> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://atlas.rebuildingus.org/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Tutorial: Research multiple cities

> Use an MCP-compliant assistant to compare civic activity across cities.

This tutorial shows how to use Atlas through an MCP-compliant assistant to compare multiple cities and compile structured results.

**Prerequisites:**

* Atlas Pro, Team, or Research Pass with MCP access
* An MCP-compliant client connected to Atlas

## The goal

Systematically research housing and labor organizations across 5 cities and produce a structured summary with coverage gaps for each.

## Prompt

With Atlas connected, ask your assistant:

> **You:** Research housing and labor organizations in these 5 cities: Kansas City MO, Detroit MI, Boise ID, Austin TX, and Portland OR. For each city, find the top entities, check coverage gaps, and compile the results into a markdown table.

The assistant can ask Atlas to search actors and compare place coverage for each city, then return a table you can inspect and refine.

## Review checklist

* Check that each row names the city, issue area, entity count, and source-backed entities.
* Ask for links to the underlying Atlas profiles before using the result externally.
* Treat gaps as research leads, not final conclusions.

## Scaling up

For larger research projects:

* **Start narrow** — Compare a few cities before expanding to a region.
* **Ask for sources** — Have the assistant include Atlas profile links and source notes.
* **Save follow-up questions** — Use gaps and low-confidence areas as the next research pass.
* **Respect rate limits** — Pro, Team, and Research Pass access have usage limits.

## What's next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Atlas capabilities reference" icon="wrench" href="/docs/mcp/tools">
    Review what your assistant can ask Atlas to do.
  </Card>

  <Card title="MCP troubleshooting" icon="circle-help" href="/docs/mcp/troubleshooting">
    Fix connection and authentication issues.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>