phylokit-mcp
PYPI · PHYLOKIT-MCP
Phylogenetic inference via IQ-TREE 3 — never returns a topology without its support
Available components
Last scanned (5 hours ago)
Scores higher than 78% of PyPI servers
Category Health and Science
How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically from public evidence about the published package, including repeated runs of it in an isolated sandbox, and we only credit what we can confirm. How we score → Why this is hard to score →
Supply Chain Security100
- No malware found by supply-chain analysis.Pass
- No known CVEs affecting this package version or its production dependencies.Pass
- Runs hatchling.build at install time, a recognised build step with no custom scripting around it. View diagnostics → Pass
- 2 of 46 dependencies flagged as unhealthy. View diagnostics → Partial
Provenance & Transparency48
- Source repository is publicly reachable at the declared URL. View diagnostics → Pass
- Provenance check failed: no build-provenance attestation is published. See how to fix → View diagnostics → Fail
- Clear OSI-approved license (GPL-2.0-only).Pass
- Actively maintained (last published 9 days ago).Pass
- Publishes a security disclosure policy (SECURITY.md).Pass
Schema Quality & AI Usability54
- AI-judged instruction clarity (good).Pass
- Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 2514 tokens (~359/item across 7 items; 7 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params. See how to fix → Fail
- Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples. See how to fix → Fail
Stability & Change Management100
- No destabilizing schema changes in the last 30 days.Pass
Tool Coverage71
- 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).Pass
- 0% of tool parameters carry a description.Fail
- Structured output schemas are declared (100% of tools); any adoption earns full credit.Pass
Tool Safety100
- No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.Pass
- We read all 7 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.Pass
- An AI judge read all 8 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.Pass
Capabilities100
- Implements a current MCP spec version (2026-07-28).Pass
Every change we have recorded for this component, newest first. Security-relevant changes are always shown. ▲ marks a change for the better, ▼ a change for the worse; unmarked changes are neutral.
- 5 Nov 26 +15
- Malware scan: unverified → pass ▲ security
- 3 Nov 26 −15
- Malware scan: pass → unverified ▼ security
- 1 Nov 26 0
- Package version: 0.4.0 → 0.8.0 functional
- 31 Oct 26 +15
- Malware scan: unverified → pass ▲ security
- 30 Oct 26 −15
- Malware scan: pass → unverified ▼ security
- 27 Oct 26 +15
- Malware scan: unverified → pass ▲ security
- 26 Oct 26 −15
- Malware scan: pass → unverified ▼ security
- Schema quality: 281 → 359 ▼ functional
- Package version: 0.7.0 → 0.8.0 functional
- 21 Oct 26 +15
- Malware scan: unverified → pass ▲ security
Diagnostic detail from the automated scan of this channel: what the scanner observed at each step, so you can see exactly where a check passed or failed. It is informational only and never changes the trust score.
Captured 5 Nov 2026 · Analysed pypi/phylokit-mcp@0.8.0
Provenance No attestation
The registry publishes no build provenance for this version, so there is nothing to verify.
| Result | No attestation |
|---|---|
| Ecosystem | pypi |
| Reason | No attestation published |
Background: How many MCP packages publish verified provenance →
Install scripts 1 script
| Hook | Tier | Command |
|---|---|---|
| build_backend | allowlisted | hatchling.build |
Background: Why install scripts are a supply-chain risk →
Dependencies 46 packages
| Packages resolved | 46 |
|---|---|
| Stale | 1 |
| No linked repository | 1 |
| Tree resolution | Complete |
Background: SBOMs and build attestations, explained →
The tools this component advertises to a client, with an estimated token cost for each. Expand a tool to see its parameters and schema. The per-tool counts are indicative and are not scored directly; the schema's total context footprint is one signal in Schema Quality & AI Usability. A tool's description is untrusted text the model reads on every call, which is what makes this list a security surface and not just an inventory: how tool poisoning works →
align_sequences Align sequences with MAFFT, ready for infer_tree ~275
Align unaligned sequences with MAFFT, ready for `infer_tree`. The returned `fasta` has every row the same length and can be passed to `infer_tree` or `select_substitution_model` unchanged. Each output row, with its gaps removed, is verified to equal the input sequence before it is returned. Args: fasta: UNALIGNED sequences in FASTA, 2-200 of them. Gap characters are refused: input that is already aligned does not need this tool. sequence_type: "dna" (default) or "protein". Declared, never sniffed, and passed to MAFFT explicitly so it does not guess either. fasta_path: Path of a FASTA file to read instead of `fasta`. out_path: Write the aligned FASTA to this NEW file (never overwritten; its directory must exist) instead of returning it: `fasta` comes back None and `written_to` holds the absolute path, which `infer_tree`, `select_substitution_model` and `map_positions` take as `fasta_path`. Use it rather than copying rows between calls.
