inaturalist-mcp-server

Inaturalist Get Taxon

inaturalist_get_taxon

Read-onlyIdempotent

Fetch a taxon profile: the taxonomic path, per-authority conservation listings, the encyclopedia summary, the photo gallery, immediate children, and observation counts. Resolve a name to a taxon id with inaturalist_resolve_name first. The upstream record is 95 KB for a common species, so it is projected before anything else happens; a taxon that still overflows comes back as an outline of its sections with their byte sizes, and naming those sections in a re-call returns only those. The valid section names are summary, taxonomy, children, conservation, photos, and encyclopedia.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`sections`	No	Sections to return: summary, taxonomy, children, conservation, photos, encyclopedia. Omit for the whole profile, or an outline of it when it overflows. A selection returns whatever it names, at whatever size, so sum the byte sizes from the outline before asking for several.
`taxon_id`	Yes	Numeric taxon id. A non-numeric value answers HTTP 422 with an empty message upstream, so the integer is enforced here. Resolve a name to an id with inaturalist_resolve_name.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`id`	No	Taxon id.
`kind`	No	"full" when the profile itself is returned, "outline" when it overflowed and only the section list came back.
`name`	No	Scientific name.
`rank`	No	Taxonomic rank, e.g. "species".
`error`	No	Present when the call failed. Absent on success.
`notice`	No	How to re-call for specific sections. Present on the outline.
`photos`	No	Gallery photos, each with its own licence.
`vision`	No	True when the taxon is covered by the upstream image classifier.
`extinct`	No	True when the taxon is recorded as extinct.
`children`	No	Immediate children of this taxon.
`sections`	No	Available sections and their byte sizes, largest first. Present on the outline.
`taxonomy`	No	Ancestors from the root of the tree down to the taxon’s parent.
`is_active`	No	False for a taxon superseded by a taxonomic change; its id still resolves.
`rank_level`	No	Numeric rank level — 70 kingdom, 30 family, 10 species, 5 subspecies.
`common_name`	No	Preferred common name, when one is recorded.
`conservation`	No	Conservation listings for the taxon.
`encyclopedia`	No	The encyclopedia text and link upstream carries for the taxon.
`sections_applied`	No	Sections this response carries. Empty when the whole profile came back, so an absent section means the taxon has none rather than that it was never asked for.
`iconic_taxon_name`	No	Broad organism group, e.g. "Insecta". Usable as an iconic_taxa filter value.
`listed_taxa_count`	No	How many place checklists include this taxon. The checklist entries themselves are not relayed.
`observations_count`	No	How many observations carry this taxon or a descendant of it.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

First observedSep 20, 2026

TDQS

A5/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

Annotations declare readOnlyHint, openWorldHint, and idempotentHint, and the description adds substantial behavior not captured there: the 95 KB upstream projection, the overflow outline with byte sizes, and the selective-section re-call semantics. This materially changes how an agent should invoke the tool and interpret large responses.

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 main purpose, then moves through prerequisite, projection behavior, overflow handling, and valid section names in logical order. Every sentence earns its place, including the concrete 95 KB detail that justifies the projection step. No filler or redundancy.

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?

The description fully equips an agent to use this tool correctly: it covers what the profile contains, how to resolve a name first, what happens on large records, how to recover from overflow, and which section names are valid. An output schema exists for return values, so the description doesn't need to restate them.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters5/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Although schema coverage is 100%, the description enriches both parameters beyond the JSON Schema. For taxon_id it warns about the upstream HTTP 422 on non-numeric values and explains why the integer is enforced. For sections it defines the omit-for-whole-profile behavior, overflow outline, and the need to sum byte sizes before requesting multiple sections.

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 opens with a specific verb and resource: 'Fetch a taxon profile', then enumerates the concrete content (taxonomic path, conservation listings, summary, photos, children, observation counts). This clearly differentiates it from siblings like inaturalist_get_observation and inaturalist_get_species_counts by focusing on the taxon entity and its composite sections.

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?

It explicitly states the prerequisite workflow: 'Resolve a name to a taxon id with inaturalist_resolve_name first.' It also provides conditional guidance for overflow handling, telling the agent to re-call with section names when the projected profile still overflows. This gives clear when-to-use and how-to-proceed direction beyond the schema.

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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