abs-mcp 0.1.0

MCP server for the Australian Bureau of Statistics Data API. Hides SDMX behind plain-English tools, with curated mappings for Labour Force, CPI, ERP, Building Approvals, and Lending Indicators.

abs-mcp

An MCP server that wraps the Australian Bureau of Statistics Data API and hides SDMX behind plain-English tools. Ask Claude "What's the unemployment rate in NSW?" and get a real answer with a source link, instead of a wall of SDMX codes.

Five tools, hand-curated mappings for Labour Force, CPI, Estimated Resident Population, Building Approvals, and Lending Indicators.

Install

# After publish:
uvx abs-mcp

# Local dev install:
uv pip install -e .

Claude Desktop

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "abs": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["abs-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

For a local checkout (before PyPI publish):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "abs": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "--directory", "/absolute/path/to/abs-mcp", "abs-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. The abs server appears in the tools panel with five tools.

Cursor

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (or workspace .cursor/mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "abs": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["abs-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Tools

Tool	What it does
search_datasets(query, limit=10)	Fuzzy-search ABS dataflow names. Returns the top matches.
describe_dataset(dataset_id)	Plain-English description of a dataflow's dimensions and values.
get_data(dataset_id, filters, start_period, end_period, format)	Query a dataflow with filters. Returns clean records (default), grouped series, or CSV.
latest(dataset_id, filters)	Just the most recent observation(s) — wraps get_data with lastNObservations=1.
list_curated()	The five dataflow IDs that have hand-curated plain-English support.

Curated dataflows

For these five, filters accepts plain-English values (e.g. "region": "nsw" instead of "REGION": "1"):

• LF — Labour Force, monthly: employment, unemployment, participation by state/sex
• CPI — Consumer Price Index, quarterly inflation by capital city and category
• ABS_ANNUAL_ERP_ASGS2021 — Estimated Resident Population, annual by state and sub-state geography
• BA_GCCSA — Building Approvals, monthly by state/capital region and building type
• LEND_HOUSING — Lending Indicators, monthly housing finance commitments by purpose, lender, and state

Any other ABS dataflow still works — pass raw SDMX dimension IDs and codes.

Worked examples

"What's the current unemployment rate in NSW?"

Claude calls:

latest(dataset_id="LF", filters={"region": "nsw", "measure": "unemployment_rate"})

Returns:

{
  "dataset_id": "LF",
  "dataset_name": "Labour Force",
  "query": {"region": "nsw", "measure": "unemployment_rate"},
  "period": {"start": "2026-03", "end": "2026-03"},
  "records": [
    {
      "period": "2026-03",
      "value": 4.2,
      "dimensions": {"measure": "Unemployment rate", "region": "New South Wales", "sex": "Persons"}
    }
  ],
  "source": "Australian Bureau of Statistics",
  "abs_url": "https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia"
}

"Show me NSW housing approvals over the last two years"

get_data(dataset_id="BA_GCCSA", filters={"region": "nsw", "measure": "dwelling_units"}, start_period="2024")

"Compare quarterly CPI in Sydney vs Melbourne"

get_data(dataset_id="CPI", filters={"region": ["sydney", "melbourne"], "measure": "change_year"}, start_period="2023")

Period formats

ABS uses different period formats per dataflow:

• Monthly (LF, BA_GCCSA, LEND_HOUSING): "2026-03"
• Quarterly (CPI): "2024-Q1"
• Annual (ABS_ANNUAL_ERP_ASGS2021): "2024"

Pass start_period / end_period in the matching format.

Development

git clone https://github.com/Bigred97/abs-mcp.git
cd abs-mcp
uv sync --extra dev
uv pip install -e .

# Unit tests (no network)
uv run pytest

# Live integration tests (hits real ABS API)
uv run pytest -m live

The SQLite cache lives at ~/.abs-mcp/cache.db. Catalogue refreshes every 24h, codelists every 7 days, data responses every hour, latest 15 minutes. Delete the file to force a refresh.

How it differs from existing ABS MCP servers

The one existing community option (seansoreilly/abs) exposes a single query_dataset tool that passes raw SDMX through. This package offers semantic tools and curated mappings for the highest-value dataflows so an LLM can answer real questions without you needing to know what M13.3.1599.20.1.M means.

License

MIT — Harry Vass, 2026.