flights

Get Departures

get_departures

Read-onlyIdempotent

Aircraft currently DEPARTING an airport — live ADS-B, no key required. Pass an ICAO code (e.g. "KSFO", "EGLL") and get outbound traffic climbing out of the field, nearest first, with callsign, registration, aircraft type, altitude, climb rate and distance out. Use for "what just took off from ", "outbound traffic from ". This is a live picture, not a scheduled timetable. (Historical windows via begin/end require OpenSky credentials and only work when self-hosting — OpenSky is unreachable from cloud egress.)

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`end`	No	OPTIONAL historical window end (Unix seconds, max 7 days after begin). Omit for live data.
`begin`	No	OPTIONAL historical window start (Unix seconds). Requires OpenSky credentials and only works when self-hosting; omit for live data.
`limit`	No	Max aircraft to return (1-200, default 50), nearest first.
`airport`	Yes	ICAO airport code, e.g. "KJFK", "EGLL", "KSFO" (4 letters, not the 3-letter IATA code)
`radius_nm`	No	How far out to look, nautical miles (1-250, default 40).

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`count`	Yes	Number of departure flights found
`flights`	Yes

Schema Changelog

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

Changed6 schema fields changedJul 25, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / airport / description

Previous value: -"ICAO airport code, e.g. \"KJFK\", \"EGLL\" (not IATA \"JFK\")"New value: +"ICAO airport code, e.g. \"KJFK\", \"EGLL\", \"KSFO\" (4 letters, not the 3-letter IATA code)"

changedInput schema / properties / begin / description

Previous value: -"Start of window, Unix timestamp in seconds"New value: +"OPTIONAL historical window start (Unix seconds). Requires OpenSky credentials and only works when self-hosting; omit for live data."

changedInput schema / properties / end / description

Previous value: -"End of window, Unix timestamp in seconds (max 7 days after begin)"New value: +"OPTIONAL historical window end (Unix seconds, max 7 days after begin). Omit for live data."

addedInput schema / properties / limit

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Max aircraft to return (1-200, default 50), nearest first.",
+  "type": "number"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / radius_nm

Added value: +{
+  "description": "How far out to look, nautical miles (1-250, default 40).",
+  "type": "number"
+}

changedInput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "airport",
-  "begin",
-  "end"
-]New value: +[
+  "airport"
+]

Changed3 schema fields changedJul 25, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / airport / description

Previous value: -"ICAO airport code (e.g. \"KLAX\", \"EGLL\")"New value: +"ICAO airport code, e.g. \"KJFK\", \"EGLL\" (not IATA \"JFK\")"

changedInput schema / properties / begin / description

Previous value: -"Start of time range as Unix timestamp (seconds)"New value: +"Start of window, Unix timestamp in seconds"

changedInput schema / properties / end / description

Previous value: -"End of time range as Unix timestamp (seconds, max 7 days after begin)"New value: +"End of window, Unix timestamp in seconds (max 7 days after begin)"

Changed1 schema field changedMay 8, 2026

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "properties": {
+    "count": {
+      "description": "Number of departure flights found",
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "flights": {
+      "items": {
+        "properties": {
+          "arrival_airport": {
+            "description": "Estimated arrival airport ICAO code",
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "callsign": {
+            "description": "Flight callsign (trimmed)",
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "departure_airport": {
+            "description": "Estimated departure airport ICAO code",
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "first_seen": {
+            "description": "Unix timestamp of first radar contact",
+            "type": "number"
+          },
+          "icao24": {
+            "description": "ICAO24 transponder address",
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "last_seen": {
+            "description": "Unix timestamp of last radar contact",
+            "type": "number"
+          }
+        },
+        "required": [
+          "icao24",
+          "callsign",
+          "first_seen",
+          "last_seen",
+          "departure_airport",
+          "arrival_airport"
+        ],
+        "type": "object"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "count",
+    "flights"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

Changed1 schema field changedMay 6, 2026

addedInput schema / examples

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "airport": "KLAX",
+    "begin": 1609459200,
+    "end": 1609545600
+  },
+  {
+    "airport": "KSFO",
+    "begin": 1704067200,
+    "end": 1704153600
+  }
+]

First observedApr 14, 2026

TDQS

A4.5/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

Beyond the readOnly/idempotent annotations, it discloses that no key is required for live data, explains the historical window credential/self-hosting constraint, and notes OpenSky unreachability from cloud egress—all useful behavioral traits not present in annotations.

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 description is compact and front-loaded, starting with the core action, then giving examples, use cases, and a caveat. Every sentence earns its place with no redundancy or filler.

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?

With an output schema and fully described parameters, the description covers the main use case, live-vs-historical distinction, and limitations. It provides enough context for an agent to decide when and how to invoke the tool.

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 coverage is 100%, with detailed descriptions for every parameter (including credential requirements for begin/end and defaults). The description largely restates these, adding only contextual flavor like 'climbing out of the field' but no new parameter-level semantics.

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 clearly states the tool returns aircraft currently departing an airport, listing specific fields like callsign, registration, and altitude. It explicitly uses 'DEPARTING' and mentions 'outbound traffic', distinguishing it from get_arrivals.

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?

It provides explicit use cases ("what just took off from <airport>", "outbound traffic from <airport>") and warns it is a live picture, not a scheduled timetable. However, it does not explicitly name the alternative for arrivals (get_arrivals) or other exclusions.

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

All flights tools Inspect

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TDQS

A3.6/5.0

Disambiguation2/5

Several tools have heavily overlapping purposes: ask_pipeworx and ask_pipeworx_beta are explicitly identical, ask_pipeworx_grounded and deep_research blur the query/research boundary, and the polymarket_* family plus bet_research all target prediction-market analysis. An agent would frequently struggle to pick the correct tool among these near-duplicates.

Naming Consistency3/5

All names are snake_case, but the verb/noun style is inconsistent: get_* for flight lookups, ask_* for queries, noun-style names like entity_profile and bet_research, and the polymarket_* prefix group. Some subgroups are internally consistent, but there is no single predictable pattern across the set.

Tool Count2/5

36 tools is far too many for a server named 'flights' — only 5 tools actually relate to aviation, while the rest span prediction markets, SEC/FDA data, npm packages, memory, and feedback. Even viewed as a general data platform, the count is heavy and the scope is unfocused.

Completeness2/5

For a flights server, the surface is severely incomplete: no scheduled flight status, delays, cancellations, or airport schedules — only live ADS-B snapshots. For the broader data-research domain the tools imply, coverage is better but still scattered, with no coherent lifecycle and several one-off utilities that don't connect to the rest.

Get Departures

Input Schema

Output Schema

Schema Changelog

TDQS

Glama MCP Gateway

TDQS

Resources