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Search anime

search_anime

Read-only

Search MyAnimeList anime by keyword or filters and retrieve compact summaries with mal_id and pagination info for further queries.

Instructions

Search MyAnimeList anime by keyword; returns compact summaries (with the mal_id that other anime tools require) plus pagination info. If Tenrai is unavailable and MAL_CLIENT_ID is set and q has at least 3 characters (the official search rejects anything shorter, so a filter-only or 1-2 character search has no fallback), transparently retries via the official API, which ignores every filter except q/sfw/limit/page (type/status/genres/genres_exclude/rating/score/min_score/max_score/letter/producers/start_date/end_date/unapproved/order_by/sort are silently dropped), always returns empty themes/demographics/broadcast (no official-API equivalent for any of these), and — for a query with no real title match — comes back with a page of unrelated anime instead of an empty result (a quirk of the official search endpoint itself, not a mal-mcp bug; don't treat a nonsense-query result as a real match during a fallback).

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`q`	No	Search query, e.g. an anime title. Omit to browse by the other filters alone (e.g. genres + order_by). Cannot be combined with `letter`.
`sfw`	No	If true, exclude adult/explicit-rated entries (R+ Mild Nudity and up). Defaults to false (no filtering). Note: this alone still allows mainstream, safely-rated shows tagged with the Ecchi genre (fanservice) through — use `sfw_strict` to also exclude those.
`page`	No	1-based page number for pagination (1-20000).
`sort`	No	Sort direction. Only takes effect together with `order_by`; ignored on its own.
`type`	No	Restrict to one or more media types.
`limit`	No	Max results per page (1-100).
`score`	No	Restrict to entries with exactly this average score (rarely useful — prefer min_score/max_score for a range).
`genres`	No	Comma-separated MAL genre IDs to include (max 25), e.g. '1,4'. Look up IDs with get_anime_genres.
`letter`	No	Restrict results to entries whose title starts with this single letter.
`rating`	No	Restrict to one or more specific content ratings. More granular than `sfw`/`sfw_strict` — use this to target a precise rating band instead of a blanket adult-content cutoff.
`status`	No	Filter by airing status.
`end_date`	No	Only include entries whose end date is on or before this date: YYYY-MM-DD, or YYYY-MM / YYYY for the end of that month/year. Entries with no end date are excluded.
`order_by`	No	Field to order by.
`max_score`	No	Maximum average MAL score (inclusive), 1-10.
`min_score`	No	Minimum average MAL score (inclusive), 0-10.
`producers`	No	Comma-separated MAL producer/studio IDs to restrict to (max 25). Look up IDs with get_producers.
`sfw_strict`	No	If true, exclude adult/explicit-rated entries AND anything tagged with the Ecchi genre, even otherwise-mainstream/safely-rated shows. Stricter than `sfw` alone. Defaults to false.
`start_date`	No	Only include entries whose start date is on or after this date: YYYY-MM-DD, or YYYY-MM / YYYY for the start of that month/year.
`unapproved`	No	Entries not yet approved by MAL's moderators: 'true' also includes them, 'false' (default) excludes them, 'only' returns exclusively unapproved entries.
`genres_exclude`	No	Comma-separated MAL genre IDs to exclude (max 25), e.g. '1,4'. Look up IDs with get_anime_genres.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`page`	Yes
`results`	Yes

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed15 schema fields changedv0.11.0Oct 25, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / end_date / description

Previous value: -"Only include entries whose end date is on or before this date (YYYY-MM-DD)."New value: +"Only include entries whose end date is on or before this date: YYYY-MM-DD, or YYYY-MM / YYYY for the end of that month/year. Entries with no end date are excluded."

changedInput schema / properties / end_date / pattern

Previous value: -"^\\d{4}-\\d{2}-\\d{2}$"New value: +"^\\d{4}(-\\d{2}(-\\d{2})?)?$"

changedInput schema / properties / limit / description

Previous value: -"Max results per page (1-50)."New value: +"Max results per page (1-100)."

