Open Targets
Open Targets MCP server for targets, diseases, drugs, variants, and evidence
What is Open Targets?
Open Targets is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to open targets mcp server for targets, diseases, drugs, variants, and evidence
Open Targets MCP server for targets, diseases, drugs, variants, and evidence
This server falls under the Data Science & ML category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- Open Targets MCP server for targets, diseases, drugs, varian
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
PIP
pip install opentargets-mcpManual Installation
pip install opentargets-mcpConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Open Targets
The Open Targets MCP server exposes the Open Targets Platform GraphQL API as a set of 68 structured tools for use with Claude Desktop and other MCP clients. It provides curated access to biomedical research data across targets (genes/proteins), diseases, drugs, genetic variants, GWAS studies, and target-disease evidence from 22+ integrated data sources including ClinVar, ChEMBL, GTEx, Reactome, and Europe PMC. Researchers in drug discovery, genomics, and translational medicine can ask natural language questions and receive structured answers backed by real Open Targets data without writing GraphQL queries.
Prerequisites
- Python 3.10 or later with pip
- No API key required — Open Targets Platform API is publicly accessible
- An MCP client such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or any MCP-compatible tool
- Optional: uv package manager for faster dependency management (`pip install uv`)
Install opentargets-mcp
Install the package from PyPI using pip or uv. No API keys are required since the Open Targets Platform GraphQL API is publicly available.
pip install opentargets-mcp
# Or with uv (faster)
pip install uv
uv pip install opentargets-mcpVerify the installation
Confirm the server is installed and check available command-line options. The --list-tools flag prints all 68 registered tools.
opentargets-mcp --version
opentargets-mcp --help
opentargets-mcp --list-toolsConfigure Claude Desktop
Add the server to your Claude Desktop configuration file. On macOS this is ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. On Windows it is %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json.
{
"mcpServers": {
"opentargets": {
"command": "opentargets-mcp",
"args": ["--transport", "stdio"]
}
}
}Restart Claude Desktop
Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop to load the new MCP server. You can verify the connection by asking Claude to list available Open Targets tools.
Optional: run with HTTP transport for network access
For web-based MCP clients or remote deployments, run the server with SSE or HTTP transport. Set OPEN_TARGETS_API_URL to use a different Open Targets instance.
# HTTP transport
opentargets-mcp --transport http --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000
# SSE transport
opentargets-mcp --transport sse --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000
# Custom API endpoint
OPEN_TARGETS_API_URL=https://api.platform.opentargets.org/api/v4/graphql opentargets-mcpOpen Targets Examples
Client configuration
Add to claude_desktop_config.json. No environment variables are needed since Open Targets data is publicly accessible.
{
"mcpServers": {
"opentargets": {
"command": "opentargets-mcp",
"args": ["--transport", "stdio"]
}
}
}Prompts to try
Query drug targets, diseases, variants, and evidence from the Open Targets Platform using natural language.
- "What are the top associated targets for Parkinson's disease?"
- "Show me the drugs approved for treating EGFR-driven cancers"
- "What genetic variants are associated with type 2 diabetes?"
- "Find GWAS studies related to inflammatory bowel disease and their top L2G predictions"
- "What are the safety liabilities for BRAF as a drug target?"
- "Search for drugs with a mechanism of action targeting TNF"Troubleshooting Open Targets
Name resolution errors when searching for a target or disease
Open Targets requires canonical IDs (Ensembl IDs for targets like ENSG00000157764, EFO IDs for diseases). Use the search_entities tool first to resolve names to canonical IDs, then pass those IDs to the specific query tools.
Server returns no results or times out
The server queries the public Open Targets GraphQL API at api.platform.opentargets.org. Check your internet connection and verify the API is reachable. For rate limiting, set OPEN_TARGETS_RATE_LIMIT_ENABLED=true and configure OPEN_TARGETS_RATE_LIMIT_RPS.
opentargets-mcp command not found after pip install
Ensure the pip install location is on your PATH. Run `pip show opentargets-mcp` to see where it was installed. If using a virtual environment, activate it first. Alternatively, use `python -m opentargets_mcp.server` to run it directly.
Frequently Asked Questions about Open Targets
What is Open Targets?
Open Targets is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that open targets mcp server for targets, diseases, drugs, variants, and evidence It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Open Targets?
Install via pip with: pip install opentargets-mcp. Then configure your AI client to connect to this MCP server.
Which AI clients work with Open Targets?
Open Targets works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Open Targets free to use?
Yes, Open Targets is open source and available under the MIT license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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