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met-museum-mcp-server

Search Met Collection

met_search_collections
Read-onlyIdempotent

Search the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection by keyword and optional filters. Returns the total match count and one page of matching object IDs, which met_get_object resolves to full records. Relevance is keyword-based, not semantic; department and geographic filters narrow results more than a longer query. Paging reaches only the first 10,000 matches of any search, so narrow a larger one with filters. The medium parameter takes an object classification as the Met spells it ("Paintings", "Sculpture"), not a material like "Oil on canvas". hasImages also includes copyrighted works; CC0 status is per object, from the isPublicDomain and hasCC0Image fields on met_get_object. isHighlight accepts true only. isOnView restricts results to works currently on display in a Met gallery.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
qYesKeyword query, matched across title, artist name, culture, medium, tags, and other text fields. Broad terms return large ID sets.
limitNoMaximum number of object IDs to return in this page. Paging reaches only the first 10,000 matches, so a page that would cross 10,000 is cut short there.
mediumNoFilter by object classification, case-sensitive and spelled as the Met spells it (e.g., "Paintings", "Drawings", "Prints", "Ceramics", "Sculpture", "Photographs", "Textiles") — "paintings" or "Painting" matches nothing. Maps to the classification field on the object, not the materials text, so a material description like "Oil on canvas" matches nothing either; met_get_object returns an object’s classification.
offsetNoZero-based index of the first match to return (default 0); pass the nextOffset from a previous response to continue paging. Only the first 10,000 matches are reachable, so an offset at or beyond 10,000, or at or beyond a nonzero total, returns an empty page rather than an error. Matches with tied relevance can change order between requests, so an ID can occasionally repeat or be skipped at a page boundary.
dateEndNoLatest object date (year, inclusive). Negative integers for BCE. Requires dateBegin.
isOnViewNoWhen true, restricts results to objects currently on display in a Met gallery; false restricts them to objects not on view. The GalleryNumber field on the met_get_object record identifies the specific gallery.
dateBeginNoEarliest object date (year, inclusive). Negative integers for BCE (e.g., -500 for 500 BCE). Requires dateEnd.
hasImagesNoWhen true, restricts results to objects that have at least one associated image, including copyrighted works whose images cannot be reproduced; false restricts them to objects with none. For freely reusable CC0 images, confirm per object from the isPublicDomain and hasCC0Image fields on met_get_object.
geoLocationNoFilter by geographic origin: one country, region, or city, as a one-element array (e.g., ["France"]). The value is matched broadly against geography fields and artist nationality. Works best with the Egyptian Art, Greek and Roman Art, and similar departments that have well-populated geography fields.
isHighlightNoOpt-in filter, true only — omit it rather than passing false, which the search ignores. Selects objects the Met has designated as highlights — major works central to the collection.
departmentIdNoRestrict results to one curatorial department. Valid IDs come from met_list_departments — the Met exposes a sparse set (roughly 1–21, with gaps); an unrecognized ID is rejected with an invalid_department error rather than silently widening the search. Can be combined with other filters.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
errorNoPresent when the call failed. Absent on success.
totalNoTotal number of objects in the Met collection matching the search. Can exceed 10,000, the most that paging reaches.
noticeNoPresent only when total exceeds 10,000: states that only the first 10,000 matches are reachable by paging, and that filters or a more specific keyword bring the rest into reach.
offsetNoThe resolved offset this page was read from — the offset input after its default of 0. When it is at or beyond the smaller of total and 10,000, the page is empty because the offset ran past what paging reaches, not because the search found nothing.
returnedNoCount of object IDs in this page.
objectIDsNoObject IDs for this page, up to `limit` results.
remainingNoCount of reachable matches after this page: the smaller of total and 10,000, minus (offset + returned), floored at 0. 0 means no further page exists.
truncatedNoTrue when reachable matches remain after this page (offset + returned < the smaller of total and 10,000); false when this page is the last one paging reaches.
nextOffsetNoThe offset to pass on the next call to continue paging, or null when no further page is reachable (truncated is false).