changedInput schema / properties / limit / maximum
```
Previous value: -50New value: +100
```

changedInput schema / properties / page / description

Previous value: -"1-based page number for pagination (1-1000)."New value: +"1-based page number for pagination (1-20000)."

changedInput schema / properties / page / maximum
```
Previous value: -1000New value: +20000
```

changedInput schema / properties / q / description

Previous value: -"Search query, e.g. an anime title."New value: +"Search query, e.g. an anime title. Omit to browse by the other filters alone (e.g. genres + order_by). Cannot be combined with `letter`."

addedInput schema / properties / q / maxLength
```
Added value: +300
```

changedInput schema / properties / sort / description

Previous value: -"Sort direction."New value: +"Sort direction. Only takes effect together with `order_by`; ignored on its own."

changedInput schema / properties / start_date / description

Previous value: -"Only include entries whose start date is on or after this date (YYYY-MM-DD)."New value: +"Only include entries whose start date is on or after this date: YYYY-MM-DD, or YYYY-MM / YYYY for the start of that month/year."

changedInput schema / properties / start_date / pattern

Previous value: -"^\\d{4}-\\d{2}-\\d{2}$"New value: +"^\\d{4}(-\\d{2}(-\\d{2})?)?$"

changedInput schema / properties / unapproved / description

Previous value: -"If true, also include entries not yet approved by MAL's moderators (excluded by default). Defaults to false."New value: +"Entries not yet approved by MAL's moderators: 'true' also includes them, 'false' (default) excludes them, 'only' returns exclusively unapproved entries."

addedInput schema / properties / unapproved / enum

Added value: +[
+  "true",
+  "false",
+  "only"
+]

changedInput schema / properties / unapproved / type
```
Previous value: -"boolean"New value: +"string"
```
removedInput schema / required
```
Removed value: -[
-  "q"
-]
```

Changed51 schema fields changedv0.9.0Jul 30, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / end_date

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Only include entries whose end date is on or before this date (YYYY-MM-DD).",
+  "pattern": "^\\d{4}-\\d{2}-\\d{2}$",
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / genres / description

Previous value: -"Comma-separated Jikan genre IDs, e.g. '1,4'. Look up the IDs with get_anime_genres."New value: +"Comma-separated MAL genre IDs to include (max 25), e.g. '1,4'. Look up IDs with get_anime_genres."

addedInput schema / properties / genres_exclude

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Comma-separated MAL genre IDs to exclude (max 25), e.g. '1,4'. Look up IDs with get_anime_genres.",
+  "pattern": "^\\d+(,\\d+)*$",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / letter

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Restrict results to entries whose title starts with this single letter.",
+  "maxLength": 1,
+  "minLength": 1,
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / limit / description

Previous value: -"Max results per page (1-25)."New value: +"Max results per page (1-50)."

changedInput schema / properties / limit / maximum
```
Previous value: -25New value: +50
```

addedInput schema / properties / max_score

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Maximum average MAL score (inclusive), 1-10.",
+  "maximum": 10,
+  "minimum": 1,
+  "type": "number"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / min_score

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Minimum average MAL score (inclusive), 0-10.",
+  "maximum": 10,
+  "minimum": 0,
+  "type": "number"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / order_by / enum

Previous value: -[
-  "title",
-  "start_date",
-  "score",
-  "rank",
-  "popularity",
-  "members",
-  "favorites",
-  "episodes"
-]New value: +[
+  "mal_id",
+  "title",
+  "start_date",
+  "end_date",
+  "episodes",
+  "score",
+  "scored_by",
+  "rank",
+  "popularity",
+  "members",
+  "favorites"
+]

changedInput schema / properties / page / description

Previous value: -"1-based page number for pagination."New value: +"1-based page number for pagination (1-1000)."

changedInput schema / properties / page / maximum

Previous value: -9007199254740991New value: +1000

addedInput schema / properties / producers

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Comma-separated MAL producer/studio IDs to restrict to (max 25). Look up IDs with get_producers.",
+  "pattern": "^\\d+(,\\d+)*$",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / rating

