cdc-health-mcp-server

Cdc Discover Datasets

cdc_discover_datasets

Read-only

Search the CDC dataset catalog by keyword, category, tag, or asset type. Returns IDs, names, truncated descriptions, asset types, column counts, update timestamps, and portal links. The catalog also holds charts, maps, stories, files, and links; an entry whose columnCount is 0 is one of those and yields no data from the other tools — reach a file or link through its permalink or accessPoints, and a chart or map through the dataset its parentIds name. Use cdc_get_dataset_schema for the full column list of a chosen dataset.

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": "cdc_discover_datasets"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`tags`	No	Filter by domain tags (e.g., ["covid19", "surveillance"]). Tags widen the search instead of narrowing it — a dataset matches when it carries any one of them, so every tag added returns more results, and an unrecognized tag matches nothing and leaves the result set unchanged. Values match the catalog's own tag vocabulary, case-insensitively; call cdc_list_catalog_vocabulary for the values in use with their entry counts, or read the tags field on any result. To narrow, combine tags with query or category, which intersect with the tag set.
`limit`	No	Results to return (default 10, max 10,000). offset plus limit must not exceed 10000.
`order`	No	Result ordering. Defaults to "relevance" when query is set and to "dataset_id" otherwise, at every offset; an explicit value always wins. "relevance" ranks the best matches for the query first, but its order varies between calls, so paging a relevance search by offset can repeat or skip entries. "dataset_id" sorts by each entry's catalog ID — a stable order whose offset pages walk every match exactly once.
`query`	No	Full-text search across dataset names and descriptions (e.g., "diabetes mortality", "lead exposure children").
`domain`	No	CDC Socrata host to search. "data.cdc.gov" (default) and "chronicdata.cdc.gov" front the same catalog and return the same entries, so switching hosts neither widens nor narrows a search — chronic-disease and small-area collections such as PLACES, the Heart Disease & Stroke Atlas, and Environmental Public Health Tracking are found from either.	data.cdc.gov
`offset`	No	Pagination offset for browsing beyond first page (max 9999). offset plus limit must not exceed 10000; both CDC portals hold well under two thousand entries, so offsets near that ceiling page past the end of the catalog.
`category`	No	Filter by domain category (e.g., "NNDSS", "Vaccinations", "Behavioral Risk Factors"). Values come from the catalog's own vocabulary and are matched exactly, ignoring case — "Vaccinations" and "vaccinations" each match 89 entries while "Vaccination" matches none. Call cdc_list_catalog_vocabulary for every value with its entry count rather than guessing at one.
`asset_types`	No	Limit the search to these catalog asset types, spelled as assetType reports them. An entry matches when it is any one of them, and totalCount counts only those; ["dataset", "filter"] returns just the entries with rows to query. Omitted or [] searches every type.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`error`	No	Present when the call failed. Absent on success.
`notice`	No	Guidance when the page came back empty — the catalog values closest to a category or tag filter that matched nothing, each with its entry count; how to broaden a search when no value is close; or the size of the result set when the offset ran past its end. On a relevance-ordered page with matches remaining past it, also that relevance order varies between calls, so offset paging can repeat or skip entries, and that order: "dataset_id" walks every match.
`datasets`	No	Matching datasets.
`totalCount`	No	Total matching datasets in the catalog (for pagination).
`appliedFilters`	No	Filters applied to this query; absent fields indicate no filter on that dimension. Query, category, tags, and asset types intersect with each other, but multiple tags union, as do multiple asset types.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed14 schema fields changedNov 1, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / asset_types

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Limit the search to these catalog asset types, spelled as assetType reports them. An entry matches when it is any one of them, and totalCount counts only those; [\"dataset\", \"filter\"] returns just the entries with rows to query. Omitted or [] searches every type.",
+  "items": {
+    "enum": [
+      "dataset",
+      "filter",
+      "chart",
+      "map",
+      "story",
+      "file",
+      "href"
+    ],
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / category / description

Previous value: -"Filter by domain category (e.g., \"NNDSS\", \"Vaccinations\", \"Behavioral Risk Factors\"). Values come from the catalog's own vocabulary and are matched exactly, including case — \"Vaccinations\" matches 89 entries while \"Vaccination\" matches none. Call cdc_list_catalog_vocabulary for every value with its entry count rather than guessing at one."New value: +"Filter by domain category (e.g., \"NNDSS\", \"Vaccinations\", \"Behavioral Risk Factors\"). Values come from the catalog's own vocabulary and are matched exactly, ignoring case — \"Vaccinations\" and \"vaccinations\" each match 89 entries while \"Vaccination\" matches none. Call cdc_list_catalog_vocabulary for every value with its entry count rather than guessing at one."

