gbif-biodiversity-mcp-server

Get Species Children

gbif_get_species_children

Read-onlyIdempotent

List direct children of a backbone taxon — genera within a family, species within a genus, subspecies within a species. Paginated. Use gbif_match_species to get the taxonKey first, then iterate with offset for large groups.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`limit`	No	Number of children to return (default 20, max 1000).
`offset`	No	Pagination offset.
`taxonKey`	Yes	GBIF backbone taxon key from gbif_match_species or another taxonomy tool.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`cap`	No	Limit applied when the result was truncated. Re-call with offset to page on.
`error`	No	Present when the call failed. Absent on success.
`limit`	No	Records returned in this page.
`shown`	No	Children returned in this page when the result was truncated.
`notice`	No	Guidance when a valid taxon has no children, more pages remain, or an oversized limit was clamped. Absent when none applies.
`offset`	No	Current pagination offset.
`children`	No	Direct child taxa.
`truncated`	No	True when more children exist beyond this page. Absent on the final page.
`endOfRecords`	No	True when there are no more results after this page.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed9 schema fields changedNov 1, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / limit / maximum
```
Added value: +9007199254740991
```

changedInput schema / properties / limit / type

Previous value: -"number"New value: +"integer"

addedInput schema / properties / offset / maximum
```
Added value: +9007199254740991
```

changedInput schema / properties / offset / type

Previous value: -"number"New value: +"integer"

addedInput schema / properties / taxonKey / maximum
```
Added value: +9007199254740991
```
addedInput schema / properties / taxonKey / minimum
```
Added value: +0
```

changedInput schema / properties / taxonKey / type

Previous value: -"number"New value: +"integer"

changedOutput schema / properties / children / items / properties / numOccurrences / description

Previous value: -"Occurrence record count."New value: +"Occurrence record count, present only when GBIF supplies one. GBIF's children listing does not, so this is normally absent; for a count, pass key as taxonKey to gbif_count_occurrences."

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

Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `not_found`: The taxonKey does not exist in the GBIF backbone. `invalid_filter`: GBIF rejected the taxonKey as unparseable — a fraction, or a value outside the 32-bit signed integer range. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `not_found`: The taxonKey does not exist in the GBIF backbone. `invalid_filter`: GBIF rejected the taxonKey as unparseable — a value outside the 32-bit signed integer range. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."

Changed2 schema fields changedOct 24, 2026

removedInput schema / properties / limit / maximum
```
Removed value: -1000
```

changedOutput schema / properties / notice / description

Previous value: -"Agent guidance — a no-children note for a valid taxon, or a pagination note when the page was capped. Absent on a complete single page."New value: +"Guidance when a valid taxon has no children, more pages remain, or an oversized limit was clamped. Absent when none applies."

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": [
+      "children",
+      "offset",
+      "limit",
+      "endOfRecords"
+    ]
+  },
+  {
+    "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: `not_found`: The taxonKey does not exist in the GBIF backbone. `invalid_filter`: GBIF rejected the taxonKey as unparseable — a fraction, or a value outside the 32-bit signed integer range. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler.",
+          "examples": [
+            "not_found",
+            "invalid_filter"
+          ],
+          "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: -[
-  "children",
-  "offset",
-  "limit",
-  "endOfRecords"
-]

Changed6 schema fields changedJun 30, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / cap

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Limit applied when the result was truncated. Re-call with offset to page on.",
+  "type": "number"
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / notice / description

Previous value: -"Guidance when no children are found for a valid taxon. Absent on successful result pages."New value: +"Agent guidance — a no-children note for a valid taxon, or a pagination note when the page was capped. Absent on a complete single page."

addedOutput schema / properties / shown

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Children returned in this page when the result was truncated.",
+  "type": "number"
+}

removedOutput schema / properties / totalCount

Removed value: -{
-  "description": "Total direct children before pagination.",
-  "type": "number"
-}

addedOutput schema / properties / truncated

Added value: +{
+  "description": "True when more children exist beyond this page. Absent on the final page.",
+  "type": "boolean"
+}

changedOutput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "children",
-  "totalCount",
-  "offset",
-  "limit",
-  "endOfRecords"
-]New value: +[
+  "children",
+  "offset",
+  "limit",
+  "endOfRecords"
+]

Changed2 schema fields changedJun 12, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / totalCount

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Total direct children before pagination.",
+  "type": "number"
+}

changedOutput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "children",
-  "offset",
-  "limit",
-  "endOfRecords"
-]New value: +[
+  "children",
+  "totalCount",
+  "offset",
+  "limit",
+  "endOfRecords"
+]

Changed1 schema field changedJun 4, 2026

changedOutput schema / properties / notice / description

Previous value: -"Guidance when no children are found (empty taxon or invalid key). Absent on successful result pages."New value: +"Guidance when no children are found for a valid taxon. Absent on successful result pages."

Changed1 schema field changedMay 30, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / notice

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Guidance when no children are found (empty taxon or invalid key). Absent on successful result pages.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

First observedMay 25, 2026

TDQS

A4.4/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint, idempotentHint and openWorldHint, so safety is covered. The description adds behavior the annotations don't: results are paginated, and large child sets must be walked via offset. Missing only edge-case behavior (unknown taxonKey, empty child lists), which is minor here.

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?

Three short sentences, front-loaded with the core action, followed by pagination and prerequisite guidance. No filler and no repetition of schema details.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

An output schema exists, so return values need no explanation, and annotations cover the safety profile. The description supplies the prerequisite and pagination story an agent needs to call it correctly; only ordering guarantees and empty-result behavior are unstated.

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 all three parameters are already documented, setting a baseline of 3. The description goes beyond that by tying taxonKey to its source (gbif_match_species) and explaining offset as the iteration mechanism for large groups, adding workflow meaning rather than restating field docs.

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 ('List direct children of a backbone taxon') and disambiguates with concrete hierarchy examples (genera within a family, species within a genus, subspecies within a species). The word 'direct' usefully distinguishes it from lineage-style siblings such as gbif_get_species_classification.

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?

Gives a concrete workflow: call gbif_match_species first to obtain the taxonKey, then paginate with offset for large groups. It doesn't explicitly exclude alternatives (e.g., gbif_search_species for name-based lookup or gbif_get_species_classification for full ancestry), but the intended context 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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Get Species Children

Input Schema

Output Schema

Schema Changelog

TDQS

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