OpenContext

How it works

Connect your portal in about 15 minutes.

Fork the project, answer a few questions about your data, deploy, then paste the URL into Claude. Plain steps below — deeper docs live on GitHub.

Fork on GitHubJump to steps
You'll needPython 3.11+AWS credentialsTerraform ≥ 1.0Portal URL

The idea

One portal. One deployment.

Each OpenContext instance talks to a single open data catalog. Need more catalogs? Run more instances — simple, isolated, easy to operate.

Rule of thumb

Keep deployments simple
Recommended: one OpenContext → one data portal
OpenContextOne data portal

The path

Three pieces. One flow.

Your portal

CKAN · Socrata · ArcGIS

The catalog your city already publishes.

OpenContext

Runs on AWS

Turns AI questions into portal queries and returns results.

Claude

Or any MCP client

Answers in plain language from live open data.

Read-only: OpenContext queries public data. It does not write or delete catalog records.

Setup

Seven simple steps

Open a step for the command. Want the full walkthrough? Use the GitHub docs linked at the bottom.

Fork so you control the project. No code required for this step.

Fork on GitHub →

Go deeper

Full documentation on GitHub.

Architecture, plugins, and protocol details live in the repo — this page stays focused on getting you live.

Quickstart
Zero to a working deployment.
Architecture
How OpenContext sits between AI and civic data.
Built-in plugins
CKAN, Socrata, ArcGIS reference.
Custom plugins
Add a source that isn’t bundled.
Deployment
Cloud setup and your MCP URL.
FAQ
Common questions.