Tripitaka MCP

Measured conclusion: Deep-tested. L2 outcome: tools_ok.

MCP server for the full Pāli Canon — search, cite, compare translations. Offered as Dhamma Dāna.

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Copy this into your MCP client config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "Tripitaka MCP": {
      "url": "https://mcp.tripitaka-mcp.com/mcp",
      "transport": "streamable-http"
    }
  }
}

Measured tools (14)

• search_by_keyword read-only

  Keyword search across the Pāli Tipiṭaka (trigram word-similarity). Searches the configured enabled language(s) on the server. Filterable by pitaka and translation edition. 💡 **Hints for the AI client:** The system's canonical reference is Romanised Pāli (from SuttaCentral). If the user asks in a disabled or unsupported language, translate the keyword to **Romanised Pāli (preferred) or English** before calling this tool — e.g. "suffering" → "dukkha", "mindfulness of breathing" → "ānāpānassati". See the server instructions for the enabled language set. ✅ **Diacritics do not matter.** `anapanassati` and `ānāpānassati` return the same thing; so do `nibbana` and `nibbāna`. Write the macrons if you know them, guess without them if you don't — neither costs you results. ⚠️ **A common Pāli noun is a poor query.** `samudda` (sea) matches ~700 segments and the top of that list is mostly section headings, not the passage that teaches anything. Two things to do instead: - Search the **rarest distinctive noun** in the passage, not its most obvious one. For the simile of the blind turtle, `turtle`/`kacchapa` gets there; `ocean`/`samudda` does not, in either language. - **Prefer English, or raise the limit.** `turtle` returns SN 56.47 and SN 56.48 inside the default window; `kacchapa` matches them too but ranks them past 30, so you need `limit=50` to see them. - A word inside a **compound** may be out of reach entirely: `samudda` scores 0.50 against `mahāsamudde` (compounded *and* inflected), under the 0.6 cutoff, so SN 56.47 is not ranked low — it is excluded. Trying more spellings will not recover it; search a different word instead. 🔍 **Pick the right search tool for the question shape:** - **Term lookup (exact word appearances)** — e.g. "occurrences of `ānāpānassati`": this tool is best (trigram nails the exact word). - **Concept search ("discourses about X")** — e.g. "discourses about mindfulness of breathing": **use `search_hybrid` instead.** Canonical Pāli has two quirks that hurt keyword search for concepts: • Section headings (`Ānāpānapabba`) often use a different word than the teaching body, which uses verb forms (`assasati`, `passasati`, `dīghaṁ`, `rassaṁ`). E.g. DN22's Ānāpānapabba has 16 segments but the word `ānāpāna` appears in only 2 (header + footer) — the actual teaching segments won't match. • Stock phrases (e.g. `So satova assasati, satova passasati`) recur in 10+ suttas, so a keyword query ranks broadly and won't pinpoint the canonical reference. - **General keyword survey** — set `limit≥30` and filter client-side, or call multiple related forms (root verb + noun + compound). 📊 **Reading the two scores.** `word_similarity` is the primary sort key: it scores your query against the best-matching span inside the line, 0 to 1, and a row appears at all only if it clears the 0.6 cutoff. `similarity` scores it against the **whole line**, so it falls as the line grows longer. Both measure resemblance of letters — neither measures doctrinal importance.

  Parameters:

  • keyword (required) — string — The word/phrase to search for.
  • limit — integer — Maximum results (default: 10, max: 50).
  • pitaka — Filter by pitaka — "vinaya", "sutta", "abhidhamma" or None (all). ✅ v1.1+: all three pitakas at parity with SuttaCentral bilara — see list_structure for live counts.
  • edition — Thai translation edition — "dhiranandi", "jayasaro", "mbu", "royal" or None. Only used when language="thai" and Thai is enabled on the server.
  • language — string — Search language — must be in the server's ENABLED_LANGUAGES (default: "pali"). Disabled languages return an error.

