ausdata-mcp
mcp-name: io.ausdata/ausdata-mcp
MCP server for the Australian public data API. Plug into Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, or any other MCP client and get one-call access to 100+ curated Australian government datasets across 9 sources.
Install
Add to your MCP client config:
{
"mcpServers": {
"ausdata": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "ausdata-mcp"],
"env": {
"AUSDATA_API_KEY": "ak_xxx"
}
}
}
}
Get a free API key at https://ausdata.io (500 calls/month on the free tier, no credit card).
Tools exposed
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
search_datasets | Plain-English search across the catalog. "unemployment NSW" → dataset IDs to call. |
list_datasets | List curated datasets for a given source (abs, rba, ato, …). |
describe_dataset | Schema + filter dictionary for one dataset before you get_data it. |
get_data | Generic accessor by source + dataset_id. Search first, fetch second. |
releases | Upcoming + recent statistical release calendar across all sources. |
real_wages | Wage Price Index minus CPI, quarterly. The Greg Jericho chart in one call. |
real_cash_rate | RBA cash rate minus CPI — the real policy stance. |
economic_dashboard | Cash rate, CPI, unemployment, wage growth, lending — in one response. |
cost_of_living | ABS Selected Living Cost Indexes by household type. |
youth_unemployment | 15-24 unemployment rate, state-level. |
trade_balance | Goods + services trade balance, monthly. |
housing_affordability | House prices vs household disposable income, indexed. |
gender_pay_context | WGEA gender pay gap by industry / employer-size context. |
energy_snapshot | AEMO NEM dispatch + price snapshot, current trading interval. |
health | API reachability check. Useful for debugging. |
Example agent prompts
Once the MCP is connected, try asking your agent:
- "What's the latest RBA cash rate and how does it compare to a year ago?"
- "Show me the real wages trend since 2019."
- "Search for AU housing approval data and pull the last 2 years for NSW."
Configuration
| Env var | Purpose | Default |
|---|---|---|
AUSDATA_API_KEY | Bearer token | required |
AUSDATA_API_URL | Override the API base URL | https://api.ausdata.io |
AUSDATA_TIMEOUT | Per-request timeout (ms) | 30000 |
Errors
Every tool returns MCP-formatted errors that AI agents can read and recover from:
- Missing key →
Set AUSDATA_API_KEY in your MCP config. Get a free key at https://ausdata.io - 401 → reauth hint
- 403 → upgrade hint
- 429 → retry-after seconds
- 5xx → "try again, status page is at..."
The ausdata.io ecosystem
Part of a family of MCP servers + a hosted API for Australian public data:
- Sister MCPs (free, MIT): abs · rba · ato · apra · aihw · asic · aemo · au-weather · wgea
- Hosted API + cross-source endpoints: ausdata.io
- Python SDK:
pip install ausdataio· Node MCP:npx -y ausdata-mcp
License
MIT — see LICENSE.
This client is independent of the upstream data; each response carries attribution metadata for the underlying ABS / RBA / APRA / AIHW / etc. source under their respective CC-BY licenses.
Development
npm install
npm run build
npm test
npm run lint
Source lives in src/. Tool definitions are in src/tools/. The HTTP routing layer is src/client.ts — it does NOT parse responses, that's the API server's job.