changedInput schema / properties / limit / description

Previous value: -"Results to return (default 10). One call returns at most 100: a larger limit, up to 10,000, is capped at 100, and the response says so and gives the offset to continue from while more datasets match. offset plus limit must not exceed 10000 once limit is capped."New value: +"Results to return (default 10, max 10,000). offset plus limit must not exceed 10000."

changedInput schema / properties / offset / description

Previous value: -"Pagination offset for browsing beyond first page (max 9999). offset plus limit must not exceed 10000 once limit is capped; both CDC portals hold well under two thousand entries, so offsets near that ceiling page past the end of the catalog."New value: +"Pagination offset for browsing beyond first page (max 9999). offset plus limit must not exceed 10000; both CDC portals hold well under two thousand entries, so offsets near that ceiling page past the end of the catalog."

removedInput schema / properties / order / default
```
Removed value: -"dataset_id"
```

changedInput schema / properties / order / description

Previous value: -"Result ordering. \"dataset_id\" (default) sorts deterministically by each dataset's unique catalog ID — required for stable offset pagination, since consecutive pages form a gap-free, duplicate-free traversal. \"relevance\" returns best-match ranking for keyword search but is not stably paginable across pages, so walking offsets can skip or repeat datasets."New value: +"Result ordering. Defaults to \"relevance\" when query is set and to \"dataset_id\" otherwise, at every offset; an explicit value always wins. \"relevance\" ranks the best matches for the query first, but its order varies between calls, so paging a relevance search by offset can repeat or skip entries. \"dataset_id\" sorts by each entry's catalog ID — a stable order whose offset pages walk every match exactly once."

changedOutput schema / properties / appliedFilters / description

Previous value: -"Filters applied to this query; absent fields indicate no filter on that dimension. Query, category, and tags intersect with each other, but multiple tags union."New value: +"Filters applied to this query; absent fields indicate no filter on that dimension. Query, category, tags, and asset types intersect with each other, but multiple tags union, as do multiple asset types."

addedOutput schema / properties / appliedFilters / properties / assetTypes

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Asset types the search was limited to — an entry matched when it was any one of them.",
+  "items": {
+    "enum": [
+      "dataset",
+      "filter",
+      "chart",
+      "map",
+      "story",
+      "file",
+      "href"
+    ],
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / accessPoints

Added value: +{
+  "description": "The URLs a link (href) entry points to, each with its publisher's label, in catalog order — the only place a link entry's destination appears. Absent when the catalog lists none.",
+  "items": {
+    "additionalProperties": false,
+    "description": "One publisher-labelled URL.",
+    "properties": {
+      "label": {
+        "description": "Label the publisher gave the URL — free text, e.g. \"html\", \"map-server\".",
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "url": {
+        "description": "The URL.",
+        "type": "string"
+      }
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "label",
+      "url"
+    ],
+    "type": "object"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / assetType / description

Previous value: -"Catalog asset type as Socrata reports it — \"dataset\", \"filter\", \"chart\", \"map\", \"story\", \"file\", or \"href\". Descriptive only: \"filter\" entries carry real columns and query normally, while \"chart\" and \"map\" entries do not. Read columnCount, not this field, to decide whether an entry is queryable."New value: +"Catalog asset type as Socrata reports it — \"dataset\", \"filter\", \"chart\", \"map\", \"story\", \"file\", or \"href\" — and the value asset_types takes. Descriptive only: \"filter\" entries carry real columns and query normally, while \"chart\" and \"map\" entries do not. Read columnCount, not this field, to decide whether an entry is queryable."

addedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / parentIds

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Four-by-four IDs of the datasets this entry is built on — every chart, map, and filter names one, and a story can name several. A chart or map has no rows of its own; cdc_get_dataset_schema and cdc_query_dataset read its parent. Absent on an entry built on no other dataset.",
+  "items": {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / permalink

Added value: +{
+  "description": "The entry's page on the CDC portal. For a link (href) entry it is a catalog landing page; the destination itself is in accessPoints.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

