ArcGIS Knowledge MCP

Search and read Esri/ArcGIS documentation directly from Claude Desktop or Claude Code.

Features

• Search across Esri developer docs, ArcGIS Pro help, community forums, and the ArcGIS blog
• Fetch and extract clean text from any Esri documentation page
• Local SQLite cache (24hr TTL) eliminates repeat network calls
• Domain-locked to Esri sites only — no arbitrary web access
• Read-only — makes no changes to any system

Install (Claude Desktop)

Add as Custom Connector (recommended — nothing to install)

1. Open Claude Desktop
2. Go to Settings > Connectors
3. Click "Add custom connector"
4. Paste this URL:

   https://arcgis-knowledge-mcp.onrender.com/mcp
   

5. Click "Add"
6. The connector appears immediately — start a new conversation to use it

That's it. No downloads, no terminal, no IT approval needed.

Alternative: Desktop Extension file

1. Download arcgis-knowledge-mcp.mcpb from Releases
2. Open Claude Desktop > Settings > Extensions > Install Extension
3. Select the .mcpb file
4. Restart Claude Desktop

Alternative: Manual config (requires uv)

Open Settings > Developer > Edit Config and add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "arcgis-docs": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--from", "git+https://github.com/victorqnguyen/arcgis-mcp", "arcgis-knowledge-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Configuration

In your Claude Desktop project, add this to the custom instructions:

For any ArcGIS or Esri question, use the search_esri and read_esri_page tools before answering. Do not rely on training data.

Claude Code Setup

Add to .claude/settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "arcgis-docs": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--from", "git+https://github.com/victorqnguyen/arcgis-mcp", "arcgis-knowledge-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Tools

Both tools are annotated as readOnlyHint: true — they only read publicly available documentation.

Usage Examples

Example 1: Look up a REST API endpoint

Prompt: "What parameters does the ArcGIS Feature Service Query endpoint accept?"

Tool usage: search_esri(query="query feature service layer parameters", site="developers.arcgis.com")

Expected behavior: Returns a list of relevant Esri developer documentation links with snippets. Claude can then call read_esri_page on the top result to get the full parameter reference.

Output:

1. Query (Feature Service/Layer) | ArcGIS REST APIs | Esri Developer
   https://developers.arcgis.com/rest/services-reference/enterprise/query-feature-service-layer/ — The query operation returns either a feature set, an array of feature IDs...
2. Query (Feature Service) | ArcGIS REST APIs | Esri Developer
   https://developers.arcgis.com/rest/services-reference/enterprise/query-feature-service/ — The Feature Service Query operation supports spatial Rel and time parameters...

Example 2: Read a specific documentation page

Prompt: "Show me the details of the ArcGIS addFeatures REST API"

Tool usage:

1. search_esri(query="addFeatures REST API", site="developers.arcgis.com")
2. read_esri_page(url="https://developers.arcgis.com/rest/services-reference/enterprise/add-features/")

Expected behavior: First searches for the endpoint, then fetches the full page content with parameters, request/response format, and usage notes. Content is extracted as clean text (max 1500 chars) with HTML boilerplate removed.

Output: Clean text containing the endpoint description, HTTP method, URL pattern, parameter list, and example request/response JSON.

Example 3: Search the ArcGIS blog for workflow guides

Prompt: "Find Esri blog posts about integrating Civil 3D with ArcGIS Pro"

Tool usage: search_esri(query="civil 3d arcgis pro integration", site="www.esri.com/arcgis-blog")

Expected behavior: Returns blog posts and articles about CAD/BIM integration workflows, with titles, URLs, and snippet previews.

Output:

1. Integrating Civil 3D with ArcGIS Pro for Land Development
   https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-pro/... — Learn how to bring Civil 3D designs into ArcGIS Pro...
2. BIM and GIS Integration Best Practices
   https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-pro/... — Tips for connecting Autodesk workflows with Esri...

Self-Hosting

Deploy your own instance using the included render.yaml:

Or set the environment variables on any platform:

MCP_TRANSPORT=streamable-http
PORT=8000

Privacy Policy

See PRIVACY.md for the full privacy policy.

Summary: This extension sends search queries to DuckDuckGo and fetches publicly available pages from Esri domains. Results are cached locally (or on the server for remote deployments). No personal data is collected, stored remotely, or shared with third parties.

Support

• Issues: https://github.com/victorqnguyen/arcgis-mcp/issues
• Author: Victor Q. Nguyen (https://github.com/victorqnguyen)

License

MIT