Improved access of MLSO data via API

The Mauna Loa Solar Observatory (MLSO) is expanding its web service API to provide solar activity observable in MLSO data, as well as filtering other MLSO data on this activity. Currently, data from our operational instruments, UCoMP and KCor, is available via the API. The API allows users to discover the available instruments and their products, to find files matching search queries, and to download the matching files. We provide Python, IDL, and command-line clients, along with the JSON responses from the GET requests to the web service. The API improves the ease of downloading files for multiple dates or for non-calendar date matching patterns, e.g., need one file of a particular type each day for a Carrington Rotation. The API can also be used in scripts to download the required data as needed. The API is now being used in MLSO tools and documentation, for example, tutorials for using the data from a given instrument use the API to retrieve example data. We are also updating our interactive tools for analyzing MLSO and other data to use the API. Near future plans include a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server to connect the data served by the API with AI applications, serving more datasets, and additional formats for products of current datasets, e.g. quicklook images.