get_live_flights_count

Instructions

Implementation Reference

• src/server.ts:171-196 (registration)

  Registers the 'get_live_flights_count' MCP tool with description, input schema, and handler function that validates, cleans params, fetches count from FR24Client, and returns formatted response.

  server.tool(
    'get_live_flights_count',
    'Returns the count of real-time aircraft flights matching the specified criteria. IMPORTANT: At least one search parameter (other than limit) must be provided and non-empty. Choose from: bounds, flights, callsigns, registrations, painted_as, operating_as, airports, routes, aircraft, altitude_ranges, squawks, categories, data_sources, airspaces, gspeed.',
    liveFlightPositionsCountSchema.shape,
    async (params: z.infer<typeof liveFlightPositionsCountSchema>) => {
      try {
        validateHasRequiredParams(params, ['limit']);
        const cleaned = cleanParams(params);
        const result = await fr24Client.getLivePositionsCount(cleaned);
        return {
          content: [{
            type: 'text' as const,
            text: `Live flight count: ${result.record_count}`
          }]
        };
      } catch (error) {
        return {
          content: [{
            type: 'text' as const,
            text: `Error: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : 'Unknown error'}`
          }],
          isError: true
        };
      }
    }
  );

• src/server.ts:31-51 (schema)

  Zod schema (baseFlightPositionsSchema) defining optional input parameters for live flight queries, aliased to liveFlightPositionsCountSchema used by the tool.

  const baseFlightPositionsSchema = z.object({
    bounds: z.string().min(1).optional().describe('Coordinates defining an area. Order: north, south, west, east (comma-separated float values).'),
    flights: z.string().min(1).optional().describe('Flight numbers (comma-separated values, max 15).'),
    callsigns: z.string().min(1).optional().describe('Flight callsigns (comma-separated values, max 15).'),
    registrations: z.string().min(1).optional().describe('Aircraft registration numbers (comma-separated values, max 15).'),
    painted_as: z.string().min(1).optional().describe("Aircraft painted in an airline's livery (ICAO code, comma-separated, max 15)."),
    operating_as: z.string().min(1).optional().describe("Aircraft operating under an airline's call sign (ICAO code, comma-separated, max 15)."),
    airports: z.string().min(1).optional().describe('Airports (IATA/ICAO/ISO 3166-1 alpha-2) or countries. Use format: [direction:]<code>. Directions: inbound, outbound, both.'),
    routes: z.string().min(1).optional().describe('Flights between airports/countries (e.g., SE-US, ESSA-JFK). Max 15.'),
    aircraft: z.string().min(1).optional().describe('Aircraft ICAO type codes (comma-separated, max 15).'),
    altitude_ranges: z.string().min(1).optional().describe('Flight altitude ranges in feet (e.g., 0-3000, 5000-7000).'),
    squawks: z.string().min(1).optional().describe('Squawk codes in hex format (comma-separated).'),
    categories: z.string().min(1).optional().describe('Categories of Flights (comma-separated: P, C, M, J, T, H, B, G, D, V, O, N).'),
    data_sources: z.string().min(1).optional().describe('Source of information (comma-separated: ADSB, MLAT, ESTIMATED).'),
    airspaces: z.string().min(1).optional().describe('Flight information region in lower or upper airspace.'),
    gspeed: z.string().min(1).optional().describe('Flight ground speed in knots (single value or range, e.g., 120-140, 80).'),
    limit: z.number().optional().describe('Limit of results. Recommended, unless needed. Max 30000.')
  });
  
  const liveFlightPositionsSchema = baseFlightPositionsSchema;
  const liveFlightPositionsCountSchema = baseFlightPositionsSchema;

• src/server.ts:175-195 (handler)

  Inline handler function for the tool: validates parameters, cleans empty values, calls FR24Client.getLivePositionsCount, returns count or error in MCP format.

  async (params: z.infer<typeof liveFlightPositionsCountSchema>) => {
    try {
      validateHasRequiredParams(params, ['limit']);
      const cleaned = cleanParams(params);
      const result = await fr24Client.getLivePositionsCount(cleaned);
      return {
        content: [{
          type: 'text' as const,
          text: `Live flight count: ${result.record_count}`
        }]
      };
    } catch (error) {
      return {
        content: [{
          type: 'text' as const,
          text: `Error: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : 'Unknown error'}`
        }],
        isError: true
      };
    }
  }

• src/fr24-client.ts:74-76 (helper)

  FR24Client helper method that performs the API request to retrieve live flight positions count.

  async getLivePositionsCount(params: LiveFlightPositionsCountQueryParams): Promise<RecordCountResponse> {
    return this.makeRequest<RecordCountResponse>('/live/flight-positions/count', params);
  }

• src/server.ts:18-29 (helper)

  Helper function used in handler to ensure at least one non-limit parameter is provided.

  function validateHasRequiredParams(params: Record<string, any>, excludeKeys: string[] = ['limit']): void {
    const meaningfulParams = Object.entries(params).filter(([key, value]) => 
      !excludeKeys.includes(key) && 
      value !== null && 
      value !== undefined && 
      value !== ''
    );
    
    if (meaningfulParams.length === 0) {
      throw new Error(`At least one parameter other than ${excludeKeys.join(', ')} must be provided and non-empty. Available parameters: ${Object.keys(params).filter(k => !excludeKeys.includes(k)).join(', ')}`);
    }
  }