unhcr-refugees-mcp-server

UNHCR asylum applications

unhcr_get_asylum_applications

Read-onlyIdempotent

Get asylum applications lodged per year (2000 to the latest year) by country of origin and/or asylum, split by default into application stage — new, repeat, appeal, and the combined stages some countries report — so new claims are not added to appeals of old ones. Counts given as cases are never added to counts of persons; each row states its unit. Decode stage, authority, and decision-level codes with unhcr_list_reference (topic asylum_codes).

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`limit`	No	Requested inline rows, 1–1000000 (default 100); values above 500 are clamped to 500 with disclosure. Sorting runs over the full result first; a larger result is staged as a dataframe where dataframes are enabled.
`stage`	No	Stage the full result as a dataframe even when it fits inline, e.g. to join it with another unhcr_get_* result in unhcr_dataframe_query. Where dataframes are unavailable it is ignored, and the notice says so.
`asylum`	No	Country of asylum — where people sought or hold protection; for returns, the country they returned from — as ISO3 codes (DEU, TUR), case-insensitive, same rules as origin. At most 50 codes. Omit to sum every asylum country into one row, or set expand to list each.
`expand`	No	List every country, one row each, for a dimension that origin or asylum leaves unfiltered: origin, asylum, or both. Default none, where an unfiltered dimension is summed into one row. Expanding a dimension that origin or asylum already filters is rejected.	none
`origin`	No	Country of origin — where people fled from — as ISO3 codes (SYR, AFG), case-insensitive. ISO 3166 alpha-2 codes (SY) are rewritten to ISO3 and echoed in applied_scope. UNHCR's own codes (GFR) are rejected with the ISO3 to pass instead, and country names are rejected: resolve a name with unhcr_list_reference (topic countries, name_contains). Each listed code returns its own rows; codes are never summed together. At most 50 codes. Omit to sum every origin into one row, or set expand to list each.
`stages`	No	Keep only these application stages before summing, case-insensitive: N new, R repeat, A appeal, NA new and appeal together, NR new and repeat together, FA first and appeal, J judiciary, BL backlog, SP subsidiary protection; V and RA appear in the data without a published definition. ["N"] gives new applications only, the basis of UNHCR's headline figure. Omit for every stage.
`sort_by`	No	Order of the full result before the inline cut. year (default) orders by year, then origin ISO3, then asylum ISO3; applied orders largest first, nulls last.	year
`year_to`	No	Last year of the window. When omitted, the window runs to the latest published year (latest_year in the result). A year past the latest published year is clamped to it and the clamp is reported.
`split_by`	No	Procedure dimensions kept as separate rows: authority (government, UNHCR, or joint), stage (new, repeat, appeal, …), decision_level. Every dimension left out is summed. Default ["stage"]; [] gives one total per year and scope for each unit. Unit is always kept separate.
`year_from`	No	First year of the window. When omitted, the window starts at the dataset's first year. A year before the dataset's first year is clamped to it and the clamp is reported; a window entirely outside the dataset's years is rejected.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`cap`	No	The limit that was applied.
`rows`	No	Inline rows, sorted, up to limit.
`error`	No	Present when the call failed. Absent on success.
`shown`	No	Rows returned inline.
`notice`	No	Guidance for this result: empty-result hints, year clamps, where the full set was staged, or how to narrow.
`dataset`	No	Present when the full result was staged as a dataframe; read its columns with unhcr_dataframe_describe, then query it with unhcr_dataframe_query.
`measure`	No	stock: people in a situation on 31 December; flow: events during the year.
`complete`	No	False when the server row cap stopped the upstream fetch; the notice says how many upstream rows were fetched and how to narrow.
`truncated`	No	True when rows were cut at limit.
`data_notes`	No	How to read the counts: stock or flow, rounding, the meaning of null, caveats.
`total_rows`	No	Rows in the full result before the inline cut. When complete is false, the result is built from only the upstream rows fetched before the cap, so rows and summed counts can fall short of the complete result.
`attribution`	No	Attribution UNHCR requires when these figures are reused.
`latest_year`	No	Newest year this dataset publishes.
`applied_scope`	No	The scope actually sent upstream, including clamped years and code rewrites.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed2 schema fields changedOct 20, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / limit / description

Previous value: -"Rows returned inline, 1–500 (default 100). Sorting runs over the full result first; a larger result is staged as a dataframe where dataframes are enabled."New value: +"Requested inline rows, 1–1000000 (default 100); values above 500 are clamped to 500 with disclosure. Sorting runs over the full result first; a larger result is staged as a dataframe where dataframes are enabled."

changedInput schema / properties / limit / maximum
```
Previous value: -500New value: +1000000
```

First observedOct 4, 2026

TDQS

A4.1/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already establish readOnly, idempotent, open-world, so safety is covered. The description adds real behavioral value beyond that: it warns that case counts are never added to person counts and that each row declares its unit, and that the stage split prevents new claims being merged into old appeals. It omits discussion of rate limits or response size behavior, which the schema covers.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

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

Three sentences, front-loaded with purpose and scope, then the unit-mixing caveat, then the helper-tool pointer. Dense but every sentence carries a distinct payload; the first sentence is long but earns its length by packing scope, dimension, and default behavior.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a 10-parameter, all-optional aggregation tool with a full output schema and supporting annotations, the description supplies the key interpretive context (unit mixing, default stage split, code decoding). Nothing critical is missing, though it does not touch on the clamping/disclosure mechanics that an agent would only learn from the schema.

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

Parameters3/5

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

Schema description coverage is 100%, so the schema already documents all ten parameters in detail (clamping, expand rejection rules, ISO3 rewriting, enum codes). The description reinforces the default stage split and code-decoding path but adds little syntax or format meaning beyond what the schema states; baseline 3 applies.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific verb and resource ('Get asylum applications lodged per year'), gives the temporal scope (2000 to latest), and names the two filterable dimensions (origin and/or asylum). An agent can distinguish this from the sibling unhcr_get_asylum_decisions purely from the description.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Explains the default splitting behavior and routes to unhcr_list_reference (topic asylum_codes) for decoding stage/authority/decision-level codes, which is actionable context. It does not, however, explicitly say when to prefer this tool over unhcr_get_asylum_decisions or unhcr_get_demographics, so the guidance is clear but not exclusionary.

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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