umich-dining-mcp

Filter dishes

filter_dishes

Read-onlyIdempotent

Filter University of Michigan dining hall menus by allergens, traits, nutrient ranges, carbon footprint, calories, sodium, or dish-name query to find dishes matching dietary and nutritional needs.

Instructions

Filter dining hall menus by allergen, trait, nutrient density, carbon, calories, sodium and name. All params optional; no params lists every dish for the day. Allergens: alcohol, beef, coconut, eggs, fish, item-is-deep-fried, milk, oats, peanuts, pork, sesame-seed, shellfish, soy, tree-nuts, wheat_barley_rye. Traits: glutenfree, halal, kosher, spicy, vegan, vegetarian. min_mhealthy: keep tiers >= (1-5). max_carbon: keep tiers <= (1 low, 2 medium, 3 high). Untagged dropped by both. nutrients: range per nutrient, e.g. {"protein":{"min":20,"unit":"g"}}. query: case-insensitive substring. Rows are arrays: [hall, meal, station, name, traits, allergens, mhealthyTier] plus carbonFootprint when max_carbon or sort_by carbon, then calories, servingSize, servingSizeGrams, dates in a range, then nutrients named by include_nutrients. traits are codes 1-6; allergens are codes; read the key. Station codes in each row resolve via key.stations. Every row already includes calories, servingSize, and servingSizeGrams. Use include_nutrients to get full nutrition data in the same call - no need to call get_item_nutrition per dish. stale means the data is from cache and may be slightly old, but is still the best available; asOf is the age. Re-call only if you need guaranteed-fresh data. Allergens advisory.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`to`	No	The last day of a range to filter. Defaults to the last published day.
`date`	No	A single day to filter. Cannot be combined with from/to.
`from`	No	The first day of a range to filter.
`hall`	No	Halls: one, a list, or none for all.
`meal`	No	Keeps only that meal.
`limit`	No	Rows to return (default 50, max 500).
`query`	No	A case-insensitive substring of the dish name.
`offset`	No	Pages of the range to skip.
`sort_by`	No	Sort field: a nutrient key, carbonFootprint, a micronutrient name, servingSize, mhealthyTier, or a ratio "numerator:denominator" (e.g. "protein:calories", "vitaminA:iron"). Legacy: proteinToCalorie, fiberToCalorie.
`station`	No	Keeps only that station.
`nutrients`	No	Range per nutrient, e.g. {"protein":{"min":20,"unit":"g"}}. A constraint drops dishes with no value.
`max_carbon`	No	The highest acceptable carbon footprint: 1 (low), 2 (medium) or 3 (high). The dishes the site did not tag are dropped.
`sort_order`	No	The direction of the sort. It defaults to desc, so the biggest value comes first.
`min_mhealthy`	No	The lowest acceptable nutrient-density tier. The dishes the site did not tag are dropped.
`require_traits`	No	Keeps only the dishes that carry every one of these traits.
`exclude_allergens`	No	Keeps only the dishes that carry none of these allergens.
`include_nutrients`	No	Nutrients to return, by key/name, or ["all"].

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`key`	Yes
`asOf`	No
`date`	No
`note`	No
`flags`	No
`stale`	Yes
`units`	No
`filter`	No
`noMenu`	No
`matches`	Yes
`coverage`	No
`failures`	Yes
`dateRange`	No
`nutrients`	No
`truncated`	Yes
`totalMatches`	Yes

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed46 schema fields changedv0.1.1Oct 23, 2026

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

changedInput schema / properties / date / description

Previous value: -"Calendar date in YYYY-MM-DD. The site publishes menus for today-3 days to today+14 days."New value: +"A single day to filter. Cannot be combined with from/to."

addedInput schema / properties / exclude_allergens / description

Added value: +"Keeps only the dishes that carry none of these allergens."

addedInput schema / properties / from

Added value: +{
+  "description": "The first day of a range to filter.",
+  "pattern": "^\\d{4}-\\d{2}-\\d{2}$",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / hall / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "enum": [
+      "bursley",
+      "east-quad",
+      "markley",
+      "mosher-jordan",
+      "north-quad",
+      "south-quad",
+      "twigs-at-oxford",
+      "wolverine-village",
+      "lawyers-club",
+      "martha-cook"
+    ],
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  {
+    "items": {
+      "enum": [
+        "bursley",
+        "east-quad",
+        "markley",
+        "mosher-jordan",
+        "north-quad",
+        "south-quad",
+        "twigs-at-oxford",
+        "wolverine-village",
+        "lawyers-club",
+        "martha-cook"
+      ],
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "maxItems": 10,
+    "type": "array"
+  }
+]

addedInput schema / properties / hall / description

Added value: +"Halls: one, a list, or none for all."

