Skip to main content
Glama
Sign In

openalex-mcp-server

by io.github.cyanheads
OverviewDiscussionsAdmin

Openalex Resolve Name

openalex_resolve_name
Read-onlyIdempotent

Resolve a name or an identifier to an OpenAlex ID. ALWAYS use this before filtering by entity — names are ambiguous, IDs are not. A name returns up to 10 autocomplete matches with disambiguation hints. An identifier — OpenAlex ID, DOI, ORCID, ROR, PMID, or ISSN, bare or in URL form — resolves directly to the record it addresses instead of running a name search. Short names share the bare OpenAlex ID shape (keyword p53 reads as publisher ID P53), so a bare OpenAlex ID that resolves nothing is searched as a name next. Two identifiers can address more than one entity type: a ROR names an organization's institution, funder, and publisher records alike, so it returns each one that exists (institution first) unless entity_type picks one of those three; and a Crossref Funder Registry DOI (10.13039/…) resolves to the funder unless entity_type is works. A PMCID is recognized as well, bare or as a PubMed Central URL, but OpenAlex indexes no PMCIDs, so it resolves nothing — pass the work's PMID or DOI instead. An award ID (G…, bare or as an OpenAlex URL) is not looked up, since OpenAlex has no award autocomplete: it returns no matches and a notice naming the openalex_search_entities call that opens the award. Under entity_type, a bare G… is searched as a name of that type instead.

Input Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
queryYesName or partial name to resolve. Also accepts an identifier, bare or in URL form — OpenAlex ID ("W2741809807", "F4320332161", or an OpenAlex record-page or API URL such as "https://openalex.org/works/W2741809807"), DOI ("10.1038/nature12373", or a funder's Funder Registry DOI such as "10.13039/100000001"), ORCID ("0000-0002-1825-0097"), ROR ("https://ror.org/00hx57361"), PMID ("12345678" or "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12345678"), ISSN ("1234-5678") — which resolves straight to the record it addresses, or for a ROR up to three (see entity_type), instead of running a name search. A bare OpenAlex ID that resolves nothing is then searched as a name — under entity_type when given, and not at all when filters come without entity_type — since short names share its shape ("P53" is a keyword); under entity_type keywords it is searched as a name from the start. A keyword URL ("https://openalex.org/keywords/groundwater") resolves the same way; a bare keyword slug reads as a name and runs a name search, which finds it too. A PMCID ("PMC1234567" or a PubMed Central URL) is recognized but OpenAlex indexes no PMCIDs, so it resolves nothing — pass the work's PMID or DOI instead. An award ID ("G417894356", or "https://openalex.org/awards/G417894356") sends no request and names the openalex_search_entities call for it; with entity_type, a bare one is searched as a name of that type.
filtersNoNarrow autocomplete results with a filter record object, using the openalex_search_entities value syntax; native string input is unavailable here. Example: restrict to a specific country or publication year range. Country fields take ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes ({"country_code": "DE"} on institutions) and `language` takes ISO 639-1 codes ("en"); alpha-3, numeric, ISO 639-2, and English-name forms are converted — a multi-word name is one value, so "South Korea|Japan" ORs two countries — and a value that cannot be a country code is rejected. A multi-word value on a field matched as whole text (display_name, geo.city, geo.region, awards.funder_display_name) matches as one phrase ({"geo.city": "New York"} on institutions; a comma, as in "University of California, Berkeley", is part of it, and it cannot contain a double quote of its own), "!" and "|" included, but cannot be ANDed with "+" in the same field. A value sent unquoted must have paired double quotes; balanced search phrases remain valid. A value mixing "|" with an AND operator — a "+", or a space on a field where words mean AND — is rejected, since OpenAlex drops every "|" alternative that ANDs more than one value; put the AND in a second key instead. Requires entity_type — filter fields belong to one entity type, so a name search across every type takes none, and a name query passing filters without entity_type is rejected. Applies to name queries only — an identifier lookup returns the records it addresses regardless.
entity_typeNoEntity type to search. Awards are not among them: OpenAlex has no award autocomplete, so search awards with openalex_search_entities. Omit for cross-entity search (useful when entity type is unknown). With an identifier `query` it narrows only an identifier that can address more than one type: a ROR to institutions, funders, or publishers (omit it to get every one of the three that exists), and a Funder Registry DOI (10.13039/…) to works instead of the funder. Every other identifier resolves as the type it belongs to, whatever this names — except under keywords, where a bare OpenAlex ID shape ("P53") is searched as a keyword name, since keyword IDs are slugs.

