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Ancestry MCP Server

Ancestry MCP server made with Python that allows interactability with .ged (GEDCOM) files

Installation

Add the following to your MCP client configuration file.

Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "reeeeemo-ancestry-mcp": {
      "command": "mcp-server-ancestry",
      "args": [
        "--gedcom-path",
        "path/to/your/gedcom/files"
      ]
    }
  }
}

You can run the Ancestry MCP Server to read, parse, and interact with GEDCOM (.ged) files using the Model Context Protocol. This server lets you list, rename, and view GEDCOM files within a specified directory, making it easy to integrate GEDCOM data with clients that support MCP. It is designed to operate strictly within the directory you point it at, ensuring you control which files are accessible.

How to use

To work with GEDCOM data through an MCP client, connect to the Ancestry MCP Server and use its standard endpoints to list, view, and search within your GEDCOM files. You can list available .ged files, rename files, and read full contents or extract specific details like birth or marriage dates from the files. All operations are scoped to the directory you configure, so you won’t access files outside that path.

How to install

Prerequisites: you need Python installed on your system and access to a command line. If you plan to run the server locally via a standard Python package, you will also need pip to install dependencies.

Option A: Install the package from PyPI

pip install mcp-server-ancestry

Option B: Install via Smithery for Claude Desktop integration

npx -y @smithery/cli install mcp-server-ancestry --client claude

Configure Claude Desktop to use this MCP server by adding an MCP server entry in your claude_desktop_config.json file. The example below points the server to a directory containing your GEDCOM files.

{
  "mcpServers": {
     "ancestry": {
       "command": "mcp-server-ancestry",
       "args": ["--gedcom-path", "path/to/your/gedcom/files"]
     }
  }
}

Additional installation notes

If you prefer to run the server manually as a Python package, simply install the package and then start using it with your MCP client. The server will operate within the directory you specify via the command-line arguments, so point it to the folder containing your .ged files.

Available tools

list_files

List one or more GEDCOM files within the configured directory.

rename_file

Rename a GEDCOM file within the directory to a new name.

view_file

Parse and read contents of a GEDCOM file; support extracting details like birth or marriage dates.