Motley — NYC Neighborhoods, Schools & Admissions

Find, compare, and rank NYC neighborhoods and schools, plus how NYC school admissions works.

CommunityOnlineNo sign-inGlobalFreeRead-only

What it can do

  • Search Neighborhoods: Search and filter NYC neighborhoods by borough or name. Returns NTA codes, names, boroughs, and centroid coordinates.
  • Get Neighborhood: Get full details for a single NYC neighborhood including demographics, raw 0-100 scores, location, and a family-readable interpretation (labeled score bands + cached editorial blurbs
  • Get Neighborhood Summary: Get a decision-ready, family-readable summary of one NYC neighborhood: a one-paragraph fit verdict, labeled score bands (e.g. 'Peace of Mind: strong (78/100)'), and cached ed

What data it sees

Do you need an account

No: the server works without sign-in

Find, compare, and rank NYC neighborhoods and schools, plus how NYC school admissions works.

How to connect

How to connect Motley — NYC Neighborhoods, Schools & Admissions to Claude

The server address to paste into Claude settings:

https://motley-nyc--bitbrujo.run.tools

  1. Open Claude (claude.ai or the desktop app).
  2. Go to Settings → Connectors.
  3. Click Add custom connector.
  4. Paste the server address copied below into Remote MCP server URL and click Add.
  5. In a chat, click + → Connectors and switch the new connector on.

Custom connectors are available on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans (Free is limited to one). On Team and Enterprise an organization Owner adds the connector first under Organization settings → Connectors.

Authorization

After you click Add, a sign-in window for the service opens. Sign in with your own account and approve access. Claude never sees your password.

How to connect Motley — NYC Neighborhoods, Schools & Admissions to ChatGPT

The server address to paste into ChatGPT settings:

https://motley-nyc--bitbrujo.run.tools

  1. Open ChatGPT in a browser (chatgpt.com). A Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Edu plan is required.
  2. Turn on developer mode once: Settings → Apps → Advanced settings → Developer mode.
  3. Open Settings → Connectors and click Create.
  4. Fill in the form: Name (anything), Description (one line about what the service does), MCP server URL (copy it below).
  5. Under Authentication choose OAuth if the service requires sign-in, otherwise None. Click Create.
  6. In a new chat open + → Apps/Connectors and enable the connector.

OpenAI has renamed this section before (Connectors → Apps/Plugins). If the label differs, search settings for "developer mode". On Business/Enterprise workspaces an admin must allow custom connectors first.

Authorization

On first use ChatGPT opens the service's sign-in window. Sign in and approve access.

How to connect Motley — NYC Neighborhoods, Schools & Admissions to Cursor

The server address to paste into Cursor settings:

https://motley-nyc--bitbrujo.run.tools

Fastest: click Open in Cursor below and confirm the prompt.

Manually:

  1. In Cursor open Settings → Cursor Settings → MCP and click Add new global MCP server.
  2. Paste the JSON copied below into ~/.cursor/mcp.json (per project: .cursor/mcp.json in the repo root).
  3. Save the file. The server appears in the MCP list; authorize it there if asked.

Authorization

If the service needs sign-in, an authorize button appears next to the server in the MCP list.

Server tool list (15)

Raw names from tools/list. Only developers need these.

