Openarchieven MCP Server

MCP server for the Open Archives genealogical search engine, including full-text page transcriptions of historical documents.

Remote serverstreamable-http

What is the Openarchieven MCP server?

Openarchieven MCP server is a hosted integration for AI assistants that speak the Model Context Protocol. MCP server for the Open Archives genealogical search engine, including full-text page transcriptions of historical documents.

What you get

Production-grade hybrid MCP + HTTP + SSE server generated from the Open Archives OpenAPI specification. Covers genealogical records (births, deaths, marriages, censuses), archive statistics, historical weather, and full-text page transcriptions of historical documents.

A schema-aware server that automatically converts the OpenAPI specification into callable tools and exposes them through multiple transports:

What the assistant can call

Once Openarchieven is connected, these are the calls the assistant has available:

  • search_records — Search genealogical records
  • show_record — Show a single genealogical record
  • match_record — Match a person to birth and death records
  • get_births_years_ago — List births from N years ago
  • get_births — Find birth records
  • get_deaths — Find death records
  • get_marriages — Find marriage records
  • get_archives — List all archives with statistics
  • get_record_stats — Record count per archive
  • get_source_type_stats — Record count per source type
  • get_event_type_stats — Record count per event type
  • get_comment_stats — Comment count statistics

Setting it up

Being a remote server, there is no local install. You register the endpoint with your client, authorise it once, and the tools appear.

Configuration and credentials

You will need 2 environment variables: OPENAPI_PATH, REDIS_URL. The server will not start without them, which is usually why the tools fail to appear on a first run. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.

  • Node.js 18+ * npm * optional Redis server ---

Choosing this one

Plenty of search and retrieval servers cover similar ground. The differences that matter in practice are scope of access and how much setup stands between you and a working tool call. Openarchieven's toolset — search_records, show_record, match_record and 11 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by coret; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

We check each listing at SyncDev against the project's documentation before it goes live — if something here drifts out of date, it is a bug worth reporting.

Before you rely on it

  • Your data travels to the provider's service, so the usual questions apply about what you send and what they retain.
  • With 14 tools registered it takes up a noticeable share of the context window; turn it off in projects that never touch Openarchieven.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the openarchieven mcp server does with a few real requests.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
search_recordsSearch genealogical records
show_recordShow a single genealogical record
match_recordMatch a person to birth and death records
get_births_years_agoList births from N years ago
get_birthsFind birth records
get_deathsFind death records
get_marriagesFind marriage records
get_archivesList all archives with statistics
get_record_statsRecord count per archive
get_source_type_statsRecord count per source type
get_event_type_statsRecord count per event type
get_comment_statsComment count statistics
get_family_name_statsFamily name frequency
get_first_name_statsFirst name frequency

How to install the Openarchieven MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openarchieven": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "tsx"],
      "env": {
        "OPENAPI_PATH": "your-value",
        "REDIS_URL": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Configuration

  • Node.js 18+ * npm * optional Redis server ---
VariableDescriptionRequired
OPENAPI_PATHFilesystem location the server is allowed to use.Optional
REDIS_URLEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Yes

Example prompts to try

  • Use Openarchieven to search records.
  • Use Openarchieven to show record.
  • Use Openarchieven to match record.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Openarchieven to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 14 tools (search_records, show_record, match_record, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Openarchieven directly.