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Public AI is a structured knowledge base of tools and resources that AI assistants can access programmatically to help users with real-world tasks.

What is Public AI?

Public AI serves as a bridge between AI assistants (like Claude, ChatGPT, etc.) and real-world information that users need. Instead of AI assistants having outdated or incomplete information, they can query this wiki to get current, accurate, and localized data.

How It Works

1. Structured Data: Information is stored using MediaWiki's Cargo extension, making it queryable like a database
2. MCP Server: A FastMCP server reads from this wiki and exposes the data as tools that AI assistants can use
3. AI Integration: When you ask an AI assistant a question (e.g., "What's the suicide hotline in Singapore?"), it queries this wiki and gives you current information

Use Cases

• Crisis Support: Get current hotline numbers and resources for mental health emergencies
• Transit Information: Real-time public transportation schedules and routes
• Events & Activities: Discover upcoming community events and festivals
• Location Services: Search for places and get geographic information
• And more...: Any information that benefits from being current, localized, and structured

Understanding Public AI Tools

Public AI has two types of tools, each serving different purposes:

Wiki Tools	MCP Tools
Data lives in this wiki The MCP server reads and serves wiki content to AI assistants	Code lives in GitHub repository Python functions that integrate with external APIs
Examples: Tool:SuicideHotline - Crisis hotlines with custom SuicideHotlineResource template Tool:UpcomingEvents - Events with custom UpcomingEventsResource template	Examples: Swiss Transit - Calls transport.opendata.ch API Singapore Carparks - Queries data.gov.sg API
Who can contribute: Anyone (no coding required)	Who can contribute: Developers (Python required)
Best for: Location-specific resources Information that changes over time Data that needs community verification Custom data structures per tool	Best for: Real-time API integrations Complex data processing External service connections

Browse All Tools

Tool	description	community	has resources
Tool:SuicideHotline	International suicide prevention hotlines and crisis support resources	Singapore • Switzerland	Yes
Tool:UpcomingBTO	Upcoming Build-To-Order (BTO) public housing launches in Singapore	Singapore	Yes
Tool:UpcomingEvents	Community and public events happening in various locations	Singapore	Yes

How to Contribute

Choose your contribution pathway based on what you want to do:

1️⃣ Add Data to an Existing Tool

Add or update localized data for an existing tool

Difficulty: Easy (no coding required)

Perfect for:

• Adding suicide hotline numbers for your country
• Contributing upcoming events in your region
• Adding local crisis resources
• Verifying and updating existing information

Quick start:

1. Browse the tools above and find one with has_resources=true
2. Check the tool's page for its custom resource template (e.g., Template:SuicideHotlineResource, Template:UpcomingEventsResource)
3. Create or edit a page: Resource:ToolName/YourLocation
4. Use the tool's specific resource template with the appropriate fields
5. Fill in your local data and save!

💡 Tip: Look at existing resources for that tool to see what fields are available and how to format your data.

---

2️⃣ Create a New Wiki Tool

Design a new tool with a custom data structure

Difficulty: Medium

When to use this:

• You have location-specific data that communities can maintain
• The information doesn't require API calls
• You need a specific data structure for your use case
• Multiple people can verify and update the information

Step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Design Your Resource Template

Create a page: Template:YourToolNameResource

This template defines what data your tool collects. Each tool has complete freedom to define its own fields!

Example: Library Hours Resource Template

<noinclude>
This template stores library operating hours by location.

{{#cargo_declare:
_table=LibraryHoursResources
|tool=Page
|country=String
|region=String
|library_name=String
|weekday_hours=String
|weekend_hours=String
|holiday_hours=String
|phone=String
|website=URL
|last_verified=Date
}}

== Parameters ==
* '''tool''' - The tool page (should be "Tool:LibraryHours")
* '''country''' - Country name
* '''region''' - Region/state within country
* '''library_name''' - Name of the library
* '''weekday_hours''' - Operating hours Monday-Friday
* '''weekend_hours''' - Operating hours Saturday-Sunday
* '''holiday_hours''' - Special holiday hours
* '''phone''' - Contact phone number
* '''website''' - Library website URL
* '''last_verified''' - Date information was verified (YYYY-MM-DD)

[[Category:Templates]]
</noinclude>
<includeonly>
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
! colspan="2" | {{{library_name}}} - {{{country}}}{{#if:{{{region|}}}| ({{{region}}})}}
|-
| '''Weekday Hours''' || {{{weekday_hours}}}
|-
| '''Weekend Hours''' || {{{weekend_hours}}}
|-
{{#if:{{{holiday_hours|}}}|
{{!}} '''Holiday Hours''' {{!}}{{!}} {{{holiday_hours}}}
{{!}}-
|}}
| '''Phone''' || {{{phone}}}
|-
| '''Website''' || [{{{website}}} Visit website]
|}

