value: +"Surrounding land, as a filled area of neighboring countries or states."
    • changedInput schema / properties / layers / properties / cities / description
      Previous value: -"Major cities as labelled points."New value: +"Major cities as labeled points."
    • changedInput schema / properties / legend / properties / position / description
      Previous value: -"left/right take a column carved from the map area (180 px, at most 30% of the width); top/bottom take a horizontal band between the title and the map. Absent = picked per render: inside the map over empty space (sea, the margin beside a narrow map) when the legend fits there clear of land, else gradient/steps go to the bottom band and item/group legends to the left column or the bottom band, whichever leaves the map larger. Leave it out unless you need the legend outside the map. Gradient and steps legends are horizontal-only, so left/right becomes bottom with a warning. Band items wrap into rows; a bar too wide for a narrow image is reported as a `legend_overflow` warning."New value: +"left/right take a column carved from the map area (180 px, widened up to 260 px for long labels or a legend title, at most 30% of the width); top/bottom take a horizontal band between the title and the map. Absent = picked per render: inside the map over empty space (sea, the margin beside a narrow map) when the legend fits there clear of land, else gradient/steps go to the bottom band and item/group legends to the left column or the bottom band, whichever leaves the map larger. Leave it out unless you need the legend outside the map. Gradient and steps legends are horizontal-only, so left/right becomes bottom with a warning. Band items wrap into rows; a bar too wide for a narrow image is reported as a `legend_overflow` warning."
    • changedInput schema / properties / regions / description
      Previous value: -"Override layer. Region key to hex color, applied AFTER choropleth/categories coloring and winning over it. Precedence: choropleth/categories paint first, `regions` overrides win, and everything else gets `choropleth.noDataColor` (choropleth mode), else `style.defaultRegionColor`, else the theme default (in choropleth mode, a contrasting grey when the theme's region color is too close to the palette's lightest class).\n"New value: +"Override layer. Region key to hex color, applied AFTER choropleth/categories coloring and winning over it. Precedence: choropleth/categories paint first, `regions` overrides win, and everything else gets `choropleth.noDataColor` (choropleth mode), else `style.defaultRegionColor`, else the theme default (in choropleth mode, a contrasting gray when the theme's region color is too close to the palette's lightest class).\n"
    • changedInput schema / properties / style / properties / labels / properties / fit / description
      Previous value: -"`auto` shortens labels that don't fit or overlap and never hides one; `off` draws every label in full. Under `auto` a `name_value` label too big for its region, or overlapping a higher-priority one, drops to its value (choropleth; the legend only gives a range) or its name (categories; the fill already says the category). Priority: curated outside labels (small regions labelled beside the map), then larger regions. Labels still overlapping are drawn and reported in a `labels_overlap` warning. Studio's own default is off; a map opened in Studio from a render keeps the value sent."New value: +"`auto` shortens labels that don't fit or overlap and never hides one; `off` draws every label in full. Under `auto` a `name_value` label too big for its region, or overlapping a higher-priority one, drops to its value (choropleth; the legend only gives a range) or its name (categories; the fill already says the category). Priority: curated outside labels (small regions labeled beside the map), then larger regions. Labels still overlapping are drawn and reported in a `labels_overlap` warning. Studio's own default is off; a map opened in Studio from a render keeps the value sent."
  4. Changed26 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / choropleth / description
      Previous value: -"Numeric choropleth mode. Mutually exclusive with `categories` (one scale per map). `regions` composes with it as an override layer. If none of the keys in `values` match, the request fails even under `onUnmatched: warn`, since there is nothing to build a scale from. `type`, `classes`, `method` and `palette` are all optional: whatever you leave out is suggested from the data, and the resolved plan is reported in the result."New value: +"Numeric choropleth mode. Mutually exclusive with `categories` (one scale per map). `regions` composes with it as an override layer. If none of the keys in `values` match, the request fails even under `onUnmatched: warn`, since there is nothing to build a scale from. `type`, `classes`, `method` and `palette` are all optional: whatever you leave out is suggested from the data, and the resolved plan is reported in the result. Do send `kind` whenever you know what the numbers are, `midpoint` when they have a meaningful center, and a short `unit`: the values alone cannot tell 42% from 0.42 or a change from a level."
    • changedInput schema / properties / choropleth / properties / format / description
