Summary
Connects Claude to the Paleobiology Database, the open repository of fossil occurrence and taxonomic data spanning 540 million years. No API key required. Part of the Pipeworx gateway system that routes to 808+ data sources. You can either query fossil records directly through individual tools or use the ask_pipeworx interface to ask questions in plain English and let it select the right API calls. Useful when you need programmatic access to paleontological datasets for research, education, or building tools that work with deep time biological data. Runs over streamable HTTP, so it works with any MCP client that supports remote connections.
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mcp-paleobiodb
Paleobiology Database (PBDB) MCP — the global fossil record. Keyless.
Part of Pipeworx — an MCP gateway connecting AI agents to 1476+ live data sources.
Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
find_fossils | Find fossil occurrences for a taxon from the Paleobiology Database (the global fossil record). Returns occurrences with collection locations (lat/lng, country) and geologic ages. base_name matching includes the taxon and all of its subtaxa. Ages are in millions of years (Ma). Keyless. |
get_taxon | Look up a single taxon in the Paleobiology Database: its taxonomic rank, attribution (author + year), first/last appearance intervals and ages (in millions of years, Ma), and number of subtaxa. Keyless. |
list_subtaxa | List the direct child taxa (subtaxa) of a taxon from the Paleobiology Database, with each child's rank and number of its own subtaxa. Keyless. |
Quick Start
Add to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):
{
"mcpServers": {
"paleobiodb": {
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/paleobiodb/mcp"
}
}
}
What this endpoint actually serves
tools/list at https://gateway.pipeworx.io/paleobiodb/mcp returns the tools in the table
above plus the shared Pipeworx meta-tools — ask_pipeworx,
discover_tools, search_within, remember/recall and the rest of the
gateway-wide set. So the tool count you see is larger than this table: a
single-pack endpoint currently lists roughly 30 shared tools alongside the
pack's own. The connection's initialize response states its exact scope, and
is the authoritative answer for a given day.
This is deliberate, not multiplexing by accident. The meta-tools are what let a
scoped connection answer a question this pack does not cover — via
ask_pipeworx, which routes across the whole catalog — without you adding a
second MCP server. There is currently no way to mount a pack endpoint without
them; if the extra schemas cost you more context than the routing is worth,
connect to the full gateway once rather than to several pack endpoints.
Or connect to the full Pipeworx gateway to get every pack's tools listed directly, instead of just this one's:
{
"mcpServers": {
"pipeworx": {
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/mcp"
}
}
}
Both URLs reach the same gateway and the same 1476+ data sources. The
only difference is which pack's tools are listed directly; ask_pipeworx
reaches all of them from either one.
Using with ask_pipeworx
Instead of calling tools directly, you can ask questions in plain English — this works on the pack endpoint above as well as on the full gateway:
ask_pipeworx({ question: "your question about Paleobiodb data" })
The gateway picks the right tool and fills the arguments automatically.
More
License
MIT
No MCP client? Call it over HTTP
curl -X POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/find_fossils \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"taxon":"Tyrannosaurus"}'
No account needed for the first calls. Inspect any tool: GET https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/find_fossils. Find one: POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/search_packs with {"query":"..."}.
Featured
Fastest browser for AI agents to run web automation tasks, always free.
Download Free life-time →Integrate web data into your AI product. One API to scrape website & brand data.
Get API Key Now →belt cli automatically finds the best tools and skills for your agent. image, video, music, tts...
one prompt install →Connect your Claude agent to live crypto prices and trading routes via 1inch
Get the MCP →