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Changed21 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / dateBegin / description
      Previous value: -"Earliest object date (year, inclusive). Negative integers for BCE (e.g., -500 for 500 BCE). Requires dateEnd. The range is a partial index like the other filters: it omits some objects whose own record dates them inside it."New value: +"Earliest object date (year, inclusive). Negative integers for BCE (e.g., -500 for 500 BCE). Requires dateEnd."
    • changedInput schema / properties / dateEnd / description
      Previous value: -"Latest object date (year, inclusive). Negative integers for BCE. Requires dateBegin. The range is a partial index like the other filters: it omits some objects whose own record dates them inside it."New value: +"Latest object date (year, inclusive). Negative integers for BCE. Requires dateBegin."
    • changedInput schema / properties / departmentId / description
      Previous value: -"Restrict results to one curatorial department. Valid IDs come from met_list_departments — the Met exposes a sparse set (roughly 1–21, with gaps); an unrecognized ID is rejected with an invalid_department error rather than silently returning no matches. A partial index like the other filters: it omits some objects whose own record names the department. Can be combined with other filters; combining with isPublicDomain works but returns far fewer results than expected."New value: +"Restrict results to one curatorial department. Valid IDs come from met_list_departments — the Met exposes a sparse set (roughly 1–21, with gaps); an unrecognized ID is rejected with an invalid_department error rather than silently widening the search. Can be combined with other filters."
    • changedInput schema / properties / geoLocation / description
      Previous value: -"Filter by geographic origin. Each value is matched broadly against geography fields and artist nationality. Multiple values are AND-combined — [\"France\", \"Egypt\"] returns objects associated with both, not either, so more values narrow the result set. A partial index like the other filters: it omits some objects whose own geography fields name the location. Works best with the Egyptian Art, Greek and Roman Art, and similar departments that have well-populated geography fields."New value: +"Filter by geographic origin: one country, region, or city, as a one-element array (e.g., [\"France\"]). The value is matched broadly against geography fields and artist nationality. Works best with the Egyptian Art, Greek and Roman Art, and similar departments that have well-populated geography fields."
    • addedInput schema / properties / geoLocation / maxItems
      Added value: +1
    • changedInput schema / properties / hasImages / description
      Previous value: -"When true, restricts results to objects that have at least one associated image, including copyrighted works whose images cannot be reproduced. A partial index like every filter here: it omits some objects that do have images, so absence from the results is not evidence an object has none. isPublicDomain is the nearest filter for freely reusable CC0 images — confirm per object from the isPublicDomain and hasCC0Image fields on met_get_object."New value: +"When true, restricts results to objects that have at least one associated image, including copyrighted works whose images cannot be reproduced; false restricts them to objects with none. For freely reusable CC0 images, confirm per object from the isPublicDomain and hasCC0Image fields on met_get_object."
    • changedInput schema / properties / isHighlight / description
      Previous value: -"Opt-in filter, true only — omit it rather than passing false, which the upstream index answers unsoundly. Selects objects the Met has designated as highlights — major works central to the collection. A partial index like isPublicDomain: it omits objects whose own record reports isHighlight true, so absence from the results is not evidence a work is not a highlight."New value: +"Opt-in filter, true only — omit it rather than passing false, which the search ignores. Selects objects the Met has designated as highlights — major works central to the collection."
    • changedInput schema / properties / isOnView / description
      Previous value: -"When true, restricts results to objects currently on display in a Met gallery. A partial index like the other filters — it omits some objects that are on view, so absence from the results is not evidence a work is off display. The GalleryNumber field on the met_get_object record identifies the specific gallery."New value: +"When true, restricts results to objects currently on display in a Met gallery; false restricts them to objects not on view. The GalleryNumber field on the met_get_object record identifies the specific gallery."
    • removedInput schema / properties / isPublicDomain
      Removed value: -{
      -  "const": true,
      -  "description": "Opt-in filter, true only — omit it rather than passing false, which the upstream index answers unsoundly. Selects objects released under CC0 open access, which return direct high-resolution image URLs in met_get_object. A partial index, not exhaustive coverage: it omits objects whose own record reports isPublicDomain true — object 436580 matches the query \"sunflower\" and is public domain, yet the filtered search does not return it — so absence from the results is not evidence an object lacks CC0 status. Combining it with departmentId narrows it further; when a search returns nothing, retry without the filter.",
      -  "type": "boolean"
      -}
    • changedInput schema / properties / limit / description
      Previous value: -"Maximum number of object IDs to return from the full result set. The Met search returns every match (up to tens of thousands); this caps how many IDs are returned."New value: +"Maximum number of object IDs to return in this page. Paging reaches only the first 10,000 matches, so a page that would cross 10,000 is cut short there."
    • changedInput schema / properties / medium / description
