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gdelt-mcp-server

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List GDELT TV Stations

gdelt_list_tv_stations
Read-only

List the television stations available for TV search with their market, network, monitoring start date, and monitoring end date — every station by default, or only those matching the optional stations, network, and market filters (each an exact, case-insensitive match; combined with AND). activeCount and totalCount count the returned stations. Stations with an end date within the last 24 hours are flagged as active; stations with earlier end dates are discontinued. Use before querying to verify a station was active during the target time period, or to discover valid station IDs for the stations parameter in other TV tools. Most station monitoring ended October 2024 when the Internet Archive TV feed stopped updating.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
marketNoMarket to narrow to (e.g. "National", "San Francisco"), matched as a whole value case-insensitively after trimming — "National" does not match "NationalSpecialty". Values come from the market field of the unfiltered list. Blank is ignored.
networkNoNetwork to narrow to (e.g. "CNN", "ABC"), matched as a whole value case-insensitively after trimming — "FOX" does not match "FOXNEWS". Values come from the network field of the unfiltered list. Blank is ignored.
stationsNoStation IDs to return (e.g. ["CNN", "FOXNEWS", "MSNBC"]) — the IDs the stations parameter of the other TV tools takes. Matches any listed ID, exactly and case-insensitively after trimming; IDs that match no station are named in the notice. Blank entries are ignored; omit it or pass [] to include every station.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
errorNoPresent when the call failed. Absent on success.
noticeNoFilter outcome: names the filters when no station matched, and names requested station IDs that are not in the catalog or that another filter excluded. Absent when every requested ID was returned and the result is not empty.
stationsNoStations matching every supplied filter — all stations when none is given — sorted by station ID.
totalCountNoNumber of stations returned — the whole catalog when no filter is given.
activeCountNoNumber of returned stations currently flagged as active.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Changed9 schema fields changed
    • addedInput schema / properties / market
      Added value: +{
+  "description": "Market to narrow to (e.g. \"National\", \"San Francisco\"), matched as a whole value case-insensitively after trimming — \"National\" does not match \"NationalSpecialty\". Values come from the market field of the unfiltered list. Blank is ignored.",
+  "type": "string"
+}
    • addedInput schema / properties / network
      Added value: +{
+  "description": "Network to narrow to (e.g. \"CNN\", \"ABC\"), matched as a whole value case-insensitively after trimming — \"FOX\" does not match \"FOXNEWS\". Values come from the network field of the unfiltered list. Blank is ignored.",
+  "type": "string"
+}
    • addedInput schema / properties / stations
      Added value: +{
+  "description": "Station IDs to return (e.g. [\"CNN\", \"FOXNEWS\", \"MSNBC\"]) — the IDs the stations parameter of the other TV tools takes. Matches any listed ID, exactly and case-insensitively after trimming; IDs that match no station are named in the notice. Blank entries are ignored; omit it or pass [] to include every station.",
+  "items": {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}
    • changedOutput schema / properties / activeCount / description
      Previous value: -"Number of stations currently flagged as active."New value: +"Number of returned stations currently flagged as active."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / description
      Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `no_stations`: The station list returned empty — API may be temporarily unavailable. `gdelt_rate_limited`: GDELT rejected the request for its one-request-per-five-seconds limit, or too many requests were already queued for this one to start in time. `gdelt_unavailable`: GDELT TV API is unreachable or temporarily returned no usable data. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `gdelt_rate_limited`: GDELT rejected the request for its one-request-per-five-seconds limit, or too many requests were already queued for this one to start in time. `gdelt_unavailable`: GDELT TV API is unreachable or temporarily returned no usable data, including an empty station catalog. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / examples
      Previous value: -[
-  "no_stations",
-  "gdelt_rate_limited",
-  "gdelt_unavailable"
-]New value: +[
+  "gdelt_rate_limited",
+  "gdelt_unavailable"
+]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / notice
      Added value: +{
+  "description": "Filter outcome: names the filters when no station matched, and names requested station IDs that are not in the catalog or that another filter excluded. Absent when every requested ID was returned and the result is not empty.",
+  "type": "string"
+}
    • changedOutput schema / properties / stations / description
      Previous value: -"All TV stations sorted by station ID."New value: +"Stations matching every supplied filter — all stations when none is given — sorted by station ID."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / totalCount / description
      Previous value: -"Total number of stations in the list."New value: +"Number of stations returned — the whole catalog when no filter is given."
  2. Changed1 schema field changed
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / description
      Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `no_stations`: The station list returned empty — API may be temporarily unavailable. `gdelt_rate_limited`: GDELT rejected the request because its one-request-per-five-seconds limit was reached. `gdelt_unavailable`: GDELT TV API is unreachable or temporarily returned no usable data. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `no_stations`: The station list returned empty — API may be temporarily unavailable. `gdelt_rate_limited`: GDELT rejected the request for its one-request-per-five-seconds limit, or too many requests were already queued for this one to start in time. `gdelt_unavailable`: GDELT TV API is unreachable or temporarily returned no usable data. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."
  3. Changed2 schema fields changed
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / description
      Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `no_stations`: The station list returned empty — API may be temporarily unavailable. `gdelt_unavailable`: GDELT TV API is unreachable or rate-limited. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `no_stations`: The station list returned empty — API may be temporarily unavailable. `gdelt_rate_limited`: GDELT rejected the request because its one-request-per-five-seconds limit was reached. `gdelt_unavailable`: GDELT TV API is unreachable or temporarily returned no usable data. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / examples
      Previous value: -[
-  "no_stations",
-  "gdelt_unavailable"
-]New value: +[
+  "no_stations",
+  "gdelt_rate_limited",
+  "gdelt_unavailable"
+]
  4. Changed6 schema fields changed
    • 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": [
+      "stations",
+      "activeCount",
+      "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: `no_stations`: The station list returned empty — API may be temporarily unavailable. `gdelt_unavailable`: GDELT TV API is unreachable or rate-limited. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler.",
+          "examples": [
+            "no_stations",
+            "gdelt_unavailable"
+          ],
+          "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: -[
-  "stations",
-  "activeCount",
-  "totalCount"
-]
  5. First observed

TDQS

A4.5/5.0
Behavior5/5

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

Beyond the readOnlyHint and openWorldHint annotations, the description adds meaningful behavioral context: activeCount/totalCount semantics, the active-vs-discontinued flag based on end date within 24 hours, and the important note that most station monitoring ended October 2024. These details help the agent interpret results correctly.

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 front-loaded with the core purpose and fields, then efficiently covers filters, counts, active status, usage, and historical context in five sentences. Every sentence contributes new, non-redundant information; no filler is present.

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 read-only listing tool with optional filters and an output schema, the description covers purpose, filter semantics, count behavior, active/discontinued logic, practical use, and the monitoring cutoff context. An agent has everything needed to decide when to call it and how to interpret responses.

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?

The input schema already provides 100% coverage with detailed, example-rich descriptions for market, network, and stations. The description adds only the AND-combination behavior and default-to-all behavior, which is useful but not a major lift 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?

The description uses a specific verb and resource ('List the television stations available for TV search') and clearly enumerates the returned fields (market, network, monitoring start/end date). It is immediately distinguishable from sibling tools like gdelt_search_tv or gdelt_get_tv_clips, which serve different purposes.

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?

The description explicitly says when to use the tool: 'Use before querying to verify a station was active during the target time period, or to discover valid station IDs for the stations parameter in other TV tools.' It does not provide explicit when-not-to-use guidance, but the clear usage context earns a solid 4.

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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