UK Parliament MCP Server

search_erskine_may

Search the Erskine May manual to find UK parliamentary rules, procedures, and precedents by keyword, helping you resolve questions about how Parliament operates.

Instructions

Search Erskine May parliamentary procedure manual. Use when you need to understand parliamentary rules, procedures, or precedents. Erskine May is the authoritative guide to parliamentary procedure. See also: search_erskine_may_sections, search_erskine_may_index, get_erskine_may_paragraph.

    Args:
        search_term: Search term for parliamentary procedure rules (e.g. 'Speaker', 'amendment', 'division').

    Returns:
        Erskine May paragraphs matching the search term.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`search_term`	Yes

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`result`	Yes

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

First observedv0.1.0Oct 6, 2026

TDQS

A3.5/5.0

Behavior3/5

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

No annotations are provided, so the description carries the behavioral burden; 'Search' implies a safe read, but that is inferred rather than stated. It discloses the return type (matching paragraphs), and an output schema exists so return format need not be explained, but nothing is said about result count, ranking, or pagination behavior.

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?

Purpose is front-loaded in the first sentence and the whole body is short. The sentence 'Erskine May is the authoritative guide to parliamentary procedure' is mildly redundant with the purpose statement, costing a point but not much.

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?

For a single-parameter search tool with an output schema (so return values are covered) and no annotations, the description supplies purpose, usage context, examples, and related tools. Only result-volume/pagination behavior is missing, which is a minor gap.

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 0% for the single required parameter, so the description must compensate. It does add value with examples ('Speaker', 'amendment', 'division') that clarify the search term is a parliamentary-procedure concept, but gives no syntax, matching, or wildcard behavior.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose4/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific verb (Search) and resource (Erskine May, the parliamentary procedure manual), and explains what Erskine May is. It names several sibling tools in a 'See also' line, but does not differentiate what this search returns versus search_erskine_may_sections or search_erskine_may_index, so the sibling distinction is only partial.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines3/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

'Use when you need to understand parliamentary rules, procedures, or precedents' gives an implied usage context, which is more than nothing. However, the 'See also' list names four alternatives without any condition for choosing between them, so the agent gets no routing criteria.

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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