  Hints: read-only yes · destructive no · idempotent yes · open-world no

• survey_corpus read-only

  Exhaustively survey the WHOLE Tipiṭaka for a term — guaranteed complete. Use this (not `search_by_keyword`) when the question is about **coverage or counting** rather than "show me the best passages": - "How many times does Kusinārā appear in the canon?" - "Every place ānāpānassati is mentioned — don't miss any" - "Which pitakas/how many suttas mention this term?" Unlike `search_by_keyword` (ranked, capped at 50, no total), this returns an **exact count**, a **per-pitaka breakdown**, the **distinct surface forms** that matched (so you can audit and discard over-matches), and a paginated enumeration. The `lexical` result carries `complete: true` — a hard guarantee that nothing was dropped for the chosen `match_scope`. Two layers, two different promises: - **lexical** — the word and its forms. Deterministic + EXHAUSTIVE. - **semantic** (`mode="thorough"`, hosted only) — passages teaching the same concept with DIFFERENT vocabulary (e.g. ānāpānassati via `assasati`/`passasati`). Approximate, **NOT exhaustive** — it never claims completeness, it only boosts recall.

  Parameters:

  • keyword (required) — string — Term to survey (Romanised Pāli preferred; diacritics optional — matching folds `ā→a`, `ṁ→m`, etc.).
  • mode — string — "fast" (default) = lexical only — quick, no server-side ML, works offline. "thorough" = also run the semantic layer (hosted only; this is the heavier part). The lexical guarantee holds in BOTH.
  • cursor — integer — Offset into the full lexical result set for pagination.
  • pitaka — Restrict to "vinaya" / "sutta" / "abhidhamma", or None for all.
  • language — string — "pali" (default) or "english". Thai is not indexed yet.
  • page_size — integer — Lexical results per page (default 20, max 100). Counts/forms cover the WHOLE corpus regardless of this.
  • sem_limit — integer — Max semantic hits (default 50, max 200). `capped` flags when reached. Only used when mode="thorough".
  • match_scope — string — "word" (default) matches the exact word/phrase only. "stem" also matches inflections + compounds via prefix (kusinārā → kusinārāyaṁ, kusināravagga …) — higher recall, may over-match (audit via `matched_forms`).
  • sem_threshold — number — Max cosine distance for semantic hits (default 0.7; lower = stricter). Only used when mode="thorough".

