apibase

OECD Balance of Payments

oecd.economy.trade

Read-onlyIdempotent

Retrieve Balance of Payments (BoP) data for any OECD member country. Returns current account balance, goods trade balance, services trade balance, and financial account indicators in USD millions. Based on IMF BPM6 standards and reported to the OECD. Covers 38 OECD countries at quarterly and annual frequency with typical lags of 3–6 months. Useful for macroeconomic analysis, currency risk assessment, and understanding a country's external position with the rest of the world. Current account surplus = country exports more than it imports; deficit = imports exceed exports. Source: OECD SDMX API, CC BY 4.0, no auth required, unlimited.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`country`	Yes	ISO 3-letter OECD country code (e.g. USA, GBR, DEU, FRA, JPN, CAN, AUS, KOR, ITA, ESP). See OECD reference area codes for the full list of 38 member countries.
`end_period`	No	End period for Balance of Payments data (e.g. "2023"). Defaults to latest available.
`max_series`	No	Maximum number of time series to return (1–100, default 20). Each series is a unique combination of dimensions such as sector, measure, or adjustment type.
`start_period`	No	Start period for Balance of Payments data (e.g. "2018" for annual, "2023-Q1" for quarterly). Defaults to 5 years prior.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`error`	No	Present only when the call failed. Includes error code, message, request_id, and any provider-specific extras.
`result`	No	Tool response payload. Shape varies per tool — consult the tool description and inputSchema. May be an object, array, string, or number depending on the upstream provider response.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

First observedSep 22, 2026

TDQS

A4.4/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

Annotations already mark read-only/idempotent/non-destructive, and the description adds substantial context beyond that: data standard (BPM6), coverage (38 countries), frequency (quarterly/annual), typical lag (3–6 months), licensing (CC BY 4.0), no auth required, and unlimited use. This gives the agent a strong operational picture.

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?

Information-dense and front-loaded with the core action and return values. The surplus/deficit explanation and use-case sentence add context but could be trimmed; still, each sentence contributes useful detail rather than padding.

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?

Covers scope, units, standards, frequency, lag, licensing, and access constraints. Output schema exists, so return structure is covered. An agent has everything needed to decide whether and how to call this tool correctly.

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 all parameters. The description reinforces units and frequency but does not add new param-level semantics beyond what the schema provides, so the baseline of 3 is appropriate.

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?

Description states a specific action and resource: 'Retrieve Balance of Payments (BoP) data for any OECD member country' and explicitly lists returned indicators (current account, goods/services trade balance, financial account). It differs clearly from siblings like oecd.economy.gdp or wto.trade.data by naming BoP, BPM6, and OECD coverage.

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?

Provides clear context on when to use: macroeconomic analysis, currency risk assessment, and understanding external position. It does not name explicit alternatives or when-not-to-use, but the scope is unambiguous enough for an agent to select it over related trade/economy tools.

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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