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CBETA MCP Server

Provides access to the Chinese Buddhist Electronic Text Association (CBETA) online library of over 100 million characters of Buddhist scripture. It enables users to search, browse catalogs, and retrieve content from major collections like the Taishō Tripiṭaka.

Updated
Feb 3, 2026

CBETA MCP Server

中文文档

MCP (Model Context Protocol) Server for CBETA Online - Chinese Buddhist Electronic Text Association.

CBETA contains over 100 million characters of Buddhist scriptures, including the Taishō Tripiṭaka, Xuzangjing, and many other collections.

Features

🔧 Tools

ToolDescription
search_sutraSearch Buddhist scriptures by keyword
get_sutra_contentGet content of a specific scripture
get_work_infoGet detailed information about a work
browse_catalogBrowse the scripture catalog

📚 Resources

  • cbeta://catalog - Complete scripture catalog

💬 Prompts

  • explain_sutra - Explain sutra passages
  • buddhist_term - Look up Buddhist terminology

Installation

Option 1: Local (Node.js)

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/your-username/cbeta-mcp.git
cd cbeta-mcp

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build
npm run build

# Run
npm start

Option 2: Cloudflare Workers (Recommended)

Prerequisites

  1. Cloudflare account
  2. Node.js (v18+)
  3. Wrangler CLI

Deployment Steps

# 1. Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/your-username/cbeta-mcp.git
cd cbeta-mcp

# 2. Install dependencies
npm install

# 3. Login to Cloudflare
npx wrangler login

# 4. Deploy to Cloudflare Workers
npm run deploy

After deployment, your MCP server will be available at:

https://cbeta-mcp.<your-subdomain>.workers.dev

Local Development

# Start local development server
npm run dev:worker

# Test with MCP Inspector
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector@latest

Configuration

Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop config file:

Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

For Local Server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cbeta": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:\\path\\to\\cbeta-mcp\\dist\\index.js"]
    }
  }
}

For Cloudflare Workers

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cbeta": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://cbeta-mcp.your-subdomain.workers.dev/sse"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Common Work IDs

IDTitle (Chinese)Title (English)
T0001長阿含經Dīrghāgama
T0099雜阿含經Saṃyuktāgama
T0262妙法蓮華經Lotus Sutra
T0374大般涅槃經Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra
T0475維摩詰所說經Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra
T0665金剛般若波羅蜜經Diamond Sutra
T0842大毘盧遮那成佛神變加持經Mahāvairocana Sūtra

API Reference

search_sutra

Search for Buddhist scriptures.

Parameters:

  • query (required): Search keywords
  • scope (optional): Search scope (T, X, N, etc.)
  • page (optional): Page number (default: 1)
  • limit (optional): Results per page (default: 10)

get_sutra_content

Get the content of a specific volume.

Parameters:

  • work_id (required): Work ID (e.g., T0001)
  • juan (optional): Volume number (default: 1)
  • format (optional): Output format ("text" or "html")

browse_catalog

Browse the scripture catalog.

Parameters:

  • catalog_id (optional): Catalog ID to browse

get_work_info

Get detailed information about a work.

Parameters:

  • work_id (required): Work ID

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build local version
npm run build

# Build for Workers
npm run build:worker

# Run tests with MCP Inspector
npm run inspector

License

MIT

Credits

  • CBETA - Chinese Buddhist Electronic Text Association
  • DILA - Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts

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