Output Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
errorNoPresent when the call failed. Absent on success.
budgetNoWhat this call cost against the OpenAlex daily budget and what is left of it. Read `remainingUsd` here to size the search or traversal this resolution feeds. Absent when OpenAlex omitted the accounting headers.
noticeNoGuidance notice. Set when nothing matched (echoes the query, and the filters when a name search applied them, and suggests corrections), when a bare OpenAlex ID resolved nothing and the query was searched as a name instead (names both outcomes, or why the name search did not run or finish), when an identifier query was passed name-search parameters that do not apply to it, when one of the lookups for a ROR failed upstream (names the entity type whose record may be missing), or when the query is an award ID (names the openalex_search_entities call that opens it). Caller text in it is JSON-encoded and Markdown-escaped, the same string on both surfaces. Absent otherwise.
resultsNoMatches: up to 10 autocomplete matches for a name; for an identifier, the record it addresses — for a ROR, up to three, institution then funder then publisher — or none.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Changed3 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / entity_type / description
      Previous value: -"Entity type to search. Omit for cross-entity search (useful when entity type is unknown). With an identifier `query` it narrows only an identifier that can address more than one type: a ROR to institutions, funders, or publishers (omit it to get every one of the three that exists), and a Funder Registry DOI (10.13039/…) to works instead of the funder. Every other identifier resolves as the type it belongs to, whatever this names — except under keywords, where a bare OpenAlex ID shape (\"P53\") is searched as a keyword name, since keyword IDs are slugs."New value: +"Entity type to search. Awards are not among them: OpenAlex has no award autocomplete, so search awards with openalex_search_entities. Omit for cross-entity search (useful when entity type is unknown). With an identifier `query` it narrows only an identifier that can address more than one type: a ROR to institutions, funders, or publishers (omit it to get every one of the three that exists), and a Funder Registry DOI (10.13039/…) to works instead of the funder. Every other identifier resolves as the type it belongs to, whatever this names — except under keywords, where a bare OpenAlex ID shape (\"P53\") is searched as a keyword name, since keyword IDs are slugs."
    • changedInput schema / properties / query / description
      Previous value: -"Name or partial name to resolve. Also accepts an identifier, bare or in URL form — OpenAlex ID (\"W2741809807\", \"F4320332161\", or an OpenAlex record-page or API URL such as \"https://openalex.org/works/W2741809807\"), DOI (\"10.1038/nature12373\", or a funder's Funder Registry DOI such as \"10.13039/100000001\"), ORCID (\"0000-0002-1825-0097\"), ROR (\"https://ror.org/00hx57361\"), PMID (\"12345678\" or \"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12345678\"), ISSN (\"1234-5678\") — which resolves straight to the record it addresses, or for a ROR up to three (see entity_type), instead of running a name search. A bare OpenAlex ID that resolves nothing is then searched as a name — under entity_type when given, and not at all when filters come without entity_type — since short names share its shape (\"P53\" is a keyword); under entity_type keywords it is searched as a name from the start. A keyword URL (\"https://openalex.org/keywords/groundwater\") resolves the same way; a bare keyword slug reads as a name and runs a name search, which finds it too. A PMCID (\"PMC1234567\" or a PubMed Central URL) is recognized but OpenAlex indexes no PMCIDs, so it resolves nothing — pass the work's PMID or DOI instead."New value: +"Name or partial name to resolve. Also accepts an identifier, bare or in URL form — OpenAlex ID (\"W2741809807\", \"F4320332161\", or an OpenAlex record-page or API URL such as \"https://openalex.org/works/W2741809807\"), DOI (\"10.1038/nature12373\", or a funder's Funder Registry DOI such as \"10.13039/100000001\"), ORCID (\"0000-0002-1825-0097\"), ROR (\"https://ror.org/00hx57361\"), PMID (\"12345678\" or \"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12345678\"), ISSN (\"1234-5678\") — which resolves straight to the record it addresses, or for a ROR up to three (see entity_type), instead of running a name search. A bare OpenAlex ID that resolves nothing is then searched as a name — under entity_type when given, and not at all when filters come without entity_type — since short names share its shape (\"P53\" is a keyword); under entity_type keywords it is searched as a name from the start. A keyword URL (\"https://openalex.org/keywords/groundwater\") resolves the same way; a bare keyword slug reads as a name and runs a name search, which finds it too. A PMCID (\"PMC1234567\" or a PubMed Central URL) is recognized but OpenAlex indexes no PMCIDs, so it resolves nothing — pass the work's PMID or DOI instead. An award ID (\"G417894356\", or \"https://openalex.org/awards/G417894356\") sends no request and names the openalex_search_entities call for it; with entity_type, a bare one is searched as a name of that type."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / notice / description
      Previous value: -"Guidance notice. Set when nothing matched (echoes the query, and the filters when a name search applied them, and suggests corrections), when a bare OpenAlex ID resolved nothing and the query was searched as a name instead (names both outcomes, or why the name search did not run or finish), when an identifier query was passed name-search parameters that do not apply to it, or when one of the lookups for a ROR failed upstream (names the entity type whose record may be missing). Absent otherwise."New value: +"Guidance notice. Set when nothing matched (echoes the query, and the filters when a name search applied them, and suggests corrections), when a bare OpenAlex ID resolved nothing and the query was searched as a name instead (names both outcomes, or why the name search did not run or finish), when an identifier query was passed name-search parameters that do not apply to it, when one of the lookups for a ROR failed upstream (names the entity type whose record may be missing), or when the query is an award ID (names the openalex_search_entities call that opens it). Caller text in it is JSON-encoded and Markdown-escaped, the same string on both surfaces. Absent otherwise."
  2. Changed3 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / filters / description