search-neighborhoodsSearch and filter NYC neighborhoods by borough or name. Returns NTA codes, names, boroughs, and centroid coordinates.
get-neighborhoodGet full details for a single NYC neighborhood including demographics, raw 0-100 scores, location, and a family-readable interpretation (labeled score bands + cached editorial blurbs). Use the nta_code from search-neighborhoods.
get-neighborhood-summaryGet a decision-ready, family-readable summary of one NYC neighborhood: a one-paragraph fit verdict, labeled score bands (e.g. 'Peace of Mind: strong (78/100)'), and cached editorial blurbs — with raw scores still available. The interpretation-first front door; start here when a family wants an answer, not a data dump.
get-schoolsGet schools within a neighborhood — public, charter, and private. Includes quality ratings, grade levels, contact info. Use count_only for a quick summary, or limit/offset to page the full list (the response reports total/returned).
browse-schoolsFind NYC schools citywide by what a family wants — borough, community school district (1-32), grade band (pre-K/elementary/middle/high), school type (public/charter/private), admissions method (zoned, screened, unscreened, limited unscreened, ed-opt, audition, SHSAT, charter lottery, private, universal pre-K), and program focus (arts, sports, STEM, language, academic, clubs). Use this when the family describes the KIND of school they want; use get-schools when you already have an nta_code and want everything in that neighborhood. Pass only the filters actually stated — at least one is required, and an invented one returns nothing. Program focus is tagged on public and charter schools only.
get-resourcesGet family resource counts for a neighborhood: recreation centers, playgrounds, libraries, hospitals, farmers markets, ADA subway stations.
get-activitiesGet kids' activities and businesses in a neighborhood — classes, sports, arts, tutoring, etc. from Foursquare data. Use count_only for category breakdown, or limit/offset to page the full list (reports total/returned). Each place's last_refreshed is when we last verified it with Foursquare.
get-safetyGet safety and health environment indicators for a neighborhood: crime complaints, collisions, HPD violations, air quality, lead levels, asthma rates — plus a family-readable interpretation of the Peace of Mind and Air & Water Quality scores.
get-comparableFind neighborhoods most similar to a given one based on a 9-dimension score vector (family density, wealth, education, safety, transit, etc.). Returns similarity scores.
find-neighborhoodFind which NYC neighborhood (NTA) an address or coordinate is in. Pass a NYC address (geocoded via OpenStreetMap) OR lat+lng. Returns the NTA code, name, borough, and a decision-ready family-fit summary. Use this to turn a real-world location into a neighborhood you can pass to the other tools.
rank-neighborhoodsRank NYC neighborhoods by what a family cares about. Pass per-metric weights (family density, schools, affordability, neighborhood character, transit, safety, air & water quality) and/or ranked priority keywords; optionally scope to one borough. Returns the top neighborhoods with a fit score and the metric breakdown — a deterministic weighted sort (the per-child Smart Match stays in the Motley app).
compare-neighborhoodsCompare 2–6 NYC neighborhoods side by side across the 9 family-fit metrics (Family Fit, Families, Affordability, Schools, Neighborhood Character, Transit, Safety, Health, Activities). Pass an array of NTA codes; returns a per-metric matrix with each neighborhood's band and the per-metric leader.
get-admissions-methodsGet the full NYC school-admissions reference: every entry point from 3-K and Pre-K through Kindergarten, Gifted & Talented, and the 8 middle/high admission methods (SHSAT, audition, screened, Ed-Opt, limited unscreened, unscreened, zoned, charter lottery) — each with its typical application window. The methods carry a live program count plus a special_badge naming any extra ask beyond the standard application (an audition, a test, an open-house sign-in), null when there is none; optional band/governance filters narrow the count. Knowledge only.
explain-admissions-methodExplain one NYC admission entry point or method in full — the plain-English explainer, its typical deadline window, and, when the method asks a family for more than a ranked application, exactly what it requires (audition or portfolio, SHSAT registration, a demonstrated-interest sign-in, a private school's own test/interview track) plus the extra paperwork that comes with it. Pass a method key (shsat, audition, screened, ed_opt, limited_unscreened, unscreened, zoned, charter_lottery, private_admissions, prek_universal) or an early entry point (three-k, pre-k, kindergarten, gifted-talented).
get-admissions-demandGet how competitive admission to one specific school is, program by program: seats vs. applicants, applicants-per-seat, offer/fill rate, and a family-readable competitiveness tier (Accessible / Competitive / Highly Competitive). Pass a school DBN (from get-schools). Sourced from MySchools — present mostly for screened/choice high-school programs; zoned, charter-lottery, and private schools usually have none.