      Previous value: -"Number format for every choropleth surface: class labels, gradient ticks and value labels. Always pass an object, e.g. {\"preset\": \"compact\"}, never a bare string. Presets: `auto` (default, inferred from magnitude), `plain` (39,538,223), `compact` (39.5M), `percent` (the input is a FRACTION, so 0.42 prints as 42% and 0.423 as 42.3%, because the preset trims trailing zeros. An explicit {\"style\": \"percent\", \"decimals\": 1} keeps them and prints 42.0%. For data already in percent points use {\"suffix\": \"%\"}), `currency` ($39,538,223). Or combine options, e.g. {\"decimals\": 1, \"suffix\": \"M\"} or {\"style\": \"currency\", \"currency\": \"EUR\"}. {\"d3\": \"~s\"} is a raw d3-format escape hatch. The result echoes the resolved format."New value: +"Number format for every choropleth surface: class labels, gradient ticks and value labels. Always pass an object, e.g. {\"preset\": \"compact\"}, never a bare string. Presets: `auto` (default, inferred from magnitude), `plain` (39,538,223), `compact` (39.5M), `percent` (the input is a FRACTION, so 0.42 prints as 42% and 0.423 as 42.3%, because the preset trims trailing zeros. An explicit {\"style\": \"percent\", \"decimals\": 1} keeps them and prints 42.0%. For data already in percent points use {\"suffix\": \"%\"}), `currency` ($39,538,223). Or combine options, e.g. {\"decimals\": 1, \"suffix\": \"M\"} or {\"style\": \"currency\", \"currency\": \"EUR\"}. {\"d3\": \"~s\"} is a raw d3-format escape hatch. Add \"locale\" for a non-US number style: \"de-DE\" (1.234,5 / 1,2 Mio.), \"fr-FR\" (1 234,5), \"es-ES\", \"it-IT\", \"pt-BR\", \"de-CH\" (1’234.5), \"en-IN\" (12,34,567 / 12L), \"nl-NL\", \"pl-PL\", \"sv-SE\"; it combines with presets and d3, and {\"locale\": \"de-DE\"} alone is the automatic format in that style. The result echoes the resolved format."
    • addedInput schema / properties / choropleth / properties / format / properties / locale
      Added value: +{
      +  "default": "en-US",
      +  "description": "Number style: separators, currency placement and compact suffixes. `{\"decimals\": 1, \"locale\": \"de-DE\"}` turns 1234567.5 into \"1.234.567,5\"; with `compact: true` it gives \"1,2 Mio.\". Combines with `preset` and `d3`; on its own (`{\"locale\": \"de-DE\"}`) it is the automatic format in that number style.\n",
      +  "enum": [
      +    "en-US",
      +    "de-DE",
      +    "fr-FR",
      +    "es-ES",
      +    "it-IT",
      +    "pt-BR",
      +    "de-CH",
      +    "en-IN",
      +    "nl-NL",
      +    "pl-PL",
      +    "sv-SE"
      +  ],
      +  "type": "string"
      +}
    • addedInput schema / properties / choropleth / properties / kind
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "What the numbers are. Send it whenever you know. `percent` = already ×100 (42 prints \"42%\"), `fraction` = a 0–1 share (0.42 prints \"42%\"), `currency` (set `unit` to the code, e.g. \"EUR\"), `year` (1788, no separator), `change` (signed labels, diverging around 0), or `count`, `rate`, `index`. Once a kind is given, the palette is diverging only with `midpoint` or `kind: \"change\"`, so data that merely dips below zero stays sequential.",
      +  "enum": [
      +    "count",
      +    "rate",
      +    "percent",
      +    "fraction",
      +    "currency",
      +    "change",
      +    "year",
      +    "index"
      +  ],
      +  "type": "string"
      +}
    • addedInput schema / properties / choropleth / properties / legendEndLabels
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Steps legends: also print the two outer ends of the bar (ignored for groups and gradient legends). An end that the automatic breaks left open, or that the data reaches past, reads \"< 10\" / \"≥ 90\" rather than a round bound the data never reaches. Groups legends already print every range and gradients their ends, so only steps change. Default false.\n",
      +  "type": "boolean"
      +}
    • changedInput schema / properties / choropleth / properties / method / description
      Previous value: -"Break method. Absent = suggested from the data. quantile = equal number of regions per class, equalInterval = equal-width value intervals, jenks = natural breaks (minimal within-class variance), pretty = rounded human-readable edges. Additive-only enum: more methods may be added, none removed.\n"New value: +"Break method. Absent = round, publishable edges picked from the data (a constant step such as 0 · 10 · 20 · 30, or a 1-2-5 ladder such as 0 · 10K · 25K · 50K · 100K for skewed data), reported as `pretty`. quantile = equal number of regions per class, equalInterval = equal-width value intervals, jenks = natural breaks (minimal within-class variance), pretty = rounded human-readable edges. Additive-only enum: more methods may be added, none removed.\n"
    • addedInput schema / properties / choropleth / properties / midpoint
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "The meaningful center of the data: 0 for a change or balance, 100 for an index where 100 is the reference (EU27 = 100), 1 for a ratio. Gives a diverging palette with its neutral color on this value. Leave it out for one-directional data.",
      +  "type": "number"
      +}
    • addedInput schema / properties / choropleth / properties / noData
      Added value: +{
      +  "additionalProperties": false,
      +  "description": "Adds a \"No data\" row to the legend for regions without a value: true, or {\"label\": \"Not reported\"}. Off unless you send it. Send it whenever your data does not cover the whole map (the result reports how many regions have no value); without it those regions are drawn in a grey the legend does not explain. With full coverage the row is left out. A `nodata_low_contrast` warning means the default fill for those regions is hard to tell from the palette (grey palettes): send `noDataColor`.",
      +  "properties": {
      +    "label": {
      +      "maxLength": 40,
      +      "minLength": 1,
      +      "type": "string"
      +    }
      +  },
      +  "type": [
      +    "boolean",
      +    "object"
      +  ]
      +}
    • changedInput schema / properties / choropleth / properties / noDataColor / description
