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gbif-biodiversity-mcp-server

by io.github.cyanheads

Search Publishers

gbif_search_publishers
Read-onlyIdempotent

Search organizations registered with GBIF by name fragment or country. Returns organization key, title, and country — sufficient to chain into gbif_search_datasets as publishingOrg for the datasets an organization published, or as hostingOrg for the ones its own installation serves, or to understand who publishes data for a region. publishingOrg is the usual chain: most organizations publish through an installation someone else runs, so hostingOrg matches nothing for them.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
qNoName fragment to search for. Matches organization names. Omit the field to browse without a term — a blank or whitespace-only value is rejected rather than sent, because the registry answers either with all 3,561 registered organizations.
limitNoNumber of organizations to return (default 20, max 1000).
offsetNoPagination offset.
countryNoISO 3166-1 country code to filter organizations by country. The alpha-2 form ("GB") is canonical; unlike the country codes on the occurrence tools and gbif_search_datasets, this one also resolves the alpha-3 form ("GBR") and is case-insensitive, because the registry endpoint matches the parsed country rather than the string. A value GBIF cannot parse as a country errors rather than returning an empty list. Omit the field to search every country — an empty string is rejected rather than read as no filter, because the registry answers a blank country with all 3,561 organizations.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
errorNoPresent when the call failed. Absent on success.
limitNoOrganizations returned in this page.
noticeNoGuidance when results are empty or paging overshot. Absent on successful result pages.
offsetNoCurrent pagination offset.
publishersNoMatching organizations.
totalCountNoTotal matching organizations before pagination.
endOfRecordsNoTrue when there are no more results after this page.

TDQS

A4.9/5.0
Behavior5/5

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

Annotations already indicate readOnly, openWorld, and idempotent hints. The description adds behavioral nuances beyond these: blank or whitespace values for 'q' are rejected rather than sent, empty country strings are rejected, and invalid country codes error instead of returning empty lists. These specifics help an agent avoid mistakes. No contradiction with annotations.

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 well-structured sentences: the first states the core function, the second explains return value and chain usage, the third adds an important caveat. No filler, all sentences earn their place, and key information is front-loaded.

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?

With an output schema present, the description focuses on use context, which it covers thoroughly: what it returns, how to chain it, which chain is most common, and edge-case handling. The description is complete for an agent to call it correctly and interpret results.

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 baseline is 3. The description goes further by clarifying edge cases: omitting 'q' browses without a term, blank 'q' is rejected, country accepts alpha-2 and alpha-3 forms and is case-insensitive, and invalid country codes error. This adds meaningful semantic detail beyond the schema's descriptions.

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?

The description states a specific verb ('Search') and resource ('organizations registered with GBIF') and clarifies scope ('by name fragment or country'). It also names the return fields and distinguishes itself from sibling tools (e.g., search_datasets) by its focus on publishers. This gives clear purpose and differentiation.

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?

The description explicitly explains when to use the tool: to chain into gbif_search_datasets as publishingOrg or hostingOrg, and gives a concrete rule of thumb (publishingOrg is usual, hostingOrg matches nothing for most). It also conveys the purpose for regional analysis. This is explicit, practical guidance.

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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TDQS

A4.5/5.0
Disambiguation5/5

Each tool targets a distinct action and resource pair: matching (single and batch), retrieving species details, hierarchy traversal, searching occurrences, counting, aggregating by facets, and searching datasets/publishers. There is no functional overlap or ambiguity between tools.

Naming Consistency4/5

The naming is largely consistent with the gbif_ prefix followed by a verb and noun (e.g., gbif_match_species, gbif_count_occurrences, gbif_get_dataset). However, a few tools use a search_<noun> pattern (e.g., gbif_search_datasets) and one uses a noun phrase without a verb (gbif_occurrence_facets), introducing a minor inconsistency.

Tool Count5/5

13 tools is well within the optimal range for a domain-specific API. The tools cover taxonomy resolution, species lookup and hierarchy, occurrence search/count/aggregation, and dataset/publisher discovery—no unnecessary bloat or sparse coverage.

Completeness4/5

The surface covers the core GBIF workflows: match → search/get occurrences, get species details and classification, and find datasets/publishers. Missing bulk download is explicitly acknowledged and not served by this tool, and searching datasets by taxon is indirect (via occurrence datasetKey), but these are workable gaps rather than blockers.

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