AstroMCP
Server Configuration
Describes the environment variables required to run the server.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| TNS_BOT_ID | No | Optional TNS bot credential (create a bot at https://www.wis-tns.org/bots) for live TNS queries. | |
| TNS_API_KEY | No | Optional TNS bot API key for live TNS queries. Never returned in responses, written to logs, or stored in the cache. | |
| TNS_BOT_NAME | No | Optional TNS bot credential (the bot name) for live TNS queries. | |
| TNS_PUBLIC_CSV | No | Path to a downloaded tns_public_objects.csv.zip, used when there are no TNS bot credentials. | |
| ASTROMCP_CACHE_DIR | No | Disk cache directory (HTTP responses for minutes to hours; ExoFOP tables 12 h; TNS archive 20 h). | ~/.cache/astromcp |
Instructions
Guidance the server publishes about itself, which clients place ahead of the tool catalog so the model reads it before choosing anything.
This server publishes no instructions, or was last inspected before Glama recorded them.
Capabilities
Features and capabilities supported by this server
Protocol revision2025-11-25
| Capability | Details |
|---|---|
| tools | {
"listChanged": false
} |
| prompts | {
"listChanged": false
} |
| resources | {
"subscribe": false,
"listChanged": false
} |
Tools
Functions exposed to the LLM to take actions
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| whats_hereA | Is it already known? Query TNS, SIMBAD, VSX, Gaia DR3, ExoFOP TOI/CTOI, ZTF (ALeRCE) and,
if |
| tns_objectA | Look up a Transient Name Server object by name, e.g. '2026agtq' or 'AT 2026agtq': position, type, redshift, discovery date/mag, reporting group, internal names. |
| tns_searchA | Transient Name Server cone search (live API if bot credentials are set, rate-limited to 10/min; otherwise the cached daily public archive). |
| ztf_lightcurveA | ZTF light curve from ALeRCE for an object id like 'ZTF26acatcla': per-band summary, detections (magpsf and magpsf_corr) and non-detection summary (last limit before first detection). |
| ztf_objects_nearC | ZTF objects (ALeRCE) within radius of a position. |
| rubin_objectA | Rubin/LSST object from the Fink broker by diaObjectId: position, light curve (AB mag from nJy flux), and cutout links of the latest alert. |
| rubin_recentA | Recent Rubin objects in a Fink LSST tag over the last N days (max 30), brightest first. Tags: most_likely_sn, sn_near_galaxy_candidate, extragalactic_new_candidate, extragalactic_lt20mag_candidate, hostless_candidate. |
| simbadB | SIMBAD objects within radius (nearest first): main id, object type, spectral type, redshift. |
| vsxB | AAVSO VSX variable stars within radius: name, variability type, range, period. |
| gaiaA | Gaia DR3 sources within radius, nearest first: G, BP-RP, parallax (+S/N), proper motion, RUWE, variability flag, and a 'likely_star' flag (parallax S/N > 3 or PM > 5 mas/yr). |
| tess_knownB | Known TESS objects for a TIC id and/or position: TOIs and CTOIs (ExoFOP-TESS) and TESS eclipsing binaries (Prsa et al. 2022). With only a TIC, its position comes from TIC v8.2. |
| asteroids_atB | Known solar-system objects near a position at a given time (IMCCE SkyBoT, geocentric): name, class, V mag, separation, motion. epoch_iso is UTC, e.g. '2026-10-20T03:15:00'. |
| cutout_urlsB | Image cutout links for a position: Legacy Survey DR10 (JPEG/FITS/viewer), Pan-STARRS color, DSS2 red and Aladin Lite. |
| observe_tonightA | What to observe tonight: recent (<= max_age_days), bright (TNS discovery mag <= mag_limit)
transients that are still UNCLASSIFIED on TNS and observable from the site (lat/lon in degrees,
east-positive longitude) during the night starting on the local evening of |
Prompts
Interactive templates invoked by user choice
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
No prompts | |
Resources
Contextual data attached and managed by the client
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
No resources | |
TDQS
Scored across 14 tools
Most tools have distinct resource-and-action purposes: TNS name lookup vs. cone search, ZTF light curve vs. nearby objects, Rubin object vs. recent objects. The main ambiguity is that whats_here aggregates SIMBAD, VSX, Gaia, TESS, ZTF, and asteroid lookups while individual catalog tools also exist, so an agent must decide between broad and targeted queries. Descriptions largely resolve this, but the overlap keeps it from a 5.
Names are readable and often grouped by resource prefix (tns_object, ztf_lightcurve, rubin_recent), but conventions are mixed: bare catalog names like simbad, vsx, and gaia, verb-style observe_tonight, and noun/qualifier forms like tess_known and asteroids_at. There is no single predictable action pattern throughout.
Fourteen tools is well within the ideal range and each maps to a meaningful astronomy follow-up capability. The set covers several catalogs, planning, cutouts, and transient brokers without obvious redundancy at the count level.
The surface covers a broad range of object lookup, crossmatching, transient discovery, and observing-planning needs across TESS, SIMBAD, VSX, Gaia, TNS, ZTF, and Rubin. Minor gaps remain, such as a general name-to-coordinate resolver or NED/MPC catalog access, but core workflows are supported.