faa-aircraft-registry-mcp-server

faa-aircraft-registry-mcp-server: search registrations

faa_search_registrations

Read-onlyIdempotent

Search active US civil aircraft registrations by owner name, make/model, exact manufacturerModelCode, state, aircraft type, or Mode S (hex) code. Discover codes with faa_search_aircraft_types, search registrations by manufacturerModelCode, then drill into N-numbers via faa_lookup_registration. Filters are AND-combined; at least one is required. Owner-name search is unavailable when this deployment redacts owner PII — use the other filters instead. Every response reports totalCount (all matches, not just this page); when more remain, it returns nextOffset — pass it back as offset to page forward.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`limit`	No	Maximum number of results to return (1–200, default 25).
`state`	No	Two ASCII letters for a state, territory or military postal code (e.g. WA, GU, AE, AP; exact match). Trimmed and uppercased; blank is unset.
`offset`	No	Zero-based index of the first result to return — pass the nextOffset from a previous response, with identical filters, to page forward (default 0).
`makeModel`	No	Aircraft make and/or model to match (full-text).
`modeSCode`	No	Six hexadecimal characters for the Mode S code (ICAO 24-bit address), exact match. Trimmed and uppercased; blank is unset.
`ownerName`	No	Registrant name to match (full-text). Rejected when owner-PII redaction is on.
`aircraftType`	No	FAA aircraft type code: 1–9, H (Hybrid Lift), O (Other), exact match. Trimmed and uppercased; blank is unset.
`manufacturerModelCode`	No	Exact FAA manufacturer/model/series code: 6–7 alphanumeric characters, trimmed and uppercased; blank is unset. Discover codes with faa_search_aircraft_types. AND-combined with other filters.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`cap`	No	The limit that was applied (present only when truncated is set).
`error`	No	Present when the call failed. Absent on success.
`shown`	No	Number of results on this page (present only when truncated is set).
`notice`	No	Guidance when no registrations matched, or when more matches remain.
`truncated`	No	Present and true only when matches remain beyond this page.
`nextOffset`	No	Offset to request the next page; absent when this page reached the end of the matches.
`totalCount`	No	Total registrations matching the filters, across all pages. Always present.
`registrations`	No	Matching registration summaries for this page (up to limit).

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed7 schema fields changedOct 16, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / aircraftType / description

Previous value: -"Aircraft type code to match exactly (e.g. \"4\" for fixed-wing single-engine)."New value: +"FAA aircraft type code: 1–9, H (Hybrid Lift), O (Other), exact match. Trimmed and uppercased; blank is unset."

addedInput schema / properties / manufacturerModelCode

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Exact FAA manufacturer/model/series code: 6–7 alphanumeric characters, trimmed and uppercased; blank is unset. Discover codes with faa_search_aircraft_types. AND-combined with other filters.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / modeSCode / description

Previous value: -"Mode S code in hex to match exactly (ICAO 24-bit address)."New value: +"Six hexadecimal characters for the Mode S code (ICAO 24-bit address), exact match. Trimmed and uppercased; blank is unset."

changedInput schema / properties / state / description

Previous value: -"Two-letter state/territory abbreviation (exact match)."New value: +"Two ASCII letters for a state, territory or military postal code (e.g. WA, GU, AE, AP; exact match). Trimmed and uppercased; blank is unset."

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

Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `owner_search_disabled`: ownerName was supplied while owner-PII redaction is enabled on this deployment. `no_filters`: No search filter was supplied. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `invalid_code`: manufacturerModelCode is not 6–7 alphanumeric characters after normalization. `invalid_state`: state is not two ASCII letters. `invalid_mode_s_code`: modeSCode is not six hexadecimal characters. `invalid_aircraft_type`: aircraftType is not 1–9, H or O. `owner_search_disabled`: ownerName was supplied while owner-PII redaction is enabled on this deployment. `no_filters`: No search filter was supplied. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."

changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / examples

Previous value: -[
-  "owner_search_disabled",
-  "no_filters"
-]New value: +[
+  "invalid_code",
+  "invalid_state",
+  "invalid_mode_s_code",
+  "invalid_aircraft_type",
+  "owner_search_disabled",
+  "no_filters"
+]

addedOutput schema / properties / registrations / items / properties / manufacturerModelCode

Added value: +{
+  "description": "FAA manufacturer/model/series code (6–7 characters); use with faa_get_aircraft_type for specs or manufacturerModelCode to find registrations of the same type.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

Changed6 schema fields changedAug 25, 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": [
+      "registrations",
+      "totalCount"
+    ]
+  },
+  {
+    "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: `owner_search_disabled`: ownerName was supplied while owner-PII redaction is enabled on this deployment. `no_filters`: No search filter was supplied. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler.",
+          "examples": [
+            "owner_search_disabled",
+            "no_filters"
+          ],
+          "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: -[
-  "registrations",
-  "totalCount"
-]

Changed9 schema fields changedJul 16, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / offset

Added value: +{
+  "default": 0,
+  "description": "Zero-based index of the first result to return — pass the nextOffset from a previous response, with identical filters, to page forward (default 0).",
+  "maximum": 9007199254740991,
+  "minimum": 0,
+  "type": "integer"
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / cap / description

Previous value: -"The limit that was applied (present only when capped)."New value: +"The limit that was applied (present only when truncated is set)."

addedOutput schema / properties / nextOffset

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Offset to request the next page; absent when this page reached the end of the matches.",
+  "type": "number"
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / notice / description

Previous value: -"Guidance when no registrations matched the supplied filters."New value: +"Guidance when no registrations matched, or when more matches remain."

changedOutput schema / properties / registrations / description

Previous value: -"Matching registration summaries (up to limit)."New value: +"Matching registration summaries for this page (up to limit)."

changedOutput schema / properties / shown / description

Previous value: -"Number of results returned (present only when capped)."New value: +"Number of results on this page (present only when truncated is set)."

addedOutput schema / properties / totalCount

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Total registrations matching the filters, across all pages. Always present.",
+  "type": "number"
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / truncated / description

Previous value: -"Present and true only when the result set was capped at the limit — more matches exist."New value: +"Present and true only when matches remain beyond this page."

changedOutput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "registrations"
-]New value: +[
+  "registrations",
+  "totalCount"
+]

First observedJun 16, 2026

TDQS

A4.4/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already cover the safety profile (readOnly, idempotent, closed-world), but the description adds genuinely new behavioral facts: the one-filter minimum, AND-combination of filters, the PII-redaction mode that rejects ownerName, and the totalCount/nextOffset paging contract. It stops short of describing rate limits or error behavior, so it is strong but not exhaustive.

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?

One dense but front-loaded paragraph: the verb and resource lead, then the sibling workflow, then the filter constraints and paging contract. Every sentence carries operational information, though the workflow chain and constraint clauses could be tightened into a list for faster scanning.

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 an 8-parameter search tool with a full schema and an output schema, the description covers what the schema cannot: required-filter rule, conditional PII restriction, sibling routing, and how to consume nextOffset. Nothing an agent needs 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 description coverage is 100%, so format rules (uppercasing, trimming, hex length, 6–7 char model codes) are already documented per parameter. The description only restates that some matches are exact and adds the AND-combination rule, which the schema also hints at — 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 (active US civil aircraft registrations) plus the enumerable filter axes. It explicitly differentiates from siblings by naming faa_search_aircraft_types (code discovery) and faa_lookup_registration (N-number drill-down), so an agent can route without opening any schema.

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?

Gives an explicit workflow chain: discover codes with faa_search_aircraft_types, then search here by manufacturerModelCode, then drill into N-numbers with faa_lookup_registration. It also states the precondition that filters are AND-combined and at least one is required, and names the condition under which ownerName must not be used.

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

All faa-aircraft-registry-mcp-server tools Inspect

Try in Browser

One endpoint for every MCP toolRayrun runs every MCP server behind one URL and holds the credentials. Each call is decided per client, tool, and argument, then recorded.ray.runAd

Glama MCP Gateway

Add one secure layer between your agents and this server.