mcpField
A
Abs Au

Abs Au

Remote
pipeworx.ioLegal & Government0Updated 6d ago

About Abs Au

Abs Au is an MCP server for browsing and retrieving Australian Bureau of Statistics data. It helps analysts and developers inspect dataset dimensions and fetch decoded, time-indexed observations using SDMX-style keys.

Key features

  1. 01Browse or search ABS datasets
  2. 02Inspect dimensions and valid codes
  3. 03Fetch observations by data key
  4. 04Return labeled time-series values

Use cases

  1. 01Find datasets for a statistical topic
  2. 02Build filters from dataset dimensions
  3. 03Retrieve time-indexed ABS observations

MCP support

Exposes dataset listing, structure inspection, and data retrieval tools to MCP clients. It can run locally over stdio or through the Pipeworx gateway.

Configuration

Remote servers need no local install. Pick your client, then copy the config or install in one click.

Endpointhttps://gateway.pipeworx.io/abs-au/mcp
Copy install command
Claude CodeTerminal
Cursor.cursor/mcp.json
VS Code.vscode/mcp.json
Claude Desktopclaude_desktop_config.json
Windsurf~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

Run commands in a terminal; paste JSON into the client’s MCP config and restart. Servers that need sign-in will prompt on first connect.

Tools

44
ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
qstringNoAlias for question.
askstringNoAlias for question.
textstringNoAlias for question.
inputstringNoAlias for question.
packsarrayNoOPTIONAL. Restrict routing to these pack slugs (e.g. ["sec-form-d","sec-13f"]) — the router then picks only from tools in those packs. Omit for the default full-catalog routing. Slugs come from list_packs / search_packs / https://pipeworx.io/directory; unlisted or unknown slugs are ignored and named in _meta.pack_scope.ignored, and if none of them resolves the question is routed across the whole catalog with _meta.pack_scope.full_catalog:true (never an empty answer).
querystringNoAlias for question.
promptstringNoAlias for question.
messagestringNoAlias for question.
questionstringYesYour question or request in natural language. Accepts query, q, prompt, text, input, ask, message as aliases.

Details

From the project README

mcp-abs-au

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Data API MCP.

Part of Pipeworx — an MCP gateway connecting AI agents to 1872+ live data sources. This is an independent, unofficial integration — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or published by the upstream provider.

Tools

ToolDescription
list_dataflowsBrowse or search ABS datasets (dataflows). Returns dataflow IDs + descriptive names; the ID (e.g. "CPI", "ALC", "ABS_REGIONAL_LGA2021") is what you pass to dataflow_structure and get_data. Optionally filter by a case-insensitive substring against the ID and name.
dataflow_structureFor one ABS dataflow, return its ordered dimensions and the valid codes for each. Use this to build a dataKey for get_data: the key has one dot-separated position per dimension, in the order returned here. Call this before get_data.
get_dataFetch observations from an ABS dataflow. dataKey is a dot-separated SDMX filter with one position per dimension (order from dataflow_structure); each position is a code, "+"-joined codes, or empty for wildcard. Pass "all" to fetch everything (can be large). Returns decoded series with their dimension labels and time-indexed values. Fetch dataflow_structure first to learn the dimension order and valid codes.

Quick Start

Add to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "abs-au": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/abs-au/mcp"
    }
  }
}
What this endpoint actually serves

tools/list at https://gateway.pipeworx.io/abs-au/mcp returns the tools in the table above plus the shared Pipeworx meta-tools — ask_pipeworx, discover_tools, search_within, remember/recall and the rest of the gateway-wide set. So the tool count you see is larger than this table: a single-pack endpoint currently lists roughly 30 shared tools alongside the pack's own. The connection's initialize response states its exact scope, and is the authoritative answer for a given day.

This is deliberate, not multiplexing by accident. The meta-tools are what let a scoped connection answer a question this pack does not cover — via ask_pipeworx, which routes across the whole catalog — without you adding a second MCP server. There is currently no way to mount a pack endpoint without them; if the extra schemas cost you more context than the routing is worth, connect to the full gateway once rather than to several pack endpoints.

Or connect to the full Pipeworx gateway to get every pack's tools listed directly, instead of just this one's:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pipeworx": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Both URLs reach the same gateway and the same 1872+ data sources. The only difference is which pack's tools are listed directly; ask_pipeworx reaches all of them from either one.

No MCP client? Call it over HTTP

curl -X POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/abs_au_list_dataflows \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"search":"consumer price"}'

No account needed for the first calls. Inspect any tool: GET https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/abs_au_list_dataflows. Find one: POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/search_packs with {"query":"..."}.

Standalone (no gateway account)

This package also runs as a local stdio MCP server — no Pipeworx account, no gateway round-trip:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "abs-au": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-abs-au"]
    }
  }
}

Or run it directly to confirm it starts:

npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-abs-au

It speaks MCP over stdin/stdout and answers initialize/tools/list/tools/call for only this pack's tools — none of the shared meta-tools the gateway connection above adds. Same source, same tools, no ask_pipeworx routing.

Using with ask_pipeworx

Instead of calling tools directly, you can ask questions in plain English — this works on the pack endpoint above as well as on the full gateway:

ask_pipeworx({ question: "your question about Abs Au data" })

The gateway picks the right tool and fills the arguments automatically.

More

License

MIT

Comments

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