iNaturalist MCP

An MCP server that interfaces with iNaturalist's index of 387M+ georeferenced citizen-science observations. It allows agents to search sightings by area, date, taxon, and annotation; read identification threads; chart phenology; rank species by area; and identify look-alike taxa. It supports STDIO or Streamable HTTP transports and requires no API key.

Package and access

Local package with source-attributed installation metadata. Koskamo does not execute packages during review.

Community listingLocal stdioSource reviewed; not executedPublished by cyanheads

Vendor documentation

What you can do with it

Search georeferenced wildlife sightings by area, date, and taxon
Read community identification threads for specific observation records
Chart phenology histograms showing when a taxon appears in an area
Find look-alike species that a taxon is most often misidentified as

Source and maintenance

Community listingRegistry 0.3.0

mcp-registry: io.github.cyanheads/inaturalist-mcp-server@0.3.0 Source repository

Maintenance checked: Oct 31, 2026, 10:27 PM UTC

Packages and installation

Source-provided package data. Koskamo has not executed or live-probed this package.

@cyanheads/inaturalist-mcp-server 0.3.0

npmnpx

@cyanheads/inaturalist-mcp-server package definition

{
  "version": "0.3.0",
  "transport": "stdio",
  "identifier": "@cyanheads/inaturalist-mcp-server",
  "runtimeHint": "npx",
  "registryType": "npm",
  "registryBaseUrl": "https://registry.npmjs.org",
  "environmentVariables": [
    {
      "name": "MCP_LOG_LEVEL",
      "format": "string",
      "default": "info",
      "description": "Sets the minimum log level for output (e.g., 'debug', 'info', 'warn')."
    },
    {
      "name": "INATURALIST_CLAMP_LIMITS",
      "format": "string",
      "default": "true",
      "description": "Clamp oversized read limits and defer oversized by-id batches. Set false to restore strict rejection."
    },
    {
      "name": "INATURALIST_USER_AGENT",
      "format": "string",
      "description": "User-Agent sent on every request to api.inaturalist.org. Defaults to the package name, its version, and the repository URL. Keep a contact URL in any override — the published terms ask for identifiable clients."
    },
    {
      "name": "INATURALIST_MIN_REQUEST_INTERVAL_MS",
      "format": "number",
      "default": "1100",
      "description": "Minimum spacing between outbound request starts, in milliseconds. The default holds the sustained rate near 54 requests per minute, under the 60 the upstream asks for and well under its 100 ceiling."
    },
    {
      "name": "INATURALIST_MAX_CONCURRENT_REQUESTS",
      "format": "number",
      "default": "4",
      "description": "Maximum outbound requests in flight. Separate from the start interval: spacing bounds the sustained rate, this bounds the burst so one slow call does not stall the lane."
    },
    {
      "name": "INATURALIST_DAILY_REQUEST_BUDGET",
      "format": "number",
      "default": "9000",
      "description": "Outbound requests allowed per UTC day, counted in-process. The default sits under the 10,000 per day the upstream asks for, and exhaustion fails loudly rather than degrading silently. The counter is per process and resets on restart."
    }
  ]
}

Tools

Reported by the attributed source; not independently observed by Koskamo.

No tool definitions available.

Connect from your client

Each snippet configures the same source-provided package; replace placeholders before use.

This server is operated by the named third party. Listing and endpoint checks are not an endorsement or a security audit. Review the operator's permissions, terms, and data handling before connecting. How listings are checked and corrected.

Cursor

Merge this local stdio configuration, replace every placeholder environment value, and restart Cursor. Koskamo has not executed this package.

Cursor configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "inaturalist-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@cyanheads/inaturalist-mcp-server@0.3.0"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "<YOUR_MCP_LOG_LEVEL>",
        "INATURALIST_CLAMP_LIMITS": "<YOUR_INATURALIST_CLAMP_LIMITS>",
        "INATURALIST_USER_AGENT": "<YOUR_INATURALIST_USER_AGENT>",
        "INATURALIST_MIN_REQUEST_INTERVAL_MS": "<YOUR_INATURALIST_MIN_REQUEST_INTERVAL_MS>",
        "INATURALIST_MAX_CONCURRENT_REQUESTS": "<YOUR_INATURALIST_MAX_CONCURRENT_REQUESTS>",
        "INATURALIST_DAILY_REQUEST_BUDGET": "<YOUR_INATURALIST_DAILY_REQUEST_BUDGET>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cline

Merge this local stdio configuration, replace every placeholder environment value, and restart Cline. Koskamo has not executed this package.

Cline configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "inaturalist-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@cyanheads/inaturalist-mcp-server@0.3.0"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "<YOUR_MCP_LOG_LEVEL>",
        "INATURALIST_CLAMP_LIMITS": "<YOUR_INATURALIST_CLAMP_LIMITS>",
        "INATURALIST_USER_AGENT": "<YOUR_INATURALIST_USER_AGENT>",
        "INATURALIST_MIN_REQUEST_INTERVAL_MS": "<YOUR_INATURALIST_MIN_REQUEST_INTERVAL_MS>",
        "INATURALIST_MAX_CONCURRENT_REQUESTS": "<YOUR_INATURALIST_MAX_CONCURRENT_REQUESTS>",
        "INATURALIST_DAILY_REQUEST_BUDGET": "<YOUR_INATURALIST_DAILY_REQUEST_BUDGET>"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code

Merge this local stdio configuration, replace every placeholder environment value, and restart VS Code. Koskamo has not executed this package.

VS Code configuration

{
  "servers": {
    "inaturalist-mcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@cyanheads/inaturalist-mcp-server@0.3.0"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "<YOUR_MCP_LOG_LEVEL>",
        "INATURALIST_CLAMP_LIMITS": "<YOUR_INATURALIST_CLAMP_LIMITS>",
        "INATURALIST_USER_AGENT": "<YOUR_INATURALIST_USER_AGENT>",
        "INATURALIST_MIN_REQUEST_INTERVAL_MS": "<YOUR_INATURALIST_MIN_REQUEST_INTERVAL_MS>",
        "INATURALIST_MAX_CONCURRENT_REQUESTS": "<YOUR_INATURALIST_MAX_CONCURRENT_REQUESTS>",
        "INATURALIST_DAILY_REQUEST_BUDGET": "<YOUR_INATURALIST_DAILY_REQUEST_BUDGET>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop

Merge this local stdio configuration, replace every placeholder environment value, and restart Claude Desktop. Koskamo has not executed this package.

Claude Desktop configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "inaturalist-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@cyanheads/inaturalist-mcp-server@0.3.0"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "<YOUR_MCP_LOG_LEVEL>",
        "INATURALIST_CLAMP_LIMITS": "<YOUR_INATURALIST_CLAMP_LIMITS>",
        "INATURALIST_USER_AGENT": "<YOUR_INATURALIST_USER_AGENT>",
        "INATURALIST_MIN_REQUEST_INTERVAL_MS": "<YOUR_INATURALIST_MIN_REQUEST_INTERVAL_MS>",
        "INATURALIST_MAX_CONCURRENT_REQUESTS": "<YOUR_INATURALIST_MAX_CONCURRENT_REQUESTS>",
        "INATURALIST_DAILY_REQUEST_BUDGET": "<YOUR_INATURALIST_DAILY_REQUEST_BUDGET>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Let your agent find its tools

Find servers like iNaturalist MCP from your agent. Add Koskamo once to search the index for endpoints, access requirements, and client setup. Public discovery needs no key.

Connect Koskamo Explore workflows

See all 2,966