fanar-mcp

A Model Context Protocol server for Fanar, the Arabic-centric generative AI platform built by QCRI at Hamad Bin Khalifa University. It gives any MCP client (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and other agent harnesses) Fanar's chat models, cited Islamic question answering, Qur'an and hadith quotation checks, deep research, Arabic-English translation, Arabic speech in both directions, and image generation.

Built for the Islamic finance community first: ask a fiqh question and get the sources, check every quotation in a draft before it is published, and translate classical Arabic texts.

Independent open-source project by Blade Labs. Not affiliated with or endorsed by QCRI or HBKU. Status: alpha.

Tools

Limits are Fanar's published defaults; every result carries the remaining quota Fanar reports. A tool that needs a model your key lacks returns a clear error with the link to request access.

Prompts: islamic_finance_question (answer with sources and checked quotations) and verify_islamic_quotations (check a text before publishing).

Get a key

Request API access at https://api.fanar.qa/request. Fanar deactivates keys after 90 days without use.

Install and configure

Requires Python 3.10 or later.

pip install fanar-mcp          # or run it without installing: uvx fanar-mcp
uvx --from git+https://github.com/Blade-Labs/fanar-mcp fanar-mcp   # straight from GitHub

Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fanar": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["fanar-mcp"],
      "env": { "FANAR_API_KEY": "your-key" }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code:

claude mcp add fanar -e FANAR_API_KEY=your-key -- uvx fanar-mcp

Cursor and other clients take the same command (uvx fanar-mcp) and the FANAR_API_KEY variable. For a shared server, run fanar-mcp --transport streamable-http --port 8765.

Environment variables: FANAR_API_KEY (required), FANAR_BASE_URL (default https://api.fanar.qa/v1), FANAR_MCP_OUTPUT_DIR (where audio and images are saved; default ~/fanar-mcp-output).

Responsible use

• Answers from fanar_islamic_qa are cited answers, not fatwas. Show the references, note differences between schools, and refer binding questions to a qualified scholar or Shariah board.
• A quotation that fanar_validate_quotations leaves untagged was not verified. Treat it as unverified.
• Your use of the API is governed by Fanar's own terms. Read them before using Fanar in a commercial product.
• The server never logs or returns your API key.

Development

pip install -e ".[test]"
pytest                        # offline tests, no network or key needed
FANAR_API_KEY=... python scripts/smoke.py   # live check through a real MCP client

License

Apache-2.0. See LICENSE.