MCP USDA Server

What is MCP USDA Server?

MCP USDA Server is a modular MCP (Model Context Protocol) server template for fetching and formatting agricultural data from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Production, Supply and Distribution (PSD) database. It provides five specialized tools that expose agricultural data to Large Language Models (LLMs) in a format optimized for LLM consumption.

How to use MCP USDA Server?

Clone the repository, install dependencies with npm install, and start the server with npm start. The server listens on port 3100 by default and communicates with an MCP client via JSON‑RPC 2.0. Tools are invoked by sending properly formatted JSON‑RPC requests (e.g., tools/execute with a tool name and arguments).

Key features of MCP USDA Server

• Five USDA data tools (regions, countries, commodities, units of measure, commodity attributes)
• Modular architecture for adding new data sources and tools
• LLM‑agnostic design (works with GPT‑4, Claude 3, Gemini, etc.)
• JSON‑RPC 2.0 communication protocol
• Anti‑hallucination guardrails built into the tool design

Use cases of MCP USDA Server

• Enabling LLMs to answer questions about agricultural production, supply, and distribution
• Building a unified MCP client that aggregates tools from multiple domain‑specific servers
• Serving as a template for creating custom MCP servers for other USDA databases or agricultural data sources

FAQ from MCP USDA Server

How do I install and start MCP USDA Server?

Install Node.js v14 or later, clone the repository, run npm install in the project directory, then start the server with npm start. The server runs on port 3100 by default.

What tools does MCP USDA Server provide?

It provides five tools: usda‑psd‑regions, usda‑psd‑countries, usda‑psd‑commodities, usda‑psd‑units‑of‑measure, and usda‑psd‑commodity‑attributes. Each fetches and formats data from the USDA FAS PSD API.

How does MCP USDA Server communicate with clients?

It uses JSON‑RPC 2.0 as its communication protocol. Clients can send tool listing requests (tools/list) and tool execution requests (tools/execute) with the appropriate parameters.

Can I use any LLM with MCP USDA Server?

Yes, the server is LLM‑agnostic. It works with any LLM that supports function/tool calling (e.g., GPT‑4, Claude 3, Gemini) or that can follow structured instructions about available tools.

What are the system requirements for running MCP USDA Server?

You need Node.js version 14 or higher and npm (or yarn). The project runs as a simple HTTP server with no additional database or external runtime dependencies.