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cliwant

mcp-sam-gov

by cliwant

far_search

Read-only

Search FAR and DFARS regulations for clauses related to a specific topic, filtering by scope and deduplicating to current in-force versions.

Instructions

FAR/DFARS-scoped semantic search — the 'which clauses touch topic X' front-door that feeds far_clause_lookup. COMPOSES ecfr_search but fixes its two compliance flaws: (1) it filters to FAR (Title 48 chapter 1) or DFARS (chapter 2), EXCLUDING GSAM/agency supplements (so 'limitations on subcontracting' no longer mis-ranks GSAM 552.x over FAR 52.x), and (2) it collapses eCFR's ~5-versions-per-section HISTORICAL duplicates to the CURRENT in-force version (endsOn==null). scope: far (default) | dfars | both. dedupeVersions (default true; false shows all historical rows). partsOnly restricts to given parts (e.g. [52] clause text). Returns distinct sections with regulation/section/headingPath/excerpt/score/ecfrUrl/effectiveOn/endsOn/isCurrent, distinctSections, and the farOverhaulRisk caveat. TRUTHFUL: dedupe never drops a distinct section (the raw→distinct collapse is disclosed); a kept-historical row is marked isCurrent:false; a search-endpoint outage THROWS (never a fake 0 results); totalAvailable is null (a deduped view has no clean upstream count). Keyless.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
queryYesWhat to search FAR/DFARS text for, e.g. 'limitations on subcontracting', 'covered defense information', 'commercial item'.
scopeNoWhich corpus to search: 'far' (Title 48 chapter 1, the default), 'dfars' (chapter 2), or 'both'. Excludes GSAM/agency supplements.
perPageNoNumber of DISTINCT sections to return (1–20). Default 5.
partsOnlyNoRestrict results to these FAR/DFARS parts, e.g. [52] for clause text only, [12] for commercial-item policy.
dedupeVersionsNoCollapse each section's historical versions to the current (in-force) one. Default true. false ⇒ return all raw rows incl. historical.
Behavior5/5

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

The description discloses critical behaviors beyond annotations: deduplication logic, truthful error handling (throws on outage, no fake zero results), marking of non-current versions, and the farOverhaulRisk caveat. No contradiction with readOnlyHint annotations.

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?

The description is detailed but front-loaded with the core purpose; every sentence adds value. Slightly verbose due to comprehensive disclosure, but no unnecessary content.

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?

Despite having no output schema, the description thoroughly explains return fields (list, distinctSections, effectiveOn, isCurrent, etc.) and behavioral traits. Given tool complexity (5 params) and lack of output schema, this is complete.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters5/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

With 100% schema coverage, the description adds substantial meaning: explains that scope excludes GSAM/agency supplements, dedupeVersions collapses historical versions, partsOnly restricts to specific parts, and query is a semantic search. This enriches 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?

The description clearly states the tool performs semantic search over FAR/DFARS regulations, explicitly distinguishes itself from sibling tools like ecfr_search by highlighting compliance fixes, and positions itself as the front-door to far_clause_lookup.

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?

The description provides explicit guidance on when to use this tool (topic-based search) and contrasts with ecfr_search and far_clause_lookup, including details on scope options (far, dfars, both) and deduplication behavior.

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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