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Every Particle MCP tool belongs to exactly one exposure category. Categories are the unit of tools/list advertisement: some advertise on a bare connection (default), others only when you ask for them (opt-in). But the advertisement is just a menu — every public tool is always callable by name, no matter what was advertised. Discovery is free; execution is metered and plan-gated.

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Categories

CategoryExposureSummary
systemalways onDiscovery meta-tools: browse the full tool catalog and call any tool by name.
podcastsdefaultResolve podcasts, list and fetch episodes, search transcripts, and find entity mentions.
peopledefaultResolve people and entities to canonical handles and fetch person profiles.
companiesdefaultResolve companies and fetch company profiles with people, products, and competitors.
topicsdefaultBrowse the hierarchical topic taxonomy used to classify podcast episodes.
podcast_rankingsdefaultPodcast chart rankings: current charts, movers, and ranking history.
podcast_guestsdefaultPodcast guest directory, trending guests, and per-guest appearance profiles.
podcast_advertisingopt-inPodcast advertising intelligence: sponsor rosters, ad presence, and sponsor leaderboards.
podcast_publishersopt-inPodcast publisher profiles with their shows, bias profile, and suitability profile.
podcast_ratingsopt-inListener review ratings for podcasts: summaries and recent rating lists.
podcast_biasopt-inCorpus-wide political-bias views: publisher leaderboards and publishers by bias result.
podcast_suitabilityopt-inCorpus-wide GARM brand-suitability views: publisher leaderboards and category exposure.
A bare connection advertises system plus every default category. The five opt-in categories advertise only when selected.

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Selecting categories

The selector lives on the connection — it shapes what tools/list advertises, nothing else.

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Query parameters

Append ?include= (and/or ?exclude=) to the connection URL. Values are comma-separated category names, case-insensitive. 
# Advertise the opt-in advertising + bias categories on top of the defaults.
https://mcp.particle.pro?include=podcast_advertising,podcast_bias

# Advertise everything.
https://mcp.particle.pro?include=all

# Hide a default category you don't want cluttering the list.
https://mcp.particle.pro?exclude=podcast_rankings

# Combine: add an opt-in category, drop a default one.
https://mcp.particle.pro?include=podcast_ratings&exclude=topics
  • include=all selects every declared category.
  • The active set is computed as defaults ∪ include − exclude.
  • Unknown tokens are ignored — a typo in a selector never errors tools/list; you just see the default surface for that token.
  • system is irremovable — exclude=system is silently ignored, so the discovery meta-tools never disappear.

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Headers

Clients that can’t append query strings can send the same values as headers: 
X-Particle-Include: podcast_advertising,podcast_bias
X-Particle-Exclude: podcast_rankings
The query parameter wins when both are present (query > header precedence), resolved independently for each direction (include and exclude).

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Every public tool is callable by name

The selector only governs the menu (tools/list). tools/call is selector-independent: every public tool stays executable by name whether or not it was advertised on your connection. That separation is deliberate:
  • Discovery is free. A bare connection can learn the entire surface via particle_catalog and call any of it — no reconnection, no selector change.
  • Execution is metered and plan-gated. Calling a tool runs the same billing meter, pricing gate, and premium-tier gate regardless of how you reached it. Advertisement changes visibility, never entitlement.
So the opt-in categories exist to keep a default agent’s tool list focused, not to lock anything away. If your harness lets you call tools it didn’t see advertised, just call them. If it doesn’t, use the meta-tools below.

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Meta-tools

Two always-on system tools make the surface self-expanding.

particle_catalog

Browse the full catalog. No arguments → the category menu; with a category → full input schemas for that category’s tools.

particle_call

Dispatch any public tool by name — the fallback for harnesses that block un-advertised tool names.

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particle_catalog

# See every category and its tools.
particle_catalog {}

# Get the full input schema for an opt-in category before calling it.
particle_catalog { "category": "podcast_bias" }

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particle_call

# Reach an opt-in tool when the harness blocks un-advertised tool_use names.
particle_call {
  "tool": "particle_podcast_get_bias_leaderboard",
  "arguments": { "metric": "most_right_leaning", "limit": 10 }
}
Identical metering and plan gating apply whether you call a tool directly or through particle_call.

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Next steps

Tool reference

Every tool, grouped by category, with inputs and outputs.

Quickstart

Connect a client and run a first call.