  Hints: read-only yes · destructive no · idempotent yes · open-world no

• get_sutta read-only

  Fetch a sutta's content — OR its table of contents (`mode="outline"`). ⚡ **Decide which mode BEFORE calling — don't fetch the whole sutta and parse it yourself:** - The user wants the **structure / outline / table of contents**, or asks **"how many sections/parts"** / "what's in it" → call `get_sutta(sutta_id, mode="outline")`. It returns the section list (titles + segment counts + ids), NOT the full text — cheap and exact. - The user wants the **context around a search hit** → `around="<segment_id>"` (search tools hand you the id, e.g. `dn22:18.1`) + optional `window`. - The user wants a **specific part** you already located → `segment_range="A..B"` or `offset`+`limit`. - Only fetch the **whole** sutta (no mode/selector) when the user actually wants to read/quote a SHORT sutta in full. Long ones (DN, long Vinaya/Abhidhamma; > ~400 segments — e.g. `dn16` is 1,664) should almost always start with `mode="outline"`; pulling the entire text wastes the context window. Uses standard SuttaCentral IDs, e.g.: - `mn1` = Majjhima Nikāya sutta 1 (Mūlapariyāyasutta, 334 segments) - `dn22` = Dīgha Nikāya sutta 22 (Mahāsatipaṭṭhānasutta, 454 segments) - `dn16` = Dīgha Nikāya sutta 16 (Mahāparinibbānasutta — the longest sutta in the canon, 1,664 segments) - `sn56.11` = Saṃyutta 56.11 (Dhammacakkappavattana) - `mn62` = Majjhima Nikāya 62 (Mahārāhulovāda — advice to Rāhula) - `dhp1-20` = Dhammapada verses 1-20 (KN uses range format) - `mil3.1.1` = Milindapañha 3.1.1 (paracanonical, 3–4 level id) 💡 **Hints for the AI client:** - **Quote `text_pali` / `text_english` directly from the returned segments** — do not rely on training memory. The system is verifiable; AI recall is often wrong. - Short segments numbered `:0.n` are **headers**, not the teaching itself — actual content starts around `:1.1`. They run collection → book → chapter → sutta, so the **last** one is the sutta's own name (`sn35.245:0.3` = Kiṁsukopamasutta, while `:0.2` is its chapter). How many there are varies: DN/MN stop at `:0.2`, Iti reaches `:0.4`. - Segments ending in "...niṭṭhitaṁ" (e.g. `mn1:194.10` = "Mūlapariyāyasuttaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ paṭhamaṁ") are **colophons** marking the close of the sutta. - Segments containing `…pe…` (peyyāla) are **abbreviated repetitions** — not missing data. Pāli texts use this convention for repeated stock phrases. - **Citing this sutta? Link the reader — a citation the user cannot open is a claim they cannot check.** The response's `cross_reference.tripitaka_mcp_reader` (`is_primary: true`) renders SuttaCentral's `bilara-data` verbatim (the same canonical Pāli and bilara English this response carries), so it shows the user the very text your answer rests on — verification, not self-promotion. Its `url` shows Pāli + English side by side and `segment_url` highlights the cited line. Render it as clickable markdown for EVERY sutta you name. It is the only verify link to give. - **Cite at the segment level.** Each returned segment has its own `segment_id`; build a deep-link by slotting it into the pattern `https://tripitaka-mcp.com/read/<sutta_id>#<segment_id>`. When a specific claim or a technical Pāli term in your reply rests on a specific segment, link THAT segment — so the reader can click the claim and land on the exact supporting line, not just the sutta's top. e.g. the first-jhāna factors are in `sn45.8:10.2`, the fourth-jhāna in `sn45.8:10.5`. 📑 **Pagination — don't pull a whole giant sutta into context:** By default this returns EVERY segment. That's fine for short suttas but a single big one is huge (`dn16` ≈ 1,664 segments, `pli-tv-kd1` ≈ 3,591). Use one of these instead when the sutta is long (rule of thumb: > ~400 segments) or when you only need part of it: - `mode="outline"` — a table of contents only (section keys + titles + counts + `first_segment_id`/`last_segment_id` + `offset`), **no segment text**. Cheap way to see the structure, then fetch one section. - `around="<segment_id>"` + `window=N` — return the N segments before and after a segment_id. **Ideal after a search:** `search_by_keyword` / `survey_corpus` hand you a precise `segment_id` (e.g. `dn22:18.1`); pass it here to read its context without downloading the whole sutta. - `segment_range="<startId>..<endId>"` — inclusive slice between two segment_ids (use the `..` separator; omit the end id to go to the end). Pairs with `mode="outline"` (use a section's first/last id). - `offset` (0-based) + `limit` — ordinal paging. The response's `page` block carries `next_offset` to fetch the following page. Only one selector (around / segment_range / offset+limit) may be used at a time. Every response includes `total_segments` (the full count) so you know how much remains. ⚠️ **A window can hand you half a sentence or half a verse.** The corpus is segmented line by line, not sentence by sentence, so the first and last segments of any `around` / `segment_range` / `offset`+`limit` slice may each be a fragment. `get_sutta("dhp1-20", offset=4, limit=1)` returns one segment, `dhp1:1` = "Manopubbaṅgamā dhammā," — half of the opening line of the Dhammapada, which goes on in `dhp1:2` ("manoseṭṭhā manomayā;"). Before quoting anything from the edge of a window, read its neighbours: widen `window` / `limit`, or fetch `around=<segment_id>` for the passage you actually mean to cite. `verify_quote` joins up to four consecutive segments for this same reason. ✅ **Coverage (v1.1+):** all three pitakas at parity with SuttaCentral `bilara-data`: - Sutta Piṭaka (DN/MN/SN/AN/KN): Pāli + bilara EN (5,791 sections) — Sujato for DN/MN/SN/AN and most of KN; a few KN books have other bilara translators - Vinaya Piṭaka: Pāli + Brahmali EN — SC codes e.g. `pli-tv-bu-vb-pj1` (Bhikkhu Pārājika 1), `pli-tv-bi-vb-pj1` (Bhikkhunī), `pli-tv-kd1` (Mahāvagga), `pli-tv-pvr10` (Parivāra), `pli-tv-bu-pm` (Bhikkhu Pātimokkha) - Abhidhamma Piṭaka: 7 books (ds, vb, dt, pp, kv, ya, patthana) — Pāli only (bilara has no English translator for any Abhidhamma book)