      Previous value: -"Fill for regions absent from `values`. Choropleth mode only. Overrides `style.defaultRegionColor` when both are set.\n"New value: +"Fill for regions absent from `values`. Choropleth mode only. Overrides `style.defaultRegionColor` when both are set. When neither is set, the theme's region color is used if it stays apart from the palette (CIEDE2000 ≥ 12 from the lightest class, ≥ 8 from every class) or is transparent by design; otherwise a light, slightly theme-tinted grey that does and keeps the region borders visible, so missing data never reads as the lowest class or as the neutral of a diverging palette. Grey palettes can leave no such color: the theme color is then darkened and a `nodata_low_contrast` warning asks for an explicit `noDataColor`.\n"
    • changedInput schema / properties / choropleth / properties / palette / description
      Previous value: -"ColorBrewer palette id (the server matches case-insensitively). Absent = suggested from the data: diverging when the values cross zero (rdbu when they sit symmetrically around zero, rdylgn when they do not), sequential blues otherwise. Note that `rdylgn` only comes back out. It is not in the enum above, and requesting it is a `400`. Sequential palettes suit one-directional data, and diverging palettes (rdbu, brbg, spectral, piyg, prgn, puor, rdgy, rdylbu) suit data around a midpoint.\n"New value: +"ColorBrewer palette id (the server matches case-insensitively). Absent = suggested: `rdbu` centered on `midpoint` when one is given (or `kind` is `change`); with no hints, `rdbu` centered on 0 when the values spread on both sides of zero; sequential blues otherwise. Sequential palettes suit one-directional data, and diverging palettes (rdbu, brbg, spectral, piyg, prgn, puor, rdgy, rdylbu) suit data around a midpoint.\n"
    • addedInput schema / properties / choropleth / properties / unit
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Short unit printed on every label, up to 16 characters: \"%\", \"°C\", \"t\", \"km²\". Put long units (\"litres of pure alcohol per person\") in `legend.title` instead. With `kind: \"currency\"` it is the currency code or symbol. Ignored for `kind: \"fraction\"` and when `format` is set, except {\"locale\": \"de-DE\"} (or {\"preset\": \"auto\", \"locale\": \"de-DE\"}), which keeps kind and unit in that number style. An explicit `format` decides only the labels: `kind` and `midpoint` still decide sequential vs diverging.",
      +  "maxLength": 16,
      +  "minLength": 1,
      +  "type": "string"
      +}
    • changedInput schema / properties / legend / properties / position / description
      Previous value: -"left/right take a column carved from the map area (180 px, at most 30% of the width); top/bottom take a horizontal band between the title and the map. Absent = left for item/group legends, bottom for gradient/steps. Gradient and steps legends are horizontal-only, so left/right becomes bottom with a warning. Legends do not wrap: a wide legend on a narrow image can overflow, reported as a `legend_overflow` warning."New value: +"left/right take a column carved from the map area (180 px, at most 30% of the width); top/bottom take a horizontal band between the title and the map. Absent = picked per render: inside the map over empty space (sea, the margin beside a narrow map) when the legend fits there clear of land, else gradient/steps go to the bottom band and item/group legends to the left column or the bottom band, whichever leaves the map larger. Leave it out unless you need the legend outside the map. Gradient and steps legends are horizontal-only, so left/right becomes bottom with a warning. Band items wrap into rows; a bar too wide for a narrow image is reported as a `legend_overflow` warning."
    • addedInput schema / properties / legend / properties / subtitle
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Line under the legend title, at the label size in the regular weight, e.g. the source or the base year. Same wrapping as `title`.\n",
      +  "maxLength": 160,
      +  "minLength": 1,
      +  "type": "string"
      +}
    • addedInput schema / properties / legend / properties / title
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Heading above the legend rows. Send one for every data legend: what is measured, its unit and the year, e.g. \"Median household income (US$, 2023)\". It is never derived from `choropleth.unit`: short units (\"%\", \"°C\") go in `unit` and print on every label, long ones belong here. Long titles wrap to fit the legend; `\\n` forces a break.",
      +  "maxLength": 120,
      +  "minLength": 1,
      +  "type": "string"
      +}
    • changedInput schema / properties / onUnmatched / description
      Previous value: -"warn = render anyway (unmatched regions get the no-data fill) and report. error = 400 with per-key suggestions. Recommended for production pipelines: error. Exception: in choropleth mode, ZERO matched keys is a 400 even under warn.\n"New value: +"warn = render anyway (unmatched regions get the no-data fill) and report. error = 400 with per-key suggestions. Recommended for production pipelines: error. Exception: in choropleth mode, ZERO matched keys is a 400 even under warn. Region keys in `style.labels.hide` count too: a typo there is a 400 under error.\n"
    • changedInput schema / properties / output / properties / height / description
      Previous value: -"Optional. When omitted, derives as a snug fit: the map's aspect ratio applied to the map area that remains after the title band (50 px) and any left/right legend column take their cut. A top/bottom legend adds its band (60 px for item legends, 70 px for gradient/steps bars) on top of that. An explicit height is delivered exactly, and the title and legend then shrink the map rather than the canvas.\n"New value: +"Optional. When omitted, derives as a snug fit: the map's aspect ratio applied to the map area that remains after the title band (50 px) and any left/right legend column take their cut. A top/bottom legend adds its band (60 px for item legends, 70 px for gradient/steps bars, plus the height of a `legend.title`/`subtitle`) on top of that. A left/right legend too tall for that canvas (many items, a wrapped title) grows the derived height until it fits. An explicit height is delivered exactly, and the title and legend then shrink the map rather than the canvas.\n"
