PlanWire MCP Server

Use UK planning application data inside Claude, Cursor, and any MCP client.

PlanWire exposes fresh, normalised UK planning application data through a public API. This MCP server wraps that API as agent tools so an assistant can search applications, inspect a specific record, look near a location, and list supported councils without you writing API calls by hand.

Get a free sandbox API key at https://planwire.io/?utm_source=npm&utm_medium=mcp_readme&utm_campaign=mcp.

What MCP Is

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a standard way for AI tools to call external services. You run this package locally through npx; it talks to PlanWire using your own API key and returns structured planning data to the MCP client.

This server uses stdio transport. It does not store credentials or run a hosted proxy.

Install

You need Node.js 18+ and a PlanWire API key.

npx -y planwire-mcp

The server expects PLANWIRE_API_KEY in the environment. Optional: set PLANWIRE_API_BASE to override the default https://api.planwire.io.

Claude Desktop

Add this to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "planwire": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "planwire-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PLANWIRE_API_KEY": "your_planwire_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop after saving the config.

Claude Code

Add this to your project .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "planwire": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "planwire-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PLANWIRE_API_KEY": "your_planwire_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Add the same server command in Cursor's MCP settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "planwire": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "planwire-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PLANWIRE_API_KEY": "your_planwire_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Tools

Tool	What it does
search_planning_applications	Search by keyword, council, postcode, status, type, or date range.
nearby_planning_applications	Find applications near a latitude/longitude point.
get_planning_application	Fetch one application by PlanWire application id.
list_councils	List covered councils and their IDs.

Example Prompts

• "Search PlanWire for recent planning applications in Camden."
• "Find refused householder extensions in OX1 from the last year."
• "What planning applications are within 1km of 51.5074, -0.1278?"
• "List the councils PlanWire covers."
• "Find planning applications mentioning HMOs in Manchester."

Limits And Pricing

Free sandbox keys are suitable for testing and are capped on daily calls and result size. Paid plans increase limits for production use.

Pricing: https://planwire.io/?utm_source=npm&utm_medium=mcp_readme&utm_campaign=mcp#pricing

Troubleshooting

If the tool says PLANWIRE_API_KEY is not set, add your key to the MCP client config and restart the client.

If PlanWire returns 401, check that the key is correct and active.

If PlanWire returns 429, the key has reached its rate limit. Use fewer calls or upgrade at https://planwire.io/?utm_source=npm&utm_medium=mcp_readme&utm_campaign=mcp#pricing.

Development

npm install
npm run build
npm start

MIT licensed. Built by PlanWire: https://planwire.io/?utm_source=npm&utm_medium=mcp_readme&utm_campaign=mcp