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Restrict to one or more specific content ratings. More granular than `sfw`/`sfw_strict` — use this to target a precise rating band instead of a blanket adult-content cutoff.",
+  "items": {
+    "description": "A MAL content rating: g (All Ages), pg (Children), pg13 (Teens 13+), r17 (17+ violence/profanity), r (R+ Mild Nudity), rx (Rx Hentai).",
+    "enum": [
+      "g",
+      "pg",
+      "pg13",
+      "r17",
+      "r",
+      "rx"
+    ],
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / score

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Restrict to entries with exactly this average score (rarely useful — prefer min_score/max_score for a range).",
+  "maximum": 9.99,
+  "minimum": 1,
+  "type": "number"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / sfw / description

Previous value: -"If true, exclude adult (NSFW) entries. Defaults to false (no filtering)."New value: +"If true, exclude adult/explicit-rated entries (R+ Mild Nudity and up). Defaults to false (no filtering). Note: this alone still allows mainstream, safely-rated shows tagged with the Ecchi genre (fanservice) through — use `sfw_strict` to also exclude those."

addedInput schema / properties / sfw_strict

Added value: +{
+  "description": "If true, exclude adult/explicit-rated entries AND anything tagged with the Ecchi genre, even otherwise-mainstream/safely-rated shows. Stricter than `sfw` alone. Defaults to false.",
+  "type": "boolean"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / sort / enum

Previous value: -[
-  "desc",
-  "asc"
-]New value: +[
+  "asc",
+  "desc"
+]

addedInput schema / properties / start_date

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Only include entries whose start date is on or after this date (YYYY-MM-DD).",
+  "pattern": "^\\d{4}-\\d{2}-\\d{2}$",
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / type / description

Previous value: -"Filter by media type."New value: +"Restrict to one or more media types."

removedInput schema / properties / type / enum

Removed value: -[
-  "tv",
-  "movie",
-  "ova",
-  "special",
-  "ona",
-  "music",
-  "cm",
-  "pv",
-  "tv_special"
-]

addedInput schema / properties / type / items

Added value: +{
+  "description": "A media type.",
+  "enum": [
+    "tv",
+    "movie",
+    "ova",
+    "special",
+    "ona",
+    "music",
+    "cm",
+    "pv",
+    "tv_special"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / type / minItems
```
Added value: +1
```

changedInput schema / properties / type / type

Previous value: -"string"New value: +"array"

addedInput schema / properties / unapproved

Added value: +{
+  "description": "If true, also include entries not yet approved by MAL's moderators (excluded by default). Defaults to false.",
+  "type": "boolean"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / page / properties / current_page / exclusiveMinimum
```
Added value: +0
```
addedOutput schema / properties / page / properties / current_page / maximum
```
Added value: +9007199254740991
```
changedOutput schema / properties / page / properties / current_page / type
```
Previous value: -"number"New value: +"integer"
```
addedOutput schema / properties / page / properties / last_visible_page / exclusiveMinimum
```
Added value: +0
```
addedOutput schema / properties / page / properties / last_visible_page / maximum
```
Added value: +9007199254740991
```
changedOutput schema / properties / page / properties / last_visible_page / type
```
Previous value: -"number"New value: +"integer"
```
addedOutput schema / properties / page / properties / total / maximum
```
Added value: +9007199254740991
```
addedOutput schema / properties / page / properties / total / minimum
```
Added value: +0
```
changedOutput schema / properties / page / properties / total / type
```
Previous value: -"number"New value: +"integer"
```
addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / episodes / maximum
```
Added value: +9007199254740991
```
addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / episodes / minimum
```
Added value: +0
```
changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / episodes / type
```
Previous value: -"number"New value: +"integer"
```
addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / mal_id / exclusiveMinimum
```
Added value: +0
```
addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / mal_id / maximum
```
Added value: +9007199254740991
```
changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / mal_id / type
```
Previous value: -"number"New value: +"integer"
```
addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / members / maximum
```
Added value: +9007199254740991
```
addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / members / minimum
```
Added value: +0
```
changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / members / type
```
Previous value: -"number"New value: +"integer"
```
addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / popularity / exclusiveMinimum
```
Added value: +0
```
addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / popularity / maximum
```
Added value: +9007199254740991
```
changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / popularity / type
```
Previous value: -"number"New value: +"integer"
```
addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / rank / exclusiveMinimum
```
Added value: +0
```
addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / rank / maximum
```
Added value: +9007199254740991
```
changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / rank / type
```
Previous value: -"number"New value: +"integer"
```
addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / year / maximum
```
Added value: +2100
```
addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / year / minimum
```
Added value: +1900
```
changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / year / type
```
Previous value: -"number"New value: +"integer"
```