      Previous value: -"Filter by object classification (e.g., \"Paintings\", \"Drawings\", \"Prints\", \"Ceramics\", \"Sculpture\", \"Photographs\", \"Textiles\"). Maps to the classification field on the object, not the materials/medium text field — pass a classification category name, not a material description like \"Oil on canvas\". A partial index like the other filters: it omits some objects that carry the classification on their own record."New value: +"Filter by object classification, case-sensitive and spelled as the Met spells it (e.g., \"Paintings\", \"Drawings\", \"Prints\", \"Ceramics\", \"Sculpture\", \"Photographs\", \"Textiles\") — \"paintings\" or \"Painting\" matches nothing. Maps to the classification field on the object, not the materials text, so a material description like \"Oil on canvas\" matches nothing either; met_get_object returns an object’s classification."
    • changedInput schema / properties / offset / description
      Previous value: -"Zero-based index into the full result set to start from (default 0). The nextOffset from a previous response is the value to pass here for the next page; a broad query carries the same timeout risk on every page, so narrow it with filters if paging times out. An offset at or beyond total returns an empty page, not an error."New value: +"Zero-based index of the first match to return (default 0); pass the nextOffset from a previous response to continue paging. Only the first 10,000 matches are reachable, so an offset at or beyond 10,000, or at or beyond a nonzero total, returns an empty page rather than an error. Matches with tied relevance can change order between requests, so an ID can occasionally repeat or be skipped at a page boundary."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / description
      Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `no_results`: total is 0 — the API returned null objectIDs for the query, or nothing the filters returned also matched the query. `invalid_date_range`: dateBegin or dateEnd is provided without the other, or dateBegin > dateEnd. `invalid_filter`: q is whitespace-only, or medium or geoLocation was supplied blank — an empty array, or an entry with no non-whitespace characters. `invalid_department`: departmentId is provided but is not one of the Met department IDs. `search_timeout`: The keyword+filter result set is too large to download within the request timeout — a broad query with few or no filters. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `no_results`: total is 0 — no object matches the keyword, or none of its matches survives the filters. `invalid_date_range`: dateBegin or dateEnd is provided without the other, or dateBegin > dateEnd. `invalid_filter`: q is whitespace-only, or medium or geoLocation was supplied blank — an empty array, or an entry with no non-whitespace characters. `invalid_department`: departmentId is provided but is not one of the Met department IDs. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / examples
      Previous value: -[
      -  "no_results",
      -  "invalid_date_range",
      -  "invalid_filter",
      -  "invalid_department",
      -  "search_timeout"
      -]New value: +[
      +  "no_results",
      +  "invalid_date_range",
      +  "invalid_filter",
      +  "invalid_department"
      +]
    • changedOutput schema / properties / nextOffset / description
      Previous value: -"The offset to pass on the next call to continue paging, or null when the result set is exhausted (truncated is false)."New value: +"The offset to pass on the next call to continue paging, or null when no further page is reachable (truncated is false)."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / notice / description
      Previous value: -"Present only when a filtered search could not be checked against the unfiltered query. That check is best-effort; when it does not complete the page is returned uncorrected and may contain objects unrelated to the keyword."New value: +"Present only when total exceeds 10,000: states that only the first 10,000 matches are reachable by paging, and that filters or a more specific keyword bring the rest into reach."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / offset / description
      Previous value: -"The resolved offset this page was read from — the offset input after its default of 0. Compare it against total: when offset is greater than or equal to total the page is empty because the offset ran past the end of the result set, not because the query has nothing left to return."New value: +"The resolved offset this page was read from — the offset input after its default of 0. When it is at or beyond the smaller of total and 10,000, the page is empty because the offset ran past what paging reaches, not because the search found nothing."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / remaining / description
      Previous value: -"Count of matching object IDs after this page: total − (offset + returned), floored at 0. 0 means this is the last page."New value: +"Count of reachable matches after this page: the smaller of total and 10,000, minus (offset + returned), floored at 0. 0 means no further page exists."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / returned / description
      Previous value: -"Count of object IDs in this response — may be less than `total` when the full result set was truncated by `limit`."New value: +"Count of object IDs in this page."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / total / description
      Previous value: -"Total number of matching objects in the Met collection (may far exceed the returned IDs)."New value: +"Total number of objects in the Met collection matching the search. Can exceed 10,000, the most that paging reaches."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / truncated / description
      Previous value: -"True when matching IDs remain beyond this page (offset + returned < total); false when this page is the last."New value: +"True when reachable matches remain after this page (offset + returned < the smaller of total and 10,000); false when this page is the last one paging reaches."
  2. Changed11 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / dateBegin / description
      Previous value: -"Earliest object date (year, inclusive). Negative integers for BCE (e.g., -500 for 500 BCE). Requires dateEnd."New value: +"Earliest object date (year, inclusive). Negative integers for BCE (e.g., -500 for 500 BCE). Requires dateEnd. The range is a partial index like the other filters: it omits some objects whose own record dates them inside it."
