🇨🇭 Part of the Swiss Public Data MCP Portfolio
🌿 swiss-environment-mcp
MCP server connecting AI models to Swiss environmental data from BAFU – air quality, hydrology, natural hazards, wildfire danger and open environmental datasets.
🇩🇪 Deutsche Version
Overview
swiss-environment-mcp gives AI assistants like Claude direct access to real-time environmental data from Swiss federal authorities – no API keys required. Air quality readings from the national NABEL monitoring network, hydrological gauging stations, natural hazard bulletins, and the full BAFU dataset catalogue are all accessible through a single standardised MCP interface.
The server covers four thematic clusters: air quality (NABEL), hydrology, natural hazards, and the BAFU open data catalogue. Each cluster maps to a group of purpose-built tools that translate raw agency data into clean JSON responses.
Anchor demo query: "What is the current air quality at the NABEL station Zürich-Kaserne – and does it comply with WHO 2021 guidelines?"
→ More use cases by audience →
Features
- 🌬️ Air quality monitoring – 16 NABEL stations, NO₂/O₃/PM10/PM2.5/SO₂/CO, Swiss LRV + WHO 2021 limit checks
- 💧 Hydrology – water levels, flow rates, temperatures across Swiss gauging stations
- 🚨 Flood warnings – active alerts filtered by danger level and canton
- 🏔️ Natural hazard bulletin – SLF/BAFU bulletin in DE/FR/IT/EN, region-specific warnings
- 🔥 Wildfire danger – canton- and region-level fire danger index
- 📦 BAFU open data catalogue – search and retrieve environmental datasets via CKAN
- 🔑 No authentication required – all data sources are publicly accessible
- ☁️ Dual transport – stdio for Claude Desktop, Streamable HTTP/SSE for cloud deployment
Prerequisites
- Python 3.11+
- No API keys needed – all endpoints are publicly accessible without authentication
Installation
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/malkreide/swiss-environment-mcp.git
cd swiss-environment-mcp
# Install
pip install -e .
Or with uvx (no permanent installation):
uvx swiss-environment-mcp
Or via pip:
pip install swiss-environment-mcp
Quickstart
# Start the server (stdio mode for Claude Desktop)
swiss-environment-mcp
Try it immediately in Claude Desktop:
"What is the current air quality at NABEL station Zürich-Kaserne?"
"Are there any active flood warnings in Switzerland right now?"
"What is the wildfire danger level in Canton Valais?"
Configuration
Claude Desktop
Minimal (recommended):
{
"mcpServers": {
"swiss-environment": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["swiss-environment-mcp"],
"env": {}
}
}
}
Config file locations:
- macOS:
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
- Windows:
%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
After saving, restart Claude Desktop completely.
Cloud Deployment (SSE for browser access)
For use via claude.ai in the browser (e.g. on managed workstations without local software):
Render.com (recommended):
- Push/fork the repository to GitHub
- On render.com: New Web Service → connect GitHub repo
- Render detects
render.yaml automatically
- In claude.ai under Settings → MCP Servers, add:
https://your-app.onrender.com/sse
Docker:
docker build -t swiss-environment-mcp .
docker run -p 8000:8000 swiss-environment-mcp
💡 "stdio for the developer laptop, SSE for the browser."
Available Tools
🌬️ Air Quality / NABEL (3 tools)
| Tool | Description | Data Source |
|---|
env_nabel_stations | List all 16 NABEL monitoring stations with location type and canton | NABEL / BAFU |
env_nabel_current | Current air quality data for a station (NO₂, O₃, PM10, PM2.5, SO₂, CO) | NABEL / BAFU |
env_air_limits_check | Compare a measurement against Swiss LRV limits and WHO 2021 guidelines | Built-in |
💧 Hydrology (4 tools)
| Tool | Description | Data Source |
|---|
env_hydro_stations | Filter hydrological gauging stations by canton or water body | hydrodaten.admin.ch |
env_hydro_current | Current water level, flow rate and temperature at a station | hydrodaten.admin.ch |
env_hydro_history | Historical hourly values (up to 30 days) with download links ⚠️ | hydrodaten.admin.ch |
env_flood_warnings | Active flood warnings filtered by danger level and canton | hydrodaten.admin.ch |
🏔️ Natural Hazards (3 tools)
| Tool | Description | Data Source |
|---|
env_hazard_overview | Current natural hazard bulletin (SLF/BAFU) in DE/FR/IT/EN | naturgefahren.ch |
env_hazard_regions | Region-specific warnings (floods, avalanches, rockfall) | naturgefahren.ch |
env_wildfire_danger | Wildfire danger index by canton and region | waldbrandgefahr.ch |
📊 Environmental Data Catalogue (2 tools)
| Tool | Description | Data Source |
|---|
env_bafu_datasets | Search BAFU datasets on opendata.swiss (CKAN API) | opendata.swiss |
env_bafu_dataset_detail | Full metadata and download URLs for a specific dataset | opendata.swiss |
Example Use Cases
| Query | Tool |
|---|
| "Air quality at Zürich-Kaserne right now?" | env_nabel_current |
| "Does 45 µg/m³ NO₂ exceed the Swiss limit?" | env_air_limits_check |
| "Current water level of the Limmat in Zurich?" | env_hydro_current |
| "Active flood warnings in Switzerland?" | env_flood_warnings |
| "Natural hazard bulletin for Graubünden?" | env_hazard_overview |
| "Wildfire danger in Canton Valais?" | env_wildfire_danger |
| "BAFU biodiversity datasets on opendata.swiss?" | env_bafu_datasets |
🛡️ Safety & Limits
| Aspect | Details |
|---|
| Access | Read-only (readOnlyHint: true) — the server cannot modify or delete any data |
| Personal data | No personal data — all sources are aggregated, public environmental measurements |
| Rate limits | Built-in per-query caps (e.g. max 30 days hydrology history, 50 dataset search results) |
| Timeout | 30 seconds per API call |
| Authentication | No API keys required — all BAFU endpoints are publicly accessible |
| Licenses | BAFU Open Government Data (OGD) — free reuse with mandatory attribution |
| Terms of Service | Subject to ToS of the respective data sources: BAFU / opendata.swiss, hydrodaten.admin.ch, naturgefahren.ch, waldbrandgefahr.ch |
Architecture
┌─────────────────┐ ┌───────────────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────────────┐
│ Claude / AI │────▶│ Swiss Environment MCP │────▶│ BAFU / Swiss Agencies │
│ (MCP Host) │◀────│ (MCP Server) │◀────│ │
└─────────────────┘ │ │ │ hydrodaten.admin.ch │
│ 12 Tools · 3 Resources │ │ naturgefahren.ch │
│ Stdio | SSE │ │ waldbrandgefahr.ch │
│ │ │ opendata.swiss (CKAN) │
│ api_client.py │ └──────────────────────────┘
│ server.py (FastMCP) │
└───────────────────────────┘
Data Sources
All data: publicly accessible, no authentication required.
