wikipedia-mcp-server

Search Wikipedia Nearby

wikipedia_search_nearby

Read-only

Find Wikipedia articles about places near a geographic coordinate. Returns articles sorted by distance from the query point, with titles, short descriptions, Wikidata QIDs, page IDs, coordinates, and distance in meters. Useful for "what is notable near X?" research workflows. Only articles carrying their own coordinate tag (GeoData, set on the article itself — not the Wikidata item's coordinate) are returned, and that tag is what places and measures each result; not all articles about locations are geotagged, and an article whose tag is wrong appears where the tag puts it, which its description usually makes plain.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`limit`	No	Maximum number of results to return (default 10, max 500 — the MediaWiki geosearch ceiling). Must be a positive integer. Geosearch has no pagination, so articles past this limit are only reachable by raising it or searching narrower radii.
`language`	No	Wikipedia language edition code (default "en"). Examples: "fr", "de", "ja".	en
`latitude`	Yes	WGS 84 latitude in decimal degrees (range: −90 to 90).
`longitude`	Yes	WGS 84 longitude in decimal degrees (range: −180 to 180).
`radius_meters`	No	Search radius in meters (default 1000, min 10, max 10000 — the MediaWiki geosearch bounds). Must be an integer; a value above the maximum is clamped to it.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`cap`	No	The limit that was applied.
`error`	No	Present when the call failed. Absent on success.
`shown`	No	Number of results returned.
`notice`	No	Guidance when results were capped (raise limit, or — at the 500 ceiling — sweep narrower radii) or when no geotagged articles were found (increase radius). Absent when neither applies.
`results`	No	Geotagged articles sorted ascending by distance_meters.
`language`	No	Language edition queried.
`truncated`	No	True when more articles matched than the limit allowed. Established by probing one result past the limit, so a match count landing exactly on the limit reports false — except at the 500 ceiling, where no probe is possible and any full page reports true.
`queryLatitude`	No	Latitude used for the search.
`queryLongitude`	No	Longitude used for the search.
`radiusMetersUsed`	No	Radius in meters used for the search.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed6 schema fields changedSep 22, 2026

changedOutput schema / properties / notice / description

Previous value: -"Guidance when results were capped (raise limit or sweep narrower radii) or when no geotagged articles were found (increase radius). Absent when neither applies."New value: +"Guidance when results were capped (raise limit, or — at the 500 ceiling — sweep narrower radii) or when no geotagged articles were found (increase radius). Absent when neither applies."

addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / description

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Short description of the article subject (e.g. \"Tower in Paris, France\"). Absent when the article has none.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / latitude / description

Previous value: -"Article subject latitude in decimal degrees."New value: +"Latitude of the article's own coordinate tag, in decimal degrees."

changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / longitude / description

Previous value: -"Article subject longitude in decimal degrees."New value: +"Longitude of the article's own coordinate tag, in decimal degrees."

addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / wikibase_item

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Wikidata QID (e.g. \"Q243\") for chaining into wikidata-mcp-server. Absent when the article has no Wikidata item.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / truncated / description

Previous value: -"True when more articles matched than the limit allowed. Established by probing one result past the limit, so a match count landing exactly on the limit reports false."New value: +"True when more articles matched than the limit allowed. Established by probing one result past the limit, so a match count landing exactly on the limit reports false — except at the 500 ceiling, where no probe is possible and any full page reports true."

First observedSep 17, 2026

TDQS

A4.5/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

Annotations only provide readOnlyHint and openWorldHint; the description adds crucial behavioral caveats beyond annotations: results require an article's own GeoData tag, not the Wikidata item coordinate, the tag determines placement and measurement, and mis-tagged articles appear at the tag's location. This is exactly the kind of non-obvious behavior an agent needs.

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 definition front-loads the core purpose and return shape in the first two sentences, then spends one purposeful sentence on use case and one on the critical coordinate-tag caveat. No filler; the length is justified by the subtle behavior it must convey.

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 read-only search tool, it covers what it returns, how results are ordered, the search context, and the main data-quality caveat. The output schema handles return structure, and the schema handles bounds and pagination, so nothing needed to call it correctly is missing.

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?

Input schema already documents all 5 parameters with 100% coverage, including defaults, bounds, and MediaWiki clamping/pagination caveats. The description adds no extra parameter semantics, so it meets the baseline but does not exceed it.

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+object: find Wikipedia articles about places near a geographic coordinate, and enumerates returned fields (titles, descriptions, QIDs, page IDs, coordinates, distance). This clearly separates it from sibling article-fetch and language tools; it is unmistakably a coordinate-based search.

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

Usage Guidelines4/5

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

Explicitly frames the use case ('what is notable near X?' research workflows), giving clear context for when to invoke. It does not name sibling alternatives or state when not to use it, so it falls short of a 5.

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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