mcpbeat

Nova Scotia Data Explorer MCP Server

io.github.SevaSk/nova-scotia-data-explorer
not responding

Nova Scotia Data Explorer is listed as active in the registry but did not answer our last check. It exposes 4 tools.

Query and explore Nova Scotia open datasets via the Socrata SODA API.

The linked repository no longer exists on GitHub — it was deleted or made private.

Uptime history 41 hours of history · worst hour 0%
41 hours agonow
1.1%
Uptime 24h
1 of 91 checks
4
Tools
read from the server
1164 ms
Response time
average over 24h
open, no key
Access
streamable-http

Connect this server

Endpoint below is the one we actually reach during checks — not the one copied from a README. Last verified 10 min ago.

run in your terminal
claude mcp add nova-scotia-data-explorer --transport http https://scotiasignal.ca/mcp
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nova-scotia-data-explorer": {
      "url": "https://scotiasignal.ca/mcp"
    }
  }
}
~/.codex/config.toml
[mcp_servers.nova-scotia-data-explorer]
url = "https://scotiasignal.ca/mcp"
.cursor/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nova-scotia-data-explorer": {
      "url": "https://scotiasignal.ca/mcp"
    }
  }
}
.vscode/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nova-scotia-data-explorer": {
      "url": "https://scotiasignal.ca/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Available tools 4

Read directly from the server with tools/list, grouped by what they act on. If a tool disappears, we record the date.

dataset
get_dataset_metadata
Retrieve full schema and metadata for a Nova Scotia Open Data dataset by its 8-character identifier (e.g. '3nka-59nz'). Returns all column field names, data types, and descriptions — essential before calling query_dataset so you know the exact field names to use in $select and $where clauses.
query_dataset
Run a SoQL query against a Nova Scotia Open Data dataset. SoQL is SQL-like. Key clauses (combine with &): $select=col1,col2 — choose columns $where=field='value' — filter rows (use single quotes for strings) $where=field like '%val%' — partial match $order=field DESC — sort $limit=50 — row count (default 25, max 50000) $offset=50 — pagination $group=field — group by (use with aggregate functions) $q=search term — full-text search Aggregates: count(*), sum(col), avg(col), min(col), max(col) Examples: $where=year='2024'&$order=total DESC&$limit=10 $select=department,count(*)&$group=department&$order=count(*) DESC $where=area like '%Halifax%'&$limit=5 Always call get_dataset_metadata first to find exact field names.
categories
list_categories
Returns all dataset categories and popular tags available on the Nova Scotia Open Data portal. Use this first to discover valid category names before calling search_datasets with a category filter.
datasets
search_datasets
Search the Nova Scotia Open Data catalog (data.novascotia.ca) for datasets by keyword, category, or tag. Returns dataset names, IDs, descriptions, column names, and direct portal links. Use list_categories first to see valid category and tag names. Use the returned dataset ID with query_dataset or get_dataset_metadata for further exploration.

Endpoints

URLTransportStateLatencyChecked
https://scotiasignal.ca/mcp streamable-http answering 203 ms 10 min ago

Nova Scotia Data Explorer — questions

Answers built from our own checks of this server.

What can Nova Scotia Data Explorer do?
It exposes 4 tools, read directly from the server on our last check. Among them: get_dataset_metadata, list_categories, query_dataset, search_datasets. The full list with descriptions is on this page — we take it from the server itself via tools/list, not from a README. How MCP servers expose tools in the first place →
Is Nova Scotia Data Explorer working right now?
We send a real MCP handshake every 15 minutes. Over the last 24 hours 1 of 91 checks got a reply (1.1%), average response time 1164 ms. The bar chart above shows every period we have measured.
Is Nova Scotia Data Explorer still maintained?
The linked repository no longer exists on GitHub — it was deleted or made private. We show this because it changes what you can expect: an unmaintained server may keep answering for months and then stop without warning.
The registry lists Nova Scotia Data Explorer as active — why does it not respond?
The official MCP registry stores what the author submitted; it does not verify that the server still runs. We check the endpoint ourselves, and this one does not answer. Catalogues that copy the registry without checking will show it as working.
How do I connect Nova Scotia Data Explorer?
Copy the ready config from this page — we generate it for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex, Cursor and VS Code, each with the file path that client actually reads. It is a remote server, so there is nothing to install — the client connects to the address.
Does Nova Scotia Data Explorer need an API key?
No. Nova Scotia Data Explorer completed a full MCP handshake with us as an anonymous client and listed its tools without asking for anything. All 4 of them are readable on this page. This is what we observed, not what the docs claim.
How fast is Nova Scotia Data Explorer?
It answers our handshake in 1164 ms on average, which is faster than 3% of all working MCP servers we measure. That is on the slow side — worth knowing if the tool sits inside an interactive loop. The comparison comes from our own checks across the whole registry, every 15 minutes.