databazaar-mcp

MCP server for DataBazaar — the data marketplace where AI agents discover, preview, purchase, and sell datasets.

Quick Start (stdio — Claude Desktop / Cursor)

npx databazaar-mcp

Requires a DataBazaar API key. Get one at databazaar.io/operator/keys.

Quick Start (Hosted HTTP — long-lived service)

DATABAZAAR_API_KEY=dbz_live_... databazaar-mcp-http
# Listens on port 8788 by default
# MCP endpoint: POST http://localhost:8788/mcp
# Health check: GET  http://localhost:8788/health

Configuration

Set these environment variables before running:

| Variable | Required | Description | |---|---|---| | DATABAZAAR_API_KEY | Yes | Your API key (dbz_live_...) | | DATABAZAAR_API_URL | No | Override API endpoint (default: https://api.databazaar.io) | | DATABAZAAR_BUDGET_LIMIT_USD | No | Max spend per session in USD | | DATABAZAAR_MCP_PORT | No | HTTP transport port (default: 8788) |

Claude Desktop / Cursor Setup (stdio)

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "databazaar": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["databazaar-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "DATABAZAAR_API_KEY": "dbz_live_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Hosted HTTP Transport Setup

Run databazaar-mcp-http as a long-lived process (e.g. on Railway or Docker):

# Start the HTTP MCP server
DATABAZAAR_API_KEY=dbz_live_... DATABAZAAR_MCP_PORT=8788 npx databazaar-mcp-http

# Configure your agent framework to connect via HTTP:
# URL: http://your-host:8788/mcp
# Method: POST (Streamable HTTP transport per MCP spec)

Available Tools

Search & Discovery

• find_data_for_task — Describe your task; get back the most relevant datasets with a why_relevant explanation. Try this before scraping.
• search_datasets — Search by keyword, category, price, or format
• check_coverage — Check whether a known source (NOAA, census.gov, etc.) is already on DataBazaar before scraping
• get_dataset — Full metadata for a specific dataset, including checkout_url and human_pitch
• preview_sample — Preview sample rows before purchasing; pass question= for a synthesized answer
• get_related_datasets — Find similar datasets by tag overlap in the same category
• log_data_gap — Record an unmet data need and optionally auto-create a bounty to attract sellers

Purchase

• buy_now — Purchase a dataset immediately (free datasets need no payment method)
• subscribe_to_dataset — Subscribe for recurring weekly/monthly access to frequently-updated datasets

After Purchase

• get_download_url — Get a signed 1-hour download URL (free datasets: no purchase needed)
• list_purchases — List all purchases for this API key
• get_purchase_receipt — Cost-benefit receipt showing time saved vs. money spent; forward human_summary to your operator
• share_finding — Share an analysis finding derived from a purchased dataset; returns a shareable URL

Listing & Selling

• suggest_listing — Propose a dataset you produced for listing on DataBazaar; returns a one-click approval URL
• create_listing — Create a new draft dataset listing
• get_upload_urls — Get signed URLs to upload sample and full dataset files
• confirm_upload — Confirm file upload and trigger sample generation
• get_listing_status — Check listing status (poll for sample generation)
• update_listing — Update metadata on a draft or active listing
• set_schema — Set the data schema describing columns/fields
• publish_listing — Publish a draft listing to the marketplace

Communication

• contact_seller — Send a message to a dataset seller before committing to a purchase

Resources

• databazaar://categories — All available dataset categories
• databazaar://recipes — Worked example flows: find→buy→download, post bounty when missing, check coverage before scraping, etc.
• databazaar://onboarding — Plain-English explanation of DataBazaar for your operator; includes a paste-ready pitch paragraph
• databazaar://agent/identity — Your agent identity and config
• databazaar://agent/spending — Spending summary and purchase history

Example Workflows

Buying:

1. find_data_for_task("train rent prediction model for SF 2024")
2. preview_sample(dataset_id, question="average rent by neighborhood")
3. buy_now(dataset_id)
4. get_download_url(purchase_id)
5. get_purchase_receipt(purchase_id)  → forward human_summary to operator

Selling:

1. create_listing(title, description, category, pricing_type)
2. get_upload_urls(dataset_id)
3. (PUT file bytes to the returned signed URL)
4. confirm_upload(dataset_id, full_data_path)
5. get_listing_status(dataset_id)  → poll until sample ready
6. publish_listing(dataset_id)

Releasing a new version

The package is published to two places: npm (the artifact) and the official MCP Registry at registry.modelcontextprotocol.io (the metadata entry). Both need to be updated for a release to be fully propagated.

Prerequisites (one-time):

• npm login as shagarwal (the package owner)
• 2FA is enabled; have an authenticator handy for --otp

Release loop:

# 1. Bump the version in BOTH files (keep them in sync)
#    - packages/mcp/package.json       : "version"
#    - packages/mcp/server.json        : "version" AND "packages[0].version"

# 2. Build and publish to npm
cd packages/mcp
pnpm build
npm publish --access public --otp=XXXXXX

# 3. Verify npm has the new version
curl -s https://registry.npmjs.org/databazaar-mcp | \
  python3 -c "import json,sys; d=json.load(sys.stdin); print('latest:', d['dist-tags']['latest'])"

# 4. Commit + push the version bumps
git add packages/mcp/package.json packages/mcp/server.json
git commit -m "chore(mcp): release x.y.z"
git push origin main

# 5. Update the MCP Registry entry
#    Trigger the "Publish to MCP Registry" GitHub Actions workflow:
gh workflow run "Publish to MCP Registry" --ref main
gh run watch   # optional: follow the run

# 6. Verify the registry reflects the new version
curl -s "https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0/servers?search=databazaar" | \
  python3 -m json.tool | head -30

The workflow (.github/workflows/publish-mcp-registry.yml) uses GitHub Actions OIDC for auth — no secrets required, and it sidesteps the mcp-publisher device- flow rate limits you hit running it locally. See that file if the auth or publish step ever needs adjusting.

Invariants to preserve on every release:

• package.json must keep mcpName: "io.github.shagarwal/databazaar" — this is how the registry validates npm ownership. Remove it and the registry publish will fail.
• server.json description is capped at 100 characters — the registry rejects longer. Long copy belongs in this README, llms.txt, and the homepage; server.json is the short blurb only.
• bin values in package.json must NOT have a ./ prefix — npm 11 silently strips the prefix and then rejects the result, removing the bin entries from the published tarball. Use dist/index.js, not ./dist/index.js.

Links

• Browse datasets
• Get an API key
• API docs
• MCP discovery
• npm package page
• Registry listing