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

Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `rate_limited`: Socrata API returns 429 Too Many Requests. `dataset_not_found`: Socrata returned 404 for the catalog endpoint itself — the Discovery API address is wrong or the service moved. `access_denied`: Socrata returned 403 — the catalog refused this request rather than failing to serve it. `upstream_error`: Socrata catalog API returned a 5xx server error. `page_out_of_range`: offset is above 0 and offset plus limit, after the 100-entry cap, exceeds 10000, which Socrata's catalog rejects outright. `invalid_query`: Catalog API returned 400 — typically a malformed query or invalid filter value. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `rate_limited`: Socrata API returns 429 Too Many Requests. `dataset_not_found`: Socrata returned 404 for the catalog endpoint itself — the Discovery API address is wrong or the service moved. `access_denied`: Socrata returned 403 — the catalog refused this request rather than failing to serve it. `upstream_error`: Socrata catalog API returned a 5xx server error, could not be reached, did not finish answering within 20 seconds, or answered with a body that is not the JSON it serves. `page_out_of_range`: offset is above 0 and offset plus limit exceeds 10000, which Socrata's catalog rejects outright. `invalid_query`: Catalog API returned 400 — typically a malformed query or invalid filter value. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."

changedOutput schema / properties / notice / description

Previous value: -"Guidance when the page came back empty — the catalog values closest to a category or tag filter that matched nothing, each with its entry count; how to broaden a search when no value is close; or the size of the result set when the offset ran past its end."New value: +"Guidance when the page came back empty — the catalog values closest to a category or tag filter that matched nothing, each with its entry count; how to broaden a search when no value is close; or the size of the result set when the offset ran past its end. On a relevance-ordered page with matches remaining past it, also that relevance order varies between calls, so offset paging can repeat or skip entries, and that order: \"dataset_id\" walks every match."

Changed5 schema fields changedOct 13, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / limit / description

Previous value: -"Results to return (default 10, max 100). offset plus limit must not exceed 10000."New value: +"Results to return (default 10). One call returns at most 100: a larger limit, up to 10,000, is capped at 100, and the response says so and gives the offset to continue from while more datasets match. offset plus limit must not exceed 10000 once limit is capped."

changedInput schema / properties / limit / maximum
```
Previous value: -100New value: +10000
```

changedInput schema / properties / offset / description

Previous value: -"Pagination offset for browsing beyond first page (max 9999). offset plus limit must not exceed 10000; both CDC portals hold well under two thousand entries, so offsets near that ceiling page past the end of the catalog."New value: +"Pagination offset for browsing beyond first page (max 9999). offset plus limit must not exceed 10000 once limit is capped; both CDC portals hold well under two thousand entries, so offsets near that ceiling page past the end of the catalog."

changedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / description / description

Previous value: -"Dataset description when provided by the catalog, as plain text — markup stripped and entity references decoded — then truncated to 300 characters, so the limit bounds visible text. Fetch the full text via cdc_get_dataset_schema."New value: +"Dataset description when provided by the catalog, as plain text — markup stripped and entity references decoded — then truncated to 300 characters, so the limit bounds visible text. Fetch the full text via cdc_get_dataset_schema with full_description: true; without it, that tool caps the description at 4,000 characters."

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

Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `rate_limited`: Socrata API returns 429 Too Many Requests. `dataset_not_found`: Socrata returned 404 for the catalog endpoint itself — the Discovery API address is wrong or the service moved. `access_denied`: Socrata returned 403 — the catalog refused this request rather than failing to serve it. `upstream_error`: Socrata catalog API returned a 5xx server error. `page_out_of_range`: offset plus limit exceeds 10000, which Socrata's catalog rejects outright. `invalid_query`: Catalog API returned 400 — typically a malformed query or invalid filter value. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `rate_limited`: Socrata API returns 429 Too Many Requests. `dataset_not_found`: Socrata returned 404 for the catalog endpoint itself — the Discovery API address is wrong or the service moved. `access_denied`: Socrata returned 403 — the catalog refused this request rather than failing to serve it. `upstream_error`: Socrata catalog API returned a 5xx server error. `page_out_of_range`: offset is above 0 and offset plus limit, after the 100-entry cap, exceeds 10000, which Socrata's catalog rejects outright. `invalid_query`: Catalog API returned 400 — typically a malformed query or invalid filter value. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."

