ITIS MCP Server

Instructions

Implementation Reference

• src/tools.ts:342-358 (handler)

  MCP tool handler case for 'search_by_rank': extracts parameters (rank, rows, start), calls ITISClient.searchByTaxonomicRank, and formats response as JSON.
  case 'search_by_rank': { const { rank, rows, start } = args as any; const result = await itisClient.searchByTaxonomicRank(rank, { rows, start }); return { content: [ { type: 'text', text: JSON.stringify({ rank, totalResults: result.response.numFound, start: result.response.start, results: result.response.docs, }, null, 2), }, ], }; }
• src/tools.ts:105-126 (schema)

  Tool definition including name, description, and input schema requiring 'rank' parameter with optional pagination.
  { name: 'search_by_rank', description: 'Search for organisms by their taxonomic rank in ITIS database.', inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { rank: { type: 'string', description: 'Taxonomic rank (e.g., "Species", "Genus", "Family", "Order", "Class", "Phylum", "Kingdom")', }, rows: { type: 'number', description: 'Number of results to return (default: 10)', }, start: { type: 'number', description: 'Starting index for pagination (default: 0)', }, }, required: ['rank'], }, },
• src/itis-client.ts:177-185 (helper)

  Core implementation of searchByTaxonomicRank: performs base search with filter on 'rank' field using SOLR query.
  async searchByTaxonomicRank(rank: string, options: Partial<ITISSearchOptions> = {}): Promise<ITISResponse> { return this.search({ ...options, filters: { ...options.filters, rank: `"${rank}"` } }); }
• src/tools.ts:11-257 (registration)

  Registration of all tools including 'search_by_rank' in the exported tools array used for MCP list tools endpoint.
  export const tools: Tool[] = [ { name: 'search_itis', description: 'Search ITIS database using SOLR queries. Supports general search with flexible query parameters.', inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { query: { type: 'string', description: 'SOLR query string (e.g., "nameWInd:Homo*", "kingdom:Plantae", or "*:*" for all)', }, start: { type: 'number', description: 'Starting index for pagination (default: 0)', }, rows: { type: 'number', description: 'Number of results to return (default: 10, max: 100)', }, sort: { type: 'string', description: 'Sort order (e.g., "nameWInd asc", "tsn desc")', }, fields: { type: 'array', items: { type: 'string' }, description: 'Specific fields to return (default: all available fields)', }, filters: { type: 'object', additionalProperties: { type: 'string' }, description: 'Additional filters as key-value pairs (e.g., {"kingdom": "Animalia", "rank": "Species"})', }, }, }, }, { name: 'search_by_scientific_name', description: 'Search for organisms by their scientific name in ITIS database.', inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { name: { type: 'string', description: 'Scientific name to search for (e.g., "Homo sapiens", "Quercus")', }, rows: { type: 'number', description: 'Number of results to return (default: 10)', }, start: { type: 'number', description: 'Starting index for pagination (default: 0)', }, }, required: ['name'], }, }, { name: 'search_by_tsn', description: 'Search for organisms by their Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN) in ITIS database.', inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { tsn: { type: 'string', description: 'Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN) to search for', }, }, required: ['tsn'], }, }, { name: 'search_by_kingdom', description: 'Search for organisms within a specific kingdom in ITIS database.', inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { kingdom: { type: 'string', description: 'Kingdom name (e.g., "Animalia", "Plantae", "Fungi", "Bacteria")', }, rows: { type: 'number', description: 'Number of results to return (default: 10)', }, start: { type: 'number', description: 'Starting index for pagination (default: 0)', }, }, required: ['kingdom'], }, }, { name: 'search_by_rank', description: 'Search for organisms by their taxonomic rank in ITIS database.', inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { rank: { type: 'string', description: 'Taxonomic rank (e.g., "Species", "Genus", "Family", "Order", "Class", "Phylum", "Kingdom")', }, rows: { type: 'number', description: 'Number of results to return (default: 10)', }, start: { type: 'number', description: 'Starting index for pagination (default: 0)', }, }, required: ['rank'], }, }, { name: 'get_hierarchy', description: 'Get the complete taxonomic hierarchy for a given TSN.', inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { tsn: { type: 'string', description: 'Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN) to get hierarchy for', }, }, required: ['tsn'], }, }, { name: 'autocomplete_search', description: 'Search for organisms with autocomplete functionality using partial names.', inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { partialName: { type: 'string', description: 'Partial scientific name for autocomplete (e.g., "Homo", "Quer")', }, rows: { type: 'number', description: 'Number of results to return (default: 10)', }, }, required: ['partialName'], }, }, { name: 'get_statistics', description: 'Get basic statistics about the ITIS database (total number of records).', inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: {}, }, }, { name: 'search_by_vernacular_name', description: 'Search for organisms by their common/vernacular names in ITIS database.', inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { vernacularName: { type: 'string', description: 'Common/vernacular name to search for (e.g., "human", "dog", "oak tree")', }, rows: { type: 'number', description: 'Number of results to return (default: 10)', }, start: { type: 'number', description: 'Starting index for pagination (default: 0)', }, }, required: ['vernacularName'], }, }, { name: 'explore_taxonomy', description: 'Explore taxonomic relationships by finding related organisms at different taxonomic levels.', inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { scientificName: { type: 'string', description: 'Scientific name to explore (e.g., "Homo sapiens")', }, level: { type: 'string', description: 'Taxonomic level to explore: "siblings" (same genus), "family" (same family), "order" (same order), "class" (same class)', enum: ['siblings', 'family', 'order', 'class'] }, rows: { type: 'number', description: 'Number of results to return (default: 10)', }, }, required: ['scientificName', 'level'], }, }, { name: 'get_random_species', description: 'Get random species from ITIS database with optional taxonomic filters.', inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { kingdom: { type: 'string', description: 'Kingdom filter (e.g., "Animalia", "Plantae", "Fungi")', }, phylum: { type: 'string', description: 'Phylum filter (e.g., "Chordata", "Arthropoda")', }, class: { type: 'string', description: 'Class filter (e.g., "Mammalia", "Aves", "Reptilia")', }, order: { type: 'string', description: 'Order filter (e.g., "Carnivora", "Primates")', }, family: { type: 'string', description: 'Family filter (e.g., "Felidae", "Canidae")', }, genus: { type: 'string', description: 'Genus filter (e.g., "Panthera", "Canis")', }, count: { type: 'number', description: 'Number of random species to return (default: 1, max: 10)', }, requireVernacular: { type: 'boolean', description: 'Only return species that have common names (default: false)', }, vernacularLanguage: { type: 'string', description: 'Language for vernacular names (default: "English"). Other options: "French", "Spanish", etc.', }, }, }, }, ];