  Parameters:

  • sutta_id (required) — string — Sutta ID, e.g. "mn1", "dn22", "sn56.11", "dhp1-20".
  • mode — string — "full" (default, returns segment text) or "outline" (table of contents only — section keys/titles/counts, no segment text).
  • limit — Max segments to return from `offset` (default None = to end, clamped 1–2000).
  • around — A segment_id to center on (e.g. "dn22:18.1"). Returns the `window` segments before and after it. Ignored if None.
  • offset — integer — 0-based ordinal start for paging (default 0).
  • window — integer — Segments before AND after `around` (default 10, clamped 0–200).
  • edition — Thai translation edition — "dhiranandi", "jayasaro", "mbu", "royal", or None. If None, uses `text_thai` from bilara-data. ⚠️ The DB has no Thai editions loaded yet, so most values return null.
  • language — string — Which language to return — "pali", "thai", "english", or "all" (default: "pali"). Thai is currently disabled on the server, so Thai fields return null.
  • segment_range — Inclusive slice "<startId>..<endId>" (e.g. "dn16:2.1.0..dn16:2.2.8"). Omit the end id to read to the sutta's end. Uses the `..` separator.

  Hints: read-only yes · destructive no · idempotent yes · open-world no

• search_semantic read-only

  Semantic search — match by meaning, not exact words. Uses vector similarity (cosine distance) over `text_pali` embedded with a multilingual MiniLM model. 🤔 **In most cases you should use `search_hybrid` instead** — it combines this semantic search with keyword search and ranks better. Use this tool only when you need: - Pure semantic results (no keyword influence) - Fine-grained `threshold` tuning (hybrid uses RRF which is harder to tune) - To debug what semantic alone picks up vs keyword ⚠️ Known limitations: - The index is **Pāli only** (English/Thai queries pass through the multilingual embedding but the model isn't tuned on Pāli) - English queries usually embed better than Thai (model is EN-primary) - For specific Pāli terms (`appamāda`, `dukkha`), exact match is better — use `search_by_keyword` instead - Pāli stock phrases recur in many suttas → similarity scores cluster; read the top 10, don't trust rank 1 alone 📐 **Reading `distance`.** It is cosine distance between your query's embedding and the segment's, so smaller is closer, and a row is returned only at or under `threshold` (default 0.7) — an empty result means nothing cleared that cut. Ordering is proximity of meaning in one model's space, not doctrinal importance.

  Parameters:

  • query (required) — string — Query text (English works best, then Pāli, Thai is weakest).
  • limit — integer — Maximum results (default: 5, max: 20).
  • language — string — Output language — "pali", "thai", "english", or "all" (Thai disabled → null).
  • threshold — number — Maximum cosine distance (smaller = stricter match). Default 0.7; lower to 0.5 for tighter matches, raise to 0.9 for broader.

