FreightUtils MCP Server

ics2_check

Read-onlyIdempotent

Check a goods description against the EU ICS2 stop-words list before filing an ENS; flagged vague or generic terms need clarification.

Instructions

Check a goods description against the official EU ICS2 stop-words list — terms the European Commission deems too vague or generic for an entry summary declaration (ENS) goods-description field (data element 18 05 000 000).

Pass description=. Behavior: deterministic term matching against the in-force EU list; each flagged term carries a note (a standalone stop-word means automatic rejection, an embedded one means make the description more specific); clean=true means no listed term matched — it does NOT guarantee acceptance, and no binary accepted/rejected verdict is given. Rate-limited: a limit error carries reset_at, the UTC time the allowance resets.

Returns: the description echo, flagged[] (term + note), clean, caveat and disclaimer under result, plus a _source citing the EU list and legal basis, plus confidence, _source and citation (the FreightUtils v1 response envelope).

Limitations: STRICTLY a reference check — not an ENS filing, not a customs-compliance determination, not legal advice; the EU list is non-exhaustive and updated periodically.

Related: hs_code_lookup (commodity codes — a different field of the ENS), uk_duty_calculator (duty/VAT, unrelated to ENS screening). Intended for checking a goods description before an ENS is filed.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`description`	Yes	The goods description to check. Example: "gifts" (flagged) vs "wooden toys for retail" (specific).

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`ok`	Yes
`result`	Yes
`_source`	Yes
`citation`	Yes
`validity`	No
`warnings`	No
`confidence`	Yes
`blocking_errors`	No
`envelope_version`	Yes
`normalized_input`	No

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed1 schema field changedv2.22.3Oct 14, 2026
- addedInput schema / properties / description / minLength
```
Added value: +1
```
Changed5 schema fields changedv2.17.2Aug 21, 2026
- addedOutput schema / properties / _source / properties / authority_current_edition
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / _source / properties / checked_at
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / _source / properties / dataset_edition
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```
- removedOutput schema / properties / envelope_version / const
```
Removed value: -"1"
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / envelope_version / enum
```
Added value: +[
+  "1",
+  "1.1"
+]
```

Changed29 schema fields changedv2.11.0Jul 10, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / description / description

Previous value: -"The goods description to check against the EU ICS2 stop-words list."New value: +"The goods description to check. Example: \"gifts\" (flagged) vs \"wooden toys for retail\" (specific)."

removedOutput schema / properties / _source / properties / authority
```
Removed value: -{
-  "type": "string"
-}
```
addedOutput schema / properties / _source / properties / checked
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```
removedOutput schema / properties / _source / properties / dataset
```
Removed value: -{
-  "type": "string"
-}
```
removedOutput schema / properties / _source / properties / legal_basis
```
Removed value: -{
-  "type": "string"
-}
```
removedOutput schema / properties / _source / properties / licence
```
Removed value: -{
-  "type": "string"
-}
```
removedOutput schema / properties / _source / properties / list_in_force
```
Removed value: -{
-  "type": "string"
-}
```
addedOutput schema / properties / _source / properties / name
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```
removedOutput schema / properties / _source / properties / non_exhaustive
```
Removed value: -{
-  "type": "boolean"
-}
```

addedOutput schema / properties / _source / properties / provenance_status

Added value: +{
+  "enum": [
+    "verified",
+    "pending-verification",
+    "computed",
+    "live"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

removedOutput schema / properties / _source / properties / retrieved
```
Removed value: -{
-  "type": "string"
-}
```
removedOutput schema / properties / _source / properties / retrieved_via
```
Removed value: -{
-  "type": "string"
-}
```
removedOutput schema / properties / _source / properties / type
```
Removed value: -{
-  "type": "string"
-}
```

changedOutput schema / properties / _source / required

Previous value: -[
-  "type",
-  "authority",
-  "dataset",
-  "legal_basis",
-  "list_in_force",
-  "source_url",
-  "licence",
-  "retrieved",
-  "non_exhaustive",
-  "retrieved_via"
-]New value: +[
+  "name",
+  "checked",
+  "provenance_status"
+]

addedOutput schema / properties / blocking_errors

Added value: +{
+  "items": {
+    "additionalProperties": false,
+    "properties": {
+      "code": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "message": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "recovery": {
+        "additionalProperties": false,
+        "properties": {
+          "action": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "params": {
+            "additionalProperties": {},
+            "type": "object"
+          },
+          "tool": {
+            "type": "string"
+          }
+        },
+        "required": [
+          "action"
+        ],
+        "type": "object"
+      }
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "code",
+      "message",
+      "recovery"
+    ],
+    "type": "object"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

removedOutput schema / properties / caveat

Removed value: -{
-  "type": "string"
-}

addedOutput schema / properties / citation

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "properties": {
+    "qualifier": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "text": {
+      "type": "string"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "text"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

removedOutput schema / properties / clean

Removed value: -{
-  "type": "boolean"
-}

addedOutput schema / properties / confidence

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "properties": {
+    "basis": {
+      "enum": [
+        "deterministic",
+        "provenance",
+        "match_quality",
+        "freshness"
+      ],
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "level": {
+      "enum": [
+        "high",
+        "medium",
+        "low"
+      ],
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "score": {
+      "maximum": 1,
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "level",
+    "basis"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

removedOutput schema / properties / description
```
Removed value: -{
-  "type": "string"
-}
```
removedOutput schema / properties / disclaimer
```
Removed value: -{
-  "type": "string"
-}
```

addedOutput schema / properties / envelope_version

Added value: +{
+  "const": "1",
+  "type": "string"
+}

removedOutput schema / properties / flagged

Removed value: -{
-  "items": {
-    "additionalProperties": false,
-    "properties": {
-      "note": {
-        "type": "string"
-      },
-      "term": {
-        "type": "string"
-      }
-    },
-    "required": [
-      "term",
-      "note"
-    ],
-    "type": "object"
-  },
-  "type": "array"
-}

addedOutput schema / properties / normalized_input

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": {},
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / ok
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "boolean"
+}
```

