FreightUtils MCP Server

incoterms_lookup

Read-onlyIdempotent

Look up Incoterms 2020 rules to see who pays transport, insurance, and customs, and where risk transfers; filter any-mode or sea-only rules by code or category.

Instructions

Look up the 11 Incoterms 2020 trade rules — who pays for transport, insurance and customs clearance, and where risk transfers from seller to buyer. 7 rules work for any transport mode (EXW, FCA, CPT, CIP, DAP, DPU, DDP); 4 are sea/inland-waterway only (FAS, FOB, CFR, CIF).

Provide code for one rule, category (any_mode | sea_only) for a filtered list, or neither to list all 11 (a list is summary rows — code, name, category, summary — with full: true for the full rules). Behavior: read-only reference; an unknown code errors with the valid code list, and DAT — replaced in Incoterms 2020 — names its successor, DPU (ICC). Rate-limited: a limit error carries reset_at, the UTC time the allowance resets.

Returns: the rule record — name, category, summary, seller_responsibility, buyer_responsibility, risk_transfer, cost_transfer, insurance, export/import clearance, best_for and watch_out — under result, plus confidence, _source and citation (the FreightUtils v1 response envelope).

Limitations: summarised guidance on ICC Incoterms 2020; the ICC publication is the binding text and specific contract wording prevails.

Related: uk_duty_calculator (accepts an incoterm when composing the CIF value), shipment_summary (composite analysis).

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`code`	No	Three-letter Incoterms 2020 code. Examples: "FOB", "CIF", "EXW", "DAP".
`full`	No	Lists only: true returns full records (provenance, sources, rationale) instead of summary rows, five per page by default. A single-record call always returns the full record.
`limit`	No	Lists only: rows per page (default: every summary row; 5 with full: true).
`offset`	No	Lists only: rows to skip (default 0). The response gives total and next_offset.
`category`	No	Filter the list: any_mode (7 rules) or sea_only (4 rules).

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`ok`	Yes
`_meta`	No
`as_of`	No
`result`	Yes
`status`	No
`_source`	Yes
`edition`	No
`citation`	Yes
`validity`	No
`warnings`	No
`confidence`	Yes
`missing_inputs`	No
`blocking_errors`	No
`envelope_version`	Yes
`normalized_input`	No

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed4 schema fields changedv2.27.0Oct 31, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / _meta / properties / check_id
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```
addedOutput schema / properties / _meta / properties / edition_basis
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```

addedOutput schema / properties / _meta / properties / receipt

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": {},
+  "properties": {
+    "created_at": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "dataset_version": {
+      "additionalProperties": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "propertyNames": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "engine_version": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "inputs": {},
+    "reason": {
+      "const": "key_required",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "receipt_hash": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "result": {
+      "additionalProperties": {},
+      "propertyNames": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "schema_version": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "stored": {
+      "const": false,
+      "type": "boolean"
+    },
+    "tool": {
+      "type": "string"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "stored",
+    "reason",
+    "schema_version",
+    "receipt_hash",
+    "created_at",
+    "tool",
+    "inputs",
+    "dataset_version",
+    "engine_version",
+    "result"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / _meta / properties / receipt_url
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```

Changed10 schema fields changedv2.24.0Oct 29, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / _meta

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": {},
+  "properties": {
+    "identify": {
+      "type": "string"
+    }
+  },
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / as_of
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```
addedOutput schema / properties / blocking_errors / items / properties / recovery / properties / params / propertyNames
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```

addedOutput schema / properties / edition

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "properties": {
+        "applies_from": {
+          "type": [
+            "string",
+            "null"
+          ]
+        },
+        "may_apply_until": {
+          "type": [
+            "string",
+            "null"
+          ]
+        },
+        "name": {
+          "type": "string"
+        }
+      },
+      "required": [
+        "name",
+        "applies_from",
+        "may_apply_until"
+      ],
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ]
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / envelope_version / enum

