CalcsLive MCP Server

How to use

You use the CalcsLive MCP Server by wiring it into your MCP client so that AI assistants can request calculations, convert units, and validate results across many unit categories. Typical workflows include converting inputs to the correct units, running calculations that may depend on multiple intermediate results, and returning final results in your preferred units. You can also query which tools are available and perform multi-step calculations with minimal effort.

How to install

Prerequisites You need Node.js 18+ installed on your system. You also require a CalcsLive Account and an MCP API Key to authorize access to the calculation engine.

Step 1: Install dependencies in the MCP server folder

cd /path/to/calcslive-mcp-server
npm install

Step 2: Build the server

npm run build

Step 3: Configure your MCP client (Claude Desktop) to load the CalcsLive MCP server. Create or edit the MCP configuration to include the following stdio server configuration.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "calcslive": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/absolute/path/to/calcslive-mcp-server/dist/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CALCSLIVE_API_KEY": "your-mcp-api-key-here",
        "CALCSLIVE_API_URL": "https://www.calcs.live"
      }
    }
  }
}

Important: Replace "/absolute/path/to/calcslive-mcp-server" with your actual installation path and replace the API key with your real MCP API key from CalcsLive.

Step 4: Restart Claude Desktop to load the MCP server. Then verify access by asking what CalcsLive tools are available.

Step 5: If you’re using Claude Code in VS Code, you can also add the MCP server through the Claude CLI to enable it across windows.

Additional configuration and examples

You can also configure the Claude Code setup via the Claude CLI to register the MCP server for VS Code. See the standard CLI flow for adding an MCP server and ensure you provide the API key and API URL through environment variables.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues, verify that the MCP server path in the configuration is correct and that the build completed successfully. Ensure the API key is active and that the API URL is reachable. If the server cannot be found, check the JSON config syntax, the path to dist/index.js, and restart Claude Desktop.

Tools you can access

The MCP server exposes a set of tools to perform unit-aware calculations via CalcsLive. Common tools include calculation and validation endpoints that handle unit conversions and dependency resolution.

Security and access

Protect your API key and restrict access to the MCP server to trusted clients. Do not share your API key in public configurations. Use environment variable controls to keep secrets out of source code.

calcslive_run_script

Run stateless unit-aware calculations from PQ script definitions, with automatic unit handling and dependency resolution.

calcslive_calculate

Perform unit-aware calculations using existing CalcsLive articles, with inputs and outputs defined in PQs.

calcslive_validate

Discover available inputs/outputs for a calculation article to validate required parameters.