      Previous value: -"Narrow autocomplete results with filters, in the openalex_search_entities filter syntax. Example: restrict to a specific country or publication year range. Country fields take ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes ({\"country_code\": \"DE\"} on institutions) and `language` takes ISO 639-1 codes (\"en\"); alpha-3, numeric, ISO 639-2, and English-name forms are converted — a multi-word name is one value, so \"South Korea|Japan\" ORs two countries — and a value that cannot be a country code is rejected. A multi-word value on a field matched as whole text (display_name, geo.city, geo.region, awards.funder_display_name) matches as one phrase ({\"geo.city\": \"New York\"} on institutions; a comma, as in \"University of California, Berkeley\", is part of it, and it cannot contain a double quote of its own), \"!\" and \"|\" included, but cannot be ANDed with \"+\" in the same field. A value mixing \"|\" with an AND operator — a \"+\", or a space on a field where words mean AND — is rejected, since OpenAlex drops every \"|\" alternative that ANDs more than one value; put the AND in a second key instead. Requires entity_type — filter fields belong to one entity type, so a name search across every type takes none, and a name query passing filters without entity_type is rejected. Applies to name queries only — an identifier lookup returns the records it addresses regardless."New value: +"Narrow autocomplete results with a filter record object, using the openalex_search_entities value syntax; native string input is unavailable here. Example: restrict to a specific country or publication year range. Country fields take ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes ({\"country_code\": \"DE\"} on institutions) and `language` takes ISO 639-1 codes (\"en\"); alpha-3, numeric, ISO 639-2, and English-name forms are converted — a multi-word name is one value, so \"South Korea|Japan\" ORs two countries — and a value that cannot be a country code is rejected. A multi-word value on a field matched as whole text (display_name, geo.city, geo.region, awards.funder_display_name) matches as one phrase ({\"geo.city\": \"New York\"} on institutions; a comma, as in \"University of California, Berkeley\", is part of it, and it cannot contain a double quote of its own), \"!\" and \"|\" included, but cannot be ANDed with \"+\" in the same field. A value sent unquoted must have paired double quotes; balanced search phrases remain valid. A value mixing \"|\" with an AND operator — a \"+\", or a space on a field where words mean AND — is rejected, since OpenAlex drops every \"|\" alternative that ANDs more than one value; put the AND in a second key instead. Requires entity_type — filter fields belong to one entity type, so a name search across every type takes none, and a name query passing filters without entity_type is rejected. Applies to name queries only — an identifier lookup returns the records it addresses regardless."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / description
      Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `filters_without_entity_type`: A name `query` passed `filters` without `entity_type`. Filter fields belong to one entity type, and a name search across every type takes no filters. `rate_limited`: OpenAlex throttled the autocomplete request for exceeding its per-second ceiling (HTTP 429). `upstream_budget_exhausted`: The OpenAlex daily usage budget is spent (HTTP 429). `upstream_plan_required`: A filter is one OpenAlex serves only on a paid plan — created_date, updated_date, or a from_/to_ form of either (HTTP 429 \"Plan upgrade required\"). `upstream_timeout`: OpenAlex did not respond within the request deadline. `upstream_unavailable`: OpenAlex was unreachable or unusable — HTTP 503, a connection failure, or a body that was empty, HTML, or unparseable JSON. `upstream_unauthorized`: OpenAlex rejected the API key (HTTP 401). `upstream_forbidden`: OpenAlex denied access to autocomplete (HTTP 403). `id_dot_segment`: An identifier `query` holds a `.` or `..` path segment, written plainly or percent-encoded. `comma_in_filter_value`: A `filters` value contains a comma, which collides with the OpenAlex filter separator, on a field that takes no phrase. Free-text search filters (any `.search` key, such as display_name.search) and fields matched as whole text (display_name, awards.funder_display_name, awards.funder_award_id, geo.city, geo.region, raw_affiliation_strings, block_key, parsed_longest_name, biblio fields) are exempt: a comma there is sent quoted, as part of the phrase. `invalid_country_code`: A country filter (a key ending in country_code, country_codes, or countries) holds a segment that cannot be a country code, such as a misspelled name, an unassigned number, \"unknown\", or two codes joined by a space (\"DE US\"). `mixed_and_or_in_filter_value`: A `filters` value puts \"|\" (OR) beside an AND operator — a \"+\", or a space on a field where words mean AND (on a country field a space is always part of a country name, and inside a language name it is part of the name). OpenAlex splits the value on \"|\" first and drops every alternative that ANDs more than one value, so no single value can carry both. `quote_in_filter_value`: A `filters` value sent to OpenAlex double-quoted holds a double quote inside its outer pair — a value the server quotes (a multi-word value on a field matched as whole text, or a value holding a comma on such a field or on a free-text search filter), or one the caller wrapped in double quotes on any filter but a free-text search. `upstream_invalid_params`: OpenAlex rejected an invalid filter field name on the autocomplete query (HTTP 400). `upstream_invalid_id_value`: A `filters` entry expecting an entity ID received a value that is not an OpenAlex ID — usually a name (HTTP 400). `query_too_long`: OpenAlex autocomplete failed (HTTP 500) on a `query` longer than the 1,000 characters it accepts when entity_type is set. `upstream_invalid_params_other`: OpenAlex rejected the autocomplete request (HTTP 400) for a reason other than an invalid field name. `upstream_validation_failed`: OpenAlex rejected the autocomplete request as semantically invalid (HTTP 422). Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `unmatched_quote_in_filter_value`: A filter value sent unquoted has an unmatched double quote. `filters_without_entity_type`: A name `query` passed `filters` without `entity_type`. Filter fields belong to one entity type, and a name search across every type takes no filters. `rate_limited`: OpenAlex throttled the autocomplete request for exceeding its per-second ceiling (HTTP 429). `upstream_budget_exhausted`: The OpenAlex daily usage budget is spent (HTTP 429). `upstream_plan_required`: A filter is one OpenAlex serves only on a paid plan — created_date, updated_date, or a from_/to_ form of either (HTTP 429 \"Plan upgrade required\"). `upstream_timeout`: OpenAlex did not respond within the request deadline. `upstream_unavailable`: OpenAlex was unreachable or unusable — HTTP 503, a connection failure, or a body that was empty, HTML, or unparseable JSON. `upstream_unauthorized`: OpenAlex rejected the API key (HTTP 401). `upstream_forbidden`: OpenAlex denied access to autocomplete (HTTP 403). `id_dot_segment`: An identifier `query` holds a `.` or `..