    • changedInput schema / properties / dateEnd / description
      Previous value: -"Latest object date (year, inclusive). Negative integers for BCE. Requires dateBegin."New value: +"Latest object date (year, inclusive). Negative integers for BCE. Requires dateBegin. The range is a partial index like the other filters: it omits some objects whose own record dates them inside it."
    • changedInput schema / properties / departmentId / description
      Previous value: -"Restrict results to one curatorial department. Valid IDs come from met_list_departments — the Met exposes a sparse set (roughly 1–21, with gaps); an unrecognized ID is rejected with an invalid_department error rather than silently returning no matches. Can be combined with other filters; combining with isPublicDomain works but returns far fewer results than expected."New value: +"Restrict results to one curatorial department. Valid IDs come from met_list_departments — the Met exposes a sparse set (roughly 1–21, with gaps); an unrecognized ID is rejected with an invalid_department error rather than silently returning no matches. A partial index like the other filters: it omits some objects whose own record names the department. Can be combined with other filters; combining with isPublicDomain works but returns far fewer results than expected."
    • changedInput schema / properties / geoLocation / description
      Previous value: -"Filter by geographic origin. Each value is matched broadly against geography fields and artist nationality. Multiple values are AND-combined — [\"France\", \"Egypt\"] returns objects associated with both, not either, so more values narrow the result set. Works best with the Egyptian Art, Greek and Roman Art, and similar departments that have well-populated geography fields."New value: +"Filter by geographic origin. Each value is matched broadly against geography fields and artist nationality. Multiple values are AND-combined — [\"France\", \"Egypt\"] returns objects associated with both, not either, so more values narrow the result set. A partial index like the other filters: it omits some objects whose own geography fields name the location. Works best with the Egyptian Art, Greek and Roman Art, and similar departments that have well-populated geography fields."
    • changedInput schema / properties / hasImages / description
      Previous value: -"When true, restricts results to objects that have at least one associated image, including copyrighted works whose images cannot be reproduced. isPublicDomain is the nearest filter for freely reusable CC0 images, but it is partial — confirm per object from the isPublicDomain and hasCC0Image fields on met_get_object."New value: +"When true, restricts results to objects that have at least one associated image, including copyrighted works whose images cannot be reproduced. A partial index like every filter here: it omits some objects that do have images, so absence from the results is not evidence an object has none. isPublicDomain is the nearest filter for freely reusable CC0 images — confirm per object from the isPublicDomain and hasCC0Image fields on met_get_object."
    • changedInput schema / properties / isHighlight / description
      Previous value: -"Opt-in filter, true only — omit it rather than passing false, which the upstream index answers unsoundly. Selects objects the Met has designated as highlights — major works central to the collection. Like isPublicDomain its results are not a subset of the unfiltered search: it omits objects whose own record reports isHighlight true, and adds a few highlights that do not match the query."New value: +"Opt-in filter, true only — omit it rather than passing false, which the upstream index answers unsoundly. Selects objects the Met has designated as highlights — major works central to the collection. A partial index like isPublicDomain: it omits objects whose own record reports isHighlight true, so absence from the results is not evidence a work is not a highlight."
    • changedInput schema / properties / isOnView / description
      Previous value: -"When true, restricts results to objects currently on display in a Met gallery. The GalleryNumber field on the met_get_object record identifies the specific gallery."New value: +"When true, restricts results to objects currently on display in a Met gallery. A partial index like the other filters — it omits some objects that are on view, so absence from the results is not evidence a work is off display. The GalleryNumber field on the met_get_object record identifies the specific gallery."
    • changedInput schema / properties / isPublicDomain / description
      Previous value: -"Opt-in filter, true only — omit it rather than passing false, which the upstream index answers unsoundly. Selects objects released under CC0 open access, which return direct high-resolution image URLs in met_get_object. Its results are not a subset of the same search run without it: it omits objects whose own record reports isPublicDomain true, and adds a few CC0 objects that do not match the query at all — check each returned record against the query before presenting it. Combining it with departmentId narrows it further; when a search returns nothing, retry without the filter."New value: +"Opt-in filter, true only — omit it rather than passing false, which the upstream index answers unsoundly. Selects objects released under CC0 open access, which return direct high-resolution image URLs in met_get_object. A partial index, not exhaustive coverage: it omits objects whose own record reports isPublicDomain true — object 436580 matches the query \"sunflower\" and is public domain, yet the filtered search does not return it — so absence from the results is not evidence an object lacks CC0 status. Combining it with departmentId narrows it further; when a search returns nothing, retry without the filter."
    • changedInput schema / properties / medium / description
