geonames-mcp-server

Get a GeoNames place

geonames_get_place

Read-onlyIdempotent

Fetch the full GeoNames record for one geonameId: coordinates, feature type, the admin chain with each level's code, name, and geonameId, timezone, bounding box, recorded and DEM elevation, population, Wikipedia URL, names in other languages, postal codes, and external identifiers (IATA, ICAO, UN/LOCODE, Wikidata). Take the geonameId from geonames_search_places, geonames_reverse_geocode, geonames_get_children, or geonames_get_countries. An unknown id returns found: false. Costs 1 GeoNames credit; repeat lookups are cached.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`geonameId`	Yes	GeoNames feature id as a digit string up to 2147483647, such as "5809844" (Seattle): the geonameId the other geonames tools return, sent as a string.
`nameLanguages`	No	Keep only alternate names in these languages, up to 20, as a list. A tag also matches its regional forms: zh keeps names GeoNames tags zh, zh-CN, or zh-TW. Omit to return every alternate name, including those under GeoNames pseudo-language tags (abbr, phon, piny, fr_1793), which this filter cannot select. Postal codes, links, and identifiers are unaffected.
`geonamesUsername`	No	Your own GeoNames username, so the call spends that account's free credits instead of the server's. Omit it to use the server's account. The account needs free web services enabled on its geonames.org account page.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`error`	No	Present when the call failed. Absent on success.
`found`	No	False when GeoNames has no feature with this geonameId.
`place`	No	The full record; absent when found is false.
`guidance`	No	What to do next; present only when found is false.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed5 schema fields changedOct 18, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / geonameId / description

Previous value: -"GeoNames feature id, a positive integer up to 2147483647 such as 5809844 (Seattle), as returned in geonameId by the other geonames tools. A geonames.org/<id> URL is reduced to its id."New value: +"GeoNames feature id as a digit string up to 2147483647, such as \"5809844\" (Seattle): the geonameId the other geonames tools return, sent as a string."

changedInput schema / properties / nameLanguages / description

Previous value: -"Keep only alternate names in these languages, up to 20, as a list or a comma-separated string. Case-insensitive; a tag also matches its regional forms (zh matches zh, zh-CN, and zh-TW). Omit to return every alternate name, including those under GeoNames pseudo-language tags (abbr, phon, piny, fr_1793), which this filter cannot select. Postal codes, links, and identifiers are unaffected."New value: +"Keep only alternate names in these languages, up to 20, as a list. A tag also matches its regional forms: zh keeps names GeoNames tags zh, zh-CN, or zh-TW. Omit to return every alternate name, including those under GeoNames pseudo-language tags (abbr, phon, piny, fr_1793), which this filter cannot select. Postal codes, links, and identifiers are unaffected."

changedOutput schema / properties / place / properties / adminLevels / items / properties / code / description

Previous value: -"The division's GeoNames admin code."New value: +"The division's GeoNames admin code. At levels 1 to 4, pass it as written to geonames_search_places as that level's adminCode (adminCode1 to adminCode4), with the level 1 code as adminCode1 and countryCode in countries, to search inside the division; level 5 has no search filter."

changedOutput schema / properties / place / properties / timezone / properties / dstOffsetInHours / description

Previous value: -"UTC offset in hours on 1 July."New value: +"UTC offset in hours on 1 July of the current year at the place."

changedOutput schema / properties / place / properties / timezone / properties / gmtOffsetInHours / description

Previous value: -"UTC offset in hours on 1 January."New value: +"UTC offset in hours on 1 January of the current year at the place."

First observedOct 2, 2026

TDQS

A4.2/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnly/idempotent/openWorld, so the description's job is incremental. It adds real operational context: a 1-credit cost, caching of repeat lookups, and the behavior of an unknown id ('returns found: false'). Missing rate-limit/quota detail, but the additions go meaningfully beyond the annotations.

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?

Front-loaded with the purpose, then a dense but scannable enumeration of returned fields and a single routing sentence. The field enumeration partially duplicates the existing output schema, which is mild padding rather than wasted prose.

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, rich annotations, and 100% parameter description coverage, the description only needs to supply provenance, cost, and edge-case behavior — and it supplies all three. Nothing an agent needs to invoke this tool 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 the baseline is 3. The description adds the provenance of geonameId and the unknown-id outcome, but says nothing about nameLanguages filtering or the geonamesUsername account switch beyond what the schema already documents.

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 ('Fetch the full GeoNames record for one geonameId') and then enumerates the record's contents, so an agent immediately knows this is a detail lookup rather than a search. It is clearly separable from siblings like geonames_search_places and geonames_reverse_geocode.

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?

Explicitly routes the agent to the right producers of the id ('Take the geonameId from geonames_search_places, geonames_reverse_geocode, geonames_get_children, or geonames_get_countries'), which is strong usage guidance. It stops short of an explicit when-not-use / alternative-for-retrieval statement (e.g. vs geonames_get_hierarchy), so it falls just short of the top band.

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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