Changed4 schema fields changedSep 20, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / category / description

Previous value: -"Filter by domain category (e.g., \"NNDSS\", \"Vaccinations\", \"Behavioral Risk Factors\")."New value: +"Filter by domain category (e.g., \"NNDSS\", \"Vaccinations\", \"Behavioral Risk Factors\"). Values come from the catalog's own vocabulary and are matched exactly, including case — \"Vaccinations\" matches 89 entries while \"Vaccination\" matches none. Call cdc_list_catalog_vocabulary for every value with its entry count rather than guessing at one."

changedInput schema / properties / tags / description

Previous value: -"Filter by domain tags (e.g., [\"covid19\", \"surveillance\"]). Tags widen the search instead of narrowing it — a dataset matches when it carries any one of them, so every tag added returns more results, and an unrecognized tag matches nothing and leaves the result set unchanged. Values match the catalog's own tag vocabulary, case-insensitively; the tags field on each result shows which values are in use. To narrow, combine tags with query or category, which intersect with the tag set."New value: +"Filter by domain tags (e.g., [\"covid19\", \"surveillance\"]). Tags widen the search instead of narrowing it — a dataset matches when it carries any one of them, so every tag added returns more results, and an unrecognized tag matches nothing and leaves the result set unchanged. Values match the catalog's own tag vocabulary, case-insensitively; call cdc_list_catalog_vocabulary for the values in use with their entry counts, or read the tags field on any result. To narrow, combine tags with query or category, which intersect with the tag set."

changedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / description / description

Previous value: -"Dataset description when provided by the catalog, truncated to 300 characters. Fetch the full text via cdc_get_dataset_schema."New value: +"Dataset description when provided by the catalog, as plain text — markup stripped and entity references decoded — then truncated to 300 characters, so the limit bounds visible text. Fetch the full text via cdc_get_dataset_schema."

changedOutput schema / properties / notice / description

Previous value: -"Guidance when the page came back empty — how to broaden a search that matched nothing, where to check tag values when a tag filter was applied, or the size of the result set when the offset ran past its end."New value: +"Guidance when the page came back empty — the catalog values closest to a category or tag filter that matched nothing, each with its entry count; how to broaden a search when no value is close; or the size of the result set when the offset ran past its end."

Changed6 schema fields changedAug 22, 2026

changedInput schema / $schema

Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"