      Previous value: -"Filter by object classification (e.g., \"Paintings\", \"Drawings\", \"Prints\", \"Ceramics\", \"Sculpture\", \"Photographs\", \"Textiles\"). Maps to the classification field on the object, not the materials/medium text field — pass a classification category name, not a material description like \"Oil on canvas\"."New value: +"Filter by object classification (e.g., \"Paintings\", \"Drawings\", \"Prints\", \"Ceramics\", \"Sculpture\", \"Photographs\", \"Textiles\"). Maps to the classification field on the object, not the materials/medium text field — pass a classification category name, not a material description like \"Oil on canvas\". A partial index like the other filters: it omits some objects that carry the classification on their own record."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / description
      Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `no_results`: total is 0 — the API returned null objectIDs for this query+filter combination. `invalid_date_range`: dateBegin or dateEnd is provided without the other, or dateBegin > dateEnd. `invalid_filter`: q is whitespace-only, or medium or geoLocation was supplied blank — an empty array, or an entry with no non-whitespace characters. `invalid_department`: departmentId is provided but is not one of the Met department IDs. `search_timeout`: The result set is too large to download within the request timeout — a broad, unfiltered query. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `no_results`: total is 0 — the API returned null objectIDs for the query, or nothing the filters returned also matched the query. `invalid_date_range`: dateBegin or dateEnd is provided without the other, or dateBegin > dateEnd. `invalid_filter`: q is whitespace-only, or medium or geoLocation was supplied blank — an empty array, or an entry with no non-whitespace characters. `invalid_department`: departmentId is provided but is not one of the Met department IDs. `search_timeout`: The keyword+filter result set is too large to download within the request timeout — a broad query with few or no filters. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."
    • addedOutput schema / properties / notice
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Present only when a filtered search could not be checked against the unfiltered query. That check is best-effort; when it does not complete the page is returned uncorrected and may contain objects unrelated to the keyword.",
      +  "type": "string"
      +}
  3. Changed9 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / hasImages / description
      Previous value: -"When true, restricts results to objects that have at least one associated image, including copyrighted works whose images cannot be reproduced. isPublicDomain is the filter for freely reusable CC0 images."New value: +"When true, restricts results to objects that have at least one associated image, including copyrighted works whose images cannot be reproduced. isPublicDomain is the nearest filter for freely reusable CC0 images, but it is partial — confirm per object from the isPublicDomain and hasCC0Image fields on met_get_object."
    • addedInput schema / properties / isHighlight / const
      Added value: +true
    • changedInput schema / properties / isHighlight / description
      Previous value: -"When true, restricts to objects the Met has designated as highlights — major works central to the collection."New value: +"Opt-in filter, true only — omit it rather than passing false, which the upstream index answers unsoundly. Selects objects the Met has designated as highlights — major works central to the collection. Like isPublicDomain its results are not a subset of the unfiltered search: it omits objects whose own record reports isHighlight true, and adds a few highlights that do not match the query."
    • addedInput schema / properties / isPublicDomain / const
      Added value: +true
    • changedInput schema / properties / isPublicDomain / description
      Previous value: -"When true, restricts results to objects released under CC0 open access — free to use without permission or attribution. These objects return direct high-resolution image URLs in met_get_object. Combining with departmentId works but returns far fewer results, since the search index covers only a subset of public-domain objects per department."New value: +"Opt-in filter, true only — omit it rather than passing false, which the upstream index answers unsoundly. Selects objects released under CC0 open access, which return direct high-resolution image URLs in met_get_object. Its results are not a subset of the same search run without it: it omits objects whose own record reports isPublicDomain true, and adds a few CC0 objects that do not match the query at all — check each returned record against the query before presenting it. Combining it with departmentId narrows it further; when a search returns nothing, retry without the filter."
    • changedOutput schema / anyOf
      Previous value: -[
      -  {
      -    "not": {
      -      "required": [
      -        "error"
      -      ]
      -    },
      -    "required": [
      -      "total",
      -      "objectIDs",
      -      "returned",
      -      "truncated",
      -      "remaining",
      -      "nextOffset"
      -    ]
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "required": [
      -      "error"
      -    ]
      -  }
      -]New value: +[
      +  {
      +    "not": {
      +      "required": [
      +        "error"
      +      ]
      +    },
      +    "required": [
      +      "total",
      +      "objectIDs",
      +      "returned",
      +      "truncated",
      +      "remaining",
      +      "nextOffset",
      +      "offset"
      +    ]
      +  },
      +  {
      +    "required": [
      +      "error"
      +    ]
      +  }
      +]
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / description
      Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `no_results`: total is 0 — the API returned null objectIDs for this query+filter combination. `invalid_date_range`: dateBegin or dateEnd is provided without the other, or dateBegin > dateEnd. `invalid_department`: departmentId is provided but is not one of the Met department IDs. `search_timeout`: The result set is too large to download within the request timeout — a broad, unfiltered query. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `no_results`: total is 0 — the API returned null objectIDs for this query+filter combination. `invalid_date_range`: dateBegin or dateEnd is provided without the other, or dateBegin > dateEnd. `invalid_filter`: q is whitespace-only, or medium or geoLocation was supplied blank — an empty array, or an entry with no non-whitespace characters. `invalid_department`: departmentId is provided but is not one of the Met department IDs. `search_timeout`: The result set is too large to download within the request timeout — a broad, unfiltered query. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / examples
