capture

Capture MCP Server provides 15 specialized tools to search, join, and analyze federal procurement and spending data from USASpending.gov, SAM.gov, and Tango APIs. When running with no API keys, you get the 4 USASpending.gov tools available out of the box. Adding a SAM.gov API key unlocks additional SAM.gov and join tools, while adding a Tango API key enables Tango-related tools and more join capabilities. The server returns both human-readable text and structured JSON for easy consumption by MCP clients like Claude Desktop, ChatGPT Desktop, or any MCP-compatible client. To use, start the server and connect your MCP client to the server’s API surface; then invoke one of the available tool methods such as get_usaspending_awards, search_tango_contracts, or get_entity_and_awards to combine data from multiple sources.

Prerequisites:

• Node.js 18+ (LTS) installed on your machine
• npm (comes with Node.js)
• Optional: API keys for SAM.gov and Tango if you plan to enable all tools

Method 1 (Standard MCP Configuration - recommended):

1. Clone the repository and install dependencies

git clone https://github.com/blencorp/capture-mcp-server.git
cd capture-mcp-server
npm install

2. Build the project (transpile TypeScript to JavaScript)

npm run build

3. Run the MCP server

node dist/server.js

Method 2 (One-Click / Claude Desktop workflow is covered by the repository packaging, but requires Claude Desktop .mcpb packaging steps in the README):

1. Build and package for Claude Desktop if you intend to use the .mcpb flow

npm run build
npm run package

2. Follow Claude Desktop instructions to install the generated .mcpb file and configure API keys in the UI.

Prerequisites recap:

• Node.js 18+
• npm install access to install dependencies
• Optional: SAM_GOV_API_KEY and/or TANGO_API_KEY to unlock all tools

Notes and best practices:

• If you only provide USASpending.gov keys, you’ll have 4 tools available immediately. Providing SAM.gov and Tango keys unlocks more tools and join capabilities.
• Ensure your environment variables are set when running the server in production environments (e.g., process.env.SAM_GOV_API_KEY, process.env.TANGO_API_KEY).
• The server exposes a set of 15 tools, each described in the API documentation; unfamiliar tools will be disabled if the corresponding API key is not provided.
• For Claude Desktop users, the one-click package (.mcpb) streamlines installation but requires matching Claude Desktop version compatibility.
• If you encounter API quota or key errors, verify the keys are correct and that the account has the appropriate permissions for the requested endpoints.