# SNAC Archives (pypi · snac-archives-mcp)

Find which archive holds the papers: SNAC's index of archival collections, plus ArchiveGrid links.

- Trust score: 79/100 (medium)
- Change this week: +44
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-10-18

## Components

- pypi · `snac-archives-mcp`: 79/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/ianderso-snac-archives-mcp/snac-archives-mcp.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/ianderso-snac-archives-mcp/snac-archives-mcp)

## Channel facts

- Registry: `pypi`
- Package: `snac-archives-mcp`
- Version: `0.1.0`
- Transport: `stdio`

## Trust breakdown

How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically from public evidence about the published package, including repeated runs of it in an isolated sandbox, 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 2026-10-18.

- **Supply Chain Security**: 100/100
  - No malware found by supply-chain analysis.
  - No known CVEs affecting this package version or its production dependencies.
  - Runs hatchling.build at install time, a recognised build step with no custom scripting around it.
  - 1 of 32 dependencies flagged as unhealthy.
- **Provenance & Transparency**: 100/100
  - Source repository is publicly reachable at the declared URL.
  - Cryptographically verified build provenance (signed, bound to ianderso/snac-archives-mcp).
  - Clear OSI-approved license (MIT).
  - Actively maintained (last published 11 days ago).
  - Publishes a security disclosure policy (SECURITY.md).
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 63/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (excellent).
  - Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 1823 tokens (~227/item across 8 items; 8 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 0/100
  - Stability not yet verified: not enough scan history yet (needs a 30-day window).
- **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.
- **Tool Safety**: 100/100
  - No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.
  - We read all 8 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).

**Unverified: 1 category.** A category scored 0 because we could not verify it: a data source with nothing on this package, evidence we could not reach, or a check we could not run. We only credit what we can confirm.

## Install

### How do I install the SNAC Archives MCP server?

SNAC Archives runs locally as a PyPI package, launched with uvx snac-archives-mcp. 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 ianderso-snac-archives-mcp -- uvx snac-archives-mcp
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ianderso-snac-archives-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "snac-archives-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "ianderso-snac-archives-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "snac-archives-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```bash
codex mcp add ianderso-snac-archives-mcp -- uvx snac-archives-mcp
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "ianderso-snac-archives-mcp": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": [
        "uvx",
        "snac-archives-mcp"
      ],
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add ianderso-snac-archives-mcp --command uvx --arg snac-archives-mcp
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  ianderso-snac-archives-mcp:
    command: "uvx"
    args: ["snac-archives-mcp"]
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "ianderso-snac-archives-mcp": {
      "Transport": "stdio",
      "Command": "uvx",
      "Arguments": [
        "snac-archives-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add ianderso-snac-archives-mcp -t stdio -c uvx -a snac-archives-mcp
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ianderso-snac-archives-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "snac-archives-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

## 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.

### 2026-10-14 (score 79, +29)

- [security improvement] Injection markers: unverified → pass
- [security] First check of Judged manipulation: pass
- [security] Stability: Stability not yet verified: not enough scan history yet (needs a 30-day window).
- [functional improvement] Tool coverage: unverified → 100
- [functional improvement] MCP protocol: unverified → pass
- [functional] First check of Schema quality: fail
- [functional] First check of Schema quality: excellent
- [functional] First check of Destructive annotations: pass
- [functional] First check of Schema quality: fail
- [functional] First check of Tool coverage: 100

### 2026-10-12 (score 50, +15)

- [security improvement] Malware scan: unverified → pass

### 2026-10-08 (score 35)

First indexed and scored.

## MCP tools (8)

### `search_collections` (~250 tokens)

Find archival collections by words in their title, with who holds each.

Matches the collection TITLE only, and every word must appear: a county or
second surname named only in the abstract will not match, so use
archivegrid_search_link or search_names for those. The same papers often
appear two or three times (a WorldCat record plus harvested finding aids);
\`possible_duplicate_of` flags them. SNAC's catalogue is largely a 2010s
snapshot. A hit tells you where papers are, not what they say: confirm the
collection number in the repository's own catalogue, and cite its finding
aid, never this result.