{{#cargo_store:
_table=LibraryHoursResources
|tool={{{tool}}}
|country={{{country}}}
|region={{{region}}}
|library_name={{{library_name}}}
|weekday_hours={{{weekday_hours}}}
|weekend_hours={{{weekend_hours}}}
|holiday_hours={{{holiday_hours}}}
|phone={{{phone}}}
|website={{{website}}}
|last_verified={{{last_verified}}}
}}
</includeonly>

Key parts:

• _table: Must be YourToolNameResources (this is important for the MCP server!)
• Field definitions: Define all fields your tool needs with their types (String, Date, URL, Text, etc.)
• Display template: Create a nice visual display for the data
• cargo_store: Saves the data to the Cargo database

Step 2: Create the Tool Page

Create a page: Tool:YourToolName

{{Tool
|name=Library Hours
|description=Operating hours for public libraries by location
|community=Singapore
|has_resources=true
|resource_table=LibraryHoursResources
|overview=Provides current operating hours for public libraries, including weekday, weekend, and holiday schedules.
|usage=Query by library name or location to get current hours. All times are in local timezone.
}}

== About This Tool ==

This tool provides up-to-date operating hours for public libraries. Information is maintained by community contributors and library staff.

== Contributing ==

To add library hours for your location:
# Create a page: <code>Resource:LibraryHours/YourLocation</code>
# Use the {{tl|LibraryHoursResource}} template
# Verify hours from official library websites
# Update the last_verified date

== See Also ==
* [[Template:LibraryHoursResource]] - Template for adding library hours

[[Category:Tools]]
[[Category:Community]]

Important fields:

• has_resources=true - Indicates this tool uses resources
• resource_table=YourToolNameResources - Must match your template's _table name

Step 3: Create Your First Resource

Create a page: Resource:YourToolName/Location

Use your new template to add the first resource!

Step 4: Update Cargo Tables

Critical step - makes your data queryable:

1. Go to Special:CargoTables
2. Find your new table (e.g., LibraryHoursResources)
3. Click "Recreate data"
4. Your tool is now live!

---

3️⃣ Add a New MCP Tool

Implement a Python tool that integrates with external APIs

Difficulty: Advanced (requires Python/coding)

When to use this:

• You need to call external APIs (weather, transit, etc.)
• The tool requires real-time data
• Complex logic or data transformation is needed

Quick start:

1. Fork the repository
2. Add your @mcp.tool() function to main.py
3. Test locally with python main.py
4. Submit a Pull Request

Example tools to create:

• Weather API integrations
• Stock market data
• Real-time transit for other countries
• News aggregators

---

Quick Decision Guide

I want to...	Use this pathway
Add data to an existing tool	1️⃣ Add Data to an Existing Tool
Create a tool with custom data fields	2️⃣ Create a New Wiki Tool
Build an API integration or complex tool	3️⃣ Add a New MCP Tool

---

Detailed Examples

Example: Adding a Suicide Hotline Resource

The Tool:SuicideHotline uses Template:SuicideHotlineResource which has fields for:

• Multiple phone numbers (primary, secondary, youth hotline)
• Text services (SMS, WhatsApp)
• Online chat URLs
• Emergency services
• Languages supported
• Operating hours

Create a page: Resource:SuicideHotline/YourCountry

{{SuicideHotlineResource
|tool=Tool:SuicideHotline
|country=United States
|primary_phone=988
|primary_phone_description=National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 24/7 support
|text_service=Text "HELLO" to 741741
|text_service_description=Crisis Text Line - 24/7 text support
|online_chat_url=https://988lifeline.org/chat
|online_chat_description=Online chat available 24/7
|languages=English, Spanish
|availability=24/7
|additional_info=Free and confidential. Veterans can press 1 for specialized support.
|last_verified=2025-12-26
}}

Example: Adding an Upcoming Event

The Tool:UpcomingEvents uses Template:UpcomingEventsResource which has fields for:

• Event name and type
• Start and end dates
• Venue and address
• Admission details
• Event description
• Registration URL

Create a page: Resource:UpcomingEvents/Singapore

{{UpcomingEventsResource
|tool=Tool:UpcomingEvents
|country=Singapore
|event_name=Singapore Art Week 2026
|event_type=Cultural
|start_date=2026-01-10
|end_date=2026-01-18
|venue=Multiple locations across Singapore
|address=Various galleries and museums
|admission=Mixed (some free, some ticketed)
|description=Annual celebration of visual arts with exhibitions, talks, and workshops
|registration_url=https://www.artweek.sg
|last_verified=2025-12-26
}}

{{UpcomingEventsResource
|tool=Tool:UpcomingEvents
|country=Singapore
|event_name=National Day Parade 2026
|event_type=National Celebration
|start_date=2026-08-09
|venue=Marina Bay Floating Platform
|admission=Free (ballot required)
|description=Singapore's National Day celebration with parade and fireworks
|last_verified=2025-12-26
}}

Note: You can add multiple resources to the same page!

