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musicbrainz-mcp

musicbrainz-mcp

by chrischall
OverviewSchemaSourceRelated ServersDiscussionsAdmin
TypeScript
Remote

Look up a MusicBrainz entity by MBID

musicbrainz_lookup
Read-onlyIdempotent

Retrieve a MusicBrainz artist, release, recording, or other entity by MBID. Add inc parameters to include linked sub-entities and relationships in one read-only lookup.

Instructions

Fetch a single MusicBrainz entity (artist, release, recording, release-group, label, work, area, place, event, instrument, series, genre, url) by its MBID. Use inc to pull linked sub-entities and relationships, e.g. inc: ["releases","release-groups"] on an artist, or ["recordings","labels"] on a release, or ["artist-credits","url-rels"] on most entities. Your own tags/ratings (inc: ["user-tags"], ["user-ratings"], …) need OAuth (MUSICBRAINZ_OAUTH_*). Read-only. Data from MusicBrainz (https://musicbrainz.org), the open music encyclopedia.

Input Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
incNoSubqueries/relationships to include, e.g. ["releases","url-rels","tags"]
mbidYesThe entity MBID (UUID)
viewNoResponse shape: "compact" (default) drops fields the response already carries elsewhere; "full" returns every field this server understands. compact strips image/avatar URLs from the response; "full" returns MusicBrainz's payload untouched. No field projection: this server has no verified record of which MusicBrainz fields matter, and inventing one would risk dropping a field a caller needs.
entityYesEntity type to look up

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Changed1 schema field changedv1.0.0
    • changedInput schema / $schema
      Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"
  2. Changed1 schema field changedv0.3.1
    • addedInput schema / properties / view
      Added value: +{
+  "description": "Response shape: \"compact\" (default) drops fields the response already carries elsewhere; \"full\" returns every field this server understands. compact strips image/avatar URLs from the response; \"full\" returns MusicBrainz's payload untouched. No field projection: this server has no verified record of which MusicBrainz fields matter, and inventing one would risk dropping a field a caller needs.",
+  "enum": [
+    "compact",
+    "full"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}
  3. First observedv0.2.2

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 and openWorldHint, so the description only needs incremental detail — and it delivers: the OAuth requirement for personal tags/ratings, the semantics of `inc` expansion, and the upstream data source. It omits operational behavior such as rate limiting or how invalid MBIDs are reported.

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, followed by progressively narrower usage detail. It is four dense sentences with no throwaway filler, though the trailing attribution to musicbrainz.org is marginally promotional rather than operational.

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?

With no output schema, the description still covers the essentials an agent needs: the entity universe, the `inc`-based expansion model, response-shape control via `view` (documented in the schema), and the auth caveat for user-specific data. Nothing required 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 baseline is 3, but the description adds real value by illustrating valid `inc` values conditioned on entity type — information the schema cannot express with its generic example. The `view` and `mbid` semantics are left entirely to the schema.

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?

The description states a specific verb and resource ('Fetch a single MusicBrainz entity ... by its MBID') and enumerates the valid entity types, so an agent can tell it apart from browse/search which operate on queries rather than a known identifier. It does not explicitly name the sibling it is not (musicbrainz_search / musicbrainz_browse), so it falls short of the 5 tier.

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?

It gives concrete conditional guidance: use `inc` to pull linked sub-entities, with per-entity examples (releases on an artist, recordings/labels on a release, artist-credits/url-rels on most), and flags that user-tags/user-ratings require OAuth. It stops short of stating when to prefer this over musicbrainz_search or musicbrainz_resolve.

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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