` path segment, written plainly or percent-encoded. `comma_in_filter_value`: A `filters` value contains a comma, which collides with the OpenAlex filter separator, on a field that takes no phrase. Free-text search filters (any `.search` key, such as display_name.search) and fields matched as whole text (display_name, awards.funder_display_name, awards.funder_award_id, geo.city, geo.region, raw_affiliation_strings, block_key, parsed_longest_name, biblio fields) are exempt: a comma there is sent quoted, as part of the phrase. `invalid_country_code`: A country filter (a key ending in country_code, country_codes, or countries) holds a segment that cannot be a country code, such as a misspelled name, an unassigned number, \"unknown\", or two codes joined by a space (\"DE US\"). `mixed_and_or_in_filter_value`: A `filters` value puts \"|\" (OR) beside an AND operator — a \"+\", or a space on a field where words mean AND (on a country field a space is always part of a country name, and inside a language name it is part of the name). OpenAlex splits the value on \"|\" first and drops every alternative that ANDs more than one value, so no single value can carry both. `quote_in_filter_value`: A `filters` value sent to OpenAlex double-quoted holds a double quote inside its outer pair — a value the server quotes (a multi-word value on a field matched as whole text, or a value holding a comma on such a field or on a free-text search filter), or one the caller wrapped in double quotes on any filter but a free-text search. `upstream_invalid_params`: OpenAlex rejected an invalid filter field name on the autocomplete query (HTTP 400). `upstream_invalid_id_value`: A `filters` entry expecting an entity ID received a value that is not an OpenAlex ID — usually a name (HTTP 400). `query_too_long`: OpenAlex autocomplete failed (HTTP 500) on a `query` longer than the 1,000 characters it accepts when entity_type is set. `upstream_invalid_params_other`: OpenAlex rejected the autocomplete request (HTTP 400) for a reason other than an invalid field name. `upstream_validation_failed`: OpenAlex rejected the autocomplete request as semantically invalid (HTTP 422). Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / examples
      Previous value: -[
-  "filters_without_entity_type",
-  "rate_limited",
-  "upstream_budget_exhausted",
-  "upstream_plan_required",
-  "upstream_timeout",
-  "upstream_unavailable",
-  "upstream_unauthorized",
-  "upstream_forbidden",
-  "id_dot_segment",
-  "comma_in_filter_value",
-  "invalid_country_code",
-  "mixed_and_or_in_filter_value",
-  "quote_in_filter_value",
-  "upstream_invalid_params",
-  "upstream_invalid_id_value",
-  "query_too_long",
-  "upstream_invalid_params_other",
-  "upstream_validation_failed"
-]New value: +[
+  "unmatched_quote_in_filter_value",
+  "filters_without_entity_type",
+  "rate_limited",
+  "upstream_budget_exhausted",
+  "upstream_plan_required",
+  "upstream_timeout",
+  "upstream_unavailable",
+  "upstream_unauthorized",
+  "upstream_forbidden",
+  "id_dot_segment",
+  "comma_in_filter_value",
+  "invalid_country_code",
+  "mixed_and_or_in_filter_value",
+  "quote_in_filter_value",
+  "upstream_invalid_params",
+  "upstream_invalid_id_value",
+  "query_too_long",
+  "upstream_invalid_params_other",
+  "upstream_validation_failed"
+]
  3. Changed7 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / entity_type / description
      Previous value: -"Entity type to search. Omit for cross-entity search (useful when entity type is unknown). Not applied when `query` is an identifier — an identifier determines its own entity type."New value: +"Entity type to search. Omit for cross-entity search (useful when entity type is unknown). With an identifier `query` it narrows only an identifier that can address more than one type: a ROR to institutions, funders, or publishers (omit it to get every one of the three that exists), and a Funder Registry DOI (10.13039/…) to works instead of the funder. Every other identifier resolves as the type it belongs to, whatever this names — except under keywords, where a bare OpenAlex ID shape (\"P53\") is searched as a keyword name, since keyword IDs are slugs."
    • changedInput schema / properties / filters / description
      Previous value: -"Narrow autocomplete results with filters. Example: restrict to a specific country or publication year range. Applies to name queries only — an identifier already addresses a single record."New value: +"Narrow autocomplete results with filters, in the openalex_search_entities filter syntax. Example: restrict to a specific country or publication year range. Country fields take ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes ({\"country_code\": \"DE\"} on institutions) and `language` takes ISO 639-1 codes (\"en\"); alpha-3, numeric, ISO 639-2, and English-name forms are converted — a multi-word name is one value, so \"South Korea|Japan\" ORs two countries — and a value that cannot be a country code is rejected. A multi-word value on a field matched as whole text (display_name, geo.city, geo.region, awards.funder_display_name) matches as one phrase ({\"geo.city\": \"New York\"} on institutions; a comma, as in \"University of California, Berkeley\", is part of it, and it cannot contain a double quote of its own), \"!\" and \"|\" included, but cannot be ANDed with \"+\" in the same field. A value mixing \"|\" with an AND operator — a \"+\", or a space on a field where words mean AND — is rejected, since OpenAlex drops every \"|\" alternative that ANDs more than one value; put the AND in a second key instead. Requires entity_type — filter fields belong to one entity type, so a name search across every type takes none, and a name query passing filters without entity_type is rejected. Applies to name queries only — an identifier lookup returns the records it addresses regardless."
    • changedInput schema / properties / query / description
      Previous value: -"Name or partial name to resolve. Also accepts an identifier, bare or in URL form — OpenAlex ID (\"W2741809807\", \"F4320332161\"), DOI (\"10.1038/nature12373\"), ORCID (\"0000-0002-1825-0097\"), ROR (\"https://ror.org/00hx57361\"), PMID (\"12345678\" or \"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12345678\"), ISSN (\"1234-5678\") — which resolves straight to that one record instead of running a name search. A keyword URL (\"https://openalex.org/keywords/groundwater\") resolves the same way; a bare keyword slug reads as a name and runs a name search, which finds it too. A PMCID (\"PMC1234567\" or a PubMed Central URL) is recognized but OpenAlex indexes no PMCIDs, so it resolves nothing — pass the work's PMID or DOI instead."New value: +"Name or partial name to resolve. Also accepts an identifier, bare or in URL form — OpenAlex ID (\"W2741809807\", \"F4320332161\", or an OpenAlex record-page or API URL such as \"https://openalex.org/works/W2741809807\"), DOI (\"10.1038/nature12373\", or a funder's Funder Registry DOI such as \"10.13039/100000001\"), ORCID (\"0000-0002-1825-0097\"), ROR (\"https://ror.org/00hx57361\"), PMID (\"12345678\" or \"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12345678\"), ISSN (\"1234-5678\") — which resolves straight to the record it addresses, or for a ROR up to three (see entity_type), instead of running a name search. A bare OpenAlex ID that resolves nothing is then searched as a name — under entity_type when given, and not at all when filters come without entity_type — since short names share its shape (\"P53\" is a keyword); under entity_type keywords it is searched as a name from the start. A keyword URL (\"https://openalex.org/keywords/groundwater\") resolves the same way; a bare keyword slug reads as a name and runs a name search, which finds it too. A PMCID (\"PMC1234567\" or a PubMed Central URL) is recognized but OpenAlex indexes no PMCIDs, so it resolves nothing — pass the work's PMID or DOI instead."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / description
      Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `rate_limited`: OpenAlex throttled the autocomplete request for exceeding its per-second ceiling (HTTP 429). `upstream_budget_exhausted`: The OpenAlex daily usage budget is spent (HTTP 429). `upstream_timeout`: OpenAlex did not respond within the request deadline. `upstream_unavailable`: OpenAlex was unreachable or unusable — HTTP 503, a connection failure, or a body that was empty, HTML, or unparseable JSON. `upstream_unauthorized`: OpenAlex rejected the API key (HTTP 401). `upstream_forbidden`: OpenAlex denied access to autocomplete (HTTP 403). `comma_in_filter_value`: A `filters` value contains a comma, which collides with the OpenAlex filter separator. `upstream_invalid_params`: OpenAlex rejected an invalid filter field name on the autocomplete query (HTTP 400). `upstream_invalid_id_value`: A `filters` entry expecting an entity ID received a value that is not an OpenAlex ID — usually a name (HTTP 400). `query_too_long`: OpenAlex autocomplete failed (HTTP 500) on a `query` longer than the 1,000 characters it accepts when entity_type is set. `upstream_invalid_params_other`: OpenAlex rejected the autocomplete request (HTTP 400) for a reason other than an invalid field name. `upstream_validation_failed`: OpenAlex rejected the autocomplete request as semantically invalid (HTTP 422). Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `filters_without_entity_type`: A name `query` passed `filters` without `entity_type`. Filter fields belong to one entity type, and a name search across every type takes no filters. `rate_limited`: OpenAlex throttled the autocomplete request for exceeding its per-second ceiling (HTTP 429). `upstream_budget_exhausted`: The OpenAlex daily usage budget is spent (HTTP 429). `upstream_plan_required`: A filter is one OpenAlex serves only on a paid plan — created_date, updated_date, or a from_/to_ form of either (HTTP 429 \"Plan upgrade required\"). `upstream_timeout`: OpenAlex did not respond within the request deadline. `upstream_unavailable`: OpenAlex was unreachable or unusable — HTTP 503, a connection failure, or a body that was empty, HTML, or unparseable JSON. `upstream_unauthorized`: OpenAlex rejected the API key (HTTP 401). `upstream_forbidden`: OpenAlex denied access to autocomplete (HTTP 403). `id_dot_segment`: An identifier `query` holds a `.` or `..` path segment, written plainly or percent-encoded. `comma_in_filter_value`: A `filters` value contains a comma, which collides with the OpenAlex filter separator, on a field that takes no phrase. Free-text search filters (any `.search` key, such as display_name.search) and fields matched as whole text (display_name, awards.funder_display_name, awards.funder_award_id, geo.city, geo.region, raw_affiliation_strings, block_key, parsed_longest_name, biblio fields) are exempt: a comma there is sent quoted, as part of the phrase. `invalid_country_code`: A country filter (a key ending in country_code, country_codes, or countries) holds a segment that cannot be a country code, such as a misspelled name, an unassigned number, \"unknown\", or two codes joined by a space (\"DE US\"). `mixed_and_or_in_filter_value`: A `filters` value puts \"|\" (OR) beside an AND operator — a \"+\", or a space on a field where words mean AND (on a country field a space is always part of a country name, and inside a language name it is part of the name). OpenAlex splits the value on \"|\" first and drops every alternative that ANDs more than one value, so no single value can carry both. `quote_in_filter_value`: A `filters` value sent to OpenAlex double-quoted holds a double quote inside its outer pair — a value the server quotes (a multi-word value on a field matched as whole text, or a value holding a comma on such a field or on a free-text search filter), or one the caller wrapped in double quotes on any filter but a free-text search. `upstream_invalid_params`: OpenAlex rejected an invalid filter field name on the autocomplete query (HTTP 400). `upstream_invalid_id_value`: A `filters` entry expecting an entity ID received a value that is not an OpenAlex ID — usually a name (HTTP 400). `query_too_long`: OpenAlex autocomplete failed (HTTP 500) on a `query` longer than the 1,000 characters it accepts when entity_type is set. `upstream_invalid_params_other`: OpenAlex rejected the autocomplete request (HTTP 400) for a reason other than an invalid field name. `upstream_validation_failed`: OpenAlex rejected the autocomplete request as semantically invalid (HTTP 422). Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / examples
      Previous value: -[
-  "rate_limited",
-  "upstream_budget_exhausted",
-  "upstream_timeout",
-  "upstream_unavailable",
-  "upstream_unauthorized",
-  "upstream_forbidden",
-  "comma_in_filter_value",
-  "upstream_invalid_params",
-  "upstream_invalid_id_value",
-  "query_too_long",
-  "upstream_invalid_params_other",
-  "upstream_validation_failed"
-]New value: +[
+  "filters_without_entity_type",
+  "rate_limited",
+  "upstream_budget_exhausted",
+  "upstream_plan_required",
+  "upstream_timeout",
+  "upstream_unavailable",
+  "upstream_unauthorized",
+  "upstream_forbidden",
+  "id_dot_segment",
+  "comma_in_filter_value",
+  "invalid_country_code",
+  "mixed_and_or_in_filter_value",
+  "quote_in_filter_value",
+  "upstream_invalid_params",
+  "upstream_invalid_id_value",
+  "query_too_long",
+  "upstream_invalid_params_other",
+  "upstream_validation_failed"
+]
    • changedOutput schema / properties / notice / description
      Previous value: -"Guidance notice. Set when nothing matched (echoes the query and suggests corrections) or when an identifier query was passed name-search parameters that do not apply to it. Absent otherwise."New value: +"Guidance notice. Set when nothing matched (echoes the query, and the filters when a name search applied them, and suggests corrections), when a bare OpenAlex ID resolved nothing and the query was searched as a name instead (names both outcomes, or why the name search did not run or finish), when an identifier query was passed name-search parameters that do not apply to it, or when one of the lookups for a ROR failed upstream (names the entity type whose record may be missing). Absent otherwise."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / results / description
      Previous value: -"Autocomplete matches, up to 10."New value: +"Matches: up to 10 autocomplete matches for a name; for an identifier, the record it addresses — for a ROR, up to three, institution then funder then publisher — or none."
  4. Changed4 schema fields changed
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / description
      Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `rate_limited`: OpenAlex throttled the autocomplete request for exceeding its per-second ceiling (HTTP 429). `upstream_budget_exhausted`: The OpenAlex daily usage budget is spent (HTTP 429). `upstream_timeout`: OpenAlex did not respond within the request deadline. `upstream_unavailable`: OpenAlex was unreachable or unusable — HTTP 503, a connection failure, or a body that was empty, HTML, or unparseable JSON. `upstream_unauthorized`: OpenAlex rejected the API key (HTTP 401). `upstream_forbidden`: OpenAlex denied access to autocomplete (HTTP 403). `comma_in_filter_value`: A `filters` value contains a comma, which collides with the OpenAlex filter separator. `upstream_invalid_params`: OpenAlex rejected an invalid filter field name on the autocomplete query (HTTP 400). `upstream_invalid_id_value`: A `filters` entry expecting an entity ID received a value that is not an OpenAlex ID — usually a name (HTTP 400). `upstream_invalid_params_other`: OpenAlex rejected the autocomplete request (HTTP 400) for a reason other than an invalid field name. `upstream_validation_failed`: OpenAlex rejected the autocomplete request as semantically invalid (HTTP 422). Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `rate_limited`: OpenAlex throttled the autocomplete request for exceeding its per-second ceiling (HTTP 429). `upstream_budget_exhausted`: The OpenAlex daily usage budget is spent (HTTP 429). `upstream_timeout`: OpenAlex did not respond within the request deadline. `upstream_unavailable`: OpenAlex was unreachable or unusable — HTTP 503, a connection failure, or a body that was empty, HTML, or unparseable JSON. `upstream_unauthorized`: OpenAlex rejected the API key (HTTP 401). `upstream_forbidden`: OpenAlex denied access to autocomplete (HTTP 403). `comma_in_filter_value`: A `filters` value contains a comma, which collides with the OpenAlex filter separator. `upstream_invalid_params`: OpenAlex rejected an invalid filter field name on the autocomplete query (HTTP 400). `upstream_invalid_id_value`: A `filters` entry expecting an entity ID received a value that is not an OpenAlex ID — usually a name (HTTP 400). `query_too_long`: OpenAlex autocomplete failed (HTTP 500) on a `query` longer than the 1,000 characters it accepts when entity_type is set. `upstream_invalid_params_other`: OpenAlex rejected the autocomplete request (HTTP 400) for a reason other than an invalid field name. `upstream_validation_failed`: OpenAlex rejected the autocomplete request as semantically invalid (HTTP 422). Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / examples
      Previous value: -[
-  "rate_limited",
-  "upstream_budget_exhausted",
-  "upstream_timeout",
-  "upstream_unavailable",
-  "upstream_unauthorized",
-  "upstream_forbidden",
-  "comma_in_filter_value",
-  "upstream_invalid_params",
-  "upstream_invalid_id_value",
-  "upstream_invalid_params_other",
-  "upstream_validation_failed"
-]New value: +[
+  "rate_limited",
+  "upstream_budget_exhausted",
+  "upstream_timeout",
+  "upstream_unavailable",
+  "upstream_unauthorized",
+  "upstream_forbidden",
+  "comma_in_filter_value",
+  "upstream_invalid_params",
+  "upstream_invalid_id_value",
+  "query_too_long",
+  "upstream_invalid_params_other",
+  "upstream_validation_failed"
+]
    • changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / display_name / description
      Previous value: -"Human-readable name. null only for an identifier lookup that landed on a record OpenAlex holds no title for (paratext works and other untitled entries) — use `id` to identify it."New value: +"Human-readable name as plain text, with HTML entities decoded and markup removed. null only for an identifier lookup that landed on a record OpenAlex holds no title for (paratext works and other untitled entries) — use `id` to identify it."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / hint / description
      Previous value: -"Disambiguation context — last institution (authors), host organization (sources), place or country (institutions); author names (works) from a name search, publication year from an identifier lookup. null when the record carries none."New value: +"Disambiguation context as plain text — last institution (authors), host organization (sources), place or country (institutions); author names (works) from a name search, publication year from an identifier lookup. null when the record carries none."
  5. Changed1 schema field changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / query / description
      Previous value: -"Name or partial name to resolve. Also accepts an identifier, bare or in URL form — OpenAlex ID (\"W2741809807\", \"F4320332161\"), DOI (\"10.1038/nature12373\"), ORCID (\"0000-0002-1825-0097\"), ROR (\"https://ror.org/00hx57361\"), PMID (\"12345678\" or \"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12345678\"), ISSN (\"1234-5678\") — which resolves straight to that one record instead of running a name search. A PMCID (\"PMC1234567\" or a PubMed Central URL) is recognized but OpenAlex indexes no PMCIDs, so it resolves nothing — pass the work's PMID or DOI instead."New value: +"Name or partial name to resolve. Also accepts an identifier, bare or in URL form — OpenAlex ID (\"W2741809807\", \"F4320332161\"), DOI (\"10.1038/nature12373\"), ORCID (\"0000-0002-1825-0097\"), ROR (\"https://ror.org/00hx57361\"), PMID (\"12345678\" or \"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12345678\"), ISSN (\"1234-5678\") — which resolves straight to that one record instead of running a name search. A keyword URL (\"https://openalex.org/keywords/groundwater\") resolves the same way; a bare keyword slug reads as a name and runs a name search, which finds it too. A PMCID (\"PMC1234567\" or a PubMed Central URL) is recognized but OpenAlex indexes no PMCIDs, so it resolves nothing — pass the work's PMID or DOI instead."
  6. Changed1 schema field changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / query / description
      Previous value: -"Name or partial name to resolve. Also accepts an identifier, bare or in URL form — OpenAlex ID (\"W2741809807\", \"F4320332161\"), DOI (\"10.1038/nature12373\"), ORCID (\"0000-0002-1825-0097\"), ROR (\"https://ror.org/00hx57361\"), PMID (\"12345678\" or \"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12345678\"), PMCID (\"PMC1234567\"), ISSN (\"1234-5678\") — which resolves straight to that one record instead of running a name search."New value: +"Name or partial name to resolve. Also accepts an identifier, bare or in URL form — OpenAlex ID (\"W2741809807\", \"F4320332161\"), DOI (\"10.1038/nature12373\"), ORCID (\"0000-0002-1825-0097\"), ROR (\"https://ror.org/00hx57361\"), PMID (\"12345678\" or \"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12345678\"), ISSN (\"1234-5678\") — which resolves straight to that one record instead of running a name search. A PMCID (\"PMC1234567\" or a PubMed Central URL) is recognized but OpenAlex indexes no PMCIDs, so it resolves nothing — pass the work's PMID or DOI instead."
  7. Changed1 schema field changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / query / description
      Previous value: -"Name or partial name to resolve. Also accepts an identifier, bare or in URL form — OpenAlex ID (\"W2741809807\", \"F4320332161\"), DOI (\"10.1038/nature12373\"), ORCID (\"0000-0002-1825-0097\"), ROR (\"https://ror.org/00hx57361\"), PMID (\"12345678\"), PMCID (\"PMC1234567\"), ISSN (\"1234-5678\") — which resolves straight to that one record instead of running a name search."New value: +"Name or partial name to resolve. Also accepts an identifier, bare or in URL form — OpenAlex ID (\"W2741809807\", \"F4320332161\"), DOI (\"10.1038/nature12373\"), ORCID (\"0000-0002-1825-0097\"), ROR (\"https://ror.org/00hx57361\"), PMID (\"12345678\" or \"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12345678\"), PMCID (\"PMC1234567\"), ISSN (\"1234-5678\") — which resolves straight to that one record instead of running a name search."
  8. Changed8 schema fields changed
    • removedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / display_name / anyOf
      Removed value: -[
-  {
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  {
-    "type": "null"
-  }
-]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / display_name / type
      Added value: +[
+  "string",
+  "null"
+]
    • removedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / external_id / anyOf
      Removed value: -[
-  {
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  {
-    "type": "null"
-  }
-]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / external_id / type
      Added value: +[
+  "string",
+  "null"
+]
    • removedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / hint / anyOf
      Removed value: -[
-  {
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  {
