About Overheid Nl
Overheid Nl is an MCP server for searching the Netherlands' national open-data catalogue, data.overheid.nl. It exposes CKAN dataset and publisher metadata, while dataset resources link to the actual data files.
Key features
- 01Search government open datasets
- 02Retrieve dataset records and resources
- 03List publishing organizations
- 04List thematic groups
Use cases
- 01Find Dutch government datasets
- 02Inspect dataset download formats and URLs
- 03Identify organizations publishing data
MCP support
Exposes data.overheid.nl CKAN catalogue search and metadata tools to MCP clients. It can run through Pipeworx or as a standalone local stdio server.
Configuration
Remote servers need no local install. Pick your client, then copy the config or install in one click.
https://gateway.pipeworx.io/overheid-nl/mcpclaude mcp add --transport http pipeworx-io-overheid-nl https://gateway.pipeworx.io/overheid-nl/mcp{"mcpServers":{"pipeworx-io-overheid-nl":{"type":"http","url":"https://gateway.pipeworx.io/overheid-nl/mcp"}}}Open in Cursor{"servers":{"pipeworx-io-overheid-nl":{"type":"http","url":"https://gateway.pipeworx.io/overheid-nl/mcp"}}}Open in VS Code{"mcpServers":{"pipeworx-io-overheid-nl":{"type":"http","url":"https://gateway.pipeworx.io/overheid-nl/mcp"}}}{"mcpServers":{"pipeworx-io-overheid-nl":{"serverUrl":"https://gateway.pipeworx.io/overheid-nl/mcp"}}}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
45| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| q | string | No | Alias for question. |
| ask | string | No | Alias for question. |
| text | string | No | Alias for question. |
| input | string | No | Alias for question. |
| packs | array | No | OPTIONAL. 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). |
| query | string | No | Alias for question. |
| prompt | string | No | Alias for question. |
| message | string | No | Alias for question. |
| question | string | Yes | Your question or request in natural language. Accepts query, q, prompt, text, input, ask, message as aliases. |
Details
From the project READMEmcp-overheid-nl
data.overheid.nl MCP — the Netherlands national open-data portal (CKAN API).
Part of Pipeworx — an MCP gateway connecting AI agents to 1683+ live data sources.
Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
search_datasets | Search the data.overheid.nl catalogue of Dutch government open data (CKAN package_search). Returns matching datasets with titles/descriptions (mostly Dutch). Query may be Dutch or English; Dutch matches more. |
dataset_details | Full dataset record by id or slug (CKAN package_show), including its resources. Each resource has a download "url" and "format" (CSV/JSON/etc.) — the portal is metadata-only, so fetch those URLs to get the actual data. |
list_organizations | List publishing organizations (ministries/agencies/provinces) on data.overheid.nl (CKAN organization_list). Use an org "name" in search_datasets fq, e.g. "organization:". |
list_groups | List thematic groups/categories on data.overheid.nl (CKAN group_list). Note: this portal currently exposes no groups (returns an empty list) — prefer fq facets on search_datasets to narrow by theme. |
Quick Start
Add to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):
{
"mcpServers": {
"overheid-nl": {
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/overheid-nl/mcp"
}
}
}
What this endpoint actually serves
tools/list at https://gateway.pipeworx.io/overheid-nl/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 1683+ 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/overheid_nl_search_datasets \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"query":"onderwijs"}'
No account needed for the first calls. Inspect any tool: GET https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/overheid_nl_search_datasets. 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": {
"overheid-nl": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-overheid-nl"]
}
}
}
Or run it directly to confirm it starts:
npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-overheid-nl
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 Overheid Nl data" })
The gateway picks the right tool and fills the arguments automatically.
More
License
MIT
Comments
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