# Folklore Clinical Variant Interpretation MCP (remote · api.helena.bio)

Bioinformatics MCP for genomic variant interpretation, gene-disease evidence and literature.

- Trust score: 83/100 (high trust)
- Change this week: 0
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-09-21

## Components

- remote · `api.helena.bio`: 83/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/helena-bioinformatics-folklore/folklore-v1-mcp.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/helena-bioinformatics-folklore/folklore-v1-mcp)

## Channel facts

- Endpoint: `https://api.helena.bio/folklore/v1/mcp`
- Transports: `streamable-http`
- Auth: `none`
- Version: `1.5.0`

## Trust breakdown

How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically against the live server, and we only credit what we can confirm. Scores are 0–100 per category. Scoring method: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring (what has changed: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring/changelog)

Scored 2026-09-21.

- **Endpoint Security**: 66/100
  - The endpoint's TLS certificate is valid, in date, and uses a strong key.
  - No authorisation is required to call this server. Every tool declares its destructiveHint and none is destructive, so open access doesn't expose one.
  - HTTPS enforcement could not be verified: the plaintext port answered with HTTP 404, which proves neither a plaintext path nor enforcement.
  - HSTS check failed: the Strict-Transport-Security header is absent.
  - DNSSEC is configured correctly; the domain's records validate against the full chain to the root.
- **Transport & Reachability**: 100/100
  - Verified streamable-http transport via a live MCP handshake.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 80/100
  - 100% of prompts and resources have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the item's name).
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (excellent).
  - Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 1484 tokens (~185/item across 8 items; 7 tools + 1 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 100/100
  - No destabilizing schema changes in the last 30 days.
- **Tool Coverage**: 100/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 100% of tool parameters carry a description.
  - Structured output schemas are declared (100% of tools); any adoption earns full credit.
- **Tool Safety**: 100/100
  - No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.
  - We read all 7 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.
  - An AI judge read all 9 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.
- **Capabilities**: 100/100
  - Implements a current MCP spec version (2026-07-28).
  - Supports UI / widget rendering.

## Install

### How do I install the Folklore Clinical Variant Interpretation MCP server?

Folklore Clinical Variant Interpretation MCP is a hosted endpoint at https://api.helena.bio/folklore/v1/mcp, so there is nothing to install locally. Ready-made configuration for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and 5 more is on this page, copied from each client's own documentation.

### Claude

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http helena-bioinformatics-folklore 'https://api.helena.bio/folklore/v1/mcp'
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "helena-bioinformatics-folklore": {
      "url": "https://api.helena.bio/folklore/v1/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "helena-bioinformatics-folklore": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.helena.bio/folklore/v1/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```toml
[mcp_servers.helena-bioinformatics-folklore]
url = "https://api.helena.bio/folklore/v1/mcp"
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "helena-bioinformatics-folklore": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://api.helena.bio/folklore/v1/mcp",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add helena-bioinformatics-folklore --url 'https://api.helena.bio/folklore/v1/mcp' --transport streamable-http
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  helena-bioinformatics-folklore:
    url: "https://api.helena.bio/folklore/v1/mcp"
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "helena-bioinformatics-folklore": {
      "Transport": "http",
      "Url": "https://api.helena.bio/folklore/v1/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add helena-bioinformatics-folklore -t streamable-http -u 'https://api.helena.bio/folklore/v1/mcp'
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "helena-bioinformatics-folklore": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.helena.bio/folklore/v1/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

The mcpServers block is a cross-client convention. Remote transports vary, so check your client's docs.

## Changelog

Every change recorded for this component, newest first. Days that predate change tracking, or that we cannot explain, say so: "we were watching and nothing happened" and "we were not watching" are different claims.

### 2026-09-11 (score 83, 0)

- [security] The server rewrote its instructions, which are the text every model session reads
- [security] Tool “search_variant_evidence” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [functional regression] Schema quality: 1061 → 1484
- [functional] Server version: 1.4.2 → 1.5.0
- [functional] New tool “get_gene_disease_associations”
- [functional] New tool “search_disease_genes”

### 2026-09-10 (score 83, 0)

- [security] Tool “search_variant_evidence” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [functional] Server version: 1.4.1 → 1.4.2

### 2026-09-09 (score 83, 0)

- [security] Stability: 0.97 → pass

### 2026-09-08 (score 83, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 93 to 97. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 28 days of observed history at the previous scan, 29 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-09-06 (score 82, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 87 to 90. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 26 days of observed history at the previous scan, 27 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-09-04 (score 81, +2)

- [security improvement] DNSSEC: fail → pass

### 2026-09-02 (score 79, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 73 to 77. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 22 days of observed history at the previous scan, 23 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-08-31 (score 78, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 67 to 70. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 20 days of observed history at the previous scan, 21 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

