SSyncDev

Socrata MCP Server

Search and query government open-data portals via the Socrata SODA 2.1 and Discovery APIs.

Remote serverstreamable-http

What is the Socrata MCP Server?

Search and query government open-data portals via the Socrata SODA 2.1 and Discovery APIs.

What it actually does

  • Declarative tool, resource, and prompt definitions — single file per primitive, framework handles registration and validation
  • Unified error handling — handlers throw, framework catches, classifies, and formats
  • Pluggable auth: none, jwt, oauth
  • Swappable storage backends: in-memory, filesystem, Supabase, Cloudflare KV/R2/D1
  • Structured logging with optional OpenTelemetry tracing
  • STDIO and Streamable HTTP transports

Configuration

  • Bun v1.3.0 or higher (or Node.js v24+). - Optional: A Socrata app token — register for free at any portal (e.g. data.seattle.gov) to get higher rate limits (10 req/s per token vs. shared throttled pool without one).

More MCP options

Compare MCP servers by category, or browse hosted MCP servers if you prefer an endpoint over a local process.

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
socrata_list_portalsList known Socrata-powered government open-data portals with domain, organization name, and approximate dataset count
socrata_find_datasetsSearch for datasets across all Socrata portals or scope to one portal via the Discovery API
socrata_get_datasetFetch full metadata and typed column schema for a dataset by ID — required before writing SoQL queries
socrata_query_datasetExecute a SoQL query against any dataset: search, select, where, group, having, order, with DataCanvas spillover
socrata_dataframe_describeList registered tables in a DataCanvas session — schema, row count, column names
socrata_dataframe_queryRun SELECT-only SQL against DataCanvas tables populated by socrata_query_dataset

How to install the Socrata MCP Server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "socrata-mcp-server": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "bunx",
      "args": ["@cyanheads/socrata-mcp-server@latest"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio",
        "MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "info"
      }
    }
  }
}

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

Configuration

  • Bun v1.3.0 or higher (or Node.js v24+). - Optional: A Socrata app token — register for free at any portal (e.g. data.seattle.gov) to get higher rate limits (10 req/s per token vs. shared throttled pool without one).
VariableDescriptionRequired
MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPEConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
MCP_LOG_LEVELConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
SOCRATA_APP_TOKENCredential the server authenticates with.Yes

Example prompts to try

  • “Use Socrata to socrata list portals.”
  • “Use Socrata to socrata find datasets.”
  • “Use Socrata to socrata get dataset.”

Frequently asked questions

Search and query government open-data portals via the Socrata SODA 2.1 and Discovery APIs. Confirm the tools offered by your installed version in the connected client. Tool availability and permissions depend on the server and account configuration.

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