NASA MCP Server

NASA FIRMS active fire detections

nasa_firms

Read-onlyIdempotent

Retrieve active fire and thermal anomaly detections from NASA FIRMS by bounding box or radius, with a 1-5 day window; requires FIRMS_MAP_KEY.

Instructions

Active fire/thermal anomaly detections from NASA FIRMS for a bounding box and 1-5 day window. Requires FIRMS_MAP_KEY (not NASA_API_KEY). The legacy latitude/longitude interface now needs radius_km and is converted to a bbox.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`bbox`	No	Area as west,south,east,north in decimal degrees (preferred). Antimeridian-crossing boxes are rejected.
`date`	No	First day of the window (YYYY-MM-DD); FIRMS returns [date, date + days - 1]. Omit for the most recent data.
`days`	No	DAY_RANGE: number of days of detections (1-5).
`limit`	No	Maximum detections returned (1-2000). total_detections reports the full count.
`source`	No	FIRMS sensor/product. _NRT is near real-time, _SP is standard processing.	VIIRS_SNPP_NRT
`latitude`	No	Legacy area center latitude; requires longitude and radius_km.
`longitude`	No	Legacy area center longitude; requires latitude and radius_km.
`radius_km`	No	Half-width in kilometres of the box built around latitude/longitude (converted to a bbox before querying).

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`error`	No
`query`	Yes
`source`	Yes
`status`	Yes
`columns`	Yes
`warnings`	Yes
`detections`	Yes
`retrieved_at`	Yes
`returned_count`	Yes
`total_detections`	Yes

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed19 schema fields changedv1.2.0Oct 1, 2026

