Paleobiology MCP Server - install, status & alternatives [2026]

01 · Install Paleobiology MCP Server

before you install - you'll need

Set MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE, MCP_LOG_LEVEL before connecting.

Claude Code

claude mcp add cyanheads-paleobiology-mcp-server --transport http https://paleobiology.caseyjhand.com/mcp

Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cyanheads-paleobiology-mcp-server": {
      "url": "https://paleobiology.caseyjhand.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Same JSON for Cursor. For VS Code, rename the top-level key from `mcpServers` to `servers`.

Using another client? Same JSON, different key

Claude Desktop · mcpServers

Cursor · mcpServers

VS Code · servers

Windsurf · mcpServers

Zed · context_servers

Cline · mcpServers

Roo Code · mcpServers

Continue · mcpServers

LibreChat · mcpServers

Gemini CLI · mcpServers

Codex CLI · mcp_servers

Full setup guides: every client.

02 · Evidence

https://paleobiology.caseyjhand.com/mcp

transport: streamable-http

endpoint alive - responded to MCP initialize · probed 2026-09-30

Security posture

What to check before giving this server access to your agent - from the registry, GitHub, and our own probes. We don't score safety; we show what's verifiable.

runs as local process (stdio) - runs on your machine with your user's permissions · remote - your agent's requests go to paleobiology.caseyjhand.com

endpoint auth accepted our unauthenticated MCP initialize - no credentials needed to connect

license Apache-2.0 - declared in the repository

npm package @cyanheads/paleobiology-mcp-server - published under the repo owner's npm scope (@cyanheads)

registry namespace io.github.cyanheads is GitHub-verified and matches the repo owner

03 · What Paleobiology MCP Server can do

Prose above is summarized from the project's README and registry record - no invented capabilities.

What you can build

With this server connected, an agent can resolve a taxon by name or taxon_no to its accepted name, rank, classification, and FAD/LAD range - the name-resolution gateway, find fossil collections (localities) by area, geologic time, formation, and lithology, run a read-only SQL SELECT over occurrence sets staged on a DataCanvas, and list the tables and columns staged on a DataCanvas.

The 8 tools it gives your agent

Extracted from the project's README - what paleobiology-mcp-server lets an agent do.

paleobiology_search_occurrences: - Search fossil occurrences by taxon, geologic time, geography, and depositional environment. Every row carries both modern and paleo coordinates; broad results s
paleobiology_get_taxon: - Resolve a taxon by name or taxon_no to its accepted name, rank, classification, and FAD/LAD range - the name-resolution gateway.
paleobiology_get_diversity: - Compute a diversity / origination / extinction curve for a clade across geologic time.
paleobiology_list_intervals: - Look up the geologic time scale - named intervals ↔ absolute Ma boundaries.
paleobiology_search_collections: - Find fossil collections (localities) by area, geologic time, formation, and lithology.
paleobiology_dataframe_query: - Run a read-only SQL SELECT over occurrence sets staged on a DataCanvas.
paleobiology_dataframe_describe: - List the tables and columns staged on a DataCanvas.
paleobiology_dataframe_drop: - Drop a single staged table to free memory before its TTL expires. Opt-in.

Latest releases

v0.3.6 · 2026-09-19

mcp-ts-core ^0.13.6 adoption · 'stateless' declared in createApp() instead of left to the MCP_SESSION_MODE schema default · Every canvas_id input uses the framework's CanvasIdSchema - a malformed id is now rejected at…

v0.3.5 · 2026-08-25

mcp-ts-core ^0.12.3 and MCP SDK v2 · MCP SDK v2 via @cyanheads/mcp-ts-core ^0.12.3 - HTTP endpoints serve protocol revision 2026-07-28 alongside the 2025 era, and advertised schemas are JSON Schema 2020-12 · Tool…

v0.3.4 · 2026-07-30

PBDB interval fallback · paleobiology_list_intervals falls back to a live PBDB lookup for sub-stage and regional interval names (e.g. Late Maastrichtian, Lancian) the bundled ICS snapshot does not carry, labeled with a…

04 · Who maintains Paleobiology MCP Server

paleobiology-mcp-server is maintained by cyanheads. We track 137 MCP servers from cyanheads - 131 actively maintained, 1,856 combined GitHub stars, oldest repo from Dec 2024. Full record: all servers from cyanheads.

05 · Facts

repository: github.com/cyanheads/paleobiology-mcp-server
category: other - ranked #390 of 998 actively-maintained other servers as of 2026-09-30.
release cadence: 6 releases in the last 90 days (latest 2026-09-19)
registry: io.github.cyanheads/paleobiology-mcp-server (active, first published 2026-06-28 · 8 versions)
packages: npm:@cyanheads/paleobiology-mcp-server · npm:@cyanheads/paleobiology-mcp-server

06 · Paleobiology MCP Server FAQ

Is Paleobiology MCP Server still maintained?

Yes - as of 2026-09-30, its last commit was 2026-09-19 and it shipped 6 releases in the last 90 days. We re-verify nightly.

What can Paleobiology MCP Server do?

With this server connected, an agent can resolve a taxon by name or taxon_no to its accepted name, rank, classification, and FAD/LAD range - the name-resolution gateway, find fossil collections (localities) by area, geologic time, formation, and lithology, run a read-only SQL SELECT over occurrence sets staged on a DataCanvas, and list the tables and columns staged on a DataCanvas.

How do I install Paleobiology MCP Server?

Run `npx -y @cyanheads/paleobiology-mcp-server`. The README documents 2 environment variables (MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE, MCP_LOG_LEVEL) to set first. Set MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE, MCP_LOG_LEVEL before connecting. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.

Does Paleobiology MCP Server require authentication?

No - the endpoint accepted our unauthenticated MCP initialize when probed on 2026-09-30; you can connect without credentials.

07 · Alternatives to Paleobiology MCP Server

Alternatives to Paleobiology MCP Server

Maintained other servers if Paleobiology MCP Server isn't the fit.

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