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A practical MCP workflow

Research NOAA coastal tide predictions with AI and MCP

Start with an exact NOAA coastal station record, then request high/low tide predictions for explicit dates. Keep GMT event times, MLLW datum and height units beside every prediction rather than treating the numbers as measured water levels.

Built for: Research agents preparing source-linked coastal tide summaries.

What to connect

Create a ToolCargo account and use OAuth or an API key with a supported MCP client. Hosted connectors share your plan’s call quota; connect each required MCP endpoint separately. Review provider permissions before starting.

Client setup and test status · Current plans and limits

Run the workflow

  1. 1. Inspect an exact station

    Use a seven-digit station ID and read NOAA’s returned name, state, coordinates and source timezone information. A composite forecast flag is not a tide-prediction capability indicator.

  2. 2. Choose dates and height units

    Request one to seven inclusive calendar days and metric or English units. The tool uses high/low events, GMT time and MLLW datum explicitly.

  3. 3. Read one bounded page

    Keep the source decimal height, minute timestamp and high/low type for each event. Continue only with an explicit offset. Each call fetches the source window again; no pinned snapshot or automatic paging is promised.

  4. 4. Preserve prediction context

    Cite NOAA CO-OPS and identify ToolCargo’s projection. Predictions do not represent measured water levels, storm surge, waves, vessel clearance or safety guidance. Consult current official charts and forecasts for decisions that need them.

A prompt to try

Use ToolCargo NOAA Coastal Tides to inspect station 9414290 and request its predicted high/low tides for 2026-10-03 through 2026-10-04 in metric units. Preserve GMT timestamps, MLLW datum, original decimal heights and H/L event types, retrieval time and source links. Do not infer observed conditions or vessel clearance.

What a useful result looks like

A verified station metadata record and explicit pages of predicted high/low events with time, datum and height units intact.

Know the limits

Exact coastal station records and high/low predictions only. No observed water levels, currents, storm-surge monitoring, tide-station discovery, forecasts for arbitrary coordinates or asset downloads. Prediction responses do not independently echo the request identity or generation timestamp; source request parameters and retrieval time are disclosed.

Common questions

Are these observed water levels?

No. Astronomical tide predictions are separate from observations and can differ from actual levels affected by weather and other conditions.

Why keep GMT and MLLW visible?

Event times and height datum define what the numbers mean. GMT is not local daylight time, and MLLW heights do not establish sea-floor depth or vessel clearance.

Does forecast:false mean the station has no tides?

No. That station metadata flag is not a tide-prediction availability check. The prediction operation requests the separate source product.

References and tool documentation

Use the provider’s documentation to check the underlying concepts, and ToolCargo’s references for the exact tools, inputs and limits.

Tool references for this workflow

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