    • changedInput schema / properties / regions / description
      Previous value: -"Override layer. Region key to hex color, applied AFTER choropleth/categories coloring and winning over it. Precedence: choropleth/categories paint first, `regions` overrides win, and everything else gets `choropleth.noDataColor` (choropleth mode), else `style.defaultRegionColor`, else the theme default.\n"New value: +"Override layer. Region key to hex color, applied AFTER choropleth/categories coloring and winning over it. Precedence: choropleth/categories paint first, `regions` overrides win, and everything else gets `choropleth.noDataColor` (choropleth mode), else `style.defaultRegionColor`, else the theme default (in choropleth mode, a contrasting grey when the theme's region color is too close to the palette's lightest class).\n"
    • changedInput schema / properties / style / properties / labels / description
      Previous value: -"Region labels, off by default. Each map ships its own curated label set; on a map with `labels: false` in list_maps, `show: true` renders nothing and a `labels_unavailable` warning is reported."New value: +"Region labels, off by default. Each map ships its own curated label set; on a map with `labels: false` in list_maps, `show: true` renders nothing and a `labels_unavailable` warning is reported. `content`: \"name\" (default), \"value\" (the choropleth number in the legend's format, or the category label; regions without data get no label) or \"name_value\" (name above value; regions without data show the name only). `fit`: \"auto\" (default) shortens labels that don't fit or overlap (to the value on a choropleth, the name on a category map); labels never disappear, and any still overlapping are listed in a `labels_overlap` warning. \"off\" draws every label in full. `hide`: region keys whose label never shows (matched like data keys). A typo is auto-corrected or reported as unmatched; under `onUnmatched: \"error\"` an unmatched key fails the request like a data key."
    • changedInput schema / properties / style / properties / labels / properties / content / description
      Previous value: -"What each label prints. `name` is the region's name. `value` prints the region's choropleth number instead, formatted by the resolved `choropleth.format` (the same string the legend and tooltips show). Regions without a value get no label. Requires `choropleth`. With `categories`, or with neither, it is a `validation_error`. Labels are not collision-checked: a long number in a small region overflows it, exactly as in Studio."New value: +"What each label prints. `name` is the region's name. `value` prints the region's value instead: the choropleth number formatted by the resolved `choropleth.format` (the same string the legend and tooltips show), or the category label. Regions without a value get no label. `name_value` prints the name with the value on a line below it; regions without a value show the name only. Both value modes require `choropleth` or `categories`; with neither it is a `validation_error`."
    • changedInput schema / properties / style / properties / labels / properties / content / enum
      Previous value: -[
      -  "name",
      -  "value"
      -]New value: +[
      +  "name",
      +  "value",
      +  "name_value"
      +]
    • addedInput schema / properties / style / properties / labels / properties / fit
      Added value: +{
      +  "default": "auto",
      +  "description": "`auto` shortens labels that don't fit or overlap and never hides one; `off` draws every label in full. Under `auto` a `name_value` label too big for its region, or overlapping a higher-priority one, drops to its value (choropleth; the legend only gives a range) or its name (categories; the fill already says the category). Priority: curated outside labels (small regions labelled beside the map), then larger regions. Labels still overlapping are drawn and reported in a `labels_overlap` warning. Studio's own default is off; a map opened in Studio from a render keeps the value sent.",
      +  "enum": [
      +    "auto",
      +    "off"
      +  ],
      +  "type": "string"
      +}
    • addedInput schema / properties / style / properties / labels / properties / hide
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Region keys whose label never shows. Matched like data keys; corrections and misses are reported in `regionMatching`. Ignored with a `label_lists_ignored` warning when `show` is false.",
      +  "items": {
      +    "maxLength": 200,
      +    "minLength": 1,
      +    "type": "string"
      +  },
      +  "maxItems": 5000,
      +  "type": "array"
      +}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / choropleth / properties / regionsWithoutData
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Regions of the map with no value, drawn in the no-data color.",
      +  "minimum": 0,
      +  "type": "integer"
      +}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / warnings / items / properties / count
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "`labels_overlap` only: region labels still overlapping.",
      +  "minimum": 0,
      +  "type": "integer"
      +}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / warnings / items / properties / keys
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "`labels_overlap` only: first overlapping region keys (up to 10).",
      +  "items": {
      +    "type": "string"
      +  },
      +  "type": "array"
      +}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / warnings / items / properties / shortened
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "`labels_overlap` only: labels shortened.",
      +  "minimum": 0,
      +  "type": "integer"
      +}
  5. First observed