Previous value: -[
-  "1",
-  "1.1"
-]New value: +[
+  "1",
+  "1.1",
+  "1.2"
+]

addedOutput schema / properties / missing_inputs

Added value: +{
+  "items": {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / normalized_input / propertyNames
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```

changedOutput schema / properties / result / anyOf

Previous value: -[
-  {
-    "additionalProperties": true,
-    "properties": {
-      "best_for": {
-        "type": [
-          "string",
-          "null"
-        ]
-      },
-      "buyer_responsibility": {
-        "type": [
-          "string",
-          "null"
-        ]
-      },
-      "category": {
-        "type": [
-          "string",
-          "null"
-        ]
-      },
-      "code": {
-        "type": [
-          "string",
-          "null"
-        ]
-      },
-      "cost_transfer": {
-        "type": [
-          "string",
-          "null"
-        ]
-      },
-      "count": {
-        "type": [
-          "number",
-          "null"
-        ]
-      },
-      "export_clearance": {
-        "type": [
-          "string",
-          "null"
-        ]
-      },
-      "import_clearance": {
-        "type": [
-          "string",
-          "null"
-        ]
-      },
-      "insurance": {
-        "type": [
-          "string",
-          "null"
-        ]
-      },
-      "name": {
-        "type": [
-          "string",
-          "null"
-        ]
-      },
-      "results": {
-        "anyOf": [
-          {
-            "items": {},
-            "type": "array"
-          },
-          {
-            "type": "null"
-          }
-        ]
-      },
-      "risk_transfer": {
-        "type": [
-          "string",
-          "null"
-        ]
-      },
-      "seller_responsibility": {
-        "type": [
-          "string",
-          "null"
-        ]
-      },
-      "slug": {
-        "type": [
-          "string",
-          "null"
-        ]
-      },
-      "summary": {
-        "type": [
-          "string",
-          "null"
-        ]
-      },
-      "watch_out": {
-        "type": [
-          "string",
-          "null"
-        ]
-      }
-    },
-    "type": "object"
-  },
-  {
-    "additionalProperties": {},
-    "type": "object"
-  }
-]New value: +[
+  {
+    "additionalProperties": {},
+    "properties": {
+      "best_for": {
+        "type": [
+          "string",
+          "null"
+        ]
+      },
+      "buyer_responsibility": {
+        "type": [
+          "string",
+          "null"
+        ]
+      },
+      "category": {
+        "type": [
+          "string",
+          "null"
+        ]
+      },
+      "code": {
+        "type": [
+          "string",
+          "null"
+        ]
+      },
+      "cost_transfer": {
+        "type": [
+          "string",
+          "null"
+        ]
+      },
+      "count": {
+        "type": [
+          "number",
+          "null"
+        ]
+      },
+      "export_clearance": {
+        "type": [
+          "string",
+          "null"
+        ]
+      },
+      "import_clearance": {
+        "type": [
+          "string",
+          "null"
+        ]
+      },
+      "insurance": {
+        "type": [
+          "string",
+          "null"
+        ]
+      },
+      "name": {
+        "type": [
+          "string",
+          "null"
+        ]
+      },
+      "results": {
+        "anyOf": [
+          {
+            "items": {},
+            "type": "array"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "null"
+          }
+        ]
+      },
+      "risk_transfer": {
+        "type": [
+          "string",
+          "null"
+        ]
+      },
+      "seller_responsibility": {
+        "type": [
+          "string",
+          "null"
+        ]
+      },
+      "slug": {
+        "type": [
+          "string",
+          "null"
+        ]
+      },
+      "summary": {
+        "type": [
+          "string",
+          "null"
+        ]
+      },
+      "watch_out": {
+        "type": [
+          "string",
+          "null"
+        ]
+      }
+    },
+    "type": "object"
+  },
+  {
+    "additionalProperties": {},
+    "propertyNames": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "type": "object"
+  }
+]

addedOutput schema / properties / status

Added value: +{
+  "enum": [
+    "ok",
+    "partial",
+    "not_found",
+    "unsupported",
+    "ambiguous"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / warnings / items / properties / details / propertyNames
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```

Changed3 schema fields changedv2.22.3Oct 14, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / full

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Lists only: true returns full records (provenance, sources, rationale) instead of summary rows, five per page by default. A single-record call always returns the full record.",
+  "type": "boolean"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / limit

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Lists only: rows per page (default: every summary row; 5 with full: true).",
+  "maximum": 100,
+  "minimum": 1,
+  "type": "integer"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / offset

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Lists only: rows to skip (default 0). The response gives total and next_offset.",
+  "maximum": 9007199254740991,
+  "minimum": 0,
+  "type": "integer"
+}

