umich-dining-mcp

Get a dish nutrition panel

get_item_nutrition

Read-onlyIdempotent

Retrieve the full nutrition panel for a single University of Michigan dining hall dish by name, with optional date, meal, and station filters. Use this for one dish; filter multiple dishes separately.

Instructions

Get the full nutrition panel of one dish. Name matched case-insensitively; exact match wins, else unique substring. Dish row uses the same coded layout as the sweep tools. Panel values are numbers with one units map; micronutrient amount is the derived amount, with the published percent behind it. asOf data age. Allergens advisory. Use this only when you need the full panel for a single dish. For multiple dishes, use filter_dishes with include_nutrients instead.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`date`	No	Date YYYY-MM-DD. Site publishes today-3..+14 days.
`hall`	Yes	The dining hall to read.
`item`	Yes	The dish name.
`meal`	No	Narrow the search to one meal.
`station`	No	Narrow the search to one station.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`key`	Yes
`asOf`	No
`date`	Yes
`hall`	Yes
`meal`	Yes
`name`	Yes
`units`	No
`traits`	Yes
`station`	Yes
`warning`	Yes
`allergens`	Yes
`nutrition`	Yes
`mhealthyTier`	Yes
`carbonFootprint`	Yes

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed1 schema field changedv2.0.0Oct 27, 2026

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"
-]

Changed22 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: +"Date YYYY-MM-DD. Site publishes today-3..+14 days."

addedInput schema / properties / meal

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Narrow the search to one meal.",
+  "enum": [
+    "Breakfast",
+    "Brunch",
+    "Lunch",
+    "Dinner"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / station

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Narrow the search to one station.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / allergens / items / type
```
Previous value: -"string"New value: +"number"
```
addedOutput schema / properties / asOf
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```

changedOutput schema / properties / carbonFootprint / anyOf

Previous value: -[
-  {
-    "enum": [
-      "low",
-      "medium",
-      "high"
-    ],
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  {
-    "type": "null"
-  }
-]New value: +[
+  {
+    "maximum": 3,
+    "minimum": 1,
+    "type": "integer"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]

removedOutput 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"
-]

changedOutput schema / properties / hall / type

Previous value: -"string"New value: +"number"

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

addedOutput schema / properties / key

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

removedOutput schema / properties / meal / enum

Removed value: -[
-  "Breakfast",
-  "Lunch",
-  "Dinner"
-]

changedOutput schema / properties / meal / type

Previous value: -"string"New value: +"number"

changedOutput schema / properties / nutrition / additionalProperties
```
Previous value: -falseNew value: +{}
```

removedOutput schema / properties / nutrition / properties

Removed value: -{
-  "calories": {
-    "type": [
-      "number",
-      "null"
-    ]
-  },
-  "cholesterol": {
-    "type": [
-      "string",
-      "null"
-    ]
-  },
-  "dietaryFiber": {
-    "type": [
-      "string",
-      "null"
-    ]
-  },
-  "micronutrients": {
-    "additionalProperties": {
-      "type": "string"
-    },
-    "propertyNames": {
-      "type": "string"
-    },
-    "type": "object"
-  },
-  "protein": {
-    "type": [
-      "string",
-      "null"
-    ]
-  },
-  "saturatedFat": {
-    "type": [
-      "string",
-      "null"
-    ]
-  },
-  "servingSize": {
-    "type": [
-      "string",
-      "null"
-    ]
-  },
-  "sodium": {
-    "type": [
-      "string",
-      "null"
-    ]
-  },
-  "sugars": {
-    "type": [
-      "string",
-      "null"
-    ]
-  },
-  "totalCarbohydrate": {
-    "type": [
-      "string",
-      "null"
-    ]
-  },
-  "totalFat": {
-    "type": [
-      "string",
-      "null"
-    ]
-  },
-  "transFat": {
-    "type": [
-      "string",
-      "null"
-    ]
-  }
-}

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

removedOutput schema / properties / nutrition / required

Removed value: -[
-  "servingSize",
-  "calories",
-  "totalFat",
-  "saturatedFat",
-  "transFat",
-  "cholesterol",
-  "sodium",
-  "totalCarbohydrate",
-  "dietaryFiber",
-  "sugars",
-  "protein",
-  "micronutrients"
-]

changedOutput schema / properties / station / type
```
Previous value: -"string"New value: +"number"
```

removedOutput schema / properties / traitLabels

Removed value: -{
-  "additionalProperties": {
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  "propertyNames": {
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  "type": "object"
-}

changedOutput schema / properties / traits / items / type
```
Previous value: -"string"New value: +"number"
```

addedOutput schema / properties / units

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

changedOutput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "hall",
-  "hallName",
-  "date",
-  "meal",
-  "station",
-  "name",
-  "traits",
-  "traitLabels",
-  "allergens",
-  "mhealthyTier",
-  "carbonFootprint",
-  "nutrition",
-  "warning"
-]New value: +[
+  "key",
+  "hall",
+  "date",
+  "meal",
+  "station",
+  "name",
+  "traits",
+  "allergens",
+  "mhealthyTier",
+  "carbonFootprint",
+  "nutrition",
+  "warning"
+]

First observedv0.1.0Oct 21, 2026

TDQS

A4.5/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Goes well beyond the read-only annotations by disclosing matching semantics (case-insensitive, exact match wins, else unique substring), output shape (coded row layout, numbers plus one units map, derived micronutrient amount with published percent), asOf data age, and that allergens are advisory. It leaves out what happens on no match or ambiguous substring matches, so it stops short of full behavioral disclosure.

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, and every sentence carries information: matching rules, output semantics, data age, allergen caveat, and the sibling alternative. It is dense but not padded; moving the routing sentence earlier would improve scanability slightly.

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

Completeness4/5

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

With an output schema and read-only annotations present, the description covers the remaining gaps an agent needs: disambiguation rules for the dish name, the meaning of the coded panel layout, and the correct alternative tool. It omits default date behavior and the error/ambiguity outcome when the substring match is not unique, which are meaningful for correct invocation.

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. The description adds genuine meaning for the key 'item' parameter (case-insensitive matching, exact-match precedence, unique-substring fallback) that the schema's bare 'The dish name' does not provide; the remaining parameters are left to 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?

States a specific verb and resource ('Get the full nutrition panel of one dish') and explicitly contrasts with the multi-dish sibling filter_dishes. An agent can distinguish this from get_menu and filter_dishes without inspecting 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?

Explicitly scopes use to the single-dish case ('Use this only when you need the full panel for a single dish') and names the alternative for multiple dishes ('use filter_dishes with include_nutrients instead'). Both when-to-use and when-not-to-use are covered.

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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