TDQS

A4.5/5.0
Behavior3/5

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

Annotations (readOnlyHint=false, destructiveHint=false, idempotentHint=false, openWorldHint=true) already flag this as a non-idempotent, non-destructive, open-world content-generation operation. The description goes well beyond them, disclosing rate limits (30/hour, 5/minute without key), 1600px anonymous caps, Ultimaps attribution, the 30-day image link, and what the result reports (corrections, warnings, edit link). None of this contradicts annotations; readOnlyHint=false is consistent with an operation that renders and writes results. The extra context is meaningful but the safety profile is already covered, so a 3 is appropriate rather than a 5.

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?

It is front-loaded with the core purpose and organized into bullets, with each mode introduced before details. It's long, and parts (choropleth/categories mode explanation, label-content behavior) repeat what the schema already says, but the length is largely justified by the tool's complexity. Efficient enough, with some schema redundancy.

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?

For a 12-parameter tool with nested objects and an output schema, the description covers what an agent needs: purpose, mode selection, matching behavior, limits, and what the result reports. Return-value explanation is handled by the output schema, and the description fills the remaining gaps correctly.

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

Parameters5/5

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

Schema coverage is 75%, so the schema already does a lot of work. The description adds real value beyond it: it explains region key matching (names, ISO/FIPS codes, aliases, auto-correction), that choropleth and categories are mutually exclusive, the kind/midpoint/unit semantics with '42%' vs '0.42' guidance, that noData explains uncolored regions, and that a data legend requires a title. This compensation for the remaining coverage gap is substantive.

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: 'Draws a map of real places as an image: countries, states, counties or ZIP codes colored by data...' It explicitly names and defers to both siblings ('no need to call get_map_regions first', 'Get mapId from list_maps'), so an agent can distinguish it immediately.

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?

States the choropleth vs categories modes are mutually exclusive, when regions acts as an override layer, when to send noData for incomplete coverage, when to send kind/midpoint/unit, and when to use dryRun. Alternatives and the conditions that select them are spelled out rather than left to inference.

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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