CKAN
MCP server for querying CKAN open data portals (package search, DataStore SQL, organizations, groups, tags)
What is CKAN?
CKAN is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to mcp server for querying ckan open data portals (package search, datastore sql, organizations, groups, tags)
MCP server for querying CKAN open data portals (package search, DataStore SQL, organizations, groups, tags)
This server falls under the Search & Data Extraction category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- MCP server for querying CKAN open data portals (package sear
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
NPM
npx -y @aborruso/ckan-mcp-serverManual Installation
npx -y @aborruso/ckan-mcp-serverConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use CKAN
The CKAN MCP Server provides AI assistants with comprehensive access to CKAN open data portals worldwide — enabling natural-language queries across package search, DataStore SQL, organisations, groups, tags, and data quality metrics without needing to know the CKAN API directly. It can discover portals across approximately 950 CKAN instances globally, supports SPARQL queries against linked data endpoints, and exposes bilingual query adaptation so searches work correctly against portals in different languages. Civic technologists, researchers, and journalists who regularly access government open data portals will find this server dramatically speeds up dataset discovery and analysis workflows.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18+ and npx installed on your machine (for local usage)
- Claude Desktop, Claude Code CLI, or another MCP-compatible client
- No API key is required — CKAN portals expose public APIs; the server is read-only and stateless
- Optional: Docker and Docker Compose if you prefer a self-hosted deployment
Choose your deployment method
The CKAN MCP Server can be used via the hosted Cloudflare Workers endpoint (no install needed, 100k requests/day free), via npx locally, or self-hosted with Docker. Choose the method that fits your setup.
Option A: Use the hosted endpoint (easiest)
Add the hosted server directly to Claude Code using its HTTP endpoint. No installation required.
claude mcp add -s user -t http ckan https://ckan-mcp-server.andy-pr.workers.dev/mcpOption B: Add via npx to Claude Desktop
For Claude Desktop, add the server to your claude_desktop_config.json using npx to run the package locally.
{
"mcpServers": {
"ckan": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@aborruso/ckan-mcp-server"]
}
}
}Option C: Self-host with Docker
Clone the repository and start the server with Docker Compose for a fully self-hosted deployment.
git clone https://github.com/ondata/ckan-mcp-server.git
cd ckan-mcp-server
docker compose up --build -dRestart your MCP client
Restart Claude Desktop or reload your MCP configuration. The CKAN tools should now appear in the tools panel.
Search for datasets
Ask Claude to search for open datasets on a public CKAN portal to verify the integration is working.
CKAN Examples
Client configuration
Claude Desktop configuration using the @aborruso/ckan-mcp-server package via npx.
{
"mcpServers": {
"ckan": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@aborruso/ckan-mcp-server"]
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example queries for discovering and analysing open data across CKAN portals worldwide.
- "Search data.gov for air quality datasets published in the last year."
- "Find open data portals in Italy and search dati.gov.it for population datasets."
- "Query the DataStore SQL endpoint on dati.comune.messina.it to count records by category."
- "List all organisations on the UK government open data portal and show their dataset counts."
- "Find CKAN portals in Germany that publish environmental data."
- "Run a SPARQL query against the EU open data portal to find datasets about climate change."Troubleshooting CKAN
ckan_package_search returns no results for a known dataset
CKAN portals use different URL structures. Pass the full base URL of the portal as the server_url parameter (e.g. 'https://data.gov' or 'https://www.dati.gov.it/opendata'). Avoid trailing slashes and verify the portal URL is a live CKAN instance by visiting /api/3/action/status_show in your browser.
DataStore SQL queries fail with 'resource not found' error
DataStore is an optional CKAN extension — not all portals enable it. First use ckan_package_show to confirm the dataset has a DataStore resource, then use the exact resource ID (UUID) from that response as the table name in your SQL query.
Hosted endpoint returns rate limit errors
The hosted Cloudflare Workers endpoint allows 100k requests per day. If you exceed this, switch to local npx deployment by adding the @aborruso/ckan-mcp-server config to claude_desktop_config.json, which has no rate limits.
Frequently Asked Questions about CKAN
What is CKAN?
CKAN is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that mcp server for querying ckan open data portals (package search, datastore sql, organizations, groups, tags) It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install CKAN?
Install via npm with the command: npx -y @aborruso/ckan-mcp-server. Then add the server configuration to your AI client's JSON config file (e.g., claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json).
Which AI clients work with CKAN?
CKAN works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is CKAN free to use?
Yes, CKAN is open source and available under the MIT license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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