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geonames-mcp-server

by io.github.cyanheads
OverviewDiscussionsAdmin

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.

Tool call template

Replace each placeholder with a value matching the input schema. Only required parameters are included; add optional parameters as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {
      "geonameId": "<geonameId>"
    },
    "name": "geonames_get_place"
  }
}

Input Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
geonameIdYesGeoNames feature id as a digit string up to 2147483647, such as "5809844" (Seattle): the geonameId the other geonames tools return, sent as a string.
nameLanguagesNoKeep 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.
geonamesUsernameNoYour 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

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
errorNoPresent when the call failed. Absent on success.
foundNoFalse when GeoNames has no feature with this geonameId.
placeNoThe full record; absent when found is false.
noticeNoPresent when the record has no country but carries a timezone: says the zone is the one GeoNames associates with the record, and how to get the time at a point.
guidanceNoWhat to do next; present only when found is false.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Changed5 schema fields changed
    • addedOutput schema / properties / notice
      Added value: +{
+  "description": "Present when the record has no country but carries a timezone: says the zone is the one GeoNames associates with the record, and how to get the time at a point.",
+  "type": "string"
+}
    • changedOutput schema / properties / place / properties / postalCodes / description
      Previous value: -"Postal codes GeoNames links to the place."New value: +"Postal codes GeoNames links to this feature. The list can be shorter than what geonames_find_postal_codes returns for the place, so it is not the complete set."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / place / properties / timezone / description
      Previous value: -"Timezone of the place. Absent when GeoNames sends none."New value: +"The timezone GeoNames associates with this record, not one looked up at its coordinates: on a feature with no country (an ocean, a sea, a continent) it can differ from the time there. For the time at a point, call geonames_reverse_geocode with includeTimezone. Absent when GeoNames sends none."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / place / properties / timezone / properties / dstOffsetInHours / description
      Previous value: -"UTC offset in hours on 1 July of the current year at the place."New value: +"UTC offset in hours on 1 July of the current year in this zone."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / place / properties / timezone / properties / gmtOffsetInHours / description
      Previous value: -"UTC offset in hours on 1 January of the current year at the place."New value: +"UTC offset in hours on 1 January of the current year in this zone."
  2. Changed5 schema fields changed
    • 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."
  3. First observed

TDQS

A4.4/5.0
Behavior5/5

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

Beyond the readOnly/idempotent annotations, it discloses cost (1 GeoNames credit), caching on repeat lookups, and the failure behavior (unknown id returns found: false). These are operational facts an agent cannot get from the annotation set and would otherwise have to discover empirically.

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?

The core action and its return scope are front-loaded in the first sentence, with provenance, error, and cost facts following in short clauses. The long field enumeration is dense but each item helps an agent judge whether this tool has the data it needs, so it is justified rather than padding.

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 needn't describe return structure, yet it covers everything an agent needs to invoke correctly: where the id comes from, what happens on a bad id, the credit cost, and caching. Nothing material is left to inference.

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 all three parameters are already documented in the schema itself, including the nameLanguages matching behavior and geonamesUsername credit semantics. The description repeats the geonameId provenance but adds no parameter detail beyond the schema, so the baseline of 3 applies.

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 exactly what the record contains (coordinates, admin chain, timezone, elevation, external identifiers). This clearly separates it from the sibling search/list tools, which return summarized results rather than full records.

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 names where the geonameId comes from — geonames_search_places, geonames_reverse_geocode, geonames_get_children, geonames_get_countries — which routes the agent correctly from discovery tools to this detail tool. It stops short of stating an explicit "don't call this to search" exclusion, so it is not a full 5.

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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