Changed4 schema fields changedv0.8.0Jul 29, 2026
- addedInput schema / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +false
```
- changedInput schema / properties / genres / description
```
Previous value: -"Comma-separated Jikan genre IDs, e.g. '1,4'."New value: +"Comma-separated Jikan genre IDs, e.g. '1,4'. Look up the IDs with get_anime_genres."
```
- addedInput schema / properties / genres / pattern
```
Added value: +"^\\d+(,\\d+)*$"
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / broadcast
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```

Changed2 schema fields changedv0.7.1Jul 22, 2026

changedInput schema / $schema

Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "properties": {
+    "page": {
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "properties": {
+        "current_page": {
+          "type": "number"
+        },
+        "has_next_page": {
+          "type": "boolean"
+        },
+        "last_visible_page": {
+          "type": "number"
+        },
+        "total": {
+          "type": "number"
+        }
+      },
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "results": {
+      "items": {
+        "additionalProperties": false,
+        "properties": {
+          "aired": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "airing": {
+            "type": "boolean"
+          },
+          "demographics": {
+            "items": {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "type": "array"
+          },
+          "episodes": {
+            "type": "number"
+          },
+          "genres": {
+            "items": {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "type": "array"
+          },
+          "image_url": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "mal_id": {
+            "type": "number"
+          },
+          "members": {
+            "type": "number"
+          },
+          "popularity": {
+            "type": "number"
+          },
+          "rank": {
+            "type": "number"
+          },
+          "rating": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "score": {
+            "type": "number"
+          },
+          "season": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "status": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "studios": {
+            "items": {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "type": "array"
+          },
+          "synopsis": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "themes": {
+            "items": {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "type": "array"
+          },
+          "title": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "title_english": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "type": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "url": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "year": {
+            "type": "number"
+          }
+        },
+        "required": [
+          "mal_id"
+        ],
+        "type": "object"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "results",
+    "page"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

First observedv0.1.0Jun 27, 2026

TDQS

A4.4/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

Despite readOnly/openWorld annotations, the description discloses substantial behavior beyond them: the transparent retry to the official API, exactly which filters get silently dropped there, which fields always come back empty, and the known false-positive quirk on nonsense queries. This is exactly the kind of non-obvious behavior an agent cannot infer from annotations or schema.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness3/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The core purpose is front-loaded in the first clause, but the fallback caveat is delivered as one enormous parenthetical crammed with filter lists, which hurts scanability. The content is valuable, but the packing could be broken into cleaner sentences.

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 20-parameter search tool with an output schema and full schema descriptions, the description covers the main non-obvious risk areas (fallback degradation, short-query failure, false matches). Return values are handled by the output schema, so remaining gaps are minor.

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 the baseline is 3, but the description adds real value by explaining that only `q`/`sfw`/`limit`/`page` survive the official fallback and all other filters are dropped. That is a semantic constraint not visible in the schema.

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?

States a specific verb and resource (search MyAnimeList anime by keyword) and even describes the return shape (compact summaries carrying the mal_id other tools require). It also clarifies that omitting `q` turns it into a filter-browse, which separates it from the fixed-scope siblings like get_top_anime or get_seasonal_anime.

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?

Gives actionable conditional rules: the fallback only triggers if Tenrai is down, MAL_CLIENT_ID is set, and `q` has ≥3 characters; a filter-only or short query has no fallback. It also warns not to treat a nonsense-query result as a real match. It does not explicitly name alternative siblings, but usage conditions are otherwise well covered.

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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