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This guide walks you through installing and running the data.gouv.fr MCP server manually using the uv package manager.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:
  • Python 3.13+ installed on your system
  • uv package manager installed

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Installation Steps

1

Clone the repository

Clone the repository and navigate to the project directory:
git clone git@github.com:datagouv/datagouv-mcp.git
cd datagouv-mcp
2

Install dependencies

Use uv to install all required Python dependencies:
uv sync
This command reads the project configuration and installs all dependencies specified in pyproject.toml.
3

Configure environment variables

Copy the example environment file to create your own configuration:
cp .env.example .env
The .env.example file contains all available configuration options with sensible defaults. You can edit the .env file to customize settings for your environment.Example .env configuration:
MCP_HOST=127.0.0.1  # Bind to localhost for local development
MCP_PORT=8000       # HTTP server port
MCP_ENV=local       # Environment name for monitoring
DATAGOUV_API_ENV=prod  # Use production data.gouv.fr API
LOG_LEVEL=INFO      # Logging verbosity
For local development, set MCP_HOST=127.0.0.1 to follow MCP security best practices. This ensures the server only accepts connections from your local machine.
See the Configuration page for detailed information about all available environment variables.
4

Load environment variables

Load the environment variables into your shell session:
set -a && source .env && set +a
This command exports all variables from the .env file to your current shell.
5

Start the server

Run the MCP server:
uv run main.py
The server will start on the configured host and port (default: http://127.0.0.1:8000).
6

Verify the installation

Test that the server is running by accessing the health endpoint:
curl http://127.0.0.1:8000/health
You should receive a JSON response like:
{
  "status": "ok",
  "timestamp": "2026-03-04T12:34:56.789Z",
  "version": "1.0.0"
}

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Next Steps

Now that you have the server running:
  • Connect a chatbot: Follow the connection instructions in the README to integrate with Claude, ChatGPT, or other MCP clients
  • Configure advanced settings: See the Configuration page for all available options
  • Deploy with Docker: Check out the Docker deployment guide for production deployments

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Troubleshooting

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Port already in use

If port 8000 is already in use, change the MCP_PORT in your .env file: 
MCP_PORT=8007

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Python version issues

Ensure you have Python 3.13 or higher: 
python --version

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Dependencies installation fails

Make sure uv is up to date: 
pip install --upgrade uv

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