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"
+]
```

Changed3 schema fields changedv2.11.0Jul 10, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / category / description

Previous value: -"Filter by transport mode category"New value: +"Filter the list: any_mode (7 rules) or sea_only (4 rules)."

changedInput schema / properties / code / description

Previous value: -"Incoterm code (3 letters, e.g., \"FOB\", \"CIF\", \"EXW\")"New value: +"Three-letter Incoterms 2020 code. Examples: \"FOB\", \"CIF\", \"EXW\", \"DAP\"."

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "properties": {
+    "_source": {
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "properties": {
+        "checked": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "name": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "provenance_status": {
+          "enum": [
+            "verified",
+            "pending-verification",
+            "computed",
+            "live"
+          ],
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "source_url": {
+          "type": "string"
+        }
+      },
+      "required": [
+        "name",
+        "checked",
+        "provenance_status"
+      ],
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "blocking_errors": {
+      "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"
+    },
+    "citation": {
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "properties": {
+        "qualifier": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "text": {
+          "type": "string"
+        }
+      },
+      "required": [
+        "text"
+      ],
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "confidence": {
+      "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"
+    },
+    "envelope_version": {
+      "const": "1",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "normalized_input": {
+      "additionalProperties": {},
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "ok": {
+      "type": "boolean"
+    },
+    "result": {
+      "anyOf": [
+        {
+          "additionalProperties": true,
+          "properties": {
+            "best_for": {
+              "type": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "buyer_responsibility": {
+              "type": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "category": {
+              "type": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "code": {
+              "type": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "cost_transfer": {
+              "type": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "count": {
+              "type": [
+                "number",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "export_clearance": {
+              "type": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "import_clearance": {
+              "type": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "insurance": {
+              "type": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "name": {
+              "type": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "results": {
+              "anyOf": [
+                {
+                  "items": {},
+                  "type": "array"
+                },
+                {
+                  "type": "null"
+                }
+              ]
+            },
+            "risk_transfer": {
+              "type": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "seller_responsibility": {
+              "type": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "slug": {
+              "type": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "summary": {
+              "type": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "watch_out": {
+              "type": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            }
+          },
+          "type": "object"
+        },
+        {
+          "additionalProperties": {},
+          "type": "object"
+        }
+      ]
+    },
+    "validity": {
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "properties": {
+        "as_of": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "effective_from": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "effective_to": {
+          "type": [
+            "string",
+            "null"
+          ]
+        }
+      },
+      "required": [
+        "as_of"
+      ],
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "warnings": {
+      "items": {
+        "additionalProperties": false,
+        "properties": {
+          "code": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "details": {
+            "additionalProperties": {},
+            "type": "object"
+          },
+          "message": {
+            "type": "string"
+          }
+        },
+        "required": [
+          "code",
+          "message"
+        ],
+        "type": "object"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "envelope_version",
+    "ok",
+    "result",
+    "confidence",
+    "_source",
+    "citation"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

Changed2 schema fields changedv2.5.0Jun 22, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / code / description

Previous value: -"Incoterm code (e.g., \"FOB\", \"CIF\", \"EXW\")"New value: +"Incoterm code (3 letters, e.g., \"FOB\", \"CIF\", \"EXW\")"

addedInput schema / properties / code / pattern
```
Added value: +"^[A-Za-z]{3}$"
```

First observedv1.0.0Apr 3, 2026

TDQS

A4.8/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

Annotations already declare read-only/idempotent/no-destruction, so the description's job is edge-case behavior — and it delivers: unknown codes error with the valid code list, DAT resolves to its ICC successor DPU, and rate-limit errors carry reset_at in UTC. That is exactly the failure-mode context an agent cannot infer from structured fields.

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 purpose, then usage, behavior, returns, limitations, related — a well-signposted structure. The returns sentence enumerating every field is largely redundant with the output schema and is the one paragraph that does not fully earn its space.

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 zero-required-param reference tool with full annotations and an output schema, this covers every remaining gap: valid-code semantics, category partitioning, error behavior, rate-limit metadata, and the authoritative-source caveat that the ICC publication is binding. Nothing an agent needs to call it correctly is missing.

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 3 baseline applies, but the description adds the mode-selection logic the schema states only per-parameter: that code vs category vs neither are the three ways to call it, and that list results are summary rows unless full is set. That cross-parameter semantics is genuine added value, though individual format details remain the schema's job.

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 — look up the 11 Incoterms 2020 rules — and immediately scopes what the data covers (who pays transport, insurance, customs; where risk transfers). It also partitions the domain itself (7 any-mode codes vs 4 sea-only codes), which lets an agent distinguish this reference lookup from siblings like uk_duty_calculator or shipment_summary without opening a 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 invocation modes and mutual exclusivity: 'code for one rule, category for a filtered list, or neither to list all 11.' It also names downstream consumers ('uk_duty_calculator accepts an incoterm when composing the CIF value; shipment_summary (composite analysis)'), routing the agent to the right sibling for follow-on work.

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