art-institute-chicago-mcp-server

Get artworks

artic_get_artworks

Read-onlyIdempotent

Fetch full Art Institute of Chicago records for up to 100 artworks by id in one call, returning deferred_ids for the rest: description, provenance, exhibition and publication history, dimensions, inscriptions, credit line, categorization, gallery, image URLs with rights status, and related multimedia. The long text sections are opt-in through sections; request the sections and ids your client can take, since every section on 100 well-documented works comes to about 1.4 MB. Ids come from artic_search_artworks, artic_search_exhibitions, or artic_search_artists.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`ids`	Yes	Artwork ids as an array or comma-separated string, up to 1,000 supplied entries including blanks and duplicates. Comma strings also have a 100,000-character ceiling. Artwork page URLs are read as their id; blanks and duplicates are dropped. Fetches the first 100; deferred_ids names the remainder.
`sections`	No	Heavy text sections to include: description (also short_description), provenance, exhibition_history, publication_history, catalogue. Defaults to description and provenance; pass an empty array for none.
`include_related_media`	No	Load related multimedia (lectures, audio stops) for the records, up to 100 items per call.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`error`	No	Present when the call failed. Absent on success.
`notice`	No	Guidance when ids are missing or deferred, or related media was capped or could not load.
`artworks`	No	Records in request order; ids the museum does not have are left out.
`missing_ids`	No	Attempted ids with no artwork, in request order; unattempted ids are not reported as missing.
`deferred_ids`	No	Unattempted ids beyond the first 100, in request order; pass them to artic_get_artworks again.
`license_text`	No	License statement from the API for this data, verbatim.
`description_attribution`	No	Attribution owed for description text (CC BY 4.0); present when any is returned.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed5 schema fields changedNov 4, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / ids / description

Previous value: -"Artwork ids as an array or comma-separated string, up to 1,000 supplied entries including blanks and duplicates. Comma strings also have a 100,000-character ceiling. Artwork page URLs are read as their id; blanks and duplicates are dropped. Fetches the first 10; deferred_ids names the remainder."New value: +"Artwork ids as an array or comma-separated string, up to 1,000 supplied entries including blanks and duplicates. Comma strings also have a 100,000-character ceiling. Artwork page URLs are read as their id; blanks and duplicates are dropped. Fetches the first 100; deferred_ids names the remainder."

changedInput schema / properties / include_related_media / description

Previous value: -"Load related multimedia (lectures, audio stops) for the records, up to 20 items per call."New value: +"Load related multimedia (lectures, audio stops) for the records, up to 100 items per call."

addedOutput schema / properties / artworks / items / properties / acquisition_fiscal_year

Added value: +{
+  "description": "The fiscal year in which the museum acquired the work, which can differ by one from the year in main_reference_number; absent when unrecorded.",
+  "type": "number"
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / artworks / items / required

Previous value: -[
-  "id",
-  "title",
-  "is_public_domain",
-  "is_on_view",
-  "web_url",
-  "main_reference_number",
-  "artist_ids",
-  "styles",
-  "subjects",
-  "materials",
-  "techniques",
-  "themes"
-]New value: +[
+  "id",
+  "title",
+  "main_reference_number",
+  "is_public_domain",
+  "is_on_view",
+  "web_url",
+  "artist_ids",
+  "styles",
+  "subjects",
+  "materials",
+  "techniques",
+  "themes"
+]

changedOutput schema / properties / deferred_ids / description

Previous value: -"Ids left out by the response budget or beyond the first 10 attempted ids, in request order; pass them to artic_get_artworks again."New value: +"Unattempted ids beyond the first 100, in request order; pass them to artic_get_artworks again."

Changed4 schema fields changedOct 13, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / ids / description

Previous value: -"Artwork ids, 1 to 10, as an array or a comma-separated string; https://www.artic.edu/artworks/<id> page URLs are read as their id. Duplicates are dropped."New value: +"Artwork ids as an array or comma-separated string, up to 1,000 supplied entries including blanks and duplicates. Comma strings also have a 100,000-character ceiling. Artwork page URLs are read as their id; blanks and duplicates are dropped. Fetches the first 10; deferred_ids names the remainder."

changedInput schema / properties / ids / maxItems
```
Previous value: -10New value: +1000
```

changedOutput schema / properties / deferred_ids / description

Previous value: -"Found ids left out because the response budget was reached; request them in a follow-up call."New value: +"Ids left out by the response budget or beyond the first 10 attempted ids, in request order; pass them to artic_get_artworks again."

changedOutput schema / properties / missing_ids / description

Previous value: -"Requested ids with no artwork, in request order."New value: +"Attempted ids with no artwork, in request order; unattempted ids are not reported as missing."

First observedOct 2, 2026

TDQS

A4.4/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Annotations only cover the safety profile (readOnly, idempotent, openWorld), and the description adds genuinely useful behavior: a 100-record cap per call with deferred_ids for the remainder, the existence of large text sections that are opt-in, and a concrete payload figure (~1.4 MB for 100 documented works). Return-shape detail is somewhat redundant with the output schema, but the batching and size trade-offs are not visible anywhere else.

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?

Two sentences, front-loaded with the action and scope before the size caveat and the id-source routing. The enumeration of returned fields (provenance, exhibition history, dimensions, credit line, image URLs with rights) is long and partly duplicates the output schema, costing a little tightness.

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?

Covers everything an agent needs to call this correctly: the 100-per-call cap, deferred_ids, the payload economics of sections, and where ids originate. Since an output schema exists, the field listing is a bonus rather than a crutch, and nothing material is missing.

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%, so the baseline is 3; the description earns above that by explaining that sections are opt-in for long text and framing the id/section choice as a client-capacity decision rather than just listing field names. It does not restate the enum values or defaults, which the schema already handles.

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 ("Fetch full Art Institute of Chicago records for ... artworks by id") and pins the scope: batch of up to 100, full records, deferred_ids for overflow. It clearly separates itself from the search siblings by naming them as the source of ids rather than as alternative retrieval paths.

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?

Explicitly tells the agent where ids come from (artic_search_artworks, artic_search_exhibitions, artic_search_artists) and advises requesting only the sections and id counts the client can handle. It lacks an explicit 'when not to use' statement or a note on what to do with deferred_ids beyond the naming, but the routing guidance is clear.

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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