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musharna

plant-genomics-mcp

by musharna

OrthoDB: Orthologs

orthodb_orthologs
Read-onlyIdempotent

Resolve a plant gene locus to its OrthoDB ortholog group and retrieve cross-species member genes with group metadata.

Instructions

Resolve a locus to its OrthoDB ortholog group and cross-species member genes (data.orthodb.org; free, no key). Searches at the Viridiplantae level, then returns the group metadata (name, evolutionary rate) and member genes grouped by organism (organism, gene id, description). organism_count is the true cluster total; the member list is capped with truncated flagged. found=false when the locus maps to no ortholog group. Works for all 12 organisms. NOTE: unlike the other locus tools, organism= does NOT scope the search — the group is resolved from the locus id alone at the Viridiplantae level, and organism is only validated and echoed back. Passing a mismatched organism therefore still returns the locus's real group.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
limitNoMax ortholog member rows to return. 'member_count' always reports the true pre-cap total and 'truncated' says whether the cap bit.
locusYese.g. AT1G01060 (Arabidopsis), Os01g0100100 (rice RAP-DB)
organismNoPlant organism — accepts canonical slug (arabidopsis_thaliana), scientific or common name, or NCBI taxid. Validated and echoed only: it does NOT scope the OrthoDB search, which keys on the locus id at the Viridiplantae levelarabidopsis_thaliana

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
foundYesTrue if the locus maps to an ortholog group
groupNoGroup metadata {id, name, evolutionary_rate, level_name, …}
locusYes
membersNoPer-gene {organism, gene_id, xref, description}
organismYesCanonical organism as requested — echoed, not inferred from the hit. Does not scope the search (see class docstring)
truncatedYesTrue if the member list was capped
member_countYesMember genes returned (post-cap)
organism_countYesNumber of member organisms in the whole ortholog group (pre-cap) — the true cluster total, unaffected by the member cap below
Behavior5/5

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

Discloses important behaviors beyond annotations: that organism count is the true cluster total, member list is capped with truncated flagged, and organism is only validated and echoed. This adds significant value to the readOnlyHint and idempotentHint already present.

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 well-structured with key information front-loaded (purpose, data source, free use). While slightly verbose, every sentence adds value and the length is justified by the complexity of the tool's behavior.

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?

Covers all necessary aspects: data source, taxonomic scope, return fields, truncation behavior, handling of missing results, and organism parameter validation. Given the existing output schema, this provides a complete picture.

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?

Adds substantial meaning beyond the input schema: explains the organism parameter's non-scoping behavior, describes truncation logic for limit, and provides an example for locus. With 100% schema coverage, this goes well beyond baseline.

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 resolves a locus to its OrthoDB ortholog group and returns cross-species member genes. It also explicitly distinguishes itself from other locus tools by noting that the organism parameter does not scope the search, setting it apart from siblings.

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?

Provides clear guidance on when to use (for ortholog resolution at Viridiplantae level) and explicitly warns that organism does not scope the search. However, it could more directly state which alternative tools to use for other types of homology searches.

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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