  Hints: read-only yes · destructive no · idempotent yes · open-world no

• search_hybrid read-only

  Hybrid search — combines keyword + semantic search via RRF. Uses Reciprocal Rank Fusion (RRF) to merge exact-word results with meaning-based results. **This is the recommended tool for "discourses about X" / concept queries**, because the semantic side catches suttas that discuss a concept using different vocabulary (e.g. some mindfulness-of-breathing suttas use `assasati/passasati/dīghaṁ` instead of `ānāpānassati`). ⚠️ **Send the question and nothing else. Do not pad the query.** The whole string becomes one vector, so every word you add moves it. Appending your own candidate terms — synonyms, Pāli equivalents, a keyword list — searches for the blend, not for the question. Measured on `Buddha flies in the sky`: asking it plainly put the right passage at **rank 1** (3 relevant suttas). Appending three guessed Pāli terms (`buddha, agga, sagga`) pushed it down to **rank 5** and left only 1 — because `agga` (supreme) and `sagga` (heaven) drag the vector toward their own meanings. Have candidate terms worth searching? Give them their own `search_by_keyword` call and merge the two result lists. One tool asks what a passage means, the other asks where a word occurs; combined into a single string they cancel out. Rewriting the question to sound more canonical does not help either — the same query phrased as `rose into the air and flew like a bird` scored **zero** relevant hits. 💡 **Hints for the AI client:** - English queries usually work best (e.g. `mindfulness of breathing`) because the embedding model is multilingual but EN-primary. - Thai stop-word handling is weak. If a Thai query underperforms, the AI client should translate to Pāli/English first (see server instructions). - The default `limit=5` is often too small for a topic survey — use `limit=15-20` (max 20) for good coverage. - `language` only chooses what comes back; it does not change what matches or how results are ranked. - Looking for a concrete thing rather than a concept (an animal, an object, a place)? `search_by_keyword` over `language="english"` is often better. The translations are segment-aligned to the Pāli, so one search for `turtle` finds every turtle passage whatever the Pāli underneath says (`kacchapa`, `kumma`, `maṇḍūkakacchapa`), and each hit still carries its segment id. - Ranking is by similarity, NOT canonical importance — locus classicus suttas (e.g. MN118, DN22) may rank below smaller suttas that happen to use the exact vocabulary. Treat results as a starting point, then call `get_sutta` for the canonical references.

  Parameters:

  • query (required) — string — Query text (Thai, Pāli, or English — English works best).
  • limit — integer — Maximum results (default: 5, max: 20).
  • language — string — Output language — "pali", "thai", "english", or "all".

  Hints: read-only yes · destructive no · idempotent yes · open-world no

• list_structure read-only

  Show the structure of all three pitakas with coverage statistics. 💡 **Use this tool when:** - The user asks for an overview of the Tipiṭaka (what's in it / which collections). - You need to check coverage before promising a search will find something — `segment_count > 0` is the active-loaded signal. - Verifying scope when compiling an artifact. 📊 **Current state (v1.1+, at parity with SuttaCentral bilara-data):** - **Sutta Piṭaka** complete: DN 37, MN 155, SN 1,829, AN 1,419, KN 2,351 sections (~284,702 segments) — Pāli + bilara EN (Sujato for DN/MN/SN/AN and most of KN; a few KN books have other bilara translators) - **Vinaya Piṭaka** complete: Bhikkhu Vibhaṅga 222, Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga 127, Khandhaka 22, Parivāra 51 + Pātimokkha 2 (~71,557 segments) — Pāli + Brahmali EN - **Abhidhamma Piṭaka** complete: 7 books (ds, vb, dt, pp, kv, ya, patthana) ~88,414 segments — Pāli only (bilara has no English for any Abhidhamma book) - **Total ~444,673 segments** in the DB ⚠️ **Known quirks:** - The schema carries duplicate legacy + SC-modern codes side by side: - Vinaya: `vin-v/vin-m/vin-c/vin-p` (legacy, segment_count = 0) alongside `pli-tv-bu-vb/pli-tv-bi-vb/pli-tv-kd/pli-tv-pvr` (active, populated). - Abhidhamma: `ym/pt` (legacy = 0) alongside `ya/patthana` (active). - **Use the `active` flag** — each nikaya carries `active: true/false` (true ⇔ `segment_count > 0`). Pick `active` nikayas; the others are metadata placeholders from an older migration. 🌐 **Languages:** Returns Pāli + Thai + English labels regardless of enabled set (these are metadata, not segment text). Text content follows ENABLED_LANGUAGES. Thai translations aren't loaded yet.

