faa-airmen-registry-mcp-server

Faa Airmen Search Instructors

faa_airmen_search_instructors

Read-onlyIdempotent

Find releasable flight and ground instructor certificate records by name, state, and rating codes. Supply at least one name, state, city, ZIP, or rating filter. City and ZIP filters require operator-enabled location access. While the operator's personal-data redaction is on (the default), lastName and firstName are both required, nameMatch prefix and city or ZIP filters are rejected, and city and ZIP are withheld. Legacy expiry fields do not establish instructor currency; CFI certificates no longer expire under the December 2024 rule.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`city`	No	Exact city, 1–60 visible characters; requires operator-enabled location access and is rejected while personal-data redaction is on. Blank means unset.
`limit`	No	Maximum complete people or reference entries per page; default 10, maximum 50. A larger limit returns at most 50, with a notice.
`state`	No	Two-letter state or territory; trimmed and uppercased. Blank means unset.
`offset`	No	Zero-based offset; default 0, maximum 10000. Follow nextOffset or narrow filters at the cap.
`zipCode`	No	Five-digit ZIP or ZIP+4, preserving leading zeros; requires operator-enabled location access and is rejected while personal-data redaction is on. Blank means unset.
`lastName`	No	LAST NAME, which may include a suffix; the default words match finds SMITH JR from SMITH. 1–60 visible characters after normalization. Blank means unset.
`firstName`	No	FIRST NAME, which usually includes middle names; the default words match finds JOHN ROBERT from JOHN. 1–60 visible characters after normalization. Blank means unset.
`nameMatch`	No	How each supplied name field matches; default words for name searches. words: the field equals the term or continues with a space after it; only a space separates words, so a hyphenated or apostrophe name is one word. exact: the whole field. prefix: the field begins with the term, also mid-word; rejected while personal-data redaction is on.
`ratingCodes`	No	One to eleven codes, repeats collapsed; every code must occur on the same qualifying certificate, never across certificates. CFII is INSTA, INSTH, INSTI, or INSTP on a flight (F) certificate; MEI is AME or ASME on F; INST, ADV, and BASIC occur only on ground (G) certificates.
`instructorType`	No	Select flight F, ground G, or both instructor certificate types; default both.	both

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`error`	No	Present when the call failed. Absent on success.
`notice`	No	Snapshot limitations, absence guidance, source-quality notices for the returned records, and operational notices; may be empty.
`hasMore`	No	Whether another page is reachable within the offset cap.
`matches`	No	Matching instructor candidates; certificate presence does not establish currency.
`nextOffset`	No	Next reachable offset, or null when no next page is available.
`provenance`	No	Snapshot provenance, or null for static reference topics.
`totalCount`	No	Total matches after filtering, before paging.
`atPagingCap`	No	Matches remain but the next offset exceeds 10000; narrow the filters.
`piiRedacted`	No	Operator personal-data redaction: true withholds city, ZIP, and medical fields and limits searches to a full name or Unique ID.
`returnedCount`	No	Complete people or reference entries returned on this page.
`appliedFilters`	No	Every effective normalized selector, filter, and paging value.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

First observedOct 25, 2026

TDQS

A4.4/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

Beyond the read-only and idempotent annotations, the description discloses redaction-dependent behavior: both name fields become required, prefix matching and city/ZIP filters are rejected, and city/ZIP are withheld. It also warns that legacy expiry fields do not establish instructor currency and notes the December 2024 CFI rule.

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?

The description is dense but front-loaded, with the core purpose first and the most important constraints immediately after. Every sentence carries operational information about filters, redaction, or certificate currency.

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 a 10-parameter search tool with full schema descriptions, annotations, and an output schema, the description covers the key behavioral context: minimum filter requirements, location/redaction gating, and the currency caveat. Pagination and return shape are appropriately left to the schema and output schema.

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 parameter details are largely already documented. The description still adds important cross-parameter semantics: at least one filter must be supplied, and redaction changes the requirements for lastName, firstName, nameMatch, city, and ZIP.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose4/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description states a specific verb and resource: find releasable flight and ground instructor certificate records. It clearly distinguishes flight from ground instructor records, though it does not explicitly differentiate this search tool from siblings such as faa_airmen_verify_certificate or faa_airmen_get_type_ratings.

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?

It gives clear usage conditions: supply at least one name, state, city, ZIP, or rating filter, and it explains when city/ZIP are unavailable due to operator location access or redaction. It does not name alternative sibling tools for cases where this search is not appropriate.

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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