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Jean — Molecular Biology & Genomics

copy_number_segment

Read-only

Segment one chromosome of an Affymetrix copy-number container by up to four independent methods and report where they agree.

Input Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
fileNowhich copy-number file in this project, by name. Unset, it is the project's only one — and it refuses rather than guessing when there is more than one.
graphNowhich graph column to segment. Unset is the first log2-ratio column, which is what the panel segments. A column that is not a log2 ratio is refused rather than segmented: a copy-number STATE column is already someone's answer.
_filesNoThe project: record references shaped like _subject. Their records become library documents a tool names in sequences/parts/document; a trace or alignment is found by file name.
cbs_etaNoDNAcopy's `eta`: the error budget for stopping each permutation test early once its outcome is settled. Not the significance level; any value but 0.05 recomputes the stopping boundary. Same default as the panel.
methodsNowhich methods to run, comma-separated: `hmm`, `cbs`, `pcf`, `pelt`. Unset runs all four, because the point of this node is where they agree. The panel has each of them off until asked, so running one here is not a different default — it is the same control, pressed.
_subjectNoThe record to act on: exactly one of sequence, accession (+source), sample (an id from list_samples) or file ({name, text} or {name, base64}); record_index picks one record of several.
cbs_seedNoCBS accepts a boundary by permutation test, so the run is seeded and about 1 borderline dataset in 40 segments differently under a different seed. Same default as the panel.
cbs_trimNoDNAcopy's `trim`: the fraction cut from each tail before sdundo measures the noise SD. Read only when `cbs_undo_splits` is sdundo. Same default as the panel. Only applies when cbs_undo_splits is sdundo.
data_setNowhich data set to segment, by name. Unset is the file's FIRST, which is what the panel opens on.
pcf_kminNoPCF's shortest allowed segment, in markers — the finest change the fit may claim. Same default as the panel.
hmm_modelNowhich copy-number state model the HMM calls against. `file` is the model the container's own header states, and is used when unset if the file states one; otherwise the first preset. `apt-cn-state` is APT's generic method with its GC-corrected means, `apt-cn-cyto2` the six-state method written for CytoScan arrays. The panel lists the same models in the same order. Values: file (This file’s own parameters), apt-cn-state (APT cn-state (GC-corrected)), apt-cn-cyto2 (APT cn-cyto2 (CytoScan)).
pcf_gammaNoPCF's penalty per jump — how much evidence a level change must carry. Scaled by the squared MAD noise estimate unless `pcf_normalize` is off, which is what makes 40 mean the same thing on a quiet array and a noisy one. Same default as the panel.
chromosomeNowhich chromosome to segment, as the file numbers them (1-22, then 23=X, 24=Y, 25=MT — the file's own convention). Unset is the first the index carries, which is what the panel selects.
pcf_methodNowhich piecewise-constant fit: `auto` (copynumber's own rule — the exact dynamic program under 400 markers, its selectFastPcf approximation above), `exact`, or `fast`. Both are ported and graded against R, so this is a real choice. `exact` is refused above 25,000 markers rather than silently downgraded: it is quadratic there (21 s at 100,000), where the approximation fits a whole 142,000-marker chromosome in about 0.3 s. Same default as the panel. Values: auto (Automatic), exact (Exact), fast (Approximate).auto
cbs_undo_sdNoDNAcopy's `undo.SD`: the merge threshold in trimmed noise SDs. Read only when `cbs_undo_splits` is sdundo. Same default as the panel. Only applies when cbs_undo_splits is sdundo.
pelt_penaltyNoPELT's penalty, and the reason its knob is a different KIND of knob from PCF's gamma: it is an information criterion, so the number of segments follows from a model-selection rule rather than from a constant calibrated against this array's noise. MBIC is changepoint's own default and adds log(segment length) to each segment's cost as well as its (parameters + 2)·log(n) penalty. `Manual` is the only one that reads `pelt_penalty_value`. Same default as the panel. Values: MBIC (MBIC), BIC (BIC), SIC0 (BIC without the location term), AIC (AIC), Hannan-Quinn (Hannan-Quinn), Manual (Manual), None (None).MBIC
pcf_normalizeNoscale the PCF penalty by the squared MAD noise estimate (the vendor’s `normalize`). Off makes gamma an absolute penalty in squared log2 units, which is a different parameter wearing the same name. Same default as the panel.
cbs_undo_pruneNoDNAcopy's `undo.prune`: the fractional increase in residual cost pruning may accept. Read only when `cbs_undo_splits` is prune. Same default as the panel. Only applies when cbs_undo_splits is prune.
pelt_minseglenNoPELT's shortest allowed segment, in markers (changepoint's `minseglen`) — the finest change the fit may claim. Same default as the panel.
cbs_undo_splitsNoDNAcopy's `undo.splits`, the post-hoc merge over what CBS found: `none` keeps every significant split, `sdundo` merges adjacent segments whose medians are within `cbs_undo_sd` trimmed SDs (is this boundary bigger than the noise?), `prune` keeps the fewest change points whose cost stays within `cbs_undo_prune` (how few boundaries explain this almost as well?). Same default as the panel. Values: none (Keep every split), sdundo (Merge within SDs), prune (Prune by cost).none
pelt_standardizeNodivide by the robust MAD before fitting. ON by default, and this is the one PELT default that is ours rather than the vendor's, because the vendor documents the assumption and does not enforce it: a change-in-mean cost is a raw residual sum of squares while the penalty is on a log(n) scale, so the two are only commensurate at unit variance. Off, a noisy array buys boundaries it should not and a quiet one buys none, and both look like plausible answers. Same default as the panel.
pelt_penalty_valueNothe cost a boundary must save to be worth buying, in the cost function's own units. Read ONLY when `pelt_penalty` is Manual; the named criteria derive their own from the marker count. Same default as the panel. Only applies when pelt_penalty is Manual.

