datagov

This MCP server provides programmatic access to Data.gov datasets through a small set of tools. You can search for packages (datasets) with package_search, retrieve detailed information for a specific package with package_show, list available groups with group_list, and enumerate tags with tag_list. In addition, there is a resource template datagov://resource/{url} to access a Data.gov resource directly by its URL. To use these tools, point your MCP client (Cline) at the datagov server and specify the desired tool or resource. The server is typically configured in your MCP settings under the server name datagov (as shown in the installation notes); once configured, you can invoke the tools by name and pass any required parameters as you would with other MCP servers.

Prerequisites:

• Node.js and npm installed on your machine
• Access to install global npm packages

Install the MCP server package globally:

npm install -g @melaodoidao/datagov-mcp-server

Configure the MCP server in your environment:

• For Claude Desktop or the standard MCP workflow, add the following entry to your cline_mcp_settings.json (path may vary):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "datagov": {
      "command": "datagov-mcp-server",
      "args": [],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

• If using Claude Desktop, alternatively add the entry to the Claude-specific configuration file as noted in the README.

Test the server by starting it from the command line (should be exposed via your MCP client configuration):

datagov-mcp-server

Then interact with the available tools (package_search, package_show, group_list, tag_list) through your MCP client by referencing the server name (datagov) and the tool name.

Tips and common issues:

• Ensure the datagov-mcp-server command is available in your PATH after global npm installation. If not, verify npm global bin path and your PATH environment variable.
• The environment variables (env) block in the mcp_config can be used to set API keys or configuration for Data.gov access if required by future enhancements; currently it is empty by default.
• If you modify the global MCP settings, restart your MCP client or Claude app to pick up changes.
• If you run into permission or network issues, verify that your environment permits outbound HTTP requests to Data.gov endpoints and that there are no conflicting MCP server definitions with the same server name.