crux-bible-mcp

An MCP server for Bible verse lookup via the Crux API. Look up verses, search scripture, and link to the Crux web reader — all from your AI agent.

Bible text is the World English Bible (WEB), a modern public domain translation.

Installation

Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop config (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "crux-bible": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "crux-bible-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Other MCP Clients

Any MCP-compatible client can connect via stdio:

npx -y crux-bible-mcp

Or install globally:

npm install -g crux-bible-mcp
crux-bible-mcp

Tools

lookup_verse

Look up Bible verses by reference. Returns exact text with verse numbers.

Input:

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description | | ----------- | ------ | -------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | | reference | string | yes | Bible reference (e.g. "John 3:16", "gen 1:1-3", "psalm 23") |

Example output:

John 3:16 (WEB)

¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born Son, that whoever
believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Read in Crux: https://crux.jayseejay.com/reader/jhn/3

Supported reference formats:

• Single verse: John 3:16
• Verse range: Proverbs 8:22-31
• Whole chapter: psalm 23
• Abbreviated: gen 1:1-3, rev 21:1-4
• Numbered books: 1 Corinthians 13, 2 Kings 5:1-14
• Full names: Song of Solomon 2:4

search_bible

Search the Bible for verses containing specific words or phrases.

Input:

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description | | --------- | ------ | -------- | -------------------------------- | | query | string | yes | Search query | | limit | number | no | Max results (default 10, max 25) |

list_books

List all books of the Bible with codes and chapter counts, grouped by testament.

Input: None.

get_crux_link

Generate a link to read a Bible chapter in the Crux web reader.

Input:

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description | | --------- | ------ | -------- | ----------------------------------------------- | | book | string | yes | Book name or code (e.g. "Genesis", "gen") | | chapter | number | yes | Chapter number |

Configuration

| Environment Variable | Default | Description | | -------------------- | -------------------------------------------- | ------------------ | | CRUX_API_URL | https://crux.jayseejay.com/api/v1 | Crux API base URL |

Override the API URL for local development:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "crux-bible": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "crux-bible-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "CRUX_API_URL": "http://localhost:3000/api/v1"
      }
    }
  }
}

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run tests
npm test

# Build for distribution
npm run build

License

MIT

Attribution

Bible text: World English Bible (public domain) Powered by Crux