mcp-server-redcap

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for interacting with REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) instances.

Exposes 38 tools covering data access, project design, file management, and longitudinal project structure. Designed for use with LLM agents that need to query or build REDCap projects in natural language conversations.

Tools

Records

Tool	Description
export_records	Export records with optional filters by field, record ID, or event
import_records	Import records from a JSON payload
delete_records	Delete records by ID
export_report	Export a saved REDCap report by its ID
export_field_names	Export the mapping from field names to export names (required for checkbox fields)
generate_next_record_name	Get the next available record ID respecting the project's auto-numbering

Metadata

Tool	Description
get_project_info	Retrieve project-level information and settings
get_metadata	Export the data dictionary, optionally filtered by field or form
export_logging	Export the project audit log, with filters by type, user, record, or date range
export_repeating_instruments_events	Export the repeating instruments/events configuration
import_repeating_instruments_events	Update the repeating instruments/events configuration

Instruments & project design

Tool	Description
get_instruments	List all instruments with internal names and display labels
get_instrument_event_mappings	List arm/event/instrument mappings (longitudinal projects)
add_field	Add a new field to an instrument (round-trip through data dictionary)
remove_field	Remove a field from the data dictionary
update_field	Update specific properties of a field without touching the rest
add_instrument	Create a new instrument
delete_instrument	Delete an instrument and all its fields
rename_instrument	Rename an instrument's internal name
move_field	Reposition a field within the data dictionary
clone_instrument	Copy all fields of an instrument into a new one with a field-name prefix
assign_instrument_to_event	Add an instrument to a longitudinal event
unassign_instrument_from_event	Remove an instrument from a longitudinal event

Analysis

Tool	Description
get_project_structure	Compact overview of the whole project: instruments, field counts, event matrix
check_field_references	Find all fields that reference a given field in branching logic or calculations
validate_branching_logic	Scan all branching logic for references to non-existent fields

Files

Tool	Description
export_file	Download a file attachment from a record field (returned as base64)
import_file	Upload a file to a record field (accepts base64 content)
delete_file	Delete a file attachment from a record field
export_pdf	Export a PDF of one or more instruments for a record (returned as base64)

Arms & events (longitudinal)

Tool	Description
export_arms	List arms
import_arms	Create or update arms
delete_arms	Delete arms by number
export_events	List events, optionally filtered by arm
import_events	Create or update events
delete_events	Delete events by unique name

Surveys

Tool	Description
export_survey_link	Get a participant-specific survey URL for a record
export_survey_participant_list	List survey participants and their response status

Installation

pip install mcp-server-redcap

Or with uv:

uvx mcp-server-redcap

REDCap version compatibility

The server works against any REDCap instance running version 8.0 or later. Most tools are available from version 6.x, but export_pdf requires 8.x. Repeating instruments (export_repeating_instruments_events, import_repeating_instruments_events) require 6.16+. Tools that are unavailable on a given instance return a plain error string rather than crashing.

The current REDCap version of the connected instance is included in the output of get_project_structure.

Configuration

The server reads connection details from environment variables:

Variable	Required	Description
REDCAP_URL	Yes	Full REDCap API endpoint URL (e.g. https://redcap.example.org/api/)
REDCAP_TOKEN	Yes	Project-level API token from REDCap → API → Generate Token
REDCAP_VERIFY_SSL	No	Set to false to skip SSL verification (default: true)

Create a .env file in your working directory and the server will load it automatically:

REDCAP_URL=https://redcap.example.org/api/
REDCAP_TOKEN=your_project_token_here

Usage with Claude Code

Add the server to your Claude Code MCP configuration:

claude mcp add redcap -e REDCAP_URL=https://redcap.example.org/api/ \
                      -e REDCAP_TOKEN=your_token -- uvx mcp-server-redcap

Or edit .claude/settings.json manually:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "redcap": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["mcp-server-redcap"],
      "env": {
        "REDCAP_URL": "https://redcap.example.org/api/",
        "REDCAP_TOKEN": "your_project_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Development

git clone https://github.com/msicilia/mcp-server-redcap
cd mcp-server-redcap
uv sync --extra dev

Run the MCP inspector for interactive local testing:

uv run mcp dev src/mcp_server_redcap/server.py

Run the server directly (stdio transport, for use with MCP clients):

uv run mcp-server-redcap

Project structure

src/mcp_server_redcap/
├── __init__.py
├── __main__.py          # python -m mcp_server_redcap
├── server.py            # FastMCP server factory and entry point
├── connection.py        # REDCap project connection (lazy, singleton)
└── tools/
    ├── __init__.py
    ├── records.py       # record CRUD, field names, next record name
    ├── metadata.py      # project info, data dictionary, logging, repeating instruments
    ├── instruments.py   # instrument listing, field and instrument mutations
    ├── analysis.py      # project structure overview, reference and logic validation
    ├── files.py         # file attachments and PDF export
    ├── arms_events.py   # longitudinal arms and events CRUD
    └── surveys.py       # survey links and participant lists

See DESIGN.md for the full API reference and design rationale.

License

MIT