Comtrade

Comtrade Trade Data

comtrade_trade_data

Read-onlyIdempotent

AUTHORITATIVE bilateral trade data between two countries from UN Comtrade — the official international-trade statistics database (every country's customs filings, harmonized). Returns trade values USD, quantities, and HS commodity-level detail for imports and exports between reporter + partner. Use for "how much X did US import from China in 2024", "what does Germany export to Brazil", "Mexico's top trade partners by commodity", or "how did Saudi–Egypt trade move this year" (pass frequency="monthly" for month-by-month, not just last year's annual total). UN Comtrade reporter/partner codes (842=US — Comtrade uses 842, NOT the ISO 840; 156=China, 276=Germany, 0=World — see comtrade_country_codes). Defaults to ANNUAL data (lags ~3 months from reporting period); pass frequency="monthly" for month-level data (lags more and some reporters never file monthly — a missing month is simply absent from the result, never shown as a zero). Every response states its own "frequency" so a monthly figure is never mistaken for an annual one.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`hs`	No	Alias for hs_code — HS commodity code. Use this OR hs_code, not both.
`flow`	No	Trade flow: "M" for imports, "X" for exports. Optional — defaults to both "M,X".
`year`	Yes	Trade period. For frequency="annual" (default): a year, e.g. "2024". For frequency="monthly": year+month as YYYYMM, e.g. "202401" for January 2024.
`hs_code`	No	HS commodity code at 2/4/6 digit level (e.g., "8471" for computers, "2603" for copper ores). Optional — omit for all commodities. Aliases accepted: commodity_code, commodity, hs, cmd_code (pass exactly one of hs_code/commodity_code/commodity/hs/cmd_code — do not need hs_code as well).
`cmd_code`	No	Alias for hs_code — HS commodity code. Use this OR hs_code, not both.
`commodity`	No	Alias for hs_code — HS commodity code. Use this OR hs_code, not both.
`frequency`	No	Data frequency: "annual" (default) for yearly totals, or "monthly" for month-level data. Monthly coverage is thinner than annual — not every reporter files monthly, and recent months lag by reporter; a country-month with no filing is simply omitted from the results, not returned as zero. When "monthly", pass `year` as YYYYMM.
`partner_code`	Yes	Partner country name (e.g. "China") or UN code (156=China, 0=World). Optional — defaults to World (0). Names resolved automatically.
`reporter_code`	Yes	Country name (e.g. "USA", "China", "Germany") or UN numeric code (US=842, China=156). Names are resolved automatically.
`commodity_code`	No	Alias for hs_code — HS commodity code (e.g. "2603" for copper ores). Use this OR hs_code, not both.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`year`	No	Trade year queried
`count`	No	Number of trade records returned
`records`	No

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed5 schema fields changedSep 29, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / cmd_code

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Alias for hs_code — HS commodity code. Use this OR hs_code, not both.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / commodity

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Alias for hs_code — HS commodity code. Use this OR hs_code, not both.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / commodity_code

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Alias for hs_code — HS commodity code (e.g. \"2603\" for copper ores). Use this OR hs_code, not both.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / hs

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Alias for hs_code — HS commodity code. Use this OR hs_code, not both.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / hs_code / description

Previous value: -"HS commodity code at 2/4/6 digit level (e.g., \"8471\" for computers). Optional — omit for all commodities."New value: +"HS commodity code at 2/4/6 digit level (e.g., \"8471\" for computers, \"2603\" for copper ores). Optional — omit for all commodities. Aliases accepted: commodity_code, commodity, hs, cmd_code (pass exactly one of hs_code/commodity_code/commodity/hs/cmd_code — do not need hs_code as well)."

Changed3 schema fields changedSep 8, 2026

changedInput schema / examples

Previous value: -[
-  {
-    "partner_code": "156",
-    "reporter_code": "842",
-    "year": "2024"
-  },
-  {
-    "flow": "M",
-    "hs_code": "8471",
-    "partner_code": "156",
-    "reporter_code": "842",
-    "year": "2023"
-  }
-]New value: +[
+  {
+    "partner_code": "156",
+    "reporter_code": "842",
+    "year": "2024"
+  },
+  {
+    "flow": "M",
+    "hs_code": "8471",
+    "partner_code": "156",
+    "reporter_code": "842",
+    "year": "2023"
+  },
+  {
+    "frequency": "monthly",
+    "partner_code": "818",
+    "reporter_code": "682",
+    "year": "202401"
+  }
+]

addedInput schema / properties / frequency

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Data frequency: \"annual\" (default) for yearly totals, or \"monthly\" for month-level data. Monthly coverage is thinner than annual — not every reporter files monthly, and recent months lag by reporter; a country-month with no filing is simply omitted from the results, not returned as zero. When \"monthly\", pass `year` as YYYYMM.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / year / description

Previous value: -"Trade year (e.g., \"2024\")"New value: +"Trade period. For frequency=\"annual\" (default): a year, e.g. \"2024\". For frequency=\"monthly\": year+month as YYYYMM, e.g. \"202401\" for January 2024."

