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Glama

Ensembl

by io.github.pipeworx-io

Discover Tools

discover_tools
Read-onlyIdempotent

Find tools by describing the data or task. Use when you need to browse, search, look up, or discover what tools exist for: SEC filings, financials, revenue, profit, FDA drugs, adverse events, FRED economic data, Census demographics, BLS jobs/unemployment/inflation, ATTOM real estate, ClinicalTrials, USPTO patents, weather, news, crypto, stocks. Returns the top-N most relevant tools with names, descriptions, and full input schemas (with curated examples) — each result is ready to call directly, no second schema lookup needed. Call this FIRST when you have many tools available and want to see the option set (not just one answer).

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
qNoAlias for query.
taskNoAlias for query.
limitNoMaximum number of tools to return (default 20, max 50)
queryYesNatural language description of what you want to do (e.g., "analyze housing market trends", "look up FDA drug approvals", "find trade data between countries"). Accepts task, q, description, search as aliases.
searchNoAlias for query.
descriptionNoAlias for query.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections. Dates show when Glama detected each change.

  1. Changed5 schema fields changed
    • addedInput schema / properties / description
      Added value: +{
+  "description": "Alias for query.",
+  "type": "string"
+}
    • addedInput schema / properties / q
      Added value: +{
+  "description": "Alias for query.",
+  "type": "string"
+}
    • changedInput schema / properties / query / description
      Previous value: -"Natural language description of what you want to do (e.g., \"analyze housing market trends\", \"look up FDA drug approvals\", \"find trade data between countries\")"New value: +"Natural language description of what you want to do (e.g., \"analyze housing market trends\", \"look up FDA drug approvals\", \"find trade data between countries\"). Accepts task, q, description, search as aliases."
    • addedInput schema / properties / search
      Added value: +{
+  "description": "Alias for query.",
+  "type": "string"
+}
    • addedInput schema / properties / task
      Added value: +{
+  "description": "Alias for query.",
+  "type": "string"
+}
  2. Changed1 schema field changed
    • addedInput schema / examples
      Added value: +[
+  {
+    "query": "look up FDA drug approvals"
+  },
+  {
+    "query": "analyze housing market trends"
+  }
+]
  3. First observed

TDQS

A4.1/5.0
Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already mark the tool as readOnly, idempotent, non-destructive, so safety is covered. The description adds valuable behavioral detail: it returns top-N tools with 'names, descriptions, and full input schemas (with curated examples)' and notes 'each result is ready to call directly, no second schema lookup needed.' This goes beyond annotations and helps the agent know what to expect.

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?

The description is front-loaded with the core purpose and then covers use case, return format, and a directive. The long list of data categories is somewhat verbose but serves to show the tool's coverage. Every sentence contributes, though the list could be trimmed without losing meaning.

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?

Given there is no output schema, the description adequately explains what the tool returns and how to invoke it. It also provides clear usage context and practical guidance. It does not detail pagination or error cases, but for a discovery tool this is sufficient.

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 baseline is 3. The description mentions 'top-N' which loosely relates to the 'limit' parameter, but it does not add parameter-specific syntax or alias explanations beyond what the schema already provides. Thus it meets but does not exceed the baseline.

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?

The description opens with a specific verb and resource: 'Find tools by describing the data or task.' It lists concrete domains (SEC filings, FDA drugs, etc.) and clarifies the tool's role as a discovery mechanism, distinguishing it from sibling tools that answer specific queries via the 'Call this FIRST... not just one answer' directive.

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?

The description gives explicit when-to-use context: 'Use when you need to browse, search, look up, or discover what tools exist' and 'Call this FIRST when you have many tools available.' It contrasts with 'not just one answer' but does not name specific alternative tools, so it stops short of a full when-not/alternatives list.

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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TDQS

A3.6/5.0
Disambiguation2/5

Multiple tool families heavily overlap: ask_pipeworx, ask_pipeworx_beta (explicitly identical), ask_pipeworx_grounded, deep_research, and validate_claim all answer natural-language questions, while polymarket_arbitrage, polymarket_edges, polymarket_edge_tracker, polymarket_fill_risk, polymarket_kalshi_spread, and bet_research all analyze prediction markets. An agent would struggle to pick the correct tool without reading very long descriptions.

Naming Consistency3/5

All names are snake_case and readable, but the style is inconsistent: some are bare nouns (sequence, variation, homology), some are single verbs (lookup, recall, forget), and others are long descriptive phrases (scan_competitor_ai_presence, polymarket_kalshi_spread). There is no consistent verb_noun or resource_noun pattern across the set.

Tool Count2/5

38 tools is excessive for a coherent server, and nearly all of them are unrelated to the server's stated name ('Ensembl') — only about 7 tools (lookup, lookup_symbol, sequence, variation, vep, xrefs, homology) actually belong to the Ensembl domain. The rest form several unrelated clusters (Pipeworx data queries, prediction markets, memory, subscriptions), making the tool count feel bloated and unfocused.

Completeness2/5

For an Ensembl server, the surface is thin: it covers ID lookup, sequence retrieval, variants, VEP, xrefs, and homology, but omits other core Ensembl functionality such as gene trees, alignments, regulation, expression, and assembly data. Meanwhile the many non-Ensembl tools don't form a complete domain of their own — they are a grab bag of unrelated utilities.

Resources