Crocdb MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that exposes the Crocdb ROM catalog to Claude Desktop. Use it with a Claude Pro subscription to search for ROMs, fetch metadata, and gather download links directly within the Claude UI.

Features

• search_entries tool mirrors the Crocdb /search endpoint and filters links by source (Myrient, Internet Archive, or all).
• get_entry retrieves a specific ROM slug with link details, filenames, and sizes.
• list_metadata provides supporting data for platforms, regions, and database stats.

Quick Start

1. Install dependencies

   cd crocdb-mcp
   npm install

2. Configure environment variables (optional)

   cp env.example .env
   # adjust CROCDB_API_BASE or CROCDB_MAX_RESULTS if needed

3. Run the MCP server

   npm start

   The server listens on stdin/stdout (as required by MCP) and prints startup logs to stderr.

Connecting to Claude Desktop

Add a new MCP entry in your Claude Desktop ~/.config/claude/mcp.json (create the file if it does not exist):

{
  "servers": {
    "crocdb": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/ROMDL/crocdb-mcp/src/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "CROCDB_API_BASE": "https://api.crocdb.net"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. You should now see crocdb tools available from the command palette or within conversations. Try prompting:

• "Search Crocdb for Kirby Planet Robobot on 3DS, USA region, Myrient links only."
• "Get entry slug kirby-planet-robobot-3ds-us and list all download links."
• "List platforms and regions from Crocdb."

Notes

• Claude Desktop handles authentication, so no API key is required for Crocdb (the API is public).
• Result links are filtered to Myrient and Internet Archive by default. Set source_preference: "any" to see all hosts from Crocdb.
• CROCDB_MAX_RESULTS controls default page size; tools still accept explicit max_results for larger or smaller batches (up to 100).

Development

• The server is a plain Node.js script using the official MCP SDK.
• To add more tools (e.g., random entry, bulk fetch) extend src/index.js and restart the CLI.
• MCP servers run as long-lived processes; use Ctrl+C to stop when running manually.

Publishing to npm (optional)

If you want Claude Desktop to install the server automatically via npx, publish it to npm:

1. Create an npm account (if you don’t already have one) and run npm login locally.

2. Update the package name in package.json if you prefer a scoped name (e.g. "@yourname/crocdb-mcp").

3. Publish

   cd crocdb-mcp
   npm publish --access public

   The bin entry points to src/index.js, so npx crocdb-mcp will start the MCP server after publishing.

Using the published package in Claude Desktop

Update claude_desktop_config.json to reference the package instead of a local path:

"crocdb": {
  "command": "npx",
  "args": ["crocdb-mcp@latest"],
  "env": {
    "CROCDB_API_BASE": "https://api.crocdb.net"
  }
}

Claude will download the package on demand, so you won’t need to keep a local clone up to date. Remember to run npm version patch (or minor) and npm publish whenever you ship changes.