exchangerate.dev

get_rate

Get the current (or, with date, historical) exchange rate from one currency to another. Indicative developer-grade reference rates (live market data + public reference rates), not for settlement or trading. Rates update ~60s for real-time currencies through the trading week when the live feed is active; the source field on every response is the authoritative freshness indicator (live | ecb_daily | market_daily); rates fall back to official daily reference data during market closures or data-source unavailability. market_session on every response indicates open, weekend, or interbank_closed.

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": {
      "base": "<base>",
      "quote": "<quote>"
    },
    "name": "get_rate"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`base`	Yes
`date`	No
`quote`	Yes

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
No arguments

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

First observedJun 25, 2026

TDQS

A3.7/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

With no annotations, the description carries the full burden and does so well: ~60s update cadence during the trading week, explicit fallback to official daily reference data on closures/outages, and enumeration of the source values (live | ecb_daily | market_daily) and market_session values (open | weekend | interbank_closed) that signal data quality. This is exactly the behavioral context an agent needs before trusting a returned rate.

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?

Purpose is front-loaded in the first sentence, with freshness/fallback caveats following in a logical order. Sentences are dense but each carries distinct information; the disclaimer and source/market_session enumeration earn their length.

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?

An output schema exists so return values need not be documented, yet the description usefully pre-empts the key response fields (source, market_session). Missing pieces are error behavior for invalid pairs and the date/currency code formats, which an agent would need to call this correctly.

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

Parameters2/5

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

Schema description coverage is 0%, so the description must compensate, and it only partially does. It explains what date does (historical vs current) but says nothing about base/quote format (ISO 4217 codes?), whether they may be equal, or the accepted date format. Two of three parameters remain semantically opaque.

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?

States a specific verb and resource ('Get ... exchange rate from one currency to another') and even covers the temporal variant ('or, with date, historical'). It does not name or distinguish itself from close siblings like convert or get_official_rate, so an agent must infer the boundary from the 'indicative ... not for settlement' caveat rather than explicit routing.

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

Usage Guidelines3/5

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

Usage is implied: it tells you the date parameter switches to historical, and gives a genuine exclusion ('not for settlement or trading'). However it never says when to prefer this over convert, get_official_rate, or get_range, which are the alternatives an agent would actually be choosing between.

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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