      Previous value: -[
      -  "no_results",
      -  "invalid_date_range",
      -  "invalid_department",
      -  "search_timeout"
      -]New value: +[
      +  "no_results",
      +  "invalid_date_range",
      +  "invalid_filter",
      +  "invalid_department",
      +  "search_timeout"
      +]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / offset
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "The resolved offset this page was read from — the offset input after its default of 0. Compare it against total: when offset is greater than or equal to total the page is empty because the offset ran past the end of the result set, not because the query has nothing left to return.",
      +  "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      +  "minimum": -9007199254740991,
      +  "type": "integer"
      +}
  4. Changed7 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": [
      +      "total",
      +      "objectIDs",
      +      "returned",
      +      "truncated",
      +      "remaining",
      +      "nextOffset"
      +    ]
      +  },
      +  {
      +    "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_results`: total is 0 — the API returned null objectIDs for this query+filter combination. `invalid_date_range`: dateBegin or dateEnd is provided without the other, or dateBegin > dateEnd. `invalid_department`: departmentId is provided but is not one of the Met department IDs. `search_timeout`: The result set is too large to download within the request timeout — a broad, unfiltered query. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler.",
      +          "examples": [
      +            "no_results",
      +            "invalid_date_range",
      +            "invalid_department",
      +            "search_timeout"
      +          ],
      +          "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"
      +}
    • changedOutput schema / properties / objectIDs / description
      Previous value: -"Object IDs for the first `limit` results."New value: +"Object IDs for this page, up to `limit` results."
    • removedOutput schema / required
      Removed value: -[
      -  "total",
      -  "objectIDs",
      -  "returned",
      -  "truncated",
      -  "remaining",
      -  "nextOffset"
      -]
  5. Changed12 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / departmentId / description
      Previous value: -"Restrict results to one curatorial department. Call met_list_departments to get valid IDs — the Met exposes a sparse set (roughly 1–21, with gaps), and an unrecognized ID is rejected with an invalid_department error rather than silently returning no matches. Can be combined with other filters; combining with isPublicDomain works but returns far fewer results than expected — use isPublicDomain alone when CC0 coverage is the goal."New value: +"Restrict results to one curatorial department. Valid IDs come from met_list_departments — the Met exposes a sparse set (roughly 1–21, with gaps); an unrecognized ID is rejected with an invalid_department error rather than silently returning no matches. Can be combined with other filters; combining with isPublicDomain works but returns far fewer results than expected."
    • changedInput schema / properties / geoLocation / description
      Previous value: -"Filter by geographic origin. Each value is matched broadly against geography fields and artist nationality. Multiple values are AND-combined — [\"France\", \"Egypt\"] returns objects associated with both, not either; use a single value for broader results. Works best with the Egyptian Art, Greek and Roman Art, and similar departments that have well-populated geography fields."New value: +"Filter by geographic origin. Each value is matched broadly against geography fields and artist nationality. Multiple values are AND-combined — [\"France\", \"Egypt\"] returns objects associated with both, not either, so more values narrow the result set. Works best with the Egyptian Art, Greek and Roman Art, and similar departments that have well-populated geography fields."
    • changedInput schema / properties / hasImages / description
      Previous value: -"When true, restricts results to objects that have at least one associated image. For freely reusable CC0 images, use isPublicDomain instead — hasImages includes copyrighted works whose images cannot be reproduced."New value: +"When true, restricts results to objects that have at least one associated image, including copyrighted works whose images cannot be reproduced. isPublicDomain is the filter for freely reusable CC0 images."
    • changedInput schema / properties / isHighlight / description
      Previous value: -"When true, restricts to objects the Met has designated as highlights — major works central to the collection. Use to surface iconic pieces rather than browsing the full corpus."New value: +"When true, restricts to objects the Met has designated as highlights — major works central to the collection."
    • changedInput schema / properties / isOnView / description
      Previous value: -"When true, restricts results to objects currently on display in a Met gallery. The GalleryNumber field on the met_get_object record identifies the specific gallery. Combine with a keyword to answer \"what is on display right now?\" — pairs well with isHighlight for must-see works."New value: +"When true, restricts results to objects currently on display in a Met gallery. The GalleryNumber field on the met_get_object record identifies the specific gallery."
    • changedInput schema / properties / isPublicDomain / description