  Hints: read-only yes · destructive no · idempotent yes · open-world no

• get_reference read-only

  Build a proper citation string for a sutta. 💡 **Use this tool when:** - The user wants a citation for academic work, an article, or a reference. - You need to know the canonical location of a sutta (pitaka / nikāya). - You want a ready-to-use formatted citation string. 🔗 vs `get_sutta`: this tool returns metadata + citation only, no segments. Pair it with `get_sutta` when you want both the content and the citation.

  Parameters:

  • sutta_id (required) — string — Sutta ID, e.g. "mn1", "dn22", "sn56.11".

  Hints: read-only yes · destructive no · idempotent yes · open-world no

• list_editions read-only

  List the translation editions available, with coverage stats. 💡 **Use this tool when:** - Before calling `compare_translations` or `get_sutta(edition=...)`, so you know which edition values are valid and worth comparing. - The user asks which editions are loaded in the DB. 🔍 **Filtering:** Filtered by the server's `TRIPITAKA_ENABLED_LANGUAGES` — when Thai is disabled the list is empty. Only enabled languages are returned. ⚠️ **Current state:** the DB mostly holds Pāli (default from SuttaCentral bilara) and English (bilara's translators). Thai editions (`dhiranandi`, `jayasaro`, `mbu`, `royal`) aren't indexed yet — the list returns empty until they're loaded.

  Hints: read-only yes · destructive no · idempotent yes · open-world no

• compare_translations read-only

  Compare every available translation for a single segment. 💡 **Use this tool when:** - The user asks about the meaning/translation of a single Pāli line and wants to see multiple translators side-by-side. - Checking how different translators interpret the same line — technical terms like `dukkha`, `anattā`, `nibbāna` carry nuance that varies across translations. - Academic work that needs to quote multiple translations. 🔍 **vs `get_sutta`:** this tool targets a **single segment** (line level); `get_sutta` returns the **whole sutta**. To compare a whole sutta you'd call `compare_translations` for each segment. 📋 **segment_id format:** `<sutta_id>:<paragraph>.<line>`, e.g. `mn1:171.4` (Mūlapariyāyasutta paragraph 171 line 4 — "Nandī dukkhassa mūlaṁ"). Find segment_ids via `get_sutta` or search results. ⚠️ **Current state:** the `translation` table is mostly empty (the DB only loads default Pāli + English from bilara). `total_editions` is usually 0; `text_pali` and `text_english` are always populated. Thai editions will be added later.

  Parameters:

  • segment_id (required) — string — Segment ID, e.g. "mn26:8.2", "dn22:17.1", "mn62:5.3".

  Hints: read-only yes · destructive no · idempotent yes · open-world no

• get_word_definition read-only

  Look up the dictionary meaning of a Pāli word, with sutta context. Serves as a Pāli Dictionary Bridge — pairs the "definition" with the "context where the Buddha actually used the word". 📖 **About the dictionary sources:** This tool draws from multiple primary dictionaries, including "พจนานุกรมพุทธศาสน์ ฉบับประมวลศัพท์" (Buddhist Dictionary — Concept-Glossary edition) by Somdet Phra Buddhaghosacariya (P. A. Payutto). The Thai-language entries are **original scholarly works** (not translations), so they are **always available** even when ENABLED_LANGUAGES has Thai disabled. The AI client should translate Thai entries into the user's language if needed. 🔀 **Two kinds of thing in one payload.** `definitions[]` come from the dictionaries, not the canon, so they carry **no `segment_id`**; `appears_in_context[]` is corpus text and does carry one. `related_words[]` are headwords holding your query as a substring, so opposites appear — `dhamma` returns `adhamma`. Context examples are drawn at random: two identical calls return different ones.

  Parameters:

  • word (required) — string — Word to look up (e.g. "dukkha", "กฐิน").
  • language — string — Dictionary language (e.g. "en", "thai", or "all" as default).
  • limit_context — integer — Number of sutta-context examples to include (1-5).

