art-institute-chicago-mcp-server

Search audio guide

artic_search_audio_guide

Read-onlyIdempotent

Search the Art Institute of Chicago's mobile audio-guide stops by text, matching stop titles and transcripts. Returns each stop's title, MP3 URL, and transcript text. Stops carry no artwork id, so match a stop to a work by its title; for a known artwork, artic_get_artworks related_media lists the recordings linked to it. Some stops are in Spanish, and titles are sometimes internal file names. This content is for noncommercial educational and personal use only: keep the copyright notice and cite the Art Institute of Chicago.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`page`	No	Page to return (1-based); page times the applied limit may not exceed 1,000.
`limit`	No	Requested stops per page (1-1,000); at most two whole stops are returned.
`query`	Yes	Text matched against stop titles and transcripts; every word must match. An artwork's title or the artist's surname works well.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`cap`	No	The limit applied to this page.
`page`	No	Page returned (1-based).
`error`	No	Present when the call failed. Absent on success.
`shown`	No	Stops returned on this page.
`stops`	No	Matching stops on this page, in relevance order.
`notice`	No	Guidance when nothing matched, more pages exist, or the reachable window is exhausted.
`has_more`	No	True when more matches exist beyond this page.
`next_page`	No	Page to request next; absent when nothing remains or the next page would pass the first 1,000 matches.
`truncated`	No	True when more matches exist beyond this page.
`totalCount`	No	Matches for the query, before paging.
`license_text`	No	License statement from the API, verbatim: noncommercial educational and personal use, with notices retained and the source cited.
`source_citation`	No	Citation to keep with any use of this content.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed6 schema fields changedOct 13, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / limit / default
```
Previous value: -5New value: +2
```

changedInput schema / properties / limit / description

Previous value: -"Stops per page (1-20)."New value: +"Requested stops per page (1-1,000); at most two whole stops are returned."

changedInput schema / properties / limit / maximum
```
Previous value: -20New value: +1000
```

changedInput schema / properties / page / description

Previous value: -"Page to return (1-based); page times limit may not exceed 1,000."New value: +"Page to return (1-based); page times the applied limit may not exceed 1,000."

changedInput schema / properties / page / maximum
```
Previous value: -200New value: +1000
```

changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / description

Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `page_beyond_window`: page times limit exceeds 1,000, past the reachable search window. `rate_limited`: The Art Institute API throttled this server and retries ran out, or the shared request queue could not start the call in time. `request_blocked`: The Art Institute API's firewall blocked the request, as it does for markup or script-like text and for bursts of traffic. `upstream_rejected_query`: The Art Institute API rejected a request this server built from valid inputs. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `page_beyond_window`: page times the applied limit exceeds 1,000, past the reachable search window. `rate_limited`: The Art Institute API throttled this server and retries ran out, or the shared request queue could not start the call in time. `request_blocked`: The Art Institute API's firewall blocked the request, as it does for markup or script-like text and for bursts of traffic. `upstream_rejected_query`: The Art Institute API rejected a request this server built from valid inputs. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."

First observedOct 2, 2026

TDQS

A4.7/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

Annotations cover readOnly/openWorld/idempotent, but the description adds essential context beyond them: it discloses that some stops are Spanish-language, titles can be internal file names, and there is a noncommercial-use copyright constraint. These are behavioral facts no annotation captures.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

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

Four tight sentences front-load the core action and then layer routing, caveats, and constraints. Every sentence carries information; none is filler.

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?

Given the output schema exists and annotations cover safety, the description fills the remaining gaps: linking behavior to artwork records, language quirks, title quirks, and usage licensing. Nothing needed to call it correctly is missing.

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%, so the schema already documents query, page, and limit semantics in detail. The description adds no parameter-specific syntax beyond the schema, so baseline 3 is appropriate.

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 (Search) and resource (audio-guide stops) with the matching fields (titles and transcripts). It also distinguishes itself from siblings by naming artic_get_artworks related_media as the alternative path.

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?

Explicitly explains when to use this tool versus artic_get_artworks: use this for text search across stops, and use related_media when you have a known artwork. It also warns that stops have no artwork id and explains the title-matching workaround.

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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