mcp server

VirtualFlyBrain

MCP server for Drosophila neuroscience data from VirtualFlyBrain

Description as published by the maintainer. Source

• version 1.11.0
• active

active — Registry entry last updated 2026-08-02.

What this server can do

9 functions, named and described by the server itself. Parameter names are shown because they say more about what a function does than its name usually does.

get_hierarchy(id, direction, max_depth, relationship)

Build a hierarchy tree for a VFB term, showing ancestors (parents) and/or descendants (children). Use relationship "part_of" for brain region structure (e.g. "what are the parts of the mushroom body?") and "subclass_of" for cell type hierarchies (e.g. "what types of Kenyon cell are there?"). Descendants are returned as a nested tree for both relationship types. Ancestors are returned as a nested chain, filtered to nervous system terms for part_of. Start with max_depth=1 for direct parents/children, and offer to go deeper if the user wants more detail. Required: id, relationship.

get_term_info(id, force_refresh)

Get term info for a VFB or anatomy ontology entity (VFB_*, FBbt_*, etc.). THIS IS THE QUERY DISCOVERY TOOL: the response's "Queries" array lists the valid query_type values that run_query accepts for this entity. ALWAYS call get_term_info before run_query unless you already obtained the query_type from a previous get_term_info call in this conversation. Returns: SuperTypes (classification), Tags (data flags like has_image, has_neuron_connectivity), Queries (valid query_types for run_query), RelatedTools (other MCP tools applicable to this entity, with default_args ready to copy — e.g. get_hierarchy with subclass_of for cell types or part_of for nervous-system regions), Images (keyed by template brain ID), Publications, Synonyms. Supports batch — pass an array of IDs to fetch in parallel; batch results are returned as a JSON object keyed by ID. To build VFB browser URLs from the Images field: https://v2.virtualflybrain.org/org.geppetto.frontend/geppetto?id=<VFB_ID>&i=<TEMPLATE_ID>,<IMAGE_ID1>,<IMAGE_ID2> — id= sets the focus term and i= lists images for the 3D viewer (template ID must be first in i= to set the coordinate space). Required: id.

list_connectome_datasets

List available connectome datasets with their labels and symbols. Use the returned symbols when constructing exclude_dbs arguments for query_connectivity. Common datasets include Hemibrain (hb), FAFB (fafb), MANC, and others. Call this tool if unsure which dataset symbols are valid.

list_search_facets(contains)

List the type names search_terms can filter, exclude, boost or demote by, with the number of terms carrying each one. Call this instead of guessing: there are over 200 names, they are the index's own annotations rather than a curated list, and they change as data is added. Use contains to narrow (e.g. contains="lineage" for the ~120 lineage clones, contains="connectivity" to find the connectome facets). The counts tell you whether a name is broad or niche — "entity" covers everything, a single lineage covers a handful.

query_connectivity(limit, offset, weight, exclude_dbs, upstream_type, group_by_class, downstream_type)

Query synaptic connectivity between Drosophila neuron classes across ALL connectome datasets simultaneously for comparative connectomics. This is NOT pre-cached — it runs live queries, so expect slow responses (up to several minutes). Set both upstream_type AND downstream_type to filter connections between two specific neuron classes (e.g., "What Tm1→T3 connections exist across all datasets?"). At least one of upstream_type or downstream_type is required. CONSTRAINTS: Only accepts neuron class terms (OWL IDs like FBbt_00003789 or labels like "transmedullary neuron Tm1") — anatomical regions or neuropils (e.g., "lobula", "medulla") are NOT accepted. NOT suitable for individual neuron-to-neuron connections — for pre-computed connections of a single individual neuron, use run_query with NeuronNeuronConnectivityQuery instead. NOT for muscle/sense organ connections. RECOMMENDED DEFAULTS: weight=5, exclude_dbs=["hb","fafb"] unless user specifies otherwise. For both-ends queries, start with weight≥50 to avoid timeouts. RESULT SIZE: a broad query is enormous (a single class at weight=5 can be over 50,000 connections), so results are ranked strongest-first and paged — you get limit rows (default 50) plus a summary computed over ALL of them: totals, per-dataset counts, distinct neuron counts, and the top class pairs. Answer from the summary and quote a handful of rows; only page with offset if the user asks for specific further rows. WORKFLOW: Confirm parameters with user before querying. Use search_terms with filter_types ["neuron","class"] to validate/canonicalize neuron type labels. If zero results, try relaxation: lower weight to 1, then remove exclude_dbs filter, then try group_by_class=true — report what worked and let user decide. group_by_class=true is usually the better first call on a broad query: it aggregates to class pairs instead of returning every neuron pair.

resolve_combination(name)

Resolve an unresolved split-GAL4 combination name or synonym into its FBco ID and component hemidrivers. Pass the raw combination text exactly as the user wrote it (for example "MB002B" or "SS04495"). Do NOT pass an FBco ID; if you already have one, use the downstream tool directly. Uses tiered resolution: exact name → synonym → broad pattern match. Returns FBco ID, combination name, matched synonym (if applicable), and component allele IDs/names. IMPORTANT: When match is via synonym, confirm the resolved combination with the user before proceeding (e.g., "Your search for 'MB002B' matched [formal name] (FBco...) via synonym. Shall I proceed?"). If multiple matches, show disambiguation list and ask user to choose. Required: name.

resolve_entity(name)

