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Glama

usda_psd_get_release_dates

Read-onlyIdempotent

Retrieve USDA PSD release dates for a commodity by country and market year; filter by a stored vintage to return only records revised after that month.

Instructions

When PSD last revised each country and market year of a commodity: poll for releases.

One record per country and market year: release_year and release_month name the PSD release, a month without a day. Compare them with a stored meta.vintage of get_data, or pass that vintage as since, to fetch only what changed. Upstream answers every country and every market year since 1960 at once (7,754 records for wheat), ordered by market year; market_year, country_code and since keep only the matching records, after the one call, in upstream's order.

Args: commodity_code: PSD commodity code, seven digits, e.g. "0410000" (Wheat), "0440000" (Corn), "2222000" (Oilseed, Soybean). market_year: Keep only this PSD market year, e.g. 2023; None keeps all. country_code: Keep only this PSD country code (not ISO), e.g. "US", "BR"; None keeps all. since: Keep only the records revised in a release later than this month, "YYYY-MM", e.g. "2026-09"; the form meta.vintage takes, so a stored vintage passes as it is, and that release itself is not kept (strictly after). None keeps all.

Tool call template

Replace each placeholder with a value matching the input schema. Only required parameters are included; add optional parameters as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {
      "commodity_code": "<commodity_code>"
    },
    "name": "usda_psd_get_release_dates"
  }
}

Input Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
sinceNo
market_yearNo
country_codeNo
commodity_codeYes

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. First observedv0.1.0

TDQS

A4.5/5.0
Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already cover read-only, idempotent, open-world, non-destructive behavior, and the description adds valuable operational context: upstream returns every country and market year since 1960 in one call (7,754 records for wheat), filtering happens after that single call, and results retain upstream's ordering. What is missing is any note on response volume for large commodities beyond the example or on upstream rate limits.

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 first sentence states the purpose and the Args block is well structured with one line per parameter. It is slightly verbose, repeating the filtering behavior in both prose and args, but nearly every sentence adds information.

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?

With no output schema, the description still explains the return shape (one record per country and market year with release_year and release_month) and the upstream ordering and volume. For a four-parameter read tool this is complete enough for an agent to call it correctly.

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?

Schema coverage is 0%, so the description carries the full burden and does so thoroughly: commodity_code is a seven-digit PSD code with examples, country_code is explicitly not ISO, market_year is a PSD market year, and 'since' is YYYY-MM with strict-after semantics and no self-inclusion. This adds meaning the input schema does not provide.

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: it returns when PSD last revised each country and market year of a commodity. The description also names the sibling relationship (vintage from get_data) that makes it distinguishable, so an agent can identify the tool without opening a schema.

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?

Usage is clear: compare results against a stored meta.vintage or pass that vintage as 'since' to poll for changes only. The polling/incremental-refresh context is explicit, but there is no exclusion telling the agent when not to use it or when usda_psd_get_latest_release is preferable.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.