mcp-militarypay

Overview Schema Source Related Servers Discussions Admin

Get Bah

get_bah

Read-onlyIdempotent

Get monthly BAH for a military pay grade and permanent duty-station ZIP. Returns tax-free rate, MHA code, and effective date; ensure ZIP is duty station, not residence, for accurate result.

Instructions

Monthly Basic Allowance for Housing for a ZIP code and pay grade.

BAH is a non-taxable allowance. Resolves the ZIP to its Military Housing Area and returns the rate together with the MHA code, the rate set used and its effective date.

The ZIP must be the member's permanent duty station, not where they live. Someone stationed at one installation but living in another housing area still draws the duty station's rate, and a residence ZIP resolves to a different real area and returns a plausible but wrong figure. Where a housing area has an off-cycle adjustment, the most recent applicable rate set is used.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`year`	No	BAH year. Defaults to the most recent loaded.
`as_of`	No	ISO date (YYYY-MM-DD). Returns the rate set in effect on that date, ignoring later off-cycle adjustments.
`zip_code`	Yes	5-digit ZIP code of the member's PERMANENT DUTY STATION, not their home. BAH follows the duty station, so a residence ZIP returns a different, real, wrong housing area.
`pay_grade`	Yes	Pay grade, e.g. 'E-5', 'O-3', 'O-2E'.
`has_dependents`	Yes	Whether the member has dependents.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
No arguments

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

First observedv0.1.0Sep 7, 2026

TDQS

A4.6/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

Annotations already mark the tool read-only and idempotent, and the description adds substantial behavioral context beyond that: it resolves the ZIP to a Military Housing Area, returns the rate set used and effective date, and selects the most recent applicable rate set for off-cycle adjustments. No contradiction with the annotations.

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 organized into a clear summary followed by important caveats, and the duty-station warning is emphasized effectively. It is slightly repetitive in the residence-ZIP warning, but every sentence earns its place for such a nuanced lookup.

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?

Given the tool's complexity, the description covers the input gotchas, the output components, and rate-set selection behavior. The presence of a rich input schema and output schema reduces the burden, and the description fills the remaining gaps well.

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% and each parameter already has a solid description, so the bar is a 3 baseline. The description adds value on top by explaining how the ZIP is resolved, why duty station matters, and how off-cycle adjustments affect year/as_of selections, which strengthens parameter understanding.

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 opens with a specific verb and resource: it returns the Monthly Basic Allowance for Housing for a ZIP code and pay grade. It further distinguishes the tool from siblings like get_base_pay and get_bas by naming BAH and the exact return contents (MHA code, rate set, effective date).

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?

The description gives clear usage context, especially the crucial rule that the ZIP must be the permanent duty station, not residence, and explains the consequence of getting it wrong. It does not explicitly name sibling alternatives or state when not to use this tool, so it stops short of a 5.

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

Deploy Server