addedOutput schema / properties / result

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "additionalProperties": true,
+      "properties": {
+        "caveat": {
+          "type": [
+            "string",
+            "null"
+          ]
+        },
+        "clean": {
+          "type": [
+            "boolean",
+            "null"
+          ]
+        },
+        "description": {
+          "type": [
+            "string",
+            "null"
+          ]
+        },
+        "disclaimer": {
+          "type": [
+            "string",
+            "null"
+          ]
+        },
+        "flagged": {
+          "anyOf": [
+            {
+              "items": {
+                "additionalProperties": true,
+                "properties": {
+                  "note": {
+                    "type": [
+                      "string",
+                      "null"
+                    ]
+                  },
+                  "term": {
+                    "type": [
+                      "string",
+                      "null"
+                    ]
+                  }
+                },
+                "type": "object"
+              },
+              "type": "array"
+            },
+            {
+              "type": "null"
+            }
+          ]
+        }
+      },
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    {
+      "additionalProperties": {},
+      "type": "object"
+    }
+  ]
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / validity

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "properties": {
+    "as_of": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "effective_from": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "effective_to": {
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "as_of"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / warnings

Added value: +{
+  "items": {
+    "additionalProperties": false,
+    "properties": {
+      "code": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "details": {
+        "additionalProperties": {},
+        "type": "object"
+      },
+      "message": {
+        "type": "string"
+      }
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "code",
+      "message"
+    ],
+    "type": "object"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

changedOutput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "description",
-  "flagged",
-  "clean",
-  "caveat",
-  "_source",
-  "disclaimer"
-]New value: +[
+  "envelope_version",
+  "ok",
+  "result",
+  "confidence",
+  "_source",
+  "citation"
+]

Addedv2.10.0Jun 24, 2026

TDQS

A4.6/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

Annotations already establish the safe read profile (readOnlyHint, idempotentHint, destructiveHint=false, openWorldHint=false), and the description adds substantial context beyond them: deterministic term matching, per-term notes distinguishing standalone vs embedded stop-words, the crucial caveat that clean=true does not mean acceptance, absence of a binary verdict, and rate limits with a reset_at field. This is exactly the behavioral disclosure a caller needs.

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?

Front-loaded with the core action and dense with useful detail; the behavior, caveat and limitations sections are well ordered. It loses a point for the awkward 'Returns:' paragraph that names '_source' twice and restates return values already covered by the output schema.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a single-parameter reference checker with annotations and an output schema, every dimension an agent needs is covered: purpose, scope, caveats, rate-limit behavior, legal limitations, and sibling relationships. The redundant return enumeration is harmless rather than a 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?

There is one parameter at 100% schema description coverage, and the schema already provides the example ('gifts' flagged vs 'wooden toys for retail' specific), so the baseline is 3. The description adds only the semantic framing that this maps to ENS data element 18 05 000 000 and how flagged terms are interpreted, not new syntactic or format guidance.

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 ('Check a goods description against the official EU ICS2 stop-words list') and immediately scopes it to the ENS goods-description field. It explicitly separates itself from siblings like hs_code_lookup ('a different field of the ENS') and uk_duty_calculator ('unrelated to ENS screening'). An agent can select this without opening any schema.

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

Usage Guidelines5/5

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

Gives explicit when-to-use ('checking a goods description before an ENS is filed') and when-not ('not an ENS filing, not a customs-compliance determination, not legal advice'). It also names two related siblings and states why they are different fields, so alternative selection is unambiguous.

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