removedInput schema / properties / hall / enum

Removed value: -[
-  "bursley",
-  "east-quad",
-  "markley",
-  "mosher-jordan",
-  "north-quad",
-  "south-quad",
-  "twigs-at-oxford",
-  "wolverine-village",
-  "lawyers-club",
-  "martha-cook"
-]

removedInput schema / properties / hall / type
```
Removed value: -"string"
```

addedInput schema / properties / include_nutrients

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Nutrients to return, by key/name, or [\"all\"].",
+  "items": {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / limit / description

Added value: +"Rows to return (default 50, max 500)."

removedInput schema / properties / max_calories

Removed value: -{
-  "minimum": 0,
-  "type": "number"
-}

addedInput schema / properties / max_carbon / description

Added value: +"The highest acceptable carbon footprint: 1 (low), 2 (medium) or 3 (high). The dishes the site did not tag are dropped."

removedInput schema / properties / max_carbon / enum

Removed value: -[
-  "low",
-  "medium",
-  "high"
-]

addedInput schema / properties / max_carbon / maximum
```
Added value: +3
```
addedInput schema / properties / max_carbon / minimum
```
Added value: +1
```
changedInput schema / properties / max_carbon / type
```
Previous value: -"string"New value: +"integer"
```

removedInput schema / properties / max_sodium_mg

Removed value: -{
-  "minimum": 0,
-  "type": "number"
-}

addedInput schema / properties / meal

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Keeps only that meal.",
+  "enum": [
+    "Breakfast",
+    "Brunch",
+    "Lunch",
+    "Dinner"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / min_mhealthy / description

Added value: +"The lowest acceptable nutrient-density tier. The dishes the site did not tag are dropped."

addedInput schema / properties / nutrients

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": {
+    "properties": {
+      "max": {
+        "description": "The highest acceptable value, in the unit below.",
+        "type": "number"
+      },
+      "min": {
+        "description": "The lowest acceptable value, in the unit below.",
+        "type": "number"
+      },
+      "unit": {
+        "description": "The unit of the bounds. It defaults to the nutrient's own; a micronutrient defaults to the published percent.",
+        "type": "string"
+      }
+    },
+    "type": "object"
+  },
+  "description": "Range per nutrient, e.g. {\"protein\":{\"min\":20,\"unit\":\"g\"}}. A constraint drops dishes with no value.",
+  "propertyNames": {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / offset

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Pages of the range to skip.",
+  "maximum": 9007199254740991,
+  "minimum": 0,
+  "type": "integer"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / query

Added value: +{
+  "description": "A case-insensitive substring of the dish name.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / require_traits / description

Added value: +"Keeps only the dishes that carry every one of these traits."

addedInput schema / properties / sort_by

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Sort field: a nutrient key, carbonFootprint, a micronutrient name, servingSize, mhealthyTier, or a ratio \"numerator:denominator\" (e.g. \"protein:calories\", \"vitaminA:iron\"). Legacy: proteinToCalorie, fiberToCalorie.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / sort_order

Added value: +{
+  "description": "The direction of the sort. It defaults to desc, so the biggest value comes first.",
+  "enum": [
+    "asc",
+    "desc"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / station

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Keeps only that station.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / to

Added value: +{
+  "description": "The last day of a range to filter. Defaults to the last published day.",
+  "pattern": "^\\d{4}-\\d{2}-\\d{2}$",
+  "type": "string"
+}

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

addedOutput schema / properties / coverage

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "properties": {
+    "cached": {
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "failed": {
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "fetchedNow": {
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "nextOffset": {
+      "type": [
+        "number",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "offset": {
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "pages": {
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "pending": {
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "requested": {
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "stale": {
+      "type": "number"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "requested",
+    "cached",
+    "fetchedNow",
+    "pending",
+    "failed",
+    "stale",
+    "offset",
+    "pages",
+    "nextOffset"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / dateRange

