Enc Charts MCP Server

MCP server for Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC) data

Local serverstdioPython

What is the Enc Charts MCP Server?

Enc Charts MCP becomes available to MCP clients through the Enc Charts MCP. MCP server for Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC) data.

What Enc Charts MCP does

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC) data, providing programmatic access to NOAA electronic navigational charts with S-57 format parsing capabilities.

This MCP server enables AI assistants to access and analyze electronic navigational charts from NOAA. It automatically downloads, caches, and parses S-57 format chart data, making it available through a standardized API. The server supports coordinate-based chart discovery, feature extraction, and navigation-focused queries.

Key capabilities

  • S-57 Chart Parsing — Full support for IHO S-57 format electronic navigational charts
  • NOAA Integration — Automatic chart discovery and downloading from NOAA REST APIs
  • Coordinate-Based Queries — Find and retrieve charts based on GPS coordinates
  • Smart Caching — Efficient local caching with configurable size and age limits
  • Feature Filtering — Extract specific navigation features (lights, buoys, depths, etc.)
  • 172 Object Classes — Complete support for S-57 object catalog
  • Depth Analysis — Filter features by depth ranges for navigation safety
  • Spatial Queries — Bounding box filtering for area-specific data

Requirements

  • Node.js: Version 18 or higher - Python: Version 3.7 or higher (for S-57 parsing) - GDAL Python Bindings: Required for chart data parsing

Practical notes

  • Maintained by tonybentley, written in Python.

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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
get_chartRetrieve chart features for a specific area by chart ID or coordinates.
search_charts
get_chart_metadata
get_object_classesGet information about S-57 object classes and their representations.

How to install the Enc Charts MCP Server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "enc-charts": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["enc-charts-mcp"],
      "transport": {
        "type": "stdio"
      },
      "env": {
        "ENC_CACHE_DIR": "~/.enc-charts/cache",
        "ENC_CACHE_MAX_SIZE_GB": "20",
        "ENC_CACHE_MAX_AGE_DAYS": "14"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.

Configuration

  • Node.js: Version 18 or higher - Python: Version 3.7 or higher (for S-57 parsing) - GDAL Python Bindings: Required for chart data parsing
VariableDescriptionRequired
ENC_CACHE_DIRFilesystem location the server is allowed to use.Optional
ENC_CACHE_MAX_SIZE_GBConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
ENC_CACHE_MAX_AGE_DAYSConfiguration value read at startup.Optional

Example prompts to try

  • “Use Enc Charts MCP to get chart.”
  • “Use Enc Charts MCP to search charts.”
  • “Use Enc Charts MCP to get chart metadata.”

Frequently asked questions

MCP server for Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC) data Confirm the tools offered by your installed version in the connected client. Tool availability and permissions depend on the server and account configuration.