Science

What the science MCP server does

The science MCP server gives MCP clients access to four data lookups. It can return the International Space Station's current latitude, longitude, and Unix timestamp; list recent global earthquakes; report current air-quality measurements for coordinates; and retrieve NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day.

The earthquake lookup uses USGS FDSN data and can search a one-to-30-day window with a configurable minimum magnitude. Results can include up to 20 events, with magnitude, location, depth, coordinates, event time, and tsunami-warning status. The air-quality tool reports a US AQI score and category along with PM2.5, PM10, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide readings.

How it works

You can connect to the hosted Pipeworx endpoint at https://gateway.pipeworx.io/science/mcp, or use the full gateway at https://gateway.pipeworx.io/mcp. The scoped endpoint lists the science tools directly, but it also exposes shared Pipeworx meta-tools. The full gateway lists tools from the wider catalog directly. From either gateway connection, ask_pipeworx can route a plain-language request across the catalog.

A local package is also available through npm. The standalone process communicates over standard input and output using MCP and serves only the four tools in this pack. It does not use the gateway's shared meta-tools or its cross-catalog routing.

The tools query external services when called: Open Notify for the ISS position, USGS FDSN for earthquakes, an air-quality data service for coordinate-based readings, and NASA for APOD content.

Setup and configuration

For a hosted connection, add the scoped URL to an MCP client's server configuration:

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

For local use, configure the npm package as a stdio server:

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

It also provides an HTTP interface for direct tool calls, such as posting {} to /v1/tools/get_iss_location with a JSON content type. No environment variables are documented.

Tools and capabilities

• get_iss_location takes no input and returns the current ISS position and Unix timestamp.
• get_earthquakes accepts a lookback period from one to 30 days and a minimum magnitude; defaults are one day and magnitude 4.0.
• get_air_quality accepts latitude and longitude and returns AQI plus pollutant measurements.
• get_apod optionally accepts an ISO date such as 2024-01-15 and returns the image URL, title, and explanation.

Limitations and notes

Hosted pack connections include additional shared gateway schemas, so their reported tool count is larger than the four science tools. The exact scope is given by the MCP initialize response. If extra schemas create unwanted context overhead, the README recommends using the full gateway rather than connecting to several pack endpoints. The standalone science MCP server avoids those shared tools but also cannot use ask_pipeworx routing.

Results depend on the external services behind each tool. The material does not document authentication settings, rate limits, error formats, historical air-quality queries, or options beyond those listed above.