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| fasta | – | – | – |
| fasta_path | – | – | – |
| out_path | – | – | – |
| sequence_type | string | – | – |
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| alignment | – | yes | – |
| engine | object | yes | – |
| fasta | – | yes | – |
| input_lengths | object | yes | – |
| ready_for_infer_tree | boolean | yes | – |
| sequence_type | string | yes | – |
| warnings | array | yes | – |
| written_to | – | yes | – |
No examples provided.
capabilities Engine capabilities and limits ~89
What this server can do, and the bounds it enforces. `engine_version` is the installed piqtree version (e.g. "0.8.3"); `iqtree_version` is the IQ-TREE build inside it (e.g. "3.1.2"). Args: include_models: Include the full substitution-model list (long).
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| include_models | boolean | – | – |
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| aligner_error | – | yes | – |
| aligner_version | – | yes | – |
| criteria | array | yes | – |
| engine | string | yes | – |
| engine_version | string | yes | – |
| iqtree_version | string | yes | – |
| limits | object | yes | – |
| n_substitution_models | integer | yes | – |
| substitution_models | array | – | – |
| support_thresholds | object | yes | – |
| threads_pinned | boolean | yes | – |
No examples provided.
compare_trees Compare two tree topologies ~126
Robinson-Foulds distance between two trees, and which clades differ. Compares SPLITS, not strings: the same topology has many valid Newick representations, so string equality answers a different question. Args: newick_a: First tree in Newick format. newick_b: Second tree in Newick format. trees_path: Instead of the two strings, the path of a file holding exactly two Newick trees, A then B.
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| newick_a | – | – | – |
| newick_b | – | – | – |
| trees_path | – | – | – |
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| identical_topology | boolean | yes | – |
| n_shared_clades | integer | yes | – |
| normalised_robinson_foulds | – | yes | – |
| only_in_a | array | yes | – |
| only_in_b | array | yes | – |
| robinson_foulds | integer | yes | – |
| shared_taxa | integer | yes | – |
| warnings | array | yes | – |
No examples provided.
infer_tree Infer a phylogenetic tree with bootstrap support ~556
Build a maximum-likelihood tree and measure how well the data support it. Always bootstraps. There is deliberately no option to skip it: an unsupported topology is the failure mode this server exists to prevent. `support_method` picks which bootstrap; see its entry for the cost. Args: fasta: Aligned sequences in FASTA, nucleotide or protein as declared by `sequence_type`. All sequences must be the same length — run `align_sequences` first if they are not. model: Substitution model, e.g. "JC", "HKY", "GTR+G" (or "LG+G" for protein). Run `select_substitution_model` first if you do not have a reason to prefer one. replicates: Bootstrap replicates. Nonparametric: 20-1000, default 100, and each one costs a full ML search, so the call takes about replicates x one search. UFBoot2: 1000-10000, default 1000. seed: 0 to 2**31-1. Fixes the column resampling exactly; the engine's search is seeded too but is not bit-exact (see `reproducibility`). sequence_type: "dna" (default) or "protein". DECLARED, never sniffed: an alignment of only A/C/G/T is a valid protein alignment too, so guessing would silently fit a nucleotide model to protein data. A protein alignment also needs a protein model — "LG+G" or "WAG", not the nucleotide default — so run select_substitution_model with the same sequence_type first. fasta_path: Path of a FASTA file to read instead of `fasta`. support_method: "bootstrap" (default): the nonparametric bootstrap, clades supported at 0.70, and the only method that reports well-supported clades the ML tree lacks (`conflicting_support`). "ufboot": IQ-TREE's ultrafast bootstrap (UFBoot2, Hoang et al. 2018), clades supported at 0.95; far faster, use it when the nonparametric cost (replicates x one ML search) is too high, e.g. more than a few dozen taxa.
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| fasta | – | – | – |
| fasta_path | – | – | – |
| model | string | – | – |
| replicates | – | – | – |
| seed | integer | – | – |
| sequence_type | string | – | – |
| support_method | string | – | – |
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| alignment | – | yes | – |
| branch_length_units | string | yes | – |
| engine | object | yes | – |
| log_likelihood | – | yes | – |
| model | string | yes | – |
| newick | string | yes | – |
| newick_supported | string | yes | – |
| newick_topology | string | yes | – |
| newick_with_support | string | yes | – |
| reproducibility | object | yes | – |
| support | – | yes | – |
| warnings | array | yes | – |
No examples provided.
map_positions Map a residue to its alignment column and across sequences ~248
Map a residue to its alignment column, and the column to every sequence. Answers "which residue of B is in the same column as residue N of A" without counting by hand. Positions count residues from 1, gaps not counted; columns count from 1. At a gap, a row's position is null and `between` gives the residues either side. Args: aligned: true if the input is an alignment; false if unaligned, and it is aligned with MAFFT first, as `align_sequences` would. sequence: The sequence whose residue `position` is meant. position: A residue position in `sequence`. Give this or `column`. column: An alignment column. Give this or `position`. fasta: The sequences in FASTA. fasta_path: Path of a FASTA file to read instead of `fasta`. sequence_type: "dna" (default) or "protein".
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| aligned | boolean | yes | – |
| column | – | – | – |
| fasta | – | – | – |
| fasta_path | – | – | – |
| position | – | – | – |
| sequence | – | – | – |
| sequence_type | string | – | – |
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| aligned_by | – | yes | – |
| column | integer | yes | – |
| n_columns | integer | yes | – |
| query | object | yes | – |
| rows | object | yes | – |
| warnings | array | yes | – |
| window | object | yes | – |
No examples provided.
select_substitution_model Rank substitution models, with the margin over the runners-up ~298
Compare substitution models and report how much the winner won by. A single model name reads as a finding. The ranking, the delta to the next model, and whether AIC/AICc/BIC agree are what make it one. Args: fasta: Aligned sequences in FASTA, nucleotide or protein as declared by `sequence_type`. criterion: "AIC", "AICc" or "BIC". BIC penalises parameters more heavily. seed: Fixes the engine's search. top_n: How many ranked models to return. sequence_type: "dna" (default) or "protein". Ranks within that molecule type's model set — nucleotide and protein models are not comparable. fasta_path: Path of a FASTA file to read instead of `fasta`. models: Rank only these models (IQ-TREE names, e.g. ["JC", "K2P", "F81+F", "HKY+F"]), all returned. Bare "F81"/"HKY" have equal base frequencies in IQ-TREE; JC69, K80 and HKY85 are accepted.
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| criterion | string | – | – |
| fasta | – | – | – |
| fasta_path | – | – | – |
| models | – | – | – |
| seed | integer | – | – |
| sequence_type | string | – | – |
| top_n | integer | – | – |
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| alignment | – | yes | – |
| best_by_criterion | object | yes | – |
| best_model | string | yes | – |
| criteria_agree | boolean | yes | – |
| criterion | string | yes | – |
| indistinguishable_from_best | array | yes | – |
| n_models_compared | integer | yes | – |
| ranking | array | yes | – |
| resolved_names | object | – | – |
| restricted_to | array | – | – |
| seed | integer | yes | – |
| warnings | array | yes | – |
No examples provided.
simulate_alignment Simulate an alignment from a known tree ~190
Generate sequences along a tree you specify, so the true answer is known. This is the positive control for everything else here: infer a tree from the output and compare it back with `compare_trees`. If inference cannot recover a topology you generated from, the problem is the data or the settings, not the biology. Args: newick: The true tree, with a branch length on every edge. model: Substitution model to simulate under. A protein model ("LG", "WAG", ...) simulates protein; pass the output to `infer_tree` with sequence_type="protein". `alignment.moltype` says which it is. length: Number of sites. seed: Fixes the simulation.
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| length | integer | – | – |
| model | string | – | – |
| newick | string | yes | – |
| seed | integer | – | – |
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| alignment | – | yes | – |
| fasta | string | yes | – |
| model | string | yes | – |
| seed | integer | yes | – |
| true_newick | string | yes | – |
| warnings | array | yes | – |
No examples provided.
How do I install the phylokit-mcp server?
phylokit-mcp runs locally as a PyPI package, launched with uvx phylokit-mcp. Ready-made configuration for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and 5 more is on this page, copied from each client's own documentation.
pypi · phylokit-mcp
claude mcp add musharna-phylokit-mcp -- uvx phylokit-mcp
What is the phylokit-mcp server?
phylokit-mcp is listed in the public MCP registry as io.github.musharna/phylokit-mcp. Phylogenetic inference via IQ-TREE 3, never returns a topology without its support. This page covers its PyPI package (phylokit-mcp).
Is the phylokit-mcp server safe to use?
phylokit-mcp scores 79 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. We found no known CVEs affecting it as of 5 November 2026. That is a record of what we were able to check automatically, not an endorsement. The category breakdown on this page shows every signal behind the number, including the ones we could not confirm.
What tools does the phylokit-mcp server expose?
phylokit-mcp exposes 7 tools: infer_tree, select_substitution_model, compare_trees, simulate_alignment, align_sequences, and 2 more. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 1,782 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.
Is the phylokit-mcp server still maintained?
phylokit-mcp is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 5 November 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.
What licence is the phylokit-mcp server under?
phylokit-mcp declares the GPL-2.0-only licence, which is OSI-approved. That covers the source only, and says nothing about the cost of any service it calls.