Changed4 schema fields changedAug 3, 2026
- changedOutput schema / properties / records / items / properties / net_weight_kg / type
```
Previous value: -"number"New value: +[
+  "number",
+  "null"
+]
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / records / items / properties / quantity / type
```
Previous value: -"number"New value: +[
+  "number",
+  "null"
+]
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / records / items / properties / quantity_unit / type
```
Previous value: -"string"New value: +[
+  "string",
+  "null"
+]
```
- removedOutput schema / required
```
Removed value: -[
-  "count",
-  "year",
-  "records"
-]
```

Changed2 schema fields changedJul 7, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / partner_code / description

Previous value: -"ISO numeric country code for the partner country (e.g., \"156\" for China, \"0\" for World)"New value: +"Partner country name (e.g. \"China\") or UN code (156=China, 0=World). Optional — defaults to World (0). Names resolved automatically."

changedInput schema / properties / reporter_code / description

Previous value: -"ISO numeric country code for the reporting country (e.g., \"842\" for US, \"156\" for China)"New value: +"Country name (e.g. \"USA\", \"China\", \"Germany\") or UN numeric code (US=842, China=156). Names are resolved automatically."

Changed1 schema field changedJun 26, 2026

changedInput schema / examples

Previous value: -[
-  {
-    "partner_code": "156",
-    "reporter_code": "840",
-    "year": "2024"
-  },
-  {
-    "flow": "M",
-    "hs_code": "8471",
-    "partner_code": "156",
-    "reporter_code": "840",
-    "year": "2023"
-  }
-]New value: +[
+  {
+    "partner_code": "156",
+    "reporter_code": "842",
+    "year": "2024"
+  },
+  {
+    "flow": "M",
+    "hs_code": "8471",
+    "partner_code": "156",
+    "reporter_code": "842",
+    "year": "2023"
+  }
+]

Changed3 schema fields changedMay 24, 2026
- removedOutput schema / properties / records / description
```
Removed value: -"Array of bilateral trade records"
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / records / items / properties / commodity / description
```
Previous value: -"Commodity description"New value: +"Commodity description or code"
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / records / items / properties / quantity / description
```
Previous value: -"Quantity traded"New value: +"Trade quantity"
```

Changed1 schema field changedMay 8, 2026

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "properties": {
+    "count": {
+      "description": "Number of trade records returned",
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "records": {
+      "description": "Array of bilateral trade records",
+      "items": {
+        "properties": {
+          "commodity": {
+            "description": "Commodity description",
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "commodity_code": {
+            "description": "HS commodity code",
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "flow": {
+            "description": "Trade flow type (Imports, Exports, Re-exports, Re-imports)",
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "net_weight_kg": {
+            "description": "Net weight in kilograms",
+            "type": "number"
+          },
+          "partner": {
+            "description": "Partner country name",
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "quantity": {
+            "description": "Quantity traded",
+            "type": "number"
+          },
+          "quantity_unit": {
+            "description": "Unit of quantity measurement",
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "reporter": {
+            "description": "Reporting country name",
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "trade_value_usd": {
+            "description": "Trade value in USD",
+            "type": "number"
+          }
+        },
+        "type": "object"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    },
+    "year": {
+      "description": "Trade year queried",
+      "type": "string"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "count",
+    "year",
+    "records"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

Changed1 schema field changedMay 6, 2026

addedInput schema / examples

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "partner_code": "156",
+    "reporter_code": "840",
+    "year": "2024"
+  },
+  {
+    "flow": "M",
+    "hs_code": "8471",
+    "partner_code": "156",
+    "reporter_code": "840",
+    "year": "2023"
+  }
+]

First observedApr 22, 2026

TDQS

A4.2/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already cover the safety profile (readOnly, idempotent, non-destructive, open-world). The description adds genuinely useful behavior beyond that: annual lags ~3 months, monthly lags more and some reporters never file, and a missing month is 'absent, never shown as a zero,' plus the note that responses state their own frequency. Strong, though not exhaustive on pagination/limits.

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?

Front-loads purpose and return content before usage examples and caveats; every clause carries information (codes, frequency, lag, missing-data semantics). It is dense and slightly long for one paragraph, but no sentence is wasteful.

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?

Given an output schema exists (return values need not be explained) and annotations carry the safety profile, the description covers the remaining agent needs: where to get codes, annual-vs-monthly selection, year format, data lag, and the absent-vs-zero behavior. Nothing required 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?

Schema description coverage is 100%, so the schema already documents every parameter, including the alias set and the YYYYMM vs year rule. The description adds value with the Comtrade-specific gotcha (842=US, not ISO 840; 0=World), but that same detail also appears in the schema, so the incremental gain is modest — baseline 3.

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+resource+scope: 'AUTHORITATIVE bilateral trade data between two countries from UN Comtrade.' It names exactly what is returned (USD values, quantities, HS commodity detail for imports/exports between reporter + partner), so an agent distinguishes it from the sibling top/aggregate tools.

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?

Gives concrete usage contexts ("how much X did US import from China in 2024") and explicitly routes to comtrade_country_codes for codes, plus when to choose frequency="monthly" vs annual. It does not explicitly contrast with siblings like comtrade_top_commodities/top_partners, so it stops short of full when-vs-alternatives guidance.

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

All Comtrade tools Inspect

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