met-museum-mcp-server

List Met Departments

met_list_departments

Read-onlyIdempotent

Return the 19 curatorial departments at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, each with its numeric departmentId and display name — the valid values for the departmentId filter on met_search_collections and met_list_objects.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
No arguments

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`error`	No	Present when the call failed. Absent on success.
`departments`	No	All 19 curatorial departments at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed2 schema fields changedOct 15, 2026

changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / description

Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `upstream_blocked`: The Met API's firewall refused the request with HTTP 403 — it blocks this server's address, not one endpoint. `upstream_unavailable`: The Met API answered HTTP 500, 502, 503, or 504 until the retry ladder ran out — an outage on its side. `retry_deadline_exceeded`: The call's time budget ran out, retries and backoff included, before the Met API returned a successful response. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `upstream_blocked`: The Met API's firewall refused the request with HTTP 403 — it blocks this server's address, not one endpoint. `upstream_unavailable`: The Met API answered HTTP 500, 502, 503, or 504 until the retry ladder ran out — an outage on its side. `upstream_rate_limited`: The Met API answered HTTP 429 until the retry ladder ran out, or asked for a wait longer than the ladder or the call's time budget allows — it throttles this server's address, not one endpoint. `retry_deadline_exceeded`: The call's time budget ran out, retries and backoff included, before the Met API returned a successful response. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."

changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / examples

Previous value: -[
-  "upstream_blocked",
-  "upstream_unavailable",
-  "retry_deadline_exceeded"
-]New value: +[
+  "upstream_blocked",
+  "upstream_unavailable",
+  "upstream_rate_limited",
+  "retry_deadline_exceeded"
+]

Changed2 schema fields changedOct 4, 2026

changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / description

Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `upstream_blocked`: The Met API's firewall refused the request with HTTP 403 — it blocks this server's address, not one endpoint. `retry_deadline_exceeded`: The call's time budget ran out, retries and backoff included, before the Met API returned a successful response. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `upstream_blocked`: The Met API's firewall refused the request with HTTP 403 — it blocks this server's address, not one endpoint. `upstream_unavailable`: The Met API answered HTTP 500, 502, 503, or 504 until the retry ladder ran out — an outage on its side. `retry_deadline_exceeded`: The call's time budget ran out, retries and backoff included, before the Met API returned a successful response. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."

changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / examples

Previous value: -[
-  "upstream_blocked",
-  "retry_deadline_exceeded"
-]New value: +[
+  "upstream_blocked",
+  "upstream_unavailable",
+  "retry_deadline_exceeded"
+]

Changed3 schema fields changedSep 30, 2026

changedOutput schema / properties / departments / items / properties / departmentId / description

Previous value: -"Numeric department ID for use in the met_search_collections departmentId parameter."New value: +"Numeric department ID for the departmentId parameter of met_search_collections and met_list_objects."

changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / description

Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `upstream_blocked`: The Met API's firewall refused the request with HTTP 403 — it blocks this server's address, not one endpoint. `retry_deadline_exceeded`: The call's time budget ran out, retries and backoff included, before the Met API returned a successful response. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."

addedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / examples
```
Added value: +[
+  "upstream_blocked",
+  "retry_deadline_exceeded"
+]
```

Changed6 schema fields changedAug 22, 2026

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": [
+      "departments"
+    ]
+  },
+  {
+    "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.",
+          "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: -[
-  "departments"
-]
```

Changed1 schema field changedJun 9, 2026

changedOutput schema / properties / departments / items / properties / departmentId / description

Previous value: -"Numeric department ID for use in the met_search departmentId parameter."New value: +"Numeric department ID for use in the met_search_collections departmentId parameter."

First observedJun 3, 2026

TDQS

A4.5/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint and idempotentHint, so safety is covered. The description adds the exact cardinality (19) and the shape of each record, plus the role of the values as filter inputs — useful context 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.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

A single sentence, front-loaded with the resource and count, then the downstream use. Nothing is wasted and 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 zero-argument lookup with an output schema, the description supplies everything the agent needs: what it returns, how many items, the field names, and when to reach for it instead of a sibling. No gaps remain.

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?

The tool takes no parameters, so per the baseline there is nothing for the description to disambiguate. It correctly adds no redundant parameter text and instead spends its words on output semantics.

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 ('Return the 19 curatorial departments at The Metropolitan Museum of Art') plus exactly what each element contains (numeric departmentId and display name). It also distinguishes itself from siblings by framing its output as the valid filter values for met_search_collections and met_list_objects.

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 ties its use to the departmentId filter on two named sibling tools, so the agent knows why and when to call it. There are no stated exclusions or edge cases, but for a zero-parameter lookup the routing context is clear.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

All met-museum-mcp-server tools Inspect

Try in Browser

One endpoint for every MCP toolRayrun runs every MCP server behind one URL and holds the credentials. Each call is decided per client, tool, and argument, then recorded.ray.runAd

Glama MCP Gateway

Add one secure layer between your agents and this server.

List Met Departments

Input Schema

Output Schema

Schema Changelog

TDQS

Glama MCP Gateway

Resources