Ordnance Survey National Geographic Database MCP server

The Ordnance Survey MCP server provides LLM access to UK geospatial data through Ordnance Survey APIs. It enables you to ask simple location-based questions (like finding cinemas in Leeds City Centre) or use prompt templates for more complex use cases related to street works, planning, and more. The server implements a 2-step workflow plan to ensure optimal results.

Prerequisites

Before installation, you'll need:

• Python 3.11+
• An OS API Key from OS Data Hub

Installation and Setup

Getting an OS API Key

1. Register at OS Data Hub
2. Create a new project to obtain your free API key

Docker Installation (Recommended)

First, clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/your-username/os-mcp-server.git
cd os-mcp-server

Build the Docker image:

docker build -t os-mcp-server .

Configuration with Claude Desktop

Add the following to your Claude Desktop configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "os-mcp-server": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "-e",
        "OS_API_KEY=your_api_key_here",
        "-e",
        "STDIO_KEY=any_value",
        "os-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Make sure to replace your_api_key_here with your actual OS API key.

Usage

After configuration, launch Claude Desktop. You should see all available tools, resources, and prompts from the Ordnance Survey MCP server.

Example Queries

You can ask simple location-based questions like:

• Find all cinemas in Leeds City Centre
• What parks are within 1km of Oxford Street, London?
• Show me public transport stations in Birmingham

Advanced Usage

For more complex use cases, utilize the built-in prompt templates for specific domains:

• Street works planning
• Urban development projects
• Geographic analysis

The server's 2-step workflow ensures accurate results by:

1. Planning the appropriate API calls based on your query
2. Executing the plan and returning formatted geospatial data

Environment Variables

Two environment variables are required:

• OS_API_KEY: Your Ordnance Survey API key
• STDIO_KEY: Any value (authentication will be improved in future versions)

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "os-mcp-server" '{"command":"docker","args":["run","--rm","-i","-e","STDIO_KEY=your-key-here","-e","OS_API_KEY=ADD_KEY","os-mcp-server"]}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "os-mcp-server": {
            "command": "docker",
            "args": [
                "run",
                "--rm",
                "-i",
                "-e",
                "STDIO_KEY=your-key-here",
                "-e",
                "OS_API_KEY=ADD_KEY",
                "os-mcp-server"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "os-mcp-server": {
            "command": "docker",
            "args": [
                "run",
                "--rm",
                "-i",
                "-e",
                "STDIO_KEY=your-key-here",
                "-e",
                "OS_API_KEY=ADD_KEY",
                "os-mcp-server"
            ]
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect