Find air-quality stations and read pollutant observations from government monitors via OpenAQ v3.
To add openaq-mcp-server to Claude, run the install command below or copy the ready-made config for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor and VS Code further down. Restart your client after adding it and its tools show up in your next conversation. It needs 5 environment variables, listed below.
Install
npx -y @cyanheads/openaq-mcp-server@0.4.1Environment variables
OPENAQ_API_KEYSet in your MCP configOPENAQ_API_BASE_URLSet in your MCP configCANVAS_PROVIDER_TYPESet in your MCP configOPENAQ_ENABLE_CANVAS_DROPSet in your MCP configMCP_LOG_LEVELSet in your MCP configInstall with your client
claude mcp add openaq --env OPENAQ_API_KEY=<YOUR_OPENAQ_API_KEY> --env OPENAQ_API_BASE_URL=<YOUR_OPENAQ_API_BASE_URL> --env CANVAS_PROVIDER_TYPE=<YOUR_CANVAS_PROVIDER_TYPE> --env OPENAQ_ENABLE_CANVAS_DROP=<YOUR_OPENAQ_ENABLE_CANVAS_DROP> --env MCP_LOG_LEVEL=<YOUR_MCP_LOG_LEVEL> -- npx -y @cyanheads/openaq-mcp-server@0.4.1
Run this in a terminal to add the server to Claude Code.
What this does
openaq-mcp-server exposes a set of tools to Claude over the Model Context Protocol. After you add it to claude_desktop_config.json (snippet above) and restart Claude Desktop, those tools become callable inside any conversation.
Requirements
This server needs the following environment variables to be set before it can run:
OPENAQ_API_KEY OPENAQ_API_BASE_URL CANVAS_PROVIDER_TYPE OPENAQ_ENABLE_CANVAS_DROP MCP_LOG_LEVEL
Set these via the env object in your MCP config (see claude_desktop_config.json snippet above).
Frequently asked questions
How do I install openaq-mcp-server?
Run the Claude Code command in the install section to add openaq-mcp-server to Claude Code, or copy the ready-made config for your client from the install section on this page. Restart your client afterwards and the tools appear in your next conversation.
Which clients work with openaq-mcp-server?
This page carries setup and config for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor and VS Code. Any other MCP client that accepts a standard server config can connect to openaq-mcp-server as well.
Does openaq-mcp-server need an API key?
Yes. Before it can run, set these environment variables: OPENAQ_API_KEY, OPENAQ_API_BASE_URL, CANVAS_PROVIDER_TYPE, OPENAQ_ENABLE_CANVAS_DROP, MCP_LOG_LEVEL. They go in the env block of your MCP config.
Imported from the Official MCP Registry. The details above come from the registry entry; the maker can claim this listing to correct them, add docs, and see its traffic.
Is this your MCP server?
Claim this listing to see its traffic, fix details yourself, and skip the review queue on future updates.
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