keyword-based dataset discovery via federated search
Exposes the data.gouv.fr API v1 GET /1/datasets/ endpoint through an MCP tool that accepts free-text search queries and returns paginated dataset metadata (title, description, organization, tags, update frequency). Implements client-side pagination and result ranking to surface the most relevant datasets from France's national open data catalog without requiring users to manually navigate the web interface.
Unique: Directly wraps data.gouv.fr's native search API through MCP protocol, enabling conversational dataset discovery without web scraping or custom indexing — the server acts as a thin, read-only proxy that preserves the platform's native ranking and filtering logic.
vs alternatives: Unlike generic web search or manual catalog browsing, this provides structured, ranked results from the authoritative French government data platform with guaranteed freshness and official metadata.
full-dataset metadata retrieval with resource inventory
Fetches complete metadata for a single dataset by ID from data.gouv.fr API v1 GET /1/datasets/{id}/, returning title, description, organization, tags, creation/update timestamps, license, and a complete inventory of all associated resources (files). Uses a single API call per dataset to avoid N+1 queries and provides structured output suitable for downstream resource selection or analysis planning.
Unique: Provides a single atomic call to retrieve complete dataset context including all resources, avoiding the need for separate API calls per resource and enabling AI agents to make informed decisions about which files to query or download.
vs alternatives: More efficient than iterating through individual resource endpoints; returns the full dataset graph in one call, reducing latency and simplifying agent planning logic compared to sequential resource lookups.
docker containerization and cloud-ready deployment
Provides a Dockerfile and Docker Compose configuration for containerized deployment, enabling the MCP server to run in Kubernetes, Docker Swarm, or any container orchestration platform. The container exposes port 8000 (HTTP) and includes health check configuration (GET /health endpoint) for orchestrator integration. Supports environment variable configuration for API endpoints, logging levels, and other runtime parameters, enabling deployment across development, staging, and production environments without code changes.
Unique: Provides production-ready Docker configuration with health check integration and environment variable support, enabling seamless deployment to any container orchestration platform without modification — the server is stateless and horizontally scalable.
vs alternatives: Ready-to-deploy container image reduces operational overhead compared to manual installation; stateless design enables horizontal scaling and zero-downtime updates.
environment-driven configuration and multi-instance deployment
Centralizes all runtime configuration (API endpoints, logging levels, server port, CORS settings, etc.) in environment variables, enabling the same Docker image or Python process to run in different environments without code changes. Configuration is loaded at startup via a dedicated configuration module that validates and provides defaults. Supports multi-instance deployments where each instance can be configured independently via environment variables, enabling load-balanced and highly-available setups.
Unique: Uses environment variables for all configuration, enabling the same codebase and Docker image to run in any environment without modification — this is a cloud-native best practice (12-factor app methodology).
vs alternatives: Simpler and more portable than configuration files or hardcoded settings; integrates seamlessly with container orchestration platforms (Kubernetes, Docker Swarm) that manage environment variables.
resource-level metadata and tabular api availability detection
Queries data.gouv.fr API v2 GET /2/datasets/resources/{id}/ to retrieve detailed metadata for a single file/resource, including format (CSV, XLSX, JSON, etc.), file size, MIME type, and critically, whether the resource supports the Tabular API (a data.gouv.fr feature enabling row-level querying without full download). Returns structured metadata that allows agents to decide between streaming/parsing (for unsupported formats) or direct tabular queries (for supported formats).
Unique: Explicitly surfaces Tabular API availability as a first-class capability, enabling agents to make intelligent routing decisions between direct querying and download-then-parse workflows — this is unique to data.gouv.fr's architecture and not exposed by generic data APIs.
vs alternatives: Provides format-aware capability detection that generic file metadata APIs lack; allows agents to optimize for latency and bandwidth by choosing the most efficient access pattern per resource.
paginated row-level data querying via tabular api
Executes structured queries against CSV and XLSX resources using data.gouv.fr's Tabular API, supporting row filtering, column selection, sorting, and pagination. Implements client-side parameter validation and result streaming to handle large datasets within practical limits (respects data.gouv.fr rate limits and payload size constraints). Queries are executed without downloading the entire file, enabling efficient exploration of large datasets within a single conversation turn.
Unique: Leverages data.gouv.fr's native Tabular API to enable server-side filtering and pagination without full file download, reducing bandwidth and latency compared to download-then-filter approaches — the MCP server translates natural query parameters into Tabular API calls.
vs alternatives: More efficient than downloading entire CSV files for exploration; supports server-side filtering and pagination that generic file download APIs do not provide, enabling interactive data exploration at scale.
large-file streaming and format-agnostic parsing
Downloads and parses CSV, XLSX, JSON, and other resource formats that do not support the Tabular API, streaming the file to avoid memory exhaustion and applying format-specific parsers (csv.DictReader for CSV, openpyxl for XLSX, json.load for JSON). Implements chunked reading and result truncation to respect practical limits on response size within MCP protocol constraints. Enables agents to access data from any format without requiring external download tools.
Unique: Implements streaming and chunked parsing to handle large files without loading entire datasets into memory, with format-specific parsers (csv.DictReader, openpyxl, json.load) that preserve data types and structure — this is distinct from naive download-and-parse approaches that fail on large files.
vs alternatives: Supports format-agnostic parsing with streaming to handle files larger than available memory; more robust than generic HTTP download tools because it applies format-specific parsing logic and respects MCP payload constraints.
dataservice discovery and metadata retrieval
Queries data.gouv.fr's dataservice catalog (API endpoints, web services, and data APIs exposed by organizations) via dedicated MCP tools that search and retrieve dataservice metadata. Enables agents to discover and understand available APIs and services without manual catalog browsing, returning service descriptions, endpoints, and usage documentation. Complements dataset discovery by surfacing programmatic access methods.
Unique: Exposes data.gouv.fr's dataservice catalog as a first-class MCP tool, enabling agents to discover and reason about APIs and web services in addition to static datasets — most data discovery tools focus only on datasets and ignore programmatic access methods.
vs alternatives: Provides unified discovery of both datasets and dataservices through a single MCP interface, whereas typical data portals require separate browsing for static files vs. APIs.
+4 more capabilities