Soilgrids

What Soilgrids MCP server does

The Soilgrids MCP server connects MCP clients and agents to ISRIC SoilGrids, a global 250 m soil-data grid. Its tools work with geographic coordinates and provide either measured soil-property values or a World Reference Base (WRB) classification.

soil_properties retrieves values for properties such as clay, sand, silt, pH, organic carbon, nitrogen, cation exchange, bulk density, and water content. The response uses real units rather than the raw map-unit scaling used by the source data. soil_classification returns the most probable WRB soil class and the five highest-ranked classes with their probabilities. list_soil_properties describes the properties available from SoilGrids and the depth intervals associated with them, which helps an agent choose valid property codes before making a property query.

How it works

You can connect the Soilgrids MCP server to an MCP client through the hosted streamable HTTP endpoint:

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

The hosted endpoint lists the SoilGrids tools together with shared Pipeworx gateway tools. The gateway also provides an ask_pipeworx route for asking questions in natural language; it can select a tool and populate its arguments. Alternatively, the full Pipeworx endpoint exposes the broader catalog directly.

A standalone package is available when you want only this pack's tools. It communicates over stdin and stdout and does not require a Pipeworx account or a gateway round trip:

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

Setup and configuration

For the hosted option, add the endpoint to an MCP client that supports remote MCP connections. For local use, run npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-soilgrids or use the stdio configuration above. The provided setup does not define required environment variables or an API-key configuration. Direct HTTP calls are also available through endpoints such as POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/soil_properties with a JSON body containing latitude and longitude.

Tools and capabilities

• Query soil properties at a coordinate.
• Retrieve WRB classification and the five most probable classes.
• Enumerate supported property codes and depth ranges.
• Use values returned in real units for supported properties.
• Access the tools through hosted MCP, local stdio, or the gateway's HTTP tool interface.

Limitations and notes

SoilGrids requests may take several seconds to complete. The data represents a 250 m global grid, so results should be interpreted at that source resolution rather than as exact field measurements. The property tool depends on valid property codes; use list_soil_properties to discover the available codes and depth intervals. The hosted pack endpoint includes shared Pipeworx meta-tools in addition to the pack-specific tools, while the standalone process exposes only the Soilgrids tools.