MCP reference
Compare plan drug costs at a pharmacy
Use this when someone wants plan cost estimates for up to ten exact medications at one confirmed retail pharmacy. Combines medication selection, refill quantity/days supply, branch selection and the website pharmacy-savings calculator. Resume batch_context, preserving other selections and refill details. Return all-medication matches first; partial/unverified matches require agreement. Estimates cover a bounded plan pool, not the entire market; exclude medical costs/subsidy adjustments and may apply a deductible independently per drug. Missing/fallback prices are not free or verified branch quotes. Not a mail-order flow. Use check_plan_drug_coverage for one plan’s formulary or rank_part_d_plans for standalone Part D ranking. An optional website alternative: TPP’s Pharmacy Savings. Offer only when requested; chat can continue. Opens a separate flow without transferring answers. For another tool, use recommend_website_tool. Use the app as the answer. Do not repeat its options in a list, table or explanation. Ask one short question if input is required; otherwise stop.
Tool name
compare_plan_drug_costs
Input schema
{
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": false,
"properties": {
"zip": {
"type": "string",
"pattern": "^[0-9]{5}$",
"description": "Residential ZIP for plan availability; reuse known information."
},
"county": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Confirmed residential county; clarify ambiguous ZIPs."
},
"state": {
"type": "string",
"pattern": "^[A-Z]{2}$",
"description": "Two-letter state from the county lookup."
},
"plan_year": {
"type": "integer",
"minimum": 2024,
"maximum": 2035,
"description": "Reuse the requested or previously selected coverage year. If omitted, use the API’s configured serving year and disclose it; do not ask just because the year is missing."
},
"drugs": {
"type": "array",
"minItems": 1,
"maxItems": 10,
"items": {
"$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"medication": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "string",
"minLength": 2,
"maxLength": 100
},
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"query": {
"type": "string",
"minLength": 2,
"maxLength": 100
},
"option_id": {
"type": "string",
"pattern": "^[a-f0-9]{64}$"
}
},
"required": [
"query",
"option_id"
],
"additionalProperties": false
},
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"name": {
"type": "string",
"minLength": 2,
"maxLength": 100
},
"strength": {
"type": "string",
"minLength": 1,
"maxLength": 60
},
"form": {
"type": "string",
"minLength": 1,
"maxLength": 60
},
"release_type": {
"type": "string",
"minLength": 1,
"maxLength": 60
}
},
"additionalProperties": false
}
]
},
"quantity": {
"type": "integer",
"minimum": 1,
"maximum": 999
},
"days_supply": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "number",
"const": 30
},
{
"type": "number",
"const": 60
},
{
"type": "number",
"const": 90
}
]
}
},
"required": [
"medication"
],
"additionalProperties": false
},
{
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "string",
"minLength": 2,
"maxLength": 100
},
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"query": {
"type": "string",
"minLength": 2,
"maxLength": 100
},
"option_id": {
"type": "string",
"pattern": "^[a-f0-9]{64}$"
}
},
"required": [
"query",
"option_id"
],
"additionalProperties": false
},
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"name": {
"type": "string",
"minLength": 2,
"maxLength": 100
},
"strength": {
"type": "string",
"minLength": 1,
"maxLength": 60
},
"form": {
"type": "string",
"minLength": 1,
"maxLength": 60
},
"release_type": {
"type": "string",
"minLength": 1,
"maxLength": 60
}
},
"additionalProperties": false
}
]
}
]
},
"description": "Exact medication references or familiar names. Each refill entry has medication, quantity and days_supply. Ask for missing refill details; do not infer them from a formulary quantity limit."
},
"pharmacy": {
"$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"search": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"zip": {
"type": "string",
"pattern": "^\\d{5}$"
},
"q": {
"type": "string",
"minLength": 2,
"maxLength": 100
},
"county": {
"type": "string",
"minLength": 1,
"maxLength": 60
},
"state": {
"type": "string",
"pattern": "^[A-Z]{2}$"
},
"include_farther": {
"default": false,
"type": "boolean"
}
},
"required": [
"zip"
],
"additionalProperties": false
},
"option_id": {
"type": "string",
"pattern": "^[a-f0-9]{64}$"
}
},
"required": [
"search",
"option_id"
],
"additionalProperties": false,
"description": "Confirmed pharmacy_reference from find_medicare_pharmacies, not a guessed branch or bare identifier."
},
"pharmacy_search": {
"$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"zip": {
"type": "string",
"pattern": "^\\d{5}$"
},
"q": {
"type": "string",
"minLength": 2,
"maxLength": 100
},
"county": {
"type": "string",
"minLength": 1,
"maxLength": 60
},
"state": {
"type": "string",
"pattern": "^[A-Z]{2}$"
},
"include_farther": {
"default": false,
"type": "boolean"
}
},
"required": [
"zip"
],
"additionalProperties": false,
"description": "Optional pharmacy search context, separate from home. Use only a supplied search ZIP or an agreed search near home; include_farther only after agreement."
},
"include_partial": {
"type": "boolean",
"default": false,
"description": "True only after agreement to show plans with incomplete or unverified medication matches."
},
"limit": {
"type": "integer",
"minimum": 1,
"maximum": 10,
"default": 10,
"description": "Maximum displayed results, from 1 to 10 (default 10)."
}
}
}
Example request
Minimal synthetic request after initialization. A missing-input clarification is a valid result; do not invent personal facts to complete it. For content retrieval, replace the illustrative fixture ID with an ID returned by search.
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 3,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "compare_plan_drug_costs",
"arguments": {}
}
}
Connection
POST JSON-RPC to https://tools.thepocketprotector.com/mcp with method tools/call, name compare_plan_drug_costs, and arguments matching the schema above. Call tools/list to verify deployed availability.
Results and errors
Read both content and structuredContent. Follow returned clarification or continuation steps. Preserve source attribution, dates, uncertainty and scope. isError: true means the lookup did not complete. HTTP 429 requires waiting for Retry-After; never repeatedly retry an unavailable lookup.
Tool annotations
{
"title": "Compare plan drug costs at a pharmacy",
"readOnlyHint": true,
"openWorldHint": true,
"destructiveHint": false
}
Authentication: public, no account or API key required. Public tools perform no enrollment or account writes.
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