Output Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
summaryYeswhat each method answered on this chromosome, generated from the run — never a fixed sentence over a variable outcome
segmentsYesper method, its segments with their marker range, genomic span and level — and for the HMM, the state it called
agreementYeswhere the methods that ran put their boundaries, and which boundaries more than one of them found. This is the reading no single method can produce
derivationYesper method, what it actually used: the model and its means for the HMM, the seed for CBS, kmin and the raw and scaled gamma for PCF — plus each method's published provenance, and the reason where one declined to run

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. First observed

TDQS

B3.2/5.0
Behavior3/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint=true and destructiveHint=false, so the safety profile is covered. The description adds that scope is one chromosome and that the result is an agreement report across methods, which is genuine context beyond annotations, but says nothing about cost, output shape, or failure behavior (e.g. that a non-log2 column is refused) — those facts are stranded in the schema.

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?

One sentence, front-loaded with the verb and scope, with zero filler. It is arguably under-sized for a 22-parameter tool, but nothing in it is wasted.

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

Completeness3/5

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

With 22 parameters, nested objects, and an output schema, the heavy lifting is legitimately delegated. Still, the description leaves an agent without the key routing information (why segment by four methods rather than one, or what the agreement report contains) even though that is precisely what makes this tool distinct.

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% and the per-parameter text is unusually detailed (defaults, ranges, interactions such as cbs_trim only applying under sdundo). The description itself contributes no parameter meaning at all, so the baseline 3 applies: the schema is doing all the work.

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

Purpose4/5

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

The description names a specific verb (segment), a specific resource (one chromosome of an Affymetrix copy-number container), and a distinctive outcome (up to four independent methods plus where they agree). That distinguishes it reasonably from siblings like copy_number_regions or copy_number_compare, though it never names those alternatives explicitly, so it stops short of a 5.

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

Usage Guidelines2/5

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

The description states what happens but not when to reach for this tool instead of the many copy_number_* siblings (copy_number_regions, copy_number_read, copy_number_compare, copy_number_findings). There is no exclusion or precondition in the description text; the useful 'unset runs all four because the point is agreement' reasoning lives only in the schema, not here.

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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