addedInput schema / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +false
```

addedInput schema / properties / bbox

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "items": {
+        "type": "number"
+      },
+      "maxItems": 4,
+      "minItems": 4,
+      "type": "array"
+    }
+  ],
+  "description": "Area as west,south,east,north in decimal degrees (preferred). Antimeridian-crossing boxes are rejected."
+}

addedInput schema / properties / date

Added value: +{
+  "description": "First day of the window (YYYY-MM-DD); FIRMS returns [date, date + days - 1]. Omit for the most recent data.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / days / default
```
Added value: +1
```

changedInput schema / properties / days / description

Previous value: -"Number of days of data to retrieve"New value: +"DAY_RANGE: number of days of detections (1-5)."

addedInput schema / properties / days / maximum
```
Added value: +5
```
addedInput schema / properties / days / minimum
```
Added value: +1
```

changedInput schema / properties / days / type

Previous value: -"number"New value: +"integer"

changedInput schema / properties / latitude / description

Previous value: -"Latitude coordinate"New value: +"Legacy area center latitude; requires longitude and radius_km."

addedInput schema / properties / latitude / maximum
```
Added value: +90
```
addedInput schema / properties / latitude / minimum
```
Added value: +-90
```

addedInput schema / properties / limit

Added value: +{
+  "default": 100,
+  "description": "Maximum detections returned (1-2000). total_detections reports the full count.",
+  "maximum": 2000,
+  "minimum": 1,
+  "type": "integer"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / longitude / description

Previous value: -"Longitude coordinate"New value: +"Legacy area center longitude; requires latitude and radius_km."

addedInput schema / properties / longitude / maximum
```
Added value: +180
```
addedInput schema / properties / longitude / minimum
```
Added value: +-180
```

addedInput schema / properties / radius_km

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Half-width in kilometres of the box built around latitude/longitude (converted to a bbox before querying).",
+  "exclusiveMinimum": 0,
+  "maximum": 500,
+  "type": "number"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / source

Added value: +{
+  "default": "VIIRS_SNPP_NRT",
+  "description": "FIRMS sensor/product. *_NRT is near real-time, *_SP is standard processing.",
+  "enum": [
+    "LANDSAT_NRT",
+    "MODIS_NRT",
+    "MODIS_SP",
+    "VIIRS_NOAA20_NRT",
+    "VIIRS_NOAA20_SP",
+    "VIIRS_NOAA21_NRT",
+    "VIIRS_SNPP_NRT",
+    "VIIRS_SNPP_SP"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

removedInput schema / required

Removed value: -[
-  "latitude",
-  "longitude"
-]

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "properties": {
+    "columns": {
+      "items": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    },
+    "detections": {
+      "items": {
+        "additionalProperties": {
+          "type": [
+            "string",
+            "number",
+            "null"
+          ]
+        },
+        "propertyNames": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "type": "object"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    },
+    "error": {
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "properties": {
+        "http_status": {
+          "anyOf": [
+            {
+              "maximum": 9007199254740991,
+              "minimum": -9007199254740991,
+              "type": "integer"
+            },
+            {
+              "type": "null"
+            }
+          ]
+        },
+        "kind": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "message": {
+          "type": "string"
+        }
+      },
+      "required": [
+        "kind",
+        "message",
+        "http_status"
+      ],
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "query": {
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "properties": {
+        "bbox": {
+          "items": {
+            "type": "number"
+          },
+          "maxItems": 4,
+          "minItems": 4,
+          "type": "array"
+        },
+        "date": {
+          "type": [
+            "string",
+            "null"
+          ]
+        },
+        "day_range": {
+          "maximum": 9007199254740991,
+          "minimum": -9007199254740991,
+          "type": "integer"
+        },
+        "derived_from": {
+          "anyOf": [
+            {
+              "additionalProperties": false,
+              "properties": {
+                "latitude": {
+                  "type": "number"
+                },
+                "longitude": {
+                  "type": "number"
+                },
+                "radius_km": {
+                  "type": "number"
+                }
+              },
+              "required": [
+                "latitude",
+                "longitude",
+                "radius_km"
+              ],
+              "type": "object"
+            },
+            {
+              "type": "null"
+            }
+          ]
+        },
+        "source": {
+          "type": "string"
+        }
+      },
+      "required": [
+        "source",
+        "bbox",
+        "day_range",
+        "date",
+        "derived_from"
+      ],
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "retrieved_at": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "returned_count": {
+      "maximum": 9007199254740991,
+      "minimum": -9007199254740991,
+      "type": "integer"
+    },
+    "source": {
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "properties": {
+        "retrieved_at": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "service": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "url": {
+          "type": "string"
+        }
+      },
+      "required": [
+        "service",
+        "url",
+        "retrieved_at"
+      ],
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "status": {
+      "enum": [
+        "success",
+        "no_results",
+        "error"
+      ],
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "total_detections": {
+      "anyOf": [
+        {
+          "maximum": 9007199254740991,
+          "minimum": -9007199254740991,
+          "type": "integer"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "null"
+        }
+      ]
+    },
+    "warnings": {
+      "items": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "status",
+    "query",
+    "total_detections",
+    "returned_count",
+    "columns",
+    "detections",
+    "source",
+    "retrieved_at",
+    "warnings"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

First observedAug 18, 2025

TDQS

A4.1/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint, idempotentHint, openWorldHint and destructiveHint=false, so safety is covered. The description adds non-obvious context beyond the annotations: the required FIRMS_MAP_KEY (distinct from NASA_API_KEY) and the fact that the legacy lat/lon interface now requires radius_km and is internally converted to a bbox.

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?

Three dense sentences, front-loaded with purpose, then credential requirement, then the legacy-interface caveat. Every sentence carries information; no filler.

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?

An output schema exists, so return values and pagination need no explanation, and the auth/key requirement is covered. Slight remaining gap: no guidance on choosing among the eight sensor sources beyond the NRT/SP gloss already in the schema.

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 description coverage is 100%, so the per-parameter baseline is 3. The description earns an extra point by disclosing a cross-parameter dependency the schema only implies locally: latitude/longitude now require radius_km and are converted to a bbox before querying.

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+resource ('Active fire/thermal anomaly detections from NASA FIRMS') plus the two scoping dimensions (bounding box, 1-5 day window). This clearly separates it from the many sibling tools, none of which deal with fire detections.

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?

The description tells the agent which credential is required and when the legacy lat/lon path applies, which is useful context. It never states when to prefer this tool over an alternative sibling (e.g., nasa_eonet for events) or when-not to use it, so usage is only implied.

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