-    "type": "null"
-  }
-]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / hint / type
      Added value: +[
+  "string",
+  "null"
+]
    • removedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / works_count / anyOf
      Removed value: -[
-  {
-    "type": "number"
-  },
-  {
-    "type": "null"
-  }
-]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / works_count / type
      Added value: +[
+  "number",
+  "null"
+]
  9. Changed6 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": [
+      "results"
+    ]
+  },
+  {
+    "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: `rate_limited`: OpenAlex throttled the autocomplete request for exceeding its per-second ceiling (HTTP 429). `upstream_budget_exhausted`: The OpenAlex daily usage budget is spent (HTTP 429). `upstream_timeout`: OpenAlex did not respond within the request deadline. `upstream_unavailable`: OpenAlex was unreachable or unusable — HTTP 503, a connection failure, or a body that was empty, HTML, or unparseable JSON. `upstream_unauthorized`: OpenAlex rejected the API key (HTTP 401). `upstream_forbidden`: OpenAlex denied access to autocomplete (HTTP 403). `comma_in_filter_value`: A `filters` value contains a comma, which collides with the OpenAlex filter separator. `upstream_invalid_params`: OpenAlex rejected an invalid filter field name on the autocomplete query (HTTP 400). `upstream_invalid_id_value`: A `filters` entry expecting an entity ID received a value that is not an OpenAlex ID — usually a name (HTTP 400). `upstream_invalid_params_other`: OpenAlex rejected the autocomplete request (HTTP 400) for a reason other than an invalid field name. `upstream_validation_failed`: OpenAlex rejected the autocomplete request as semantically invalid (HTTP 422). Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler.",
+          "examples": [
+            "rate_limited",
+            "upstream_budget_exhausted",
+            "upstream_timeout",
+            "upstream_unavailable",
+            "upstream_unauthorized",
+            "upstream_forbidden",
+            "comma_in_filter_value",
+            "upstream_invalid_params",
+            "upstream_invalid_id_value",
+            "upstream_invalid_params_other",
+            "upstream_validation_failed"
+          ],
+          "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: -[
-  "results"
-]
  10. Changed9 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / entity_type / description
      Previous value: -"Entity type to search. Omit for cross-entity search (useful when entity type is unknown)."New value: +"Entity type to search. Omit for cross-entity search (useful when entity type is unknown). Not applied when `query` is an identifier — an identifier determines its own entity type."
    • changedInput schema / properties / filters / description
      Previous value: -"Narrow autocomplete results with filters. Example: restrict to a specific country or publication year range."New value: +"Narrow autocomplete results with filters. Example: restrict to a specific country or publication year range. Applies to name queries only — an identifier already addresses a single record."
    • changedInput schema / properties / query / description
      Previous value: -"Name or partial name to resolve. Also accepts DOIs for quick lookup."New value: +"Name or partial name to resolve. Also accepts an identifier, bare or in URL form — OpenAlex ID (\"W2741809807\", \"F4320332161\"), DOI (\"10.1038/nature12373\"), ORCID (\"0000-0002-1825-0097\"), ROR (\"https://ror.org/00hx57361\"), PMID (\"12345678\"), PMCID (\"PMC1234567\"), ISSN (\"1234-5678\") — which resolves straight to that one record instead of running a name search."
    • addedOutput schema / properties / budget / properties / prepaidRemainingUsd
      Added value: +{
+  "description": "USD left in the prepaid balance — a separate pool OpenAlex draws on only after the daily allowance runs out, and which the daily reset does not refill. Add it to `remainingUsd` for the full spendable amount. Absent when the account holds no prepaid balance.",
+  "type": "number"
+}
    • changedOutput schema / properties / notice / description
      Previous value: -"Recovery guidance when no matches were found — echoes the query and suggests corrections. Absent when results are present."New value: +"Guidance notice. Set when nothing matched (echoes the query and suggests corrections) or when an identifier query was passed name-search parameters that do not apply to it. Absent otherwise."
    • addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / display_name / anyOf
      Added value: +[
+  {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]
    • changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / display_name / description
      Previous value: -"Human-readable name."New value: +"Human-readable name. null only for an identifier lookup that landed on a record OpenAlex holds no title for (paratext works and other untitled entries) — use `id` to identify it."
    • removedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / display_name / type
      Removed value: -"string"
    • changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / hint / description
      Previous value: -"Disambiguation context: author names (works), last institution (authors), host org (sources), location (institutions)."New value: +"Disambiguation context — last institution (authors), host organization (sources), place or country (institutions); author names (works) from a name search, publication year from an identifier lookup. null when the record carries none."
  11. Changed1 schema field changed
    • addedOutput schema / properties / budget
      Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "description": "What this call cost against the OpenAlex daily budget and what is left of it. Read `remainingUsd` here to size the search or traversal this resolution feeds. Absent when OpenAlex omitted the accounting headers.",
+  "properties": {
+    "costUsd": {
+      "description": "USD this call spent. Autocomplete is priced at the floor — resolving a name before filtering costs far less than the failed searches an ambiguous name causes.",
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "remainingUsd": {
+      "description": "USD left in today's OpenAlex budget after this call.",
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "resetsInSeconds": {
+      "description": "Seconds until the daily budget refills (midnight UTC).",
+      "type": "number"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "costUsd",
+    "remainingUsd",
+    "resetsInSeconds"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}
  12. Changed1 schema field changed
    • addedOutput schema / properties / notice
      Added value: +{
+  "description": "Recovery guidance when no matches were found — echoes the query and suggests corrections. Absent when results are present.",
+  "type": "string"
+}
  13. Changed1 schema field changed
    • changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / entity_type / description
      Previous value: -"Entity type (work, author, source, institution, etc.)."New value: +"Entity type — one of: work, author, source, institution, topic, keyword, publisher, funder."
  14. Changed1 schema field changed
    • addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / description
      Added value: +"A single autocomplete match with its ID, name, entity type, activity stats, and a disambiguation hint."
  15. First observed

