MCP Tools Reference

The CARTO MCP Server exposes a catalog of built-in tools an agent calls to explore data, work with maps and Workflows, and administer your organization. Related operations are grouped into a single tool that takes a discriminator parameter — for example, explore_data handles listing connections, browsing tables, searching, and describing columns through one method argument. This keeps the catalog compact so it fits comfortably inside every host's tool limit.

You don't call these tools by hand. Your agent picks the right tool and parameters from your natural-language request; this reference is here so you understand what the agent can do and can reason about its actions.

Categories

Category	What it covers
Maps tools	Create, update, validate, read, and render Builder maps.
Workflow tools	Create, run, schedule, and inspect Workflows, plus any your team publishes as MCP tools.
Data tools	Explore connections and tables, run SQL, geocode, route, import/export, and enrich with the Data Observatory.
Workspace tools	Manage users, connections, credentials, projects, customizations, and activity data.

How the tools are described

Each tool entry lists:

• What it does and when the agent uses it.

• Its method (or operation / kind) parameter, if it groups several operations, with the available values.

• The key parameters the agent supplies. Full parameter details — including optional fields and provider-specific options — live in each tool's own MCP description, which the agent reads at call time.

• Whether the tool is read-only or can modify or delete data. CARTO annotates every tool so hosts that ask for confirmation before destructive actions can do so.

Which tools an agent can use

Which tools an agent sees is decided at three layers:

1. How it authenticated. Over an API Access Token, the agent gets a read-and-discovery subset that grows with the token's Allowed APIs, such as browsing data, running SQL, polling Workflow runs and searching the Data Observatory. Authoring and admin tools aren't offered. See What a token unlocks for the exact breakdown. Over OAuth, the agent sees the tools the signed-in user's role allows; the table below shows which.

2. What your team publishes. Your team decides which Workflows become MCP tools and what inputs each accepts. See How published tools are governed.

3. Your MCP client. Most clients let an administrator enable or disable individual tools per connected server, on your side.

The model reads each tool's description to decide when to call it. Built-in descriptions ship with CARTO releases; Workflow-tool descriptions are written by your own editors when they publish.

What each role sees over OAuth

Tools are grouped, so a tool with several methods may appear with fewer of them for a given role, and disappears when none are left.

Tool	Admin	Editor	Viewer
Maps
create_map, update_map	✓	✓	–
read_maps, validate_map, view_map	✓	✓	✓
Workflows
create_workflow, update_workflow, schedule_workflow	✓	✓	–
read_workflows, validate_workflow, read_workflow_components	✓	✓	✓
run_workflow	✓	✓	status and results only
Your published Workflow tools	✓	✓	✓
Data
manage_connections, import_data, transfer_data	✓	✓	–
explore_data, execute_query, execute_async_query, export_data	✓	✓	✓
geocode, route, calculate_isolines, calculate_od_matrix	✓	✓	✓
search_data_observatory	✓	✓	✓
manage_named_sources	✓	✓	–
manage_data_observatory_subscriptions	✓	no unsubscribe	no unsubscribe
Workspace
manage_api_access_tokens	✓	✓	–
manage_oauth_clients, organize_projects	✓	✓	read only
manage_users	✓	list only	list only
admin_carto	✓	read only	read only
admin_carto_customizations	✓	read only	read only
export_activity_data	✓	–	–
delete	✓	✓	–
get_workspace_info	✓	✓	✓

Superadmin-only tools (superadmin_carto_resources) aren't offered to Admins. This table shows what the agent is offered; each call is still checked against your CARTO permissions when it runs.

Extend the catalog with your own Workflows

Any Workflow your organization builds can be published as an MCP tool, registering alongside the built-in tools. See Workflow tools and Workflows as MCP Tools.