FREE. Search and discover indexed restaurant brands across the 500 US franchise database by name, concept, sector, or category. Returns matching chains with total unit counts, category classification, and per-call endpoint pricing. Read-only operation requiring no API key or balance. Rate limit: 60 req/min. WHEN TO USE: Use first when discovering brand slugs or verifying if a chain is indexed in the catalog. WHEN NOT TO USE: Do not use for physical store locations (use 'franchise_search_near' or 'mcdonalds_locations'), corporate filings (use 'get_fdd_item19'), or natural language vector searches (use 'semantic_vector_search'). ALTERNATIVES: Use 'semantic_vector_search' for conceptual similarity; use 'describe_endpoint' to inspect route pricing.

FREE. Inspect technical documentation, supported query parameters, authentication methods, and per-call pricing for any REST API route on franchisedata.io. Read-only operation requiring no API key or balance. Rate limit: 60 req/min. Returns 404 if the endpoint route is unrecognized. WHEN TO USE: Use before calling 'fetch_franchise_data' to verify required query parameters, authentication headers, and per-request prices. WHEN NOT TO USE: Do not use to fetch actual brand data records; use 'fetch_franchise_data' or specialized shortcut tools instead. ALTERNATIVES: Use 'search_brands' to discover brand slugs; use 'fetch_franchise_data' to execute the request.

FREE. Query the remaining prepaid credit balance (in USD and micro-USD) and active status for a FranchiseData Pro API key. Read-only operation requiring an API key passed via 'api_key' argument or 'Authorization: Bearer fc_live_...' header. Returns 400 if key is omitted, or 401 if key is invalid. WHEN TO USE: Use before executing batch paid queries to verify sufficient funds remain. WHEN NOT TO USE: Do not use for minting new keys or topping up funds; use 'topup_credits' instead. ALTERNATIVES: Use 'topup_credits' to deposit credits or create new credentials.

Deposit prepaid credits into an existing API key or mint a new key ($1.00 USD minimum, $500.00 max). State-mutating operation that creates or updates database credentials. Requires no prior authentication. Pass 'api_key' to top up an existing key, or omit 'api_key' to mint a fresh key. Returns generated or updated key details and balance in USD. WHEN TO USE: Use when an existing key has exhausted credits, or when a new agent session requires dedicated credentials. WHEN NOT TO USE: Do not use solely to inspect an existing balance without depositing funds; use 'check_balance' instead. ALTERNATIVES: Use 'check_balance' for read-only balance verification without adding credits.

PAID ($0.002 - $0.005). Execute parameterized REST queries against any franchisedata.io API endpoint with typed arguments. Atomically debits balance per request. Requires 'fc_live_...' API key with sufficient balance. Returns 402 if balance is insufficient. WHEN TO USE: Use ONLY as an escape hatch for arbitrary or custom REST routes not covered by typed shortcut tools. WHEN NOT TO USE: Do not use when a dedicated typed tool exists (e.g. use 'get_fdd_item19' for FDD unit economics, 'detect_tech_stack' for POS hardware, 'get_operator_intelligence' for ownership trees, 'mcdonalds_locations' for McDonald's stores). ALTERNATIVES: Use 'describe_endpoint' first to verify route parameters; use specialized shortcuts for validated schemas.

PAID ($0.003). Dedicated fast search for McDonald's fleet stores filtered by city, state, postal zip code, and drive-thru availability. Atomically debits $0.003 from prepaid balance. Requires 'fc_live_...' API key. Returns 402 if balance is insufficient. WHEN TO USE: Use specifically when looking up McDonald's store locations and filtering for drive-thru lanes. WHEN NOT TO USE: Do not use for other chains or cross-brand searches; use 'franchise_search_near' instead. ALTERNATIVES: Use 'franchise_search_near' for coordinate-based cross-brand proximity search; use 'search_brands' to discover other chains.

PAID ($0.002). Retrieve live operating status, weekly schedule, and current open/closed state for a specific Starbucks store. Atomically debits $0.002 from prepaid balance. Requires 'fc_live_...' API key. If 'store_id' is omitted, defaults to the first indexed store. Returns 404 if store is not found, 402 if balance insufficient. WHEN TO USE: Use to verify whether an individual Starbucks store is currently open or to view its operating schedule. WHEN NOT TO USE: Do not use for fleet-wide location discovery (use 'franchise_search_near' or 'fetch_franchise_data'). ALTERNATIVES: Use 'franchise_search_near' for finding open stores near coordinates; use 'track_brand_changes' for permanent closures.

PAID ($0.005). Radial coordinate-based proximity search (up to 50 miles) across all 500 US restaurant franchise chains. Returns geocoded locations, distance, and brand classification. Atomically debits $0.005 from prepaid balance. Requires 'fc_live_...' API key. Returns 402 if balance is insufficient. WHEN TO USE: Use for geographic competitive landscape queries, local market density analysis, and finding nearby restaurants across multiple brands. WHEN NOT TO USE: Do not use for single-brand McDonald's lookups by city/zip (use 'mcdonalds_locations') or brand catalog metadata (use 'search_brands'). ALTERNATIVES: Use 'mcdonalds_locations' for dedicated McDonald's filters; use 'get_local_share_of_choice' for delivery shelf share.

PAID ($0.005). Retrieve corporate franchisee entity trees, operating LLCs, portfolio unit counts, and executive leadership contacts. Requires either 'operator_id' OR both 'brand' and 'store_id'. Atomically debits $0.005. Requires 'fc_live_...' API key. Returns 402 if balance insufficient. WHEN TO USE: Use to identify who owns and operates a franchise location (e.g. Flynn Group, Carrols), examine multi-unit consolidation, and find franchisee executive contacts. WHEN NOT TO USE: Do not use for corporate franchisor FDD financial benchmarks (use 'get_fdd_item19') or in-store hardware (use 'detect_tech_stack'). ALTERNATIVES: Use 'get_fdd_item19' for statutory Item 19 disclosures; use 'semantic_vector_search' to find operators by fuzzy concept.