addedInput schema / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +false
```

changedOutput schema / $schema

Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"

addedOutput schema / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "not": {
+      "required": [
+        "error"
+      ]
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "datasets",
+      "totalCount",
+      "appliedFilters"
+    ]
+  },
+  {
+    "required": [
+      "error"
+    ]
+  }
+]

addedOutput schema / properties / error

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": {},
+  "description": "Present when the call failed. Absent on success.",
+  "properties": {
+    "code": {
+      "description": "JSON-RPC error code for this failure.",
+      "maximum": 9007199254740991,
+      "minimum": -9007199254740991,
+      "type": "integer"
+    },
+    "data": {
+      "additionalProperties": {},
+      "properties": {
+        "reason": {
+          "description": "Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `rate_limited`: Socrata API returns 429 Too Many Requests. `dataset_not_found`: Socrata returned 404 for the catalog endpoint itself — the Discovery API address is wrong or the service moved. `access_denied`: Socrata returned 403 — the catalog refused this request rather than failing to serve it. `upstream_error`: Socrata catalog API returned a 5xx server error. `page_out_of_range`: offset plus limit exceeds 10000, which Socrata's catalog rejects outright. `invalid_query`: Catalog API returned 400 — typically a malformed query or invalid filter value. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler.",
+          "examples": [
+            "rate_limited",
+            "dataset_not_found",
+            "access_denied",
+            "upstream_error",
+            "page_out_of_range",
+            "invalid_query"
+          ],
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "recovery": {
+          "additionalProperties": {},
+          "description": "Actionable next step for the caller.",
+          "properties": {
+            "hint": {
+              "type": "string"
+            }
+          },
+          "required": [
+            "hint"
+          ],
+          "type": "object"
+        },
+        "retryable": {
+          "description": "Whether retrying may succeed.",
+          "type": "boolean"
+        }
+      },
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "message": {
+      "description": "Human-readable description of what went wrong.",
+      "type": "string"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "code",
+    "message"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

removedOutput schema / required

Removed value: -[
-  "datasets",
-  "totalCount",
-  "appliedFilters"
-]

Changed9 schema fields changedAug 9, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / domain / description

Previous value: -"CDC Socrata portal to search. \"data.cdc.gov\" (default) is the main CDC catalog; \"chronicdata.cdc.gov\" hosts chronic-disease and small-area datasets (PLACES, the Heart Disease & Stroke Atlas, Environmental Public Health Tracking)."New value: +"CDC Socrata host to search. \"data.cdc.gov\" (default) and \"chronicdata.cdc.gov\" front the same catalog and return the same entries, so switching hosts neither widens nor narrows a search — chronic-disease and small-area collections such as PLACES, the Heart Disease & Stroke Atlas, and Environmental Public Health Tracking are found from either."

changedInput schema / properties / limit / description

Previous value: -"Results to return (default 10, max 100)."New value: +"Results to return (default 10, max 100). offset plus limit must not exceed 10000."

changedInput schema / properties / offset / description

Previous value: -"Pagination offset for browsing beyond first page (max 9999)."New value: +"Pagination offset for browsing beyond first page (max 9999). offset plus limit must not exceed 10000; both CDC portals hold well under two thousand entries, so offsets near that ceiling page past the end of the catalog."

changedInput schema / properties / tags / description

Previous value: -"Filter by domain tags (e.g., [\"covid19\", \"surveillance\"])."New value: +"Filter by domain tags (e.g., [\"covid19\", \"surveillance\"]). Tags widen the search instead of narrowing it — a dataset matches when it carries any one of them, so every tag added returns more results, and an unrecognized tag matches nothing and leaves the result set unchanged. Values match the catalog's own tag vocabulary, case-insensitively; the tags field on each result shows which values are in use. To narrow, combine tags with query or category, which intersect with the tag set."

changedOutput schema / properties / appliedFilters / description

Previous value: -"Filters applied to this query; absent fields indicate no filter on that dimension."New value: +"Filters applied to this query; absent fields indicate no filter on that dimension. Query, category, and tags intersect with each other, but multiple tags union."

changedOutput schema / properties / appliedFilters / properties / tags / description

Previous value: -"Tag filters used."New value: +"Tag filters used — a dataset matched when it carried any one of them."

addedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / assetType

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Catalog asset type as Socrata reports it — \"dataset\", \"filter\", \"chart\", \"map\", \"story\", \"file\", or \"href\". Descriptive only: \"filter\" entries carry real columns and query normally, while \"chart\" and \"map\" entries do not. Read columnCount, not this field, to decide whether an entry is queryable.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / columnCount / description

Previous value: -"Number of columns in the dataset when reported by the catalog."New value: +"Number of columns in the dataset when reported by the catalog. A count of 0 means the entry is not tabular — cdc_get_dataset_schema and cdc_query_dataset return no usable data for it."

changedOutput schema / properties / notice / description

Previous value: -"Guidance when no datasets matched — echoes the applied filters and suggests how to broaden the search."New value: +"Guidance when the page came back empty — how to broaden a search that matched nothing, where to check tag values when a tag filter was applied, or the size of the result set when the offset ran past its end."

Changed1 schema field changedJul 11, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / order

Added value: +{
+  "default": "dataset_id",
+  "description": "Result ordering. \"dataset_id\" (default) sorts deterministically by each dataset's unique catalog ID — required for stable offset pagination, since consecutive pages form a gap-free, duplicate-free traversal. \"relevance\" returns best-match ranking for keyword search but is not stably paginable across pages, so walking offsets can skip or repeat datasets.",
+  "enum": [
+    "dataset_id",
+    "relevance"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

Changed6 schema fields changedJun 22, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / domain

Added value: +{
+  "default": "data.cdc.gov",
+  "description": "CDC Socrata portal to search. \"data.cdc.gov\" (default) is the main CDC catalog; \"chronicdata.cdc.gov\" hosts chronic-disease and small-area datasets (PLACES, the Heart Disease & Stroke Atlas, Environmental Public Health Tracking).",
+  "enum": [
+    "data.cdc.gov",
+    "chronicdata.cdc.gov"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / columnCount

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Number of columns in the dataset when reported by the catalog.",
+  "type": "number"
+}

removedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / columnNames

Removed value: -{
-  "description": "Available column field names when provided.",
-  "items": {
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  "type": "array"
-}

addedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / columnSample

Added value: +{
+  "description": "First 8 column field names as a preview. Call cdc_get_dataset_schema for the full column list with data types.",
+  "items": {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

removedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / columnTypes

Removed value: -{
-  "description": "Column data types (parallel to columnNames) when provided.",
-  "items": {
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  "type": "array"
-}

changedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / description / description

Previous value: -"Dataset description when provided by the catalog."New value: +"Dataset description when provided by the catalog, truncated to 300 characters. Fetch the full text via cdc_get_dataset_schema."

Changed3 schema fields changedMay 30, 2026

changedOutput schema / properties / appliedFilters / description

Previous value: -"Filters that were applied to this query; absent fields indicate no filter on that dimension."New value: +"Filters applied to this query; absent fields indicate no filter on that dimension."

addedOutput schema / properties / notice

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Guidance when no datasets matched — echoes the applied filters and suggests how to broaden the search.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / totalCount / description

Previous value: -"Total matching datasets (for pagination)."New value: +"Total matching datasets in the catalog (for pagination)."

Changed2 schema fields changedMay 8, 2026

changedOutput schema / properties / appliedFilters / description

Previous value: -"Filters applied to this search (echoed for diagnostics)."New value: +"Filters that were applied to this query; absent fields indicate no filter on that dimension."

changedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / name / description

Previous value: -"Dataset name."New value: +"Dataset display name from the catalog (e.g., \"Provisional COVID-19 Deaths by Sex and Age\")."

Changed1 schema field changedApr 24, 2026
- addedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / description
```
Added value: +"A single dataset catalog entry."
```
Changed11 schema fields changedApr 20, 2026
- changedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / category / description
```
Previous value: -"Domain category."New value: +"Domain category when provided."
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / columnNames / description
```
Previous value: -"Available column field names."New value: +"Available column field names when provided."
```
- removedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / columnNames / items / description
```
Removed value: -"Column name"
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / columnTypes / description
```
Previous value: -"Column data types (parallel to columnNames)."New value: +"Column data types (parallel to columnNames) when provided."
```
- removedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / columnTypes / items / description
```
Removed value: -"Column type"
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / description / description
```
Previous value: -"Dataset description."New value: +"Dataset description when provided by the catalog."
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / pageViews / description
```
Previous value: -"Total page views."New value: +"Total page views when provided."
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / tags / description
```
Previous value: -"Domain tags."New value: +"Domain tags when provided."
```
- removedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / tags / items / description
```
Removed value: -"Tag"
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / properties / updatedAt / description
```
Previous value: -"Last data update timestamp."New value: +"Last data update timestamp when provided."
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / datasets / items / required
```
Previous value: -[
-  "id",
-  "name",
-  "description",
-  "category",
-  "tags",
-  "columnNames",
-  "columnTypes",
-  "updatedAt",
-  "pageViews"
-]New value: +[
+  "id",
+  "name"
+]
```
First observedApr 13, 2026

