GEDCOM Ancestry Files MCP server

The Ancestry MCP Server allows you to interact with GEDCOM (.ged) files commonly used on Ancestry.com through the Model Context Protocol. It provides straightforward operations for reading, parsing, renaming, and searching within these genealogy files.

Installation

Via Smithery

The easiest way to install the Ancestry GEDCOM Server for Claude Desktop is via Smithery:

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

Manual Installation

If you prefer to install manually, follow these steps:

1. Install the package using pip:

pip install mcp-server-ancestry

2. Add the server configuration to your claude_desktop_config.json:

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

Make sure to replace "path/to/your/gedcom/files" with the actual directory path where your GEDCOM files are stored.

Usage

The Ancestry MCP Server provides several tools for working with GEDCOM files. All operations will only work within the directory specified in your configuration.

Available Tools

List Files

View available GEDCOM files in your configured directory:

Tool: list_files
Input: name (string, optional)

You can specify a particular filename or leave it blank to see all files.

Rename File

Change the name of a GEDCOM file:

Tool: rename_file
Inputs:
- file_name (string): The current filename
- new_name (string): The new filename

View File

Parse and read the contents of a GEDCOM file:

Tool: view_file
Input: name (string)

This tool can:

• Read a single file or multiple files
• Parse specific information like dates of birth, marriage, etc.
• Search for individuals or families within the files

Working with GEDCOM Resources

The server uses the resource identifier format:

gedcom://{file_name}

This format allows operations to target specific GEDCOM files within your configured directory.

Example Workflow

1. List available GEDCOM files in your directory:

   • Use the list_files tool without any input to see all files

2. View the contents of a specific file:

   • Use the view_file tool with the name of the file you want to examine

3. Rename a file if needed:

   • Use the rename_file tool, specifying both the current filename and the desired new name

How to add this MCP server to 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 > MCP and click "Add new global MCP server".

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

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "cursor-rules-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "cursor-rules-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

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 explictly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.