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Get Quote

get_quote
Read-onlyIdempotent

READ PIPELINE step 3 — CITE. Get the exact verbatim text of a single page plus its citation apparatus. ALWAYS use before putting text in quotation marks. The response headline is citation_link (the stable sourcelibrary.org/q/… shortlink) — present it to the user alongside the quote. Render as:

[exact translation text, verbatim] — [Author], [citation.locator]. [citation_link] PAGE BREAKS: this corpus is paginated from physical leaves, and nearly one prose page-boundary in five has a sentence running across it — sometimes a word split by a hyphen ("…our move-" / "movements…"). A page that opens or breaks off mid-sentence still reads as complete prose and still carries a perfectly valid citation, so check the continuity field on every response BEFORE quoting: if continues_on_next or continues_from_previous is true, call again with context: true and quote the whole sentence. Quoting a fragment as though it were the author's complete thought is a misattribution even when the page number is right. NON-LATIN SCRIPTS: where the page is Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Sanskrit, Cyrillic and so on, the response also carries romanized — the romanization of the original — so the citation can be shown in three layers: original → romanized → translation → citation_link. It is AI-generated reading apparatus, not a transcription; quote the source from original or translation, never from romanized. Absent on Latin-script pages and on non-Latin pages not yet romanized. ENGLISH ORIGINALS: where the leaf is already English there is no translation and none is needed — the response omits translation, sets text_source: "ocr_original", and the verbatim text is original (with a transcription_note). Quote it as the source's own words, never as a translation, and expect period spelling and long-s (ſ) — it is an uncorrected transcription of the scan. text_source is on every response (translation otherwise), so branch on it rather than guessing from pages_translated, which is 0 for an English-original book by construction. TRANSLATED EDITIONS: original means the text printed on this leaf, which on a translated edition is the TRANSLATOR's language, not the author's. When the response carries translation_note, the chain is stated there — attribute the wording to the translator and do not offer the passage as evidence of what the author wrote in their own tongue. Call list_editions to find an original-language witness of the same work. For several pages of one book at once, use get_quotes.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
langNoISO code of the EDITION to quote, e.g. "es". Default "en". `quote.lang` on every response says which edition was actually served — where no such edition exists the English translation comes back with lang: "en" and a lang_note, and it must not be presented as the requested edition. The citation link follows the edition served.
pageYesPage number
book_idYesThe book ID
contextNoAlso return the full text of the previous and next pages, so a sentence spanning the page break can be read whole. Set this when continuity.continues_from_previous or continues_on_next came back true on an earlier call, or whenever you are about to quote near a page edge.
include_imageNoAlso return the scan of the cited leaf as an inline image (display size, ≤1200px). Set this when the user would benefit from SEEING the page — an illustrated leaf, a title page, a diagram, disputed OCR — or asks to see it. The image arrives as an MCP image block you can view and the user sees rendered.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Changed1 schema field changed
    • addedInput schema / properties / lang
      Added value: +{
+  "description": "ISO code of the EDITION to quote, e.g. \"es\". Default \"en\". `quote.lang` on every response says which edition was actually served — where no such edition exists the English translation comes back with lang: \"en\" and a lang_note, and it must not be presented as the requested edition. The citation link follows the edition served.",
+  "type": "string"
+}
  2. Changed1 schema field changed
    • addedInput schema / properties / include_image
      Added value: +{
+  "description": "Also return the scan of the cited leaf as an inline image (display size, ≤1200px). Set this when the user would benefit from SEEING the page — an illustrated leaf, a title page, a diagram, disputed OCR — or asks to see it. The image arrives as an MCP image block you can view and the user sees rendered.",
+  "type": "boolean"
+}
  3. Changed1 schema field changed
    • addedInput schema / properties / context
      Added value: +{
+  "description": "Also return the full text of the previous and next pages, so a sentence spanning the page break can be read whole. Set this when continuity.continues_from_previous or continues_on_next came back true on an earlier call, or whenever you are about to quote near a page edge.",
+  "type": "boolean"
+}
  4. First observed

TDQS

A4.8/5.0
Behavior5/5

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

Annotations already cover safety (readOnly, idempotent, non-destructive), yet the description adds substantial behavioral context the annotations cannot: page-break continuity risk (~one in five pages), the text_source branching rule, romanization caveats, and translator-attribution pitfalls. This is well beyond the structured fields.

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?

Long (~450 words) but front-loaded and every block addresses a real failure mode rather than padding. The embedded citation render template and the multi-layer script explanation are dense but purposeful; a few clauses could be tightened, keeping it short of a 5.

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 no output schema, the description still fully characterizes the response shape (citation_link headline, continuity, text_source, translation/transcription_note, romanized) and the failure modes for each. An agent has everything needed to call and interpret results correctly.

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?

Schema coverage is 100% and the schema itself documents lang, page, book_id, context, and include_image thoroughly, so the baseline is 3. The description adds operational meaning by tying context:true to the continuity field and explaining the lang/lang_note and include_image use cases inline.

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?

States a specific verb and resource ('Get the exact verbatim text of a single page plus its citation apparatus') and situates it in a pipeline ('READ PIPELINE step 3 — CITE'). It distinguishes itself from siblings by naming get_quotes for multi-page retrieval, so an agent can select correctly 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?

Explicit when-to-use ('ALWAYS use before putting text in quotation marks'), a named alternative with its trigger ('For several pages of one book at once, use get_quotes'), and a routing rule for another tool ('Call list_editions to find an original-language witness'). The context:true escalation condition is also spelled out.

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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