Medlineplus

What Medlineplus MCP server does

The Medlineplus MCP server gives agents two ways to retrieve NIH/NLM consumer health information. connect accepts a clinical or biomedical code and its code system, then maps that code to related MedlinePlus topic pages. Supported systems include ICD-9-CM, ICD-10-CM, SNOMED CT, RxNorm through RxCUI, LOINC, NDC, MeSH, and HGNC gene symbols. The lang argument can be supplied when using connect.

search performs a text search across MedlinePlus topics. It accepts a query and optional controls for result count, starting offset, database, and knowledge response type. This makes the package suitable for agents that need either code-to-topic lookup or general topic discovery.

How it works

The tools use two National Library of Medicine endpoints. Code mapping requests go to the MedlinePlus Connect service at https://connect.medlineplus.gov/service. Text searches use the NLM Web Search endpoint at https://wsearch.nlm.nih.gov/ws/query.

For connect, the package accepts short code-system labels such as ICD-10-CM, SNOMED, or RxNorm and resolves them to the corresponding OID. It also accepts the OID values documented by the package. The returned topic mapping can turn a coded diagnosis, observation, medication, product, or gene reference into a consumer-readable MedlinePlus resource.

Setup and configuration

The Medlineplus MCP server can be added through the hosted Pipeworx endpoint:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "medlineplus": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/medlineplus/mcp"
    }
  }
}

The hosted endpoint requires no account for initial calls and no authentication is described for the service. It also exposes shared Pipeworx gateway meta-tools in addition to the pack’s two direct tools. The gateway can route broader questions through ask_pipeworx, but those shared tools are not part of the standalone package.

For a local process, run npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-medlineplus or configure that command as an MCP client’s stdio server. The local mode exposes only the MedlinePlus pack tools and does not require a Pipeworx account or gateway round trip. HTTP clients can call tool endpoints such as /v1/tools/connect directly.

Tools and capabilities

• connect(code, code_system, lang?): maps a supported coded value to MedlinePlus topics.
• search(query, limit?, retstart?, db?, knowledge_response_type?): searches MedlinePlus topics through NLM Web Search.
• Code-system resolution: accepts documented short names and OIDs for eight supported systems.
• Transport options: supports the hosted MCP endpoint, direct HTTP tool calls, and local stdio MCP execution.

Limitations and notes

The direct pack contains two documented tools. A hosted pack endpoint also lists shared Pipeworx meta-tools, so its tool count is larger than the local server’s list. The gateway and standalone modes use the same underlying MedlinePlus tools, but only the gateway provides Pipeworx-wide routing through ask_pipeworx. The package is focused on MedlinePlus consumer health information rather than a general clinical terminology service.