Colabfit MCP Server

An MCP server that provides access to the ColabFit database

Local serverstdioPython

What is the Colabfit MCP Server?

An MCP server that provides access to the ColabFit database

The short version

This is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that gives AI assistants the ability to: - Search and download scientific datasets from ColabFit - Train MACE interatomic potentials on your local hardware (GPU or CPU) - Run energy/forces calculations and validate models with OpenKIM test drivers

What it needs from you

  • Docker and Docker Compose v2 — for the containerized server - Git — for cloning the repository - make — for the quick-start commands (optional; manual steps are documented below) - (Optional) NVIDIA GPU + drivers — for GPU-accelerated training - (Optional) nvidia-container-toolkit

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Maintainer setup documentation.

Recorded tools

Check the linked publisher documentation and your connected client's tool list. Names and availability can vary with the server version and account permissions.

ToolWhat it does
search_datasetsSearch ColabFit database by text, elements, properties, software
check_local_datasetsScan local data directory for downloaded datasets, filter by elements/properties
download_datasetDownload a dataset from HuggingFace via KLIFF
train_maceTrain a MACE-style KLAY model from scratch using KLIFF
use_modelRun energy/forces/relax calculations with a trained KLAY model, or generate a Python snippet
check_statusCheck GPU, packages, disk, existing models and datasets
list_test_driversList available kimvv test drivers, optionally filtered by property keyword
run_test_driverRun a kimvv test driver against a trained KLAY model; saves structures.extxyz + results.json in a timestamped subdirectory; supports multiple structures per call with optional repeat for supercell sizing and async_mode f
check_test_driver_resultCheck status of an async test driver job and return inline results when complete

How to install the Colabfit MCP Server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "colabfit": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["mcp-cli"],
      "env": {
        "COLABFIT_DATA_ROOT": "your-value",
        "USER_ID": "your-value",
        "GROUP_ID": "your-value",
        "COLABFIT_BASE_URL": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Configuration

  • Docker and Docker Compose v2 — for the containerized server - Git — for cloning the repository - make — for the quick-start commands (optional; manual steps are documented below) - (Optional) NVIDIA GPU + drivers — for GPU-accelerated training - (Optional) nvidia-container-toolkit
VariableDescriptionRequired
COLABFIT_DATA_ROOTConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
USER_IDConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
GROUP_IDConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
COLABFIT_BASE_URLEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Yes

Example prompts to try

  • “Use Colabfit to search datasets.”
  • “Use Colabfit to check local datasets.”
  • “Use Colabfit to download dataset.”

Frequently asked questions

An MCP server that provides access to the ColabFit database Confirm the tools offered by your installed version in the connected client. Tool availability and permissions depend on the server and account configuration.