      Previous value: -"When true, restricts results to objects released under CC0 open access — free to use without permission or attribution. These objects return direct high-resolution image URLs in met_get_object. Can be combined with departmentId but severely restricts results (the search index only indexes a subset of public-domain objects per department); prefer using isPublicDomain alone and filtering by department from the returned object records."New value: +"When true, restricts results to objects released under CC0 open access — free to use without permission or attribution. These objects return direct high-resolution image URLs in met_get_object. Combining with departmentId works but returns far fewer results, since the search index covers only a subset of public-domain objects per department."
    • changedInput schema / properties / limit / description
      Previous value: -"Maximum number of object IDs to return from the full result set. The API returns all matches (up to tens of thousands) — this caps what is handed back. Chain the returned IDs to met_get_object in batches of up to 20."New value: +"Maximum number of object IDs to return from the full result set. The Met search returns every match (up to tens of thousands); this caps how many IDs are returned."
    • changedInput schema / properties / offset / description
      Previous value: -"Zero-based index into the full result set to start from (default 0). Paginate by passing the nextOffset returned by a previous call; each page re-runs the upstream search and applies the offset locally, so a broad query carries the same timeout risk on every page — narrow it with filters if paging times out. An offset at or beyond total returns an empty page, not an error."New value: +"Zero-based index into the full result set to start from (default 0). The nextOffset from a previous response is the value to pass here for the next page; a broad query carries the same timeout risk on every page, so narrow it with filters if paging times out. An offset at or beyond total returns an empty page, not an error."
    • changedInput schema / properties / q / description
      Previous value: -"Keyword query. Searched across title, artist name, culture, medium, tags, and other text fields. Use concise, specific terms — broad queries return large ID sets. Tip: departmentId and geoLocation sharpen results far more than a longer query string."New value: +"Keyword query, matched across title, artist name, culture, medium, tags, and other text fields. Broad terms return large ID sets."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / objectIDs / description
      Previous value: -"Object IDs for the first `limit` results. Pass to met_get_object (up to 20 at a time) to retrieve full records."New value: +"Object IDs for the first `limit` results."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / objectIDs / items / description
      Previous value: -"A Met object ID. Pass to met_get_object to retrieve the full record."New value: +"A Met object ID."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / truncated / description
      Previous value: -"True when matching IDs remain beyond this page (offset + returned < total). Pass nextOffset as offset to fetch the next page, increase limit, or refine filters to narrow results."New value: +"True when matching IDs remain beyond this page (offset + returned < total); false when this page is the last."
  6. Changed6 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / departmentId / description
      Previous value: -"Restrict results to one curatorial department. Use met_list_departments to get valid IDs (1–21, not all integers are valid). Can be combined with other filters; combining with isPublicDomain works but returns far fewer results than expected — use isPublicDomain alone when CC0 coverage is the goal."New value: +"Restrict results to one curatorial department. Call met_list_departments to get valid IDs — the Met exposes a sparse set (roughly 1–21, with gaps), and an unrecognized ID is rejected with an invalid_department error rather than silently returning no matches. Can be combined with other filters; combining with isPublicDomain works but returns far fewer results than expected — use isPublicDomain alone when CC0 coverage is the goal."
    • addedInput schema / properties / offset
      Added value: +{
      +  "default": 0,
      +  "description": "Zero-based index into the full result set to start from (default 0). Paginate by passing the nextOffset returned by a previous call; each page re-runs the upstream search and applies the offset locally, so a broad query carries the same timeout risk on every page — narrow it with filters if paging times out. An offset at or beyond total returns an empty page, not an error.",
      +  "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      +  "minimum": 0,
      +  "type": "integer"
      +}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / nextOffset
      Added value: +{
      +  "anyOf": [
      +    {
      +      "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      +      "minimum": -9007199254740991,
      +      "type": "integer"
      +    },
      +    {
      +      "type": "null"
      +    }
      +  ],
      +  "description": "The offset to pass on the next call to continue paging, or null when the result set is exhausted (truncated is false)."
      +}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / remaining
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Count of matching object IDs after this page: total − (offset + returned), floored at 0. 0 means this is the last page.",
      +  "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      +  "minimum": -9007199254740991,
      +  "type": "integer"
      +}
    • changedOutput schema / properties / truncated / description
      Previous value: -"True when total > returned. Increase `limit`, refine filters, or add keywords to narrow results."New value: +"True when matching IDs remain beyond this page (offset + returned < total). Pass nextOffset as offset to fetch the next page, increase limit, or refine filters to narrow results."
    • changedOutput schema / required
      Previous value: -[
      -  "total",
      -  "objectIDs",
      -  "returned",
      -  "truncated"
      -]New value: +[
      +  "total",
      +  "objectIDs",
      +  "returned",
      +  "truncated",
      +  "remaining",
      +  "nextOffset"
      +]
  7. Added