Resolve an unresolved FlyBase-related query string into VFB/FlyBase IDs and metadata. Pass the raw text exactly as the user wrote it (for example "P{VT054895-GAL4.DBD}", "Hb9-GAL4", "SS04495", "MB002B", "PAM cluster", or "dpp"). Do NOT pass resolved IDs such as FBgn/FBal/FBti/FBco/FBst or VFB IDs; if you already have an ID, use the downstream tool directly. Uses tiered resolution: exact name → synonym → broad pattern match. Returns match_type (EXACT/SYNONYM/BROAD), feature ID, name, type, and synonyms. IMPORTANT: When match_type is SYNONYM or BROAD, always confirm the resolved entity with the user before proceeding to further queries. If multiple matches are returned, show a disambiguation list and ask the user to choose. This tool queries FlyBase Chado — for VFB ontology lookups (anatomical terms, neuron class IDs) use search_terms instead. Required: name.

run_query(id, limit, offset, queries, query_type, force_refresh, include_images)

Run a pre-computed query on a VFB entity. REQUIRED WORKFLOW: (1) call get_term_info on the ID first; (2) read the response's "Queries" array; (3) pass one of those values as query_type. Calling run_query with a guessed query_type will return an error. If a query returns empty rows or an error, the entity does not support that query_type or has no data for it — try a different query_type from the Queries array, or try a related entity (e.g. its parent class via get_hierarchy). Empty results do NOT mean the answer is unknown — only that this call did not return it. NEVER fabricate results from training data when a query is empty; tell the user clearly what was tried. NEVER pass tool names like "get_term_info" or "search_terms" as query_type — those are separate tools. Common query_types by entity kind: PaintedDomains, AllAlignedImages, AlignedDatasets, AllDatasets (templates); SimilarMorphologyTo, NeuronInputsTo, NeuronNeuronConnectivityQuery, NeuronRegionConnectivityQuery (individual neurons); ListAllAvailableImages, SubclassesOf, PartsOf, NeuronsPartHere, NeuronsSynaptic, ExpressionOverlapsHere, DownstreamClassConnectivity, UpstreamClassConnectivity (classes). Supports batch — pass an array of IDs (same query_type) or a "queries" array of {id, query_type} pairs; batch results are keyed by "ID::query_type". Results are PAGED: the first 25 rows by default (change with limit/offset) plus the true total as "count". ALWAYS read "count_status" before quoting "count": "exact" means count is the true total; "unavailable" means the query FAILED upstream and count is -1, which is NOT zero and must never be reported as "no results" — read "_note" and tell the user the query could not be run. Image/thumbnail columns are excluded by default to save space - pass include_images=true to include them. FlyBase integration is via query_types too: FindStocks (fly stocks for a FlyBase feature ID - FBgn/FBal/FBti/FBtp/FBco/FBst) and FindComboPublications (publications for an FBco split-GAL4 combination). Get those IDs from resolve_entity / resolve_combination first, then run_query with the ID and the query_type. Include FlyBase links in output: https://flybase.org/reports/{ID}.

search_terms(rows, query, start, unique, boost_types, demote_types, filter_types, exclude_types, minimize_results, auto_fetch_term_info)

Search VFB terms. This is the search virtualflybrain.org itself runs — the same Solr query, the same ranking — so what comes back first here is what a user would see first on the site. USE filter_types BY DEFAULT. Unfiltered searches mix scRNAseq artifacts and developmental stages in with the entity the user wants. Common filter_types recipes: - Neuron classes: ["neuron", "class"] - Individual neurons with images: ["neuron", "has_image"] - Neurons with connectome data: ["neuron", "has_neuron_connectivity"] - Brain regions / neuropils: ["anatomy"] - Genes: ["gene"] - Driver lines / expression patterns: ["expression_pattern"] - Datasets: ["dataset"] There are over 200 type names and they change as data is added, so do NOT guess them: call list_search_facets to see the current vocabulary (optionally filtered, e.g. contains="lineage"). Names are matched case- and separator-insensitively, and a name that does not exist is an error with suggestions rather than a silently empty result. Deprecated terms are excluded by the search itself — you do not need exclude_types: ["deprecated"], and adding it is harmless but pointless. Stage filtering: VFB covers adult, larval, and embryonic data, and many anatomical FBbt classes are stage-agnostic. Do NOT add "adult" or "larva" to filter_types by default — only add them when the user is explicit about a stage (e.g. "adult Kenyon cells", "larval mushroom body"). Default searches should leave stage out so stage-agnostic classes and all life stages are visible. Useful flags: - unique=true (the default) → one row per term. Turn it OFF only when you need to see WHICH synonym matched; with unique=false a term appears once per matching synonym, so "Kenyon cell" can return the same ID several times. - minimize_results=true → top 10, essential fields only, for exploratory searches. - auto_fetch_term_info=true → if an exact label match is found, returns get_term_info in the same response. - boost_types=["has_image", "has_neuron_connectivity"] → float data-rich entities to the top of the list without excluding anything else. - demote_types=["expression_pattern_fragment"] → sink noisy types to the bottom of the list instead of removing them. If the search returns no good matches, do NOT fall back to training-data answers — try alternative spellings, synonyms, broader terms, or different filter_types. Multiple filter_types are ANDed (results must match ALL). Multiple exclude_types are ORed (any match excludes). boost_types and demote_types re-order without excluding; boost wins if a term matches both. Required: query.

Last successful function declaration observed on 2026-08-13. Source: https://vfb3-mcp.virtualflybrain.org. We list what the server declared; we do not call any of these functions.

Endpoint status observed on 2026-08-13. Source: https://vfb3-mcp.virtualflybrain.org.

Signals

These are separate measurements of different things. They are deliberately not combined into one score, because a popularity number that mixes website traffic with saves and stars cannot be checked or acted on.

Where to get it

• Repository — https://github.com/Robbie1977/VFB3-MCP
• Website — https://virtualflybrain.org
• Remote endpoint (streamable-http) — https://vfb3-mcp.virtualflybrain.org