get_file_groups

io.github.rpconroy/gdex-mcp · Verify this server

Return file groups for a dataset. Pass gindex to get child groups under a parent. Groups nest (dataset -> format -> year -> month, or similar, varying by dataset) and there's no way to predict a child's gindex in advance — each group's gindex/url is dataset-specific and only knowable from the parent response. To drill down, read the gindex (or url) off a row in this response and pass that as the next call's gindex. This never returns file rows, only groups — every response stays small regardless of how many files the dataset holds, unlike get_dataset_files. Descend until a call returns empty ({} or []): that means the gindex you just called with is a leaf with no further subgroups, so it's safe to call get_dataset_files there for the actual files. find_dataset_files automates exactly this walk if you'd rather not do it by hand. At the top level, watch for a "Kerchunk Reference Files" (or similar ARCO-related) group alongside the raw-format groups. For an analysis task, prefer pulling from there (see also has_arco/get_arco_variables) over a raw data file when one's available — it avoids downloading a whole file just to read a subset of it. Args: dsid: Dataset ID (dNNNNNN), e.g. d083002 gindex: Optional group index to fetch child groups