XipFax

Look up a fax

get_fax

Read-onlyIdempotent

How a fax of the person’s went, by its id, as send_fax gave it: whether it is sending and how far it has got, delivered, or failed and why, and when it is tried again, with its pages, its price and its times. Answers a fax they received too. For a delivered fax’s confirmation, use get_fax_confirmation.

Tool call template

Replace each placeholder with a value matching the input schema. Only required parameters are included; add optional parameters as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {
      "fax_id": "<fax_id>"
    },
    "name": "get_fax"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`fax_id`	Yes	The fax, by its id, as send_fax gave it.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`id`	Yes	The fax.
`step`	Yes	Where a fax being sent has got to: `queued`, `preparing` its pages, then `sending`; null for a draft, once it has ended, and for a fax received. An open set.
`pages`	Yes	Its pages, the cover page among them.
`price`	Yes	What it costs: what its payment holds while it sends, and what was taken once it was delivered. Null for a fax sent on the plan or with a promo code, for one that failed, which costs nothing, and for a fax received.
`status`	Yes	Where it stands: `draft` for the person’s draft, read by its id until it is sent; `sending` until it is delivered or fails for good, then `delivered` or `failed`; `received` for a fax sent to their XipFax number. An open set: read what you know.
`failure`	Yes	Why its last try failed: `no_answer`, `busy`, `call_dropped`, `declined`, `not_a_fax_number`, or `ours` for a failure on XipFax’s side. Null where none failed. An open set.
`sent_at`	Yes	When the person sent it; for a fax received, when it came.
`retry_at`	Yes	When it is tried again, while a failed try waits for the next; null otherwise.
`direction`	Yes	`sent` for a fax the person sent, `received` for one sent to their XipFax number.
`office_id`	Yes	The office it went to, by its id on XipFax’s list, as find_fax_number gives it; null for a number typed, and for a fax received.
`time_zone`	Yes	The time zone its confirmation tells its times in, as the IANA database names it; null for a fax received.
`to_number`	Yes	The number it went to, `+1` and ten digits; for a fax received, the person’s own XipFax number it came to.
`finished_at`	Yes	When it was delivered or failed for good; null until then.
`from_number`	Yes	For a fax sent, the number it went from: the person’s own XipFax number where they have a plan, otherwise XipFax’s; null while the fax waits for them. For a fax received, the caller’s number, null where the caller’s line gave none.
`sender_name`	Yes	For a fax the person sent, the sender’s name its header line gave.
`cover_confidential`	Yes	Whether its cover page was marked Confidential; false for a fax received.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed1 schema field changedNov 6, 2026

changedOutput schema / properties / price / description

Previous value: -"What it costs: what its payment holds while it sends, and what was taken once it was delivered. Null for a fax sent on the plan, for one that failed, which costs nothing, and for a fax received."New value: +"What it costs: what its payment holds while it sends, and what was taken once it was delivered. Null for a fax sent on the plan or with a promo code, for one that failed, which costs nothing, and for a fax received."

AddedNov 5, 2026

TDQS

A3.8/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnly, idempotent, non-destructive and closed-world, so the safety profile is covered. Beyond that, the description discloses the state machine an agent will encounter (sending / delivered / failed with reason) and that a retry time is reported, which tells the caller this is a pollable status tool rather than a one-shot. It is somewhat redundant with the existing output schema for the field list, which keeps it off 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.

Conciseness3/5

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

The core lookup and its return scope are front-loaded, and the closing sibling pointer is well placed. However, the opening sentence is a single sprawling clause whose awkward phrasing ('How a fax of the person's went') costs parsing effort, and the trailing field list partly duplicates the output schema.

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

Completeness4/5

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

For a single-parameter read tool with rich annotations and an output schema, the description supplies what structured fields cannot: which lifecycle states to expect and which sibling to use for confirmations. The remaining gap is operational (how often to poll), which is minor for a read-only lookup.

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 the single fax_id parameter is already documented in the schema with the same provenance note ('as send_fax gave it'). The description adds no format, length or sourcing detail beyond that. Baseline 3 is correct when the schema fully carries the parameter.

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

Purpose4/5

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

The description states the resource (a fax, by id) and what the lookup returns: send state, progress, delivery/failure reason, retry time, pages, price and timestamps. It also explicitly separates itself from get_fax_confirmation. The verb is never stated outright (it lives in the title 'Look up a fax'), and the opening clause 'How a fax of the person's went' is grammatically garbled, so it stops short of a crisp 5.

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

Usage Guidelines4/5

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

It grounds usage in the send_fax workflow ('as send_fax gave it') and names one explicit alternative with its condition: 'For a delivered fax's confirmation, use get_fax_confirmation.' It also notes it 'Answers a fax they received too', widening the applicable cases. It gives no guidance on polling cadence or on when to re-call versus move on, so no exclusion set beyond the one sibling.

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

All XipFax 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?