PAID ($0.003). Fingerprint point-of-sale (POS) hardware (Toast, NCR Aloha, Brink, Micros, Square), kitchen display systems (KDS), and online ordering gateways for a store location. Atomically debits $0.003. Requires 'fc_live_...' API key. Returns 402 if balance insufficient. WHEN TO USE: Use for restaurant tech competitive auditing, vendor market share tracking, and POS displacement prospecting. WHEN NOT TO USE: Do not use for menu item prices (use 'get_menu_pricing') or store status (use 'starbucks_store_status'). ALTERNATIVES: Use 'get_menu_pricing' for item prices; use 'get_operator_intelligence' for franchisee ownership.

PAID ($0.003). Audit recent fleet events including permanent closures, new unit openings, and relocations for a brand. Atomically debits $0.003. Requires 'fc_live_...' API key. Returns 402 if balance insufficient. WHEN TO USE: Use for tracking brand footprint expansion, net unit growth velocity, and distress/closure detection. WHEN NOT TO USE: Do not use for real-time daily operating hours (use 'starbucks_store_status'). ALTERNATIVES: Use 'starbucks_store_status' for live store hours; use 'franchise_search_near' for current open units.

PAID ($0.003). Extract localized menu item prices, benchmark variances against national averages, and identify delivery aggregator price markups. Atomically debits $0.003. Requires 'fc_live_...' API key. Returns 402 if balance insufficient. WHEN TO USE: Use for local pricing strategy audits, inflation index tracking, and menu margin variance analysis. WHEN NOT TO USE: Do not use for delivery shelf placement rankings (use 'get_local_share_of_choice'). ALTERNATIVES: Use 'get_local_share_of_choice' for DoorDash/UberEats basket comparisons; use 'get_fdd_item19' for national revenue benchmarks.

PAID ($0.010). Retrieve regulatory Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) Item 19 financial disclosures: Average Unit Volume (AUV), quartile revenue tiers, royalty fee %, marketing fund %, and initial capital investment requirements. Atomically debits $0.010. Requires 'fc_live_...' API key. Returns 402 if balance insufficient. WHEN TO USE: Use for franchise investment underwriting, brand unit-level financial benchmarking, and royalty fee comparisons. WHEN NOT TO USE: Do not use for store-level weekly performance (use 'get_weekly_scorecard') or individual store pricing (use 'get_menu_pricing'). ALTERNATIVES: Use 'get_weekly_scorecard' for operational store scorecards; use 'search_brands' to discover brand catalog.

PAID ($0.005). Query local digital shelf telemetry from DoorDash, Uber Eats, and 1st-party apps, including delivered basket price gaps, delivery ETA disparities, and organic vs sponsored placement. Atomically debits $0.005. Requires 'fc_live_...' API key. Returns 402 if balance insufficient. WHEN TO USE: Use to diagnose delivery channel share loss, competitor promotion surges, and aggregator markup disparities. WHEN NOT TO USE: Do not use for static national FDD disclosures (use 'get_fdd_item19'). ALTERNATIVES: Use 'recommend_local_action' to generate guardrailed tactical responses based on shelf telemetry; use 'get_menu_pricing' for in-store menu pricing.

PAID ($0.010). Retrieve the standardized 6-Question Weekly Operating Review Scorecard for a restaurant location covering Funnel conversion, Drivers, Competitor Moves, Fact vs Inference, 1 Recommended Action, and Holdout design. Atomically debits $0.010. Requires 'fc_live_...' API key. If 'week' is omitted, defaults to latest evaluated week. Returns 404 if no scorecard found, 402 if balance insufficient. WHEN TO USE: Use for weekly operational store diagnostics, executive unit reviews, and root-cause sales analysis. WHEN NOT TO USE: Do not use for general location searches (use 'franchise_search_near') or brand FDD data (use 'get_fdd_item19'). ALTERNATIVES: Use 'recommend_local_action' for isolated action extraction; use 'get_local_share_of_choice' for raw delivery panel telemetry.

PAID ($0.005). Synthesize local competitor shifts and digital funnel gaps to formulate a single controllable, margin-guardrailed tactical intervention with matched holdout test design. Atomically debits $0.005. Requires 'fc_live_...' API key. Returns 404 if no scorecard exists, 402 if balance insufficient. WHEN TO USE: Use to formulate an immediate, actionable operational response to local competitive pressure with rigorous holdout controls. WHEN NOT TO USE: Do not use for broad exploratory searches (use 'franchise_search_near') or multi-unit franchisee mapping (use 'get_operator_intelligence'). ALTERNATIVES: Use 'get_weekly_scorecard' for the full 6-question review; use 'get_local_share_of_choice' for underlying delivery shelf data.

PAID ($0.005). Perform high-dimensional cosine similarity semantic vector search across multi-unit operators and menu items using embeddings. Atomically debits $0.005. Requires 'fc_live_...' API key. Type defaults to 'operators' if omitted. 'brand' parameter is only applied when type is 'menu'. Returns 402 if balance insufficient. WHEN TO USE: Use for conceptual natural language queries (e.g. 'private equity franchisee groups in Texas' or 'spicy chicken breakfast sandwich'). WHEN NOT TO USE: Do not use for exact brand catalog keyword searches (use 'search_brands') or coordinate proximity searches (use 'franchise_search_near'). ALTERNATIVES: Use 'search_brands' for keyword catalog matching; use 'get_menu_pricing' for exact store menu lookups.