  Hints: read-only yes · destructive no · idempotent yes · open-world no

• verify_quote read-only

  Verify, check, or confirm a Buddha quote — does the canon really say it? Fact-check a quotation attributed to the Buddha. Catches fake, misquoted, misattributed and misremembered passages, and finds the true reading. Paste a line that has been quoted or half-remembered — Pāli or English — and this says whether the canon really contains it, cites where, and if not, shows the closest thing that is actually there. 🧭 **When to use this:** - A quote is attributed to the Buddha and you are not certain it is real. A fabricated line that *sounds* canonical is the hardest error to catch by reading, because it reads correctly. Check it instead of trusting it. - Someone recalls a passage imperfectly, or a chanted form has drifted from the written one. The tool shows the received text beside theirs. - **Before repeating any Pāli you did not get from these tools**, verify it. This is cheap and it is the difference between citing and guessing. ⚠️ **Do not present an unverified passage as canonical.** If the verdict is `not_found`, say plainly that the line is not in the canon rather than quoting it with a hedge — a hedged fabrication still spreads. ⚖️ **Verdict thresholds.** `exact` = `contained` **or** `similarity` ≥ 0.995; `close` = `coverage` ≥ 0.85 **and** `similarity` ≥ 0.55; else `not_found`. `exact` means letters matched once folded, not that a human confirmed the reading. Matches also carry `coverage` (your letters present, in order), `contained` (present whole) and `spans` (segments joined; >1 → `segment_id` is the first only).

  Parameters:

  • text (required) — string — The passage as quoted. Diacritics optional, folded internally. One line works best; the canon is segmented line by line, so a quote spanning several segments may only match in part.
  • limit — integer — How many near matches to return when it is not exact (1–10).

  Hints: read-only yes · destructive no · idempotent yes · open-world no

• define_from_suttas read-only

  Find how the **suttas and Vinaya define a Pāli term in their own words**. The canon defines its own terms with fixed formulas — "Katamañca … dukkhaṁ?" (what is X?) … "ayaṁ vuccati … dukkhaṁ" (this is called X), "X adhivacana" (X is a designation for …), or the Vinaya "X nāma". This tool locates those definitional passages and returns them **cited**, so the assistant can present the doctrinal essence straight from the source. 🧭 **This tool vs `get_word_definition`:** - **`define_from_suttas`** → the *doctrinal* definition, how the term is defined **inside the canon**. Use for "how do the suttas define X", "what is the canonical definition of X", "define X from the suttas". Returns a few precise segments, not a lexicon essay. - **`get_word_definition`** → the *lexical* definition from dictionaries (Payutto / PTS / DPPN). Use for etymology and word meaning. They complement each other — offer both when the user wants the full picture (dictionary sense + how the Buddha defined it). 📖 **How to present the result:** Results are ranked; the top one is usually the canonical definition. **Quote the Pāli (and English where present) verbatim** and render each `cross_reference.tripitaka_mcp_reader.segment_url` as clickable markdown so the user can verify. Do NOT paraphrase into your own definition — the point is the canon's own words. Each result is tagged `kind` (direct / simile) and `detail` (descriptive / enumerative); a *descriptive* definition characterises the term, an *enumerative* one lists its types — prefer the descriptive when explaining the essence. ⚠️ A result tagged `context: true` **does not contain the term in its own line**. The canon's stock similes attach to a formula rather than to a word: the four jhāna similes (bath powder, deep lake, lotus pond, white cloth) never say *jhāna*, they illustrate the `vivicceva kāmehi …` formula that opens the paragraph. Such rows are found through that paragraph, so **say so when quoting one** — present it as the simile the passage uses, not as a line that defines the term.

  Parameters:

  • term (required) — string — Pāli term in its base/dictionary form (e.g. "dukkha", "viññāṇa", "samādhi"). Diacritics optional — folded internally.
  • limit — integer — Max definitional passages to return (1–15, default 5).
  • include_similes — boolean — Include indirect definitions by simile/metaphor (seyyathāpi …, "is a designation for …"). Default True.