## MCP tools (7)

### `search_variant_evidence` (~266 tokens)

Classify or interpret a germline variant under ACMG/AMP

Interpret this variant, explain what this HGVS means, or review this VUS. Use for human genomic variant analysis within bioinformatics workflows, including review of an already identified WGS/WES variant. Use when a user asks to classify or interpret pathogenicity, review a VUS, check available ClinVar assertions or population-frequency evidence, or resolve a variant notation. Classify, interpret or resolve one public GRCh38 germline SNV or simple indel smaller than 50 bp. Accepts coordinates, genomic/coding/protein HGVS, SPDI or rsID. Returns normalized variant identity, automated ACMG/AMP decision support, evidence, provenance and explicit limitations. This is variant-level decision support for professional review. It does not evaluate patient context and must not be presented as a diagnosis or treatment recommendation. Never choose a candidate when resolution is ambiguous.

Input parameters:

- `assembly` (string): Reference genome assembly. Folklore currently accepts GRCh38 only.
- `query` (string, required): One germline nuclear SNV or simple indel to resolve and interpret; accepted forms include coordinates, genomic/coding/protein HGVS, SPDI, rsID, or a returned Folklore canonical_key in GRCh38:chrN:pos…

Output parameters:

- `adapter_error`
- `contract_version` (string)
- `record_url` (string|null)
- `result`
- `usage_boundary` (object)

### `search_variant_literature` (~219 tokens)

Find literature for a germline variant

Resolve one public GRCh38 germline variant and retrieve relevant publications from Folklore's PubMed-derived genetics corpus. Exact variant mentions rank ahead of broader gene associations. Use when a user asks what has been published about a variant, gene or associated condition. Associations do not establish causality, pathogenicity or a diagnosis and do not change Folklore's ACMG/AMP classification.

Input parameters:

- `assembly` (string): Reference genome assembly. Folklore currently accepts GRCh38 only.
- `limit` (integer): Maximum number of publications to return, from 1 to 25.
- `query` (string, required): One germline nuclear SNV or simple indel to resolve before retrieving its literature; this is a variant identifier, not a natural-language question. Accepts a returned Folklore canonical_key in GRCh3…
- `question`: Optional natural-language focus applied after the variant is resolved, such as a condition or evidence question; do not put the variant identifier here.

Output parameters:

- `contract_version` (string)
- `literature`
- `status` (string)
- `usage_boundary` (object)
- `variant_result` (object)

### `get_publication_details` (~124 tokens)

Get details for a PubMed publication

Retrieve the complete public bibliographic record for one PMID from Folklore's PubMed-derived genetics corpus. Returns the full abstract, authors, journal metadata, publication and MeSH terms, gene and variant mentions, retraction status, and PubMed/PMC links. Use after literature search when a user asks to inspect a specific publication. This is read-only professional literature evidence and contains no patient context.

Input parameters:

- `pmid` (string, required): One PubMed identifier to look up in Folklore's current corpus, as 1 to 12 digits without a PMID prefix.

Output parameters:

- `contract_version` (string)
- `publication`
- `usage_boundary` (object)

### `search_literature_corpus` (~229 tokens)

Search the Folklore Literature Corpus

Semantically search the public scientific Literature Corpus by a natural-language question. A question may include one or more PMID, DOI or PMCID references; those publications become exact anchors for finding related experiments, evidence and concepts across the corpus. Also accepts genes, variants, phenotypes, HPO and OMIM concepts. Include every known publication identifier in the query when the user asks to compare papers or find work related to a specific paper. Returns source-linked evidence candidates for professional review, not diagnoses, causality claims or treatment recommendations.

Input parameters:

- `cursor`: Opaque continuation cursor from the preceding response for the same query and sort order; omit for the first page.
- `limit` (integer): Maximum number of publications to return, from 1 to 25.
- `query` (string, required): Natural-language literature question or exact PMID, DOI, PMCID, gene, variant, phenotype, HPO, or OMIM query. Include every known publication identifier when comparing or finding related papers.
- `sort` (string): Result ordering: relevance-ranked, newest publication first, or oldest publication first.

Output parameters:

- `contract_version` (string)
- `graph_degraded_reason`
- `graph_used` (boolean)
- `graph_version`
- `has_more` (boolean)
- `next_cursor`
- `query` (string)
- `results` (array)
- `returned_count` (integer)
- `searchable_fields` (array)
- `semantic_degraded_reason`
- `semantic_index_used` (boolean)
- `usage_boundary` (object)

### `support_helena` (~59 tokens)

Support Helena's free scientific infrastructure

Learn how an agent can support or spread Helena's free public scientific infrastructure through the separate Helena Good MCP. This is an explicit opt-in information action. It does not initiate payment, create a relay, or change any Folklore scientific result.