TDQS

A4.4/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint=true, so the description adds valuable behavioral context: it lists returned fields, explains that columnCount 0 indicates non-dataset entries, and tells the agent how to reach files, links, charts, and maps through their permalinks, accessPoints, or parentIds. This goes well beyond the annotation.

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?

The description is front-loaded with purpose and returns, and every sentence carries useful information. However, the third sentence is long and dense, covering multiple asset-handling rules in a single clause, which could be more easily parsed if structured differently.

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 tool's complexity (8 optional parameters, search semantics, pagination, and multiple asset types) and the presence of an output schema, the description covers everything an agent needs: purpose, return fields, edge-case behavior, and the sibling tool for full schema details.

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 description coverage is 100%, so the schema already documents all eight parameters thoroughly. The description mentions the search dimensions but adds no new parameter-level syntax, format, or interaction details beyond what the schema provides. 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?

Starts with a specific verb (Search) and resource (CDC dataset catalog) and enumerates the facets it searches. It explicitly distinguishes itself from cdc_get_dataset_schema, and the description of returned fields and non-dataset assets makes its scope unambiguous.

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?

Provides clear context for when to use this tool (catalog discovery) and directs the agent to cdc_get_dataset_schema for full column lists. It also explains how to handle non-dataset assets. However, it does not explicitly contrast with cdc_query_dataset or state when not to use it.

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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