SimDoc MCP Server

AI-powered code search for scientific simulation documentation. Search PyBaMM, Cantera, and other simulators directly from your AI coding assistant.

🚀 Quick Start

Using the Public Hosted Service (Recommended)

SimDoc provides a free public MCP server - no installation required.

Endpoint: https://simdoc.subspace-lab.com/sse

Step 1: Add SimDoc to your AI assistant

Choose your tool:

<details> <summary><b>Claude Desktop</b></summary>

Config file location:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Add this configuration:

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

</details>

<details> <summary><b>Claude Code</b></summary>

Config file location:

• Project: .mcp.json (in project root)
• User: ~/.claude/settings.local.json

Add this configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "simdoc": {
      "type": "sse",
      "url": "https://simdoc.subspace-lab.com/sse"
    }
  }
}

</details>

<details> <summary><b>Cursor</b></summary>

Config file location: ~/.cursor/mcp.json

Add this configuration:

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

</details>

<details> <summary><b>Cline (VS Code)</b></summary>

Setup: Click "Configure MCP Servers" in Cline extension panel

Add this configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "simdoc": {
      "url": "https://simdoc.subspace-lab.com/sse",
      "alwaysAllow": []
    }
  }
}

</details>

<details> <summary><b>Windsurf</b></summary>

Config file location: Windsurf MCP settings

Add this configuration:

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

</details>

Step 2: Restart your AI assistant

Completely quit and reopen your AI tool.

Step 3: Try it!

Ask your AI assistant:

• "How do I simulate battery aging in PyBaMM?"
• "Show me Cantera reactor network examples"
• "How can I model battery degradation over drive cycles?"

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🎯 What You Get

Available Simulators

Simulator	Documentation	Examples
PyBaMM	Battery modeling	120+ files
Cantera	Chemical kinetics & thermodynamics	98+ files

MCP Tools

• resolve-simulator-id - Find simulators by name with metadata
• get-simulator-docs - Search code snippets and documentation

Example Queries

1. Battery Simulations

   • "How do I simulate SEI layer growth in PyBaMM?"
   • "Show me battery calendar aging examples"
   • "How to simulate realistic driving conditions?"

2. Reactor Networks

   • "Set up a continuously stirred reactor in Cantera"
   • "Calculate ignition delay times"

3. Thermodynamics

   • "How to calculate specific heat of gas mixtures?"
   • "Get entropy and enthalpy properties"

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🏗️ How It Works

┌──────────────────┐
│ Your AI Client   │
│ (Claude/Cursor)  │
└────────┬─────────┘
         │
         │ HTTPS MCP Protocol
         │
┌────────▼─────────┐
│ SimDoc Service   │  https://simdoc.subspace-lab.com/sse
│ (Hosted)         │
└──────────────────┘

SimDoc provides MCP tools to search scientific simulation documentation. Just add the endpoint to your AI client and start asking questions.

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🐛 Troubleshooting

MCP tools not appearing in your AI client

1. Verify config file location and syntax

   # Claude Desktop (macOS)
   cat ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   
   # Validate JSON syntax
   python3 -m json.tool < config.json
   

2. Check the URL is correct

   • Should be: https://simdoc.subspace-lab.com/sse
   • Common mistake: Using http:// instead of https://

3. Restart your AI client completely

   # Claude Desktop (macOS)
   killall Claude && open -a Claude
   

4. Test the endpoint directly

   curl https://simdoc.subspace-lab.com/sse
   # Expected: "event: endpoint" response
   

5. Check your AI client's MCP logs

   • Claude Desktop (macOS): ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log
   • Look for connection errors or timeout messages

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📖 More Information

• Example Queries: MCP Showcase - Real usage examples
• Main Repository: SimDoc README - Full project overview
• Report Issues: GitHub Issues

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions welcome! See the main repository for guidelines.

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📝 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

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Built with ❤️ for the scientific computing community