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

addedOutput schema / properties / filter

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

addedOutput schema / properties / flags

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

addedOutput schema / properties / key

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

removedOutput schema / properties / matches / items / additionalProperties
```
Removed value: -false
```

addedOutput schema / properties / matches / items / items

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "boolean"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    },
+    {
+      "items": {
+        "type": "number"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    },
+    {
+      "items": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    },
+    {
+      "additionalProperties": {
+        "type": "number"
+      },
+      "propertyNames": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "type": "object"
+    }
+  ]
+}

removedOutput schema / properties / matches / items / properties

Removed value: -{
-  "allergens": {
-    "items": {
-      "type": "string"
-    },
-    "type": "array"
-  },
-  "calories": {
-    "type": [
-      "number",
-      "null"
-    ]
-  },
-  "carbonFootprint": {
-    "anyOf": [
-      {
-        "enum": [
-          "low",
-          "medium",
-          "high"
-        ],
-        "type": "string"
-      },
-      {
-        "type": "null"
-      }
-    ]
-  },
-  "date": {
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  "hall": {
-    "enum": [
-      "bursley",
-      "east-quad",
-      "markley",
-      "mosher-jordan",
-      "north-quad",
-      "south-quad",
-      "twigs-at-oxford",
-      "wolverine-village",
-      "lawyers-club",
-      "martha-cook"
-    ],
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  "hallName": {
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  "meal": {
-    "enum": [
-      "Breakfast",
-      "Lunch",
-      "Dinner"
-    ],
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  "mhealthyTier": {
-    "type": [
-      "number",
-      "null"
-    ]
-  },
-  "name": {
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  "sodiumMg": {
-    "type": [
-      "number",
-      "null"
-    ]
-  },
-  "station": {
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  "traitLabels": {
-    "additionalProperties": {
-      "type": "string"
-    },
-    "propertyNames": {
-      "type": "string"
-    },
-    "type": "object"
-  },
-  "traits": {
-    "items": {
-      "type": "string"
-    },
-    "type": "array"
-  }
-}

removedOutput schema / properties / matches / items / required

Removed value: -[
-  "hall",
-  "hallName",
-  "date",
-  "meal",
-  "station",
-  "name",
-  "traits",
-  "traitLabels",
-  "allergens",
-  "mhealthyTier",
-  "carbonFootprint",
-  "calories",
-  "sodiumMg"
-]

changedOutput schema / properties / matches / items / type
```
Previous value: -"object"New value: +"array"
```

addedOutput schema / properties / noMenu

Added value: +{
+  "items": {
+    "additionalProperties": false,
+    "properties": {
+      "date": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "hall": {
+        "type": "string"
+      }
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "hall",
+      "date"
+    ],
+    "type": "object"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

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

addedOutput schema / properties / nutrients

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

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

addedOutput schema / properties / units

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

removedOutput schema / properties / warning

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

changedOutput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "date",
-  "totalMatches",
-  "matches",
-  "failures",
-  "warning"
-]New value: +[
+  "key",
+  "totalMatches",
+  "truncated",
+  "stale",
+  "matches",
+  "failures"
+]

First observedv0.1.0Oct 21, 2026

TDQS

A4.6/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnly/idempotent/non-destructive, and the description adds substantial context on top: the exact row layout, when carbonFootprint and nutrient columns appear, that trait/allergen values are numeric codes resolvable via the returned key, and that 'stale' data is cached. The 'Allergens advisory' caveat is a meaningful safety disclosure no annotation carries.

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 filtering capability is front-loaded and nearly every sentence carries operational detail. The long row-ordering sentence is dense and partially overlaps the output schema, keeping it short of a 5.

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 17-parameter tool with nested objects and no required fields, the description covers defaults, constraint side effects, output row structure, cache freshness, and the alternative nutrition call. Combined with the output schema and annotations, an agent has everything needed to invoke it correctly.

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 meaning beyond it: a concrete nutrients syntax example, tier mappings for min_mhealthy and max_carbon, the rule that a constraint drops dishes with no value, and that query is a case-insensitive substring. The enumerated allergen/trait vocabularies duplicate the schema enums, which caps it below 5.

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?

Opens with a specific verb and resource ('Filter dining hall menus') plus the exact dimension set it filters on. It also distinguishes itself from the closest sibling by stating 'Use include_nutrients to get full nutrition data in the same call - no need to call get_item_nutrition per dish.'

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?

Gives a clear default behavior ('no params lists every dish for the day'), explains the untagged-drop side effect, and tells the agent when to re-call versus accept cached data ('Re-call only if you need guaranteed-fresh data'). It does not explicitly contrast itself with get_menu, so routing between those two is left implicit.

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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