TDQS

A5/5.0
Behavior5/5

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

Even though the annotations already mark the tool as readOnly and idempotent, the description adds substantial behavioral detail: relevance ordering instability, the 10,000-match paging cap, that hasImages includes copyrighted works, that isHighlight accepts only true, that isOnView restricts to on-display works, and that medium expects classification rather than material. No contradiction with 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?

The description is long but every sentence earns its place by clarifying behavior or a pitfall. It is front-loaded with the core purpose and then systematically addresses the most error-prone parameters. No redundant or filler content, and it does not merely repeat schema text.

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 tool with 11 parameters, an output schema, and two siblings, the description covers all essential aspects: what the tool returns, pagination and ordering caveats, filter semantics, and how to get full records and valid department IDs. It is fully self-sufficient for an agent to call the tool correctly.

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?

The schema already describes every parameter (100% coverage), but the description goes further to explain nuances: the medium parameter gives specific examples and warns about case sensitivity, hasImages clarifies the copyright implication, geoLocation specifies the one-element array format, and isHighlight notes the opt-in true-only behavior. This adds real meaning beyond the schema.

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 states a specific verb ('Search') and resource ('the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection'), and immediately distinguishes it from the sibling tool met_get_object by noting that this search returns object IDs that met_get_object resolves to full records. This tells an agent exactly what the tool does and where it fits in the workflow.

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 gives explicit guidance on when to use the tool, how to narrow searches, and when to rely on siblings: it says relevance is keyword-based and that department/geographic filters narrow more than longer queries, and points to met_list_departments for valid department IDs and met_get_object for full records. It also warns about pagination limits, which advises against overly broad queries.

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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