BC Water Tides MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides access to Canadian tide predictions from the Integrated Water Level System (IWLS) API. This server enables AI applications to retrieve tide forecasts for monitoring stations across Canada.

Features

Tools

• `get_tide_forecast` - Get 7-day tide height predictions for a specific station
• `list_stations` - List available tide monitoring stations with filtering options

Installation

1. Clone or download this repository

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd bc-tide-mcp-server

1. Install dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   # or using uv
   uv sync

Usage

Running the Server

Development mode (stdio):

python main.py

Using uv:

uv run main.py

Integration with Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration file (claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bc-tides": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/bc-tide-mcp-server/main.py"]
    }
  }
}

Or using uv:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bc-tides": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "--directory", "/absolute/path/to/bc-tide-mcp-server", "main.py"]
    }
  }
}

API Reference

Tools

#### get_tide_forecast

Get 7-day tide height forecast for a Canadian monitoring station.

Parameters:

• station_name (required): The name of the monitoring station (e.g., "Point Atkinson", "Vancouver", "Victoria"). Partial matching is supported.

Returns:

{
  "success": true,
  "station": {
    "name": "Point Atkinson",
    "id": "5cebf1de3d0f4a073c4bbcef",
    "code": "07795",
    "latitude": 49.3299,
    "longitude": -123.2633,
    "operating": true
  },
  "time_range": {
    "from": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
    "to": "2024-01-08T00:00:00Z"
  },
  "resolution": "SIXTY_MINUTES (hourly)",
  "total_predictions": 168,
  "forecasts": [
    {
      "timestamp": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
      "water_level_meters": 3.42,
      "qc_flag": "2"
    }
  ]
}

#### list_stations

List available tide monitoring stations.

Parameters:

• search_term (optional): Filter stations by name
• operating_only (optional, default: true): Only return currently operating stations
• limit (optional, default: 20): Maximum number of stations to return (1-100)

Returns:

{
  "success": true,
  "search_term": "vancouver",
  "operating_only": true,
  "total_matching": 3,
  "stations": [
    {
      "name": "Point Atkinson",
      "alternative_name": null,
      "id": "5cebf1de3d0f4a073c4bbcef",
      "code": "07795",
      "latitude": 49.3299,
      "longitude": -123.2633,
      "operating": true
    }
  ]
}

Example Station Names

• Point Atkinson (near Vancouver)
• Victoria
• Tofino
• Prince Rupert
• Nanaimo
• Campbell River

Data Source

This server uses the Integrated Water Level System (IWLS) API provided by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO-MPO).

API Base URL: https://api-iwls.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/api/v1

Example Usage in Claude

After setting up the server, you can use it in Claude Desktop:

"What are the tide predictions for Point Atkinson for the next week?"

"List all tide stations near Victoria"

"Get the tide forecast for Tofino"

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.