### `get_gene_disease_associations` (~169 tokens)

Find diseases associated with a gene

Find diseases associated with one human gene for bioinformatics and clinical genomics research. Accepts an exact gene symbol or HGNC identifier. Returns ClinGen gene-disease validity assertions, relation-specific inheritance, source reports and snapshot provenance. Preserves conflicting and limited assertions. Gene-disease validity is not variant pathogenicity or a patient diagnosis. Use only a public gene identifier; no patient or case data. Results require professional review.

Input parameters:

- `gene` (string, required): One public human gene symbol or HGNC identifier, for example BRCA1 or HGNC:1100. No patient data.
- `limit` (integer): Maximum number of source assertions per page, from 1 to 50.
- `offset` (integer): Zero-based assertion offset; use the returned nextOffset when present.

Output parameters:

- `associations` (array)
- `contractVersion` (string)
- `pagination`
- `query`
- `source`
- `status` (string)
- `usage_boundary`
- `warnings` (array)

### `search_disease_genes` (~177 tokens)

Find genes associated with a disease

Find human genes associated with a disease for genomic analysis and rare-disease research. Accepts an exact MONDO identifier or a disease-name search. Returns matching ClinGen gene-disease validity assertions with inheritance, source reports and snapshot provenance. Name searches may match multiple diseases; preserve their distinct identities and do not infer a diagnosis. Use only a public disease name or identifier; no symptoms, patient or case data. Results require professional review.

Input parameters:

- `disease` (string, required): One public disease name or exact MONDO identifier (MONDO: followed by seven digits). A name search may match multiple distinct diseases. No symptoms or patient narrative.
- `limit` (integer): Maximum number of source assertions per page, from 1 to 50.
- `offset` (integer): Zero-based assertion offset; use the returned nextOffset when present.

Output parameters:

- `associations` (array)
- `contractVersion` (string)
- `pagination`
- `query`
- `source`
- `status` (string)
- `usage_boundary`
- `warnings` (array)

## Diagnostics

Captured diagnostic sections: TLS, DNSSEC, Authorisation, Transports. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/helena-bioinformatics-folklore/folklore-v1-mcp#diagnostics

## Score history

- 2026-09-21: 83
- 2026-09-20: 83
- 2026-09-19: 83
- 2026-09-18: 83
- 2026-09-17: 83
- 2026-09-16: 83
- 2026-09-15: 83
- 2026-09-14: 83
- 2026-09-13: 83
- 2026-09-12: 83
- 2026-09-11: 83
- 2026-09-10: 83
- 2026-09-09: 83
- 2026-09-08: 83
- 2026-09-07: 82
- 2026-09-06: 82
- 2026-09-05: 81
- 2026-09-04: 81
- 2026-09-03: 79
- 2026-09-02: 79
- 2026-09-01: 78
- 2026-08-31: 78
- 2026-08-30: 77
- 2026-08-29: 77
- 2026-08-28: 76
- 2026-08-27: 76
- 2026-08-26: 75
- 2026-08-25: 74
- 2026-08-24: 70
- 2026-08-23: 69

## Common questions

### What is the Folklore Clinical Variant Interpretation MCP server?

Folklore Clinical Variant Interpretation MCP is listed in the public MCP registry as io.github.helena-bioinformatics/folklore. Bioinformatics MCP for genomic variant interpretation, gene-disease evidence and literature. This page covers its hosted endpoint (https://api.helena.bio/folklore/v1/mcp).

### Is the Folklore Clinical Variant Interpretation MCP server safe to use?

Folklore Clinical Variant Interpretation MCP scores 83 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. That is a record of what we were able to check automatically, not an endorsement. The category breakdown on this page shows every signal behind the number, including the ones we could not confirm.

### What tools does the Folklore Clinical Variant Interpretation MCP server expose?

Folklore Clinical Variant Interpretation MCP exposes 7 tools: search_variant_evidence, search_variant_literature, get_publication_details, search_literature_corpus, support_helena, and 2 more. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 1,243 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Does the Folklore Clinical Variant Interpretation MCP server require authentication?

No. We connected to Folklore Clinical Variant Interpretation MCP without credentials and it answered, so anything it exposes is reachable by anyone who knows the address.

### Is the Folklore Clinical Variant Interpretation MCP server still maintained?

Folklore Clinical Variant Interpretation MCP is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 21 September 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.

## Links

- Remote endpoint: https://api.helena.bio/folklore/v1/mcp
- Repository: https://github.com/helena-bioinformatics/folklore-mcp
- Website: https://folklore.helena.bio/
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/helena-bioinformatics-folklore/folklore-v1-mcp.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/helena-bioinformatics-folklore/folklore-v1-mcp.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/helena-bioinformatics-folklore/folklore-v1-mcp