Data Michigan

What Data Michigan MCP server does

Data Michigan exposes Michigan Open Data at data.michigan.gov to MCP-compatible clients. The integration is an independent, unofficial connection to the Socrata-based catalog. It is intended for discovering public datasets, understanding their structure, and retrieving selected records for analysis or downstream agent workflows.

Three pack-specific tools are available. datasets searches the catalog by keyword and returns identifiers, names, descriptions, categories, and update dates. metadata accepts a dataset resource ID and returns schema and catalog details, including columns, data types, row count, category, and last-updated information. query executes a Socrata SoQL request against a resource ID and returns matching rows as JSON.

How it works

A typical workflow begins with datasets, followed by metadata to inspect available fields. The agent can then call query using the resource ID and the appropriate field names. Query options include where, select, group, and order clauses, along with limit and offset for result control. SoQL clauses are supplied without the leading dollar sign.

The hosted endpoint is https://gateway.pipeworx.io/data-michigan/mcp. The endpoint also exposes shared Pipeworx gateway tools alongside the pack-specific tools, including routing and discovery capabilities. The full Pipeworx gateway is available at https://gateway.pipeworx.io/mcp when direct access to other catalog packs is preferred.

Setup and configuration

MCP clients can connect directly with a streamable HTTP entry:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "data-michigan": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/data-michigan/mcp"
    }
  }
}

For a local stdio connection, run the npm bridge with npx:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "data-michigan": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-data-michigan"]
    }
  }
}

The npm bridge forwards requests to the hosted gateway and requires network access. Anonymous use is limited to 50 calls per day. A free Pipeworx account and PIPEWORX_API_KEY increase the allowance to 200 calls per day; the key is supplied as a Bearer token. Set PIPEWORX_META_TOOLS=1 if the local bridge should also list the shared gateway tools. When using an HTTPS proxy, newer Node.js versions can be configured with NODE_USE_ENV_PROXY=1.

Tools and capabilities

• Search Michigan Open Data datasets by keyword.
• Inspect dataset columns, types, row counts, categories, and update dates.
• Run SoQL selections, filters, groups, and orderings.
• Paginate query results with limits and offsets.
• Return query rows as JSON.
• Call tools through MCP or the gateway's HTTP interface.

Limitations and notes

The npm bridge has no offline mode. The hosted connection and local bridge reach the same Pipeworx gateway and data sources. HTTP callers can invoke tools directly through the gateway's /v1/tools/ interface. The project is licensed under MIT.