How Resource Templates Work

Each tool defines its own resource template with exactly the fields it needs:

Tool	Template	Custom Fields
Tool:SuicideHotline	Template:SuicideHotlineResource	primary_phone, secondary_phone, text_service, online_chat_url, youth_hotline, emergency_services, languages, availability
Tool:UpcomingEvents	Template:UpcomingEventsResource	event_name, event_type, start_date, end_date, venue, address, admission, description, registration_url
Your tool!	Template:YourToolResource	Whatever fields you need!

This gives tool creators complete flexibility to structure their data appropriately.

Guidelines

Quality Standards

• Accuracy: All information must be current and verified
• Verification: Always include a last_verified date
• Completeness: Fill in all relevant fields for your resource
• Localization: Information should be specific to the country/region
• Neutrality: Present information objectively without bias

What Belongs Here

✅ Good candidates for Wiki Tools:

• Information that changes over time (phone numbers, schedules, events)
• Localized data (country/region-specific resources)
• Public services (hotlines, transit, emergency services, events)
• Data that AI assistants frequently need but may not have current info on
• Information that benefits from community verification

❌ Not appropriate:

• Personal or private information
• Copyrighted content without permission
• Information that rarely changes and is well-known (e.g., historical facts)
• Opinion pieces or subjective content
• Time-sensitive data that changes by the minute (use MCP tools with APIs instead)

Technical Documentation

For Developers

This wiki uses:

• MediaWiki: The underlying wiki platform
• Cargo Extension: Structured data storage and querying
• FastMCP Server: Exposes wiki data as MCP tools for AI assistants

Repository: pai-mcp-server

How the MCP Server Works

The MCP server provides three main functions for wiki tools:

1. list_tools_by_community(community)

• Lists all tools available for a community
• Queries the Tools table

2. use_tool(tool, country, region=None)

• Retrieves resources for a specific tool and location
• Automatically discovers the resource table structure using the Cargo API
• Works with any tool's custom resource template
• Example: use_tool("SuicideHotline", "Singapore")

3. add_resource(tool, country, resource_data, region=None)

• Adds a new resource to a tool's resource page
• Validates fields against the tool's resource table schema
• Safely prepends content without overwriting existing data
• Example: add_resource("UpcomingEvents", "Singapore", {"event_name": "Art Fair", "start_date": "2026-03-15", ...})

The server uses cargofields API to dynamically discover each tool's schema, so it works with any custom resource template!

Naming Conventions (Important!)

For the MCP server to work correctly with your tool:

• Tool page: Tool:YourToolName
• Resource template: Template:YourToolNameResource
• Cargo table: YourToolNameResources (defined in template's _table)
• Resource pages: Resource:YourToolName/Location

The server automatically derives table and template names from the tool name, so consistency is critical!

API Access

Data can be queried via:

• MediaWiki API: Standard MediaWiki API endpoints (https://wiki.publicai.co/w/api.php)
• Cargo API: Query structured data using action=cargoquery
• Cargo Fields API: Discover table schemas using action=cargofields
• MCP Server: FastMCP server provides simplified access for AI assistants

Cargo Tables

View and manage the structured data:

• View all Cargo tables
• Tools table: Stores all tool definitions
• [ToolName]Resources tables: Each tool has its own resource table with custom fields

After editing resources: Remember to recreate the Cargo table data at Special:CargoTables to make your changes queryable!

Need Help?

• Creating templates: Study SuicideHotlineResource or UpcomingEventsResource as examples
• Cargo tables: Manage Tables
• MCP Server: GitHub Repository
• Questions: Open an issue in the repository or ask in discussions

Examples to Learn From

Well-designed Wiki Tools:

• Tool:SuicideHotline - Crisis resources with rich custom template
• Tool:UpcomingEvents - Events with date fields and venue information

Well-structured Resources:

• Resource:SuicideHotline/Singapore - Complete fields, multiple contact methods
• Resource:UpcomingEvents/Singapore - Multiple events on one page

Good Templates to Study:

• Template:SuicideHotlineResource - Complex template with many field types
• Template:UpcomingEventsResource - Date handling and optional fields