  Hints: read-only yes · destructive no · idempotent yes · open-world no

• parse_pali_word read-only

  Strip Pāli inflectional suffixes to find the root form (basic stem). 💡 **Use this tool when:** - You find an inflected Pāli word (e.g. `dukkhassa`, `bhikkhūnaṁ`) and `get_word_definition` doesn't find it directly — Pāli inflects nouns across 7 cases × 2 numbers, ~16 forms per root. - You want to see possible stems before another `get_word_definition` lookup. 🔄 **Recommended workflow:** `parse_pali_word(inflected_form)` → get `possible_stems[]` → call `get_word_definition(stem)` per stem until you find a definition. ⚠️ **Limitations:** - Rule-based first-pass — strips common suffixes (case endings, vowel shortening). Not a full morphological analyzer. - Compound words (samāsa) are NOT split — `dukkhanirodha` won't be broken into `dukkha` + `nirodha`. - Sandhi (sound junctions) like `tena ahaṁ → tenāhaṁ` aren't reversed. - Returns **possible** stems — verify each via `get_word_definition`. ⚠️ **`possible_stems` are rule output, not findings.** They come from the suffix table applied to your input — nothing was looked up, so no field carries a `segment_id`, and some candidates are not Pāli words at all. Treat each as a spelling to try in `get_word_definition`, never as an attested form.

  Parameters:

  • word (required) — string — An inflected Pāli word (e.g. "dukkhassa", "bhikkhūnaṁ", "sīlavā").

  Hints: read-only yes · destructive no · idempotent yes · open-world no

• open_sutta_viewer read-only

  Open an interactive sutta viewer inside the chat — Pāli + English, plus an optional third row in the user's own language translated BY YOU. Renders each segment as: Pāli on top (canonical), the bilara-data English below it (verification anchor), and — when you supply `translations` — your translation in the user's language, clearly badged as AI-generated. Prefer this over dumping raw segments when the user wants to *read* a sutta. - `sutta_id` — standard SuttaCentral id, e.g. `sn56.11`, `mn10`, `dn22`. - `around` — a segment_id (e.g. `dn22:18.1`, from a search hit) to centre on; that segment is highlighted and scrolled into view. Use this after a search so the reader lands on the exact cited line. - `offset` — 0-based segment index for paging long suttas (use `next_offset` from the previous result). Do NOT combine with `around`. - `window` — segments before/after `around` to include (default 12). 🌐 **Translating for the user (important):** when the conversation language is neither English nor Pāli, you SHOULD translate the displayed segments and pass them via `translations` so the user reads in their own language while still seeing the originals: 1. Fetch the segments first (`get_sutta` with the same selector) so you have the exact Pāli + English text. (Already called this tool without translations? The result contains the segments — translate them and call this tool AGAIN with the same selector plus `translations` to upgrade the view.) Your translation must travel through the `translations` parameter to appear in the viewer — writing it as a normal chat message leaves the viewer bilingual and looks broken; the tool always accepts `translations`, so never report it as missing. 2. Translate **from the Pāli as the source, using the English as a semantic guide** — never relay-translate from English alone. Preserve untranslatable doctrinal terms (dukkha, jhāna, taṇhā…) as loanwords with a brief gloss instead of forcing equivalents. 3. Call this tool with `translations=[{segment_id, text}, ...]` covering ONLY the segments being displayed (never a whole long sutta), `translation_language` (BCP-47, e.g. "th", "es"), and `translation_disclaimer` — one short line IN THE USER'S LANGUAGE saying the translation is AI-generated in this conversation and should be checked against the Pāli/English above. Translations are conversation-ephemeral: nothing is stored server-side; the canon stays Pāli + English only. Translations whose segment_id is not in the displayed window are dropped (reported in `translations_dropped`). Without `around`, shows the sutta from the top (capped for long suttas).

  Parameters:

  • sutta_id (required) — string
  • around
  • offset — integer
  • window — integer
  • translations
  • translation_language
  • translation_disclaimer

  Hints: read-only yes · destructive no · idempotent yes · open-world no

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