Prefix WhoIs

Draw a network diagram

pwhois_map

Read-onlyIdempotent

Draw a network diagram / show the BGP path for an IP address, prefix or ASN: providers on the left, the network in the middle, downstream networks and prefixes on the right, enriched by Prefix WhoIs. Use for requests like 'draw a network diagram of AS15169', 'show me the BGP path to 8.8.8.8', 'display the network path for 2001:4860::/32'. Also for 'show me a network diagram' and 'map this ASN'. Returns the chart as a PNG image block (format=svg: no image block), a summary with a hosted image link, the interactive map link and a link that reproduces this exact look, an ARTIFACT_HTML text block (a self-contained page with the chart as SVG), and the counts in structuredContent. Clients differ. claude.ai chat and Claude Cowork do not display tool images: publish the ARTIFACT_HTML block as an HTML artifact, verbatim, then give the links. Claude Code receives the PNG as a saved file ('[Image: source: ]'): show that file to the user with the client's file tool (e.g. SendUserFile) or publish the ARTIFACT_HTML as an artifact. API clients that render image blocks need nothing more. Give the user both links and the attribution. Costs 5 queries per chart. Method: see pwhois.org/maps/credits.who#methodology.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`font`	No	Label font. Default Nunito Sans.
`query`	Yes	What to draw: an IPv4/IPv6 address, a CIDR prefix, or an AS number (AS15169 or 15169). A hostname is resolved to its address first.
`width`	No	Image width in pixels.
`family`	No	Address family to draw for an AS. An address or prefix sets its own.
`format`	No	Image format: PNG by default; svg on request. If the server cannot make a PNG right now, the SVG is returned with a note.	png
`preset`	No	Colours: nightwire (violet on near-black), phosphor (teal glow), ember (amber and coral), paper (light, for documents and print), mono (grayscale).	nightwire
`collectors`	No	Also draw the networks whose sessions feed pWhois's route collectors (vantage points). Off by default: they show where routes are observed from, not who the network connects to.
`downstream`	No	For an AS: also draw the networks behind it (direct downstream customers and their prefixes, bounded). Ignored for addresses and prefixes.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`cost`	Yes	Queries charged for this chart.
`kind`	Yes
`note`	No
`bytes`	No	Size of the PNG image block (0 when there is none).
`edges`	Yes
`empty`	No
`nodes`	Yes	Nodes drawn (networks, prefixes, addresses, bundles).
`query`	Yes	The focus in normal form: AS15169, 8.8.8.8, 8.8.8.0/24.
`width`	No
`cached`	No
`family`	Yes
`format`	Yes	png: a PNG image block leads the answer; svg: no image block, the chart is the SVG inside the ARTIFACT_HTML block; none: nothing routed, nothing drawn.
`height`	No
`png_fit`	No	original \| quantized \| scaled:<width> (how the PNG was fitted under the size limit).
`sampled`	Yes	True when a size cap cut the routing data (large networks).
`networks`	No
`warnings`	No	What the drawing left out or shrank (e.g. "drawn counts reduced to keep labels legible at 1200 px"); the full data is on the interactive map.
`allowance`	No	Daily allowance after this call.
`image_url`	No	Hosted PNG of this chart (https://pwhois.org/maps/<id>.png); null if the look could not be stored.
`permalink`	Yes	Interactive map of the same focus on pwhois.org.
`share_url`	No	Interactive map with this exact look (preset, font, layout); null if it could not be stored.
`svg_bytes`	No
`collectors`	No	Whether the collector vantage points were drawn.
`downstream`	No	For an AS with downstream=true: the networks behind it.
`queried_as`	No	The hostname you passed, when it was resolved.
`rasterizer`	No	What converted the drawing to PNG.
`attribution`	No
`artifact_bytes`	No
`collector_peers`	No	How many networks feed the route collectors with this network's routes (always counted, drawn only with collectors=true).
`artifact_included`	No	Whether the ARTIFACT_HTML text block is in the answer.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed7 schema fields changedOct 6, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / artifact_bytes
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "integer"
+}
```

addedOutput schema / properties / artifact_included

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Whether the ARTIFACT_HTML text block is in the answer.",
+  "type": "boolean"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / bytes

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Size of the PNG image block (0 when there is none).",
+  "type": "integer"
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / format / description

Previous value: -"What the image block holds. none: nothing routed, nothing drawn."New value: +"png: a PNG image block leads the answer; svg: no image block, the chart is the SVG inside the ARTIFACT_HTML block; none: nothing routed, nothing drawn."

addedOutput schema / properties / image_url

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Hosted PNG of this chart (https://pwhois.org/maps/<id>.png); null if the look could not be stored.",
+  "type": [
+    "string",
+    "null"
+  ]
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / png_fit

Added value: +{
+  "description": "original | quantized | scaled:<width> (how the PNG was fitted under the size limit).",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / svg_bytes
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "integer"
+}
```

Changed3 schema fields changedOct 6, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / collectors

Added value: +{
+  "default": false,
+  "description": "Also draw the networks whose sessions feed pWhois's route collectors (vantage points). Off by default: they show where routes are observed from, not who the network connects to.",
+  "type": "boolean"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / collector_peers

Added value: +{
+  "description": "How many networks feed the route collectors with this network's routes (always counted, drawn only with collectors=true).",
+  "type": [
+    "integer",
+    "null"
+  ]
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / collectors

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Whether the collector vantage points were drawn.",
+  "type": "boolean"
+}

AddedOct 6, 2026

TDQS

A4.6/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

With readOnlyHint/openWorldHint/idempotentHint already covering the safety profile, the description goes well beyond them: it discloses the cost (5 queries per chart), the side effect of format=svg (no image block), the full set of returned blocks (PNG, ARTIFACT_HTML, structuredContent counts), and client-specific display behavior for claude.ai, Claude Cowork, Claude Code, and API clients. This is exactly the extra context annotations cannot carry.

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 examples, then return-shape and per-client handling, so the important routing information comes first. It is long and the client-guidance sentences are dense, but nearly every sentence carries actionable information; only the link/attribution instructions are slightly procedural noise for a selection decision.

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?

For an 8-parameter tool with an output schema, this covers everything an agent needs: what it draws, what it returns, which clients need which post-processing step, the quota cost, and where the methodology is documented. Nothing required to invoke or correctly present the result is missing.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, so baseline is 3, but the description adds genuine meaning: format=svg suppresses the image block and falls back to SVG if PNG generation fails, and the accepted query forms (AS15169 or 15169, hostname resolution) supplement the schema examples. It does not explain preset/font/width semantics beyond the schema, keeping it at 4 rather than 5.

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 first sentence names a specific verb (draw/show) and resource (network diagram / BGP path) and defines the visual layout (providers left, network middle, downstream right). Concrete example queries ('draw a network diagram of AS15169', 'show me the BGP path to 8.8.8.8') let an agent match this against sibling tools like pwhois_asn_transit or pwhois_lookup_ip without opening either 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?

Provides explicit trigger phrasings and enumerates the accepted query forms (IP, prefix, ASN), which is strong usage context. It does not, however, state when NOT to use this tool in favor of a cheaper sibling (e.g. pwhois_lookup_ip for a plain lookup), and the 5-query cost is mentioned only as a fact rather than as a routing criterion.

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

All Prefix WhoIs tools Inspect

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