Michigan Code

Mi Admin Rule

mi_admin_rule

Read-onlyIdempotent

Get the FULL TEXT of a rule from the Michigan Administrative Code — agency rules that implement Michigan statutes (licensing, health, safety, and other department regulations), by citation like "R 400.4142". Different from mi_compiled_law, which serves only statutes (MCL). Currently indexes the rule sets listed in rule_sets_covered on a miss; a citation outside those is reported as not-yet-indexed, not as nonexistent. Example: "R 400.4142" is the Child Caring Institutions rule on health-service policies, including medication storage and dispensing. Keyless.

Example tool call

This call uses example arguments supplied in the tool’s input schema.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {
      "citation": "R 400.4142"
    },
    "name": "mi_admin_rule"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`citation`	Yes	Rule citation, e.g. "R 400.4142" or "400.4142". The part before the dot is the chapter.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`url`	No
`hint`	No
`rule`	No	The rule number, e.g. "4142".
`text`	No	Full rule text.
`found`	No	False when the citation is unparsed, not indexed, or has no stored text yet.
`reason`	No	On a miss: "unparsed_citation" \| "unavailable" \| "rule_not_found" \| "not_indexed".
`source`	No
`chapter`	No	The part of the citation before the dot, e.g. "400".
`heading`	No	The rule's title line.
`message`	No
`citation`	No	The rule citation, e.g. "R 400.4142".
`rule_set`	No	The department rule-set booklet this rule belongs to.
`data_as_of`	No
`text_chars`	No
`attribution`	No
`publication`	No	The booklet's publication id, e.g. "BCAL-Pub-452".
`served_from`	No	"stored-copy" when answered from the baked R2 copy.
`rule_sets_covered`	No	Present on a miss: which rule sets this pack indexes.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

AddedNov 3, 2026

TDQS

A4.3/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

Beyond the readOnly/idempotent annotations, it discloses the coverage limitation: only the rule sets in `rule_sets_covered` are indexed, and a miss returns not-yet-indexed rather than nonexistent. That distinction materially changes how an agent should interpret an empty result, and 'Keyless' flags the absence of auth requirements.

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-loaded with purpose and the sibling distinction, then the coverage caveat. It repeats the same example citation twice and spends a sentence describing what R 400.4142 contains, which is illustrative but not strictly necessary.

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?

An output schema exists, so return values need no explanation; the description covers scope, coverage limits, and the keyless access model. The main omission is guidance toward mi_admin_rule_search when the caller lacks a citation, which is the main realistic gap for a citation-lookup 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 description coverage is 100% and already explains the citation format and that the prefix is the chapter, so the schema carries the parameter burden. The description only restates the citation example ('R 400.4142'), adding no syntax or normalization guidance (e.g., whether the 'R ' prefix is optional) beyond the schema.

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 and resource ('Get the FULL TEXT of a rule from the Michigan Administrative Code') and immediately scopes it to agency rules implementing statutes, with citation format given. It explicitly distinguishes itself from the sibling mi_compiled_law, so an agent can pick between them without opening a schema.

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 an explicit when-to-use condition (agency rules by citation) and names the alternative for statutes (mi_compiled_law), plus a clear when-not/results caveat for citations outside the indexed rule sets. It does not, however, mention the sibling mi_admin_rule_search for callers who don't already have a citation, which is the most likely adjacent need.

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

All Michigan Code tools Inspect

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