TradeStats - customs trade statistics

get_catalog

Call this first. Describes what the service holds: the reporters (JP, US, GB, EU) with their currency, national code level, and for import and export the first month and the latest published month; per reporter also source (the agency to name when you cite the data) and latest_month (that reporter's own latest published month; data_through, also given as common_latest_month, is only the latest month published by every reporter for BOTH flows, so a reporter can be ahead); the HS levels, the datasets, how to choose between the tools (get_catalog, then search_items, then get_item_summary, then the specific tools), and the access limits that apply to you (history window, ranking size, whether an API key is in use). Takes no arguments. It also lists null_reasons, the fixed words used in _unavailable_reason fields. Use it for "what period does the data cover?" and "what is the latest month?"; it has no product figures, so for a product use get_item_summary. Customs trade statistics of several reporting countries (Japan JP, United States US, United Kingdom GB, European Union (27 member states) EU) from their official customs data, monthly, by HS product code and partner country. value fields are in the reporter's currency (currency: JPY, USD, GBP or EUR) and _usd fields in US dollars; ratios and shares are fractions precomputed from the full dataset; every answer carries reporter, currency, data_through (latest published month), the reporter's attribution, and notes. Maximum 200 rows per answer. Numbers in answers are rounded once, at the end: amounts (value, _usd, v12 ...) to 2 decimals, quantity and kg to 3, unit prices (unit_price) to 4 significant digits below 100 and 2 decimals from 100 up (never rounded to 0), and ratios, shares and growth rates (yoy, mom, share*, hhi*, chg3y) to 6; whole numbers and null are left as they are. A null quantity, kg or unit price comes with a *_unavailable_reason (mixed_units, weight_only, no_quantity_in_source, no_weight_in_source, source_gap, withheld; get_catalog lists them in null_reasons), and a missing seasonality with seasonality_unavailable_reason. The national level (JP 9-digit, US 10-digit, GB 8-digit codes) differs between reporters and between import and export; EU has no national level (HS6 only); HS6, HS4 and HS2 are shared. Import and export are separate datasets, so reporter and flow are always required for product figures. Rankings (limit) are limited to the top 20 without an API key (more is refused with out_of_scope) and to 100 with a free API key. Start with get_catalog (coverage, your access limits, which tool to use) or, when you already know the code, get_item_summary for a one-call overview of a product.

Tool call template

This tool declares no required parameters. Add optional parameters from the input schema as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {},
    "name": "get_catalog"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
No arguments

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

First observedNov 15, 2026

TDQS

A4.5/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

With no annotations present, the description carries the full burden, and it does disclose real behavior: no arguments, no product figures, max 200 rows per answer, ranking caps of 20 without a key and 100 with one, out_of_scope refusal, the fixed null_reasons vocabulary, and the presence of reporter/currency/attribution metadata. Much of the rounding and dataset-splitting detail describes the service rather than this tool's own return, which keeps it from 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 opening 'Call this first' is correctly front-loaded, but the body is a dense, multi-clause run-on with deeply nested parentheticals. Substantial portions, such as rounding digit counts and national code digit lengths, are about the wider service and not needed to invoke a zero-argument catalog tool, so length is not fully justified.

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 no-argument catalog tool with no output schema, the description must explain what the catalog contains, and it does so thoroughly: reporters and currencies, per-reporter and common latest months, import/export flow separation, HS levels, dataset list, tool-selection guidance, and user-specific access limits. An agent has everything needed to decide to call it and to interpret the result.

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?

The schema has zero parameters, so the baseline is 4, and the description reinforces this by stating plainly 'Takes no arguments.' No further parameter meaning is needed or possible.

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?

The description states a specific verb and resource: it catalogs what the service holds (reporters, currencies, national code levels, month coverage, HS levels, datasets, access limits, null_reasons). It also explicitly separates itself from siblings, saying it has no product figures and that get_item_summary is the tool for a product.

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?

It gives an explicit directive to call it first, names the exact questions it answers ('what period does the data cover?', 'what is the latest month?'), and lays out the intended tool chain: get_catalog, then search_items, then get_item_summary, then the specific tools. It also names the alternative when the code is already known.

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

All TradeStats - customs trade statistics tools Inspect

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