TDQS

A4.5/5.0
Behavior5/5

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

Annotations cover only safety/idempotency, and the description goes well past them: it discloses that a PMCID resolves nothing because OpenAlex indexes no PMCIDs, that award IDs issue no request and return a notice pointing at openalex_search_entities, and that a ROR fans out to up to three entity records with institution first. These are non-obvious failure modes and multi-result behaviors an agent could not infer from 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.

Conciseness3/5

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

The key instruction and the identifier-vs-name split are front-loaded, which is good. But the body runs roughly 300 words and much of it duplicates the query and entity_type schema descriptions nearly verbatim, so a substantial share of sentences do not earn extra value over the structured fields.

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 annotations, a full-coverage schema, an output schema, and a nested filters object, this is a complex tool — and the description covers every edge case an agent needs (ambiguous multi-type identifiers, unsupported identifier families, filter/entity_type dependency) without needing to explain return values.

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 coverage is 100% and the three parameters are fully documented in the schema, so the baseline is 3. The description's parameter content largely restates the schema's own wording (identifier forms, entity_type narrowing rules) rather than adding syntax or semantics the schema lacks.

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?

Opens with a specific verb+resource: 'Resolve a name or an identifier to an OpenAlex ID.' It immediately distinguishes the tool's role from the search sibling by stating that awards are handled by openalex_search_entities, so an agent can place it in the toolset without opening the schema.

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?

Explicit directive: 'ALWAYS use this before filtering by entity — names are ambiguous, IDs are not,' gives both the when and the reason. It also names the alternative for awards (openalex_search_entities) and the condition that selects it, plus the fallback path when a bare OpenAlex ID resolves nothing.

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

All openalex-mcp-server toolsInspect
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.

Resources