Attribution required: BAFU must be cited as the source when using their data.
Project Structure
swiss-environment-mcp/
├── src/swiss_environment_mcp/
│ ├── __init__.py # Package
│ ├── server.py # FastMCP server: 12 tools, 3 resources
│ ├── api_client.py # HTTP client + egress allow-list (SSRF guard)
│ └── logging_setup.py # structlog -> stderr
├── tests/
│ ├── test_unit.py # Mocked unit tests (no network) — CI default
│ ├── test_integration.py # Live API tests (marker: live)
│ └── test_20_scenarios.py # Live scenario coverage
├── scripts/tool_snapshot.py # Tool-definition hash snapshot (rug-pull guard)
├── docs/ # security.md, scaling.md, roadmap.md
├── .github/
│ ├── dependabot.yml # Monthly dependency/action updates
│ └── workflows/ # ci.yml, security.yml (gitleaks), live-tests.yml, publish.yml
├── Dockerfile # Multi-stage, non-root container
├── render.yaml / Procfile # Cloud deployment
├── tool-snapshot.json # Committed tool-definition snapshot
├── .env.example # Non-secret config template
└── pyproject.toml # Build configuration (hatchling)
Single-module layout (rationale, audit ARCH-011): the 12 tools live in one
server.py rather than a tools/ package. They are thin, uniform wrappers over
api_client.py sharing the same input/response patterns, so a single
well-sectioned module stays more navigable than 4 near-identical files. This is a
deliberate, documented deviation; a split is revisited if tool logic grows non-uniform.
MCP Protocol Version & Maintenance
- MCP protocol: negotiated at
initialize time and handled by the pinned MCP
SDK (mcp[cli]). The SDK version is the canonical pin; SDK/protocol updates land
via Dependabot PRs (.github/dependabot.yml, monthly).
- Tool-definition stability (audit SEC-022): any change to a tool's name,
description or parameters changes
tool-snapshot.json; CI fails until the snapshot
is regenerated and a CHANGELOG entry + version bump are added.
- Update policy: review Dependabot PRs monthly; bump the version (semver) on any
tool-definition or behaviour change.
Lifecycle Phase
This server is in Phase 1 (read-only) — all tools read-only, no auth, no side
effects. The phase model and prerequisites for Phase 2 (write/auth) are in
docs/roadmap.md. Security architecture (SSRF/egress, secret
management, lethal-trifecta assessment): docs/security.md.
Scaling/session strategy: docs/scaling.md.
Known Limitations
env_hydro_history: The historical hourly data endpoint is currently returning 404 errors from hydrodaten.admin.ch (BUG-01 – under investigation). The tool will return download links as a fallback.- NABEL: Near-real-time data only; no historical time series via this server.
- Natural hazards: Bulletin availability depends on SLF/BAFU publication schedule.
- Wildfire danger: Regional granularity varies by season and data availability.
Testing
# Unit tests (no API keys or network required)
PYTHONPATH=src pytest tests/ -m "not live"
# Integration tests (requires live BAFU APIs)
PYTHONPATH=src pytest tests/ -m "live"
# Linting
ruff check src/
Contributing
See CONTRIBUTING.md (English) · CONTRIBUTING.de.md (German)
Security
Security policy and posture: SECURITY.md (English) · SECURITY.de.md (German).
Full security architecture: docs/security.md.
Changelog
See CHANGELOG.md
License
MIT License — see LICENSE
Source data is subject to BAFU terms of use. Attribution to BAFU is required when using their data.
Author
Hayal Oezkan · github.com/malkreide
Credits & Related Projects
Synergy example: "What was the air quality at Schulhaus Leutschenbach today – and how does it compare to the national NABEL average?"
→ zurich-opendata-mcp (OSTLUFT, local) + swiss-environment-mcp (NABEL, national)
Installation
Run via uv's uvx — no clone or manual install needed. Add to your MCP client config (mcpServers for Claude Desktop, Cursor and Windsurf; use a top-level servers key for VS Code in .vscode/mcp.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"swiss-environment-mcp": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"swiss-environment-mcp"
]
}
}
}
