@pondlog/mcp-inaturalist

A place-aware iNaturalist MCP server. Gives any MCP-aware AI client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Continue, custom agents) nine tools for searching observations, species counts, taxa, places, and top observers anywhere in the world. No API key required: iNaturalist reads are open. Rate-limited internally to stay within iNat's 100 req/min budget.

Part of pondlog, a toolkit for stitching together public nature APIs (iNaturalist, eBird, USGS, NPN, NOAA, SunCalc).

Install / run

The server is published to npm and runs via npx (no install step):

npx -y @pondlog/mcp-inaturalist

It speaks MCP over stdio.

Configure

Claude Desktop

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pondlog-inaturalist": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pondlog/mcp-inaturalist"]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. The nine tools will appear in the slash menu.

Cursor

Edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pondlog-inaturalist": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pondlog/mcp-inaturalist"]
    }
  }
}

MCP Inspector (debug)

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector npx -y @pondlog/mcp-inaturalist

Tools

All tools are read-only. None require auth. Coordinates use WGS84 decimal degrees.

Tool	What it does
search_observations	Search observations with filters (geo radius, taxon, iconic group, date range, quality grade).
get_observation	Fetch a single observation by ID with photos and full detail.
get_species_counts	Per-species observation counts for a geo + temporal query.
search_taxa	Search the iNat taxonomy by common or scientific name.
get_taxon	Fetch one taxon by ID with ancestry, Wikipedia URL, observation count.
get_nearby_observations	Convenience: recent observations near coords (default 25 km / 7 days).
get_iconic_taxa_summary	Group counts and top species by iconic taxa group at a location.
search_places	Look up an iNat place (park, county, country) by name to get its place_id.
get_observers	Top observers for a geo + temporal query.

Iconic taxa glossary

Aves = birds · Amphibia = frogs/salamanders · Mammalia = mammals · Reptilia = reptiles · Insecta = insects · Arachnida = spiders · Mollusca = snails/octopuses · Plantae = plants · Fungi = fungi/lichens · Actinopterygii = ray-finned fish.

Example prompts

After configuring, try:

• What amphibians have been seen near Port Angeles, WA in the last week?
• Show me the top 10 birds reported around Olympic National Park this month.
• What's the most-observed plant in Clallam County right now?
• Find the iNaturalist taxon ID for Pacific chorus frog.
• Who are the most active observers in Sequim, WA over the last 30 days?

License

MIT. See the root LICENSE.