SimDoc MCP Server

MCP (Model Context Protocol) server providing access to scientific simulation documentation through Claude Desktop and Cursor.

For End Users

Just want to use SimDoc? You don't need to run this server yourself!

Quick Setup (2 minutes)

Step 1: Locate your config file

• Claude Desktop (macOS): ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Claude Desktop (Windows): %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Cursor: ~/.cursor/mcp.json

Step 2: Add SimDoc to your config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "simdoc": {
      "url": "http://simdoc.subspace-lab.com:8080/sse"
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Restart Claude Desktop or Cursor

Step 4: Try it out!

Ask Claude:

• "How do I simulate battery aging in PyBaMM?"
• "Show me Cantera reactor network examples"

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Features

• 🔍 Search scientific simulation documentation (PyBaMM, Cantera, and more)
• 🤖 AI-powered code snippet retrieval with relevance scoring
• 📚 Structured simulator metadata and version resolution
• 🔌 Works with Claude Desktop and Cursor
• 🚀 Hosted and maintained - no setup required

Available MCP Tools

resolve-simulator-id

Find simulators by name with metadata, versions, and trust scores.

Example usage in Claude:

"What simulators are available for battery modeling?"

get-simulator-docs

Search and retrieve code snippets from simulator documentation.

Example usage in Claude:

"Show me PyBaMM examples for SEI layer growth" "How do I create a premixed flame in Cantera?"

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For Developers

This repository contains the open-source MCP server implementation. It's provided for transparency and as a reference for MCP protocol implementation.

Running Your Own Instance (Optional)

If you want to run your own MCP server instance:

# 1. Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/jiweiqi/simdoc-mcp.git
cd simdoc-mcp

# 2. Configure backend URL
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and set BACKEND_URL

# 3. Run with Docker Compose
docker-compose up -d

Note: You'll need access to a SimDoc backend API. The hosted version uses our internal backend.

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
BACKEND_URL	Required	SimDoc backend API endpoint
HOST	0.0.0.0	Server host to bind to
PORT	8080	Server port
LOG_LEVEL	INFO	Logging level
TRANSPORT	sse	MCP transport protocol

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Architecture

┌──────────────┐
│ Claude/Cursor│  MCP Protocol over SSE
└──────┬───────┘
       │
┌──────▼───────┐
│ MCP Server   │  Port 8080 (FastMCP)
│ simdoc-mcp   │  This repository
└──────┬───────┘
       │ HTTP REST API
┌──────▼───────┐
│ Backend API  │  SimDoc backend
│              │  (Separate deployment)
└──────────────┘

This repository contains only the MCP protocol layer. The backend (search, indexing, AI summarization) is maintained separately.

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Supported Simulators

Currently available:

• PyBaMM - Python Battery Mathematical Modeling
• Cantera - Chemical kinetics, thermodynamics, and transport
• More coming soon!

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Troubleshooting

Tools not appearing in Claude/Cursor

1. Verify config file location and syntax
2. Make sure you restarted Claude Desktop completely (quit and reopen)
3. Check the URL is correct: http://simdoc.subspace-lab.com:8080/sse

Getting errors when using tools

The hosted server should be running 24/7. If you encounter issues, please open a GitHub issue.

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Contributing

This repository is maintained by the SimDoc team. We develop internally and sync to this public repo for transparency.

Want to help?

• Report issues if tools don't work
• Suggest new simulators to add
• Share feedback on search quality

We don't accept code contributions at this time, but appreciate bug reports and feature requests!

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Development

Development happens in our private repository and is synced here. This ensures:

• Quality control of the MCP implementation
• Coordination with backend development
• Consistent user experience

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License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Built with FastMCP
• Supports Model Context Protocol
• Designed for scientific computing communities

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Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Questions: Open a GitHub issue with your question