CKAN MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for the CKAN API that enables browsing and managing CKAN data portals through MCP-compatible clients.

Local serverstdio

What is the CKAN MCP Server?

CKAN MCP Server is an MCP project maintained in the ondics/ckan-mcp-server repository. The maintainer describes its purpose as “A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for the CKAN API that enables browsing and managing CKAN data portals through MCP-compatible clients”. Read the project documentation for the complete scope.

Local setup

The project provides a local client configuration using python. Follow the repository’s build and installation steps before copying it, and replace example paths with the paths on your own computer.

Configuration values

The example declares CKAN_URL, CKAN_API_KEY. Secret-looking values have been replaced with placeholders. Required and optional labels are shown only when the documentation states them.

Source

Project documentation · Repository · Discovery listing. This profile records the public documentation checked on 2026-10-08.

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.

Tool	What it does
ckan_package_list	List all packages
ckan_package_show	Show details of a specific package
ckan_package_search	Search for packages
ckan_organization_list	List all organizations
ckan_organization_show	Show organization details
ckan_group_list	List all groups
ckan_tag_list	List all tags
ckan_resource_show	Show resource details
ckan_site_read	Site information
ckan_status_show	Status and version information

How to install the CKAN MCP Server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ckan": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": [
        "/path/to/mcp_ckan_server.py"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CKAN_URL": "https://demo.ckan.org",
        "CKAN_API_KEY": "YOUR_CKAN_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

From the project documentation. Replace placeholders and example paths before connecting.

Configuration

Variable	Description	Required
CKAN_URL	Declared in the maintainer’s client configuration.	Check documentation
CKAN_API_KEY	Declared in the maintainer’s client configuration.	Optional