OCDS MCP Server

Local setup required. This server has to be cloned and prepared on your machine before you register it in Claude Code.
1

Set the server up locally

Run this once to clone and prepare the server before adding it to Claude Code.

Run in terminal
git clone https://github.com/qune-tech/ocds-mcp
cd ocds-mcp

Then follow the repository README for any remaining dependency or build steps before continuing.

2

Register it in Claude Code

After the local setup is done, run this command to point Claude Code at the built server.

Run in terminal
claude mcp add -e "OCDS_API_KEY=${OCDS_API_KEY}" ocds-mcp -- node "<FULL_PATH_TO_OCDS_MCP>/dist/index.js"

Replace <FULL_PATH_TO_OCDS_MCP>/dist/index.js with the actual folder you prepared in step 1.

Required:OCDS_API_KEY
README.md

MCP server for German public procurement data (OCDS).

ocds-mcp

MCP server for German public procurement data (OCDS). Connects your AI assistant (Claude, GPT, etc.) to the Vergabe Dashboard API for semantic search, tender matching, and company profile management.

Your company profiles never leave your machine — only embedding vectors are sent to the API. GDPR-compliant by design.

Quick Start

1. Get an API key

Sign up at vergabe-dashboard.qune.de and create an API key (MCP or Enterprise plan required).

2. Install

Download pre-built binary from GitHub Releases:

Platform Download
Linux x86_64 ocds-mcp-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
macOS Apple Silicon ocds-mcp-macos-arm64.tar.gz
Windows x86_64 ocds-mcp-windows-x86_64.zip

Linux / macOS:

# Example for Linux x86_64 — adjust the filename for your platform
tar xzf ocds-mcp-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
sudo mv ocds-mcp-linux-x86_64 /usr/local/bin/ocds-mcp

Windows: Extract the zip and move ocds-mcp-windows-x86_64.exe somewhere on your PATH (e.g. C:\Users\YOU\.local\bin\ocds-mcp.exe).

Or build from source:

git clone https://github.com/qune-tech/ocds-mcp.git
cd ocds-mcp
cargo build --release
# Binary at target/release/ocds-mcp

3. Configure your AI client

Claude Desktop — edit claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ocds": {
      "command": "ocds-mcp",
      "args": ["--api-key", "sk_live_YOUR_KEY_HERE"]
    }
  }
}

Claude Code — add .mcp.json to your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ocds": {
      "command": "ocds-mcp",
      "args": ["--api-key", "sk_live_YOUR_KEY_HERE"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor — Settings → MCP Servers → Add:

  • Command: ocds-mcp
  • Args: --api-key sk_live_YOUR_KEY_HERE

LM Studio — Settings → MCP → Add Server:

  1. Click + Add Server and choose STDIO
  2. Fill in:
    • Name: ocds
    • Command: full path to the binary, e.g. /usr/local/bin/ocds-mcp
    • Arguments: --api-key sk_live_YOUR_KEY_HERE
  3. Click Save
  4. In the chat, select a model that supports tool use and enable the ocds server

LM Studio requires models with tool-calling support (e.g. Qwen 2.5, Mistral, Llama 3.1+). Smaller models may not use all 10 tools reliably — 7B+ recommended.

Replace sk_live_YOUR_KEY_HERE with your actual API key.

Available Tools

Tool Description
search_text Semantic search across all tenders
list_releases Filter and browse tenders by month, CPV code, category, value range
get_release Full tender details by OCID
get_index_info Database statistics and connectivity check
create_company_profile Create a matching profile for your company
update_company_profile Update an existing profile
get_company_profile View profile details
list_company_profiles List all your profiles
delete_company_profile Delete a profile
match_tenders Match a profile against all tenders with semantic similarity

CLI Options

Usage: ocds-mcp [OPTIONS]

Options:
      --db <DB>            Local profiles database [default: profiles.db]
      --data-dir <DIR>     Data directory [default: data]
      --api-url <URL>      Vergabe Dashboard API [default: https://vergabe-dashboard.qune.de]
      --api-key <KEY>      API key [env: OCDS_API_KEY]
  -h, --help               Print help

How It Works

LLM ←stdio→ ocds-mcp (local)
               │  Local: company profiles + sentence embedder
               │  Remote: searches, release queries
               └──HTTPS──→ Vergabe Dashboard API

The MCP server runs locally on your machine:

  • Company profiles are stored in a local SQLite database — they never leave your network.
  • Text embeddings are computed locally using a multilingual ONNX model (multilingual-e5-small, ~118 MB, auto-downloaded on first use).
  • Only embedding vectors (arrays of 384 floats) are sent to the API for search and matching — your profile text stays local.
  • Tender data is fetched from the API on demand.

Requirements

  • An API key from vergabe-dashboard.qune.de (MCP or Enterprise plan)
  • ~200 MB disk space for the ONNX model (downloaded automatically on first run)
  • Internet connection to reach the API

License

MIT — see LICENSE.

Tools (10)

search_textSemantic search across all tenders
list_releasesFilter and browse tenders by month, CPV code, category, value range
get_releaseFull tender details by OCID
get_index_infoDatabase statistics and connectivity check
create_company_profileCreate a matching profile for your company
update_company_profileUpdate an existing profile
get_company_profileView profile details
list_company_profilesList all your profiles
delete_company_profileDelete a profile
match_tendersMatch a profile against all tenders with semantic similarity

Environment Variables

OCDS_API_KEYrequiredAPI key for the Vergabe Dashboard

Configuration

claude_desktop_config.json
{"mcpServers": {"ocds": {"command": "ocds-mcp", "args": ["--api-key", "sk_live_YOUR_KEY_HERE"]}}}

Try it

Search for recent tenders related to software development in Berlin.
List all public procurement releases for the current month with a value over 50,000 EUR.
Create a company profile based on my business description and find matching tenders.
Get the full details for the tender with OCID 12345.
Match my current company profile against all available tenders to find new opportunities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key features of OCDS MCP?

Semantic search across German public procurement tenders. Local storage of company profiles in a SQLite database. Local text embedding generation using multilingual-e5-small. GDPR-compliant design where only embedding vectors are sent to the API. Automated tender matching based on semantic similarity.

What can I use OCDS MCP for?

Automating the discovery of relevant public tenders for businesses. Monitoring procurement opportunities based on specific company capabilities. Analyzing tender data trends using local AI assistants. Managing and matching multiple company profiles against public procurement databases.

How do I install OCDS MCP?

Install OCDS MCP by running: tar xzf ocds-mcp-linux-x86_64.tar.gz && sudo mv ocds-mcp-linux-x86_64 /usr/local/bin/ocds-mcp

What MCP clients work with OCDS MCP?

OCDS MCP works with any MCP-compatible client including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and other editors with MCP support.

Turn this server into reusable context

Keep OCDS MCP docs, env vars, and workflow notes in Conare so your agent carries them across sessions.

Need the old visual installer? Open Conare IDE.
Open Conare