Input parameters:

- `count` (integer): Collections per page (1-50).
- `page` (integer): Page of results, 1-based.
- `refresh` (boolean): True asks SNAC again instead of using the cache, and replaces the cached copy. Answers are cached for 30 days; refresh a cached empty result before concluding something is absent.
- `title_words` (string, required): Words that must all appear in the collection's title, e.g. 'Davenport family papers'. Places and second surnames are usually not in the title.

### `get_collection` (~186 tokens)

Read one collection description in full, with the names SNAC links to it.

Depth varies: a one-line MARC record with no box or folder list is normal,
and a terse description does not mean a person is absent from the papers.
Follow `link` (when `link_kind` is finding_aid) or the repository's own
catalogue to the finding aid; that is the description to cite, by its
collection number. Record `oclc_number`. "[microform]" in a title means a
copy; the original is elsewhere.

Input parameters:

- `refresh` (boolean): True asks SNAC again instead of using the cache, and replaces the cached copy. Answers are cached for 30 days; refresh a cached empty result before concluding something is absent.
- `resource_id` (string, required): The collection's SNAC resource id, e.g. '7252207'.

### `search_names` (~236 tokens)

Find SNAC name records for a person, family or organisation.

A heading such as "Anderson family." matches hundreds of unrelated
families, usually one record per source collection, with no place or date
to tell them apart. A SNAC record is a machine-built authority record, not
an identification: narrow with get_name, reading the collections it links
to and their places and dates, before treating any record as your family.

Input parameters:

- `count` (integer): Names per page (1-50).
- `entity_type` (string): Restrict to one kind of name. corporateBody covers churches, businesses, societies and government offices.
- `name` (string, required): A name as a heading would carry it, e.g. 'Anderson family'.
- `page` (integer): Page of results, 1-based.
- `refresh` (boolean): True asks SNAC again instead of using the cache, and replaces the cached copy. Answers are cached for 30 days; refresh a cached empty result before concluding something is absent.
- `search_biographies` (boolean): Also match words in the biographical notes.

### `get_name` (~230 tokens)

Read one SNAC name record: who or what it is, and the collections linked to it.

In `collections`, role creatorOf means these are the name's own papers;
referencedIn means the name is an index term on the collection, not proof
the person appears in any document. The biography is copied from a finding
aid: secondary information to follow up, not to cite for a fact.
\`maybe_same_count` above 0 means SNAC suspects this record and another
describe one entity. Record the `ark`, not the numeric id.

Input parameters:

- `detail` (string): summary: headings, dates, places, biography. full adds every linked collection and related name.
- `name_id` (string, required): A SNAC ARK (ark:/99166/w6xj0ds0, or just w6xj0ds0) or a numeric constellation id.
- `refresh` (boolean): True asks SNAC again instead of using the cache, and replaces the cached copy. Answers are cached for 30 days; refresh a cached empty result before concluding something is absent.

### `collections_in_common` (~140 tokens)

List the collections linked to both of two names.

Useful for intermarried families and the associates around an ancestor:
papers that mention both are where to look for letters between them. Two
names on one collection do not show the two people knew each other.

Input parameters:

- `first` (string, required): One name: a SNAC ARK or constellation id.
- `refresh` (boolean): True asks SNAC again instead of using the cache, and replaces the cached copy. Answers are cached for 30 days; refresh a cached empty result before concluding something is absent.
- `second` (string, required): The other name: a SNAC ARK or constellation id.

### `repository_holdings` (~231 tokens)

List the collections SNAC links to one repository, filtered by title.

The first call for a large repository is slow (10 to 20 seconds; it is
SNAC building a list of thousands) and is then cached. The list is SNAC's
link table, not the repository's catalogue: it includes printed and
microform items and misses recent accessions. Survey "repositories" such
as a state historical documents inventory record what a town or church
held when surveyed decades ago; the material may since have moved.

Input parameters:

- `count` (integer): Collections per page (1-100).
- `page` (integer): Page of results, 1-based.
- `refresh` (boolean): True asks SNAC again instead of using the cache, and replaces the cached copy. Answers are cached for 30 days; refresh a cached empty result before concluding something is absent.
- `repository` (string, required): The holding repository: its SNAC ARK or constellation id, as get_collection's repository field gives it.
- `title_contains` (string): Keep only collections whose title contains this text.

### `archivegrid_search_link` (~345 tokens)

Build an ArchiveGrid search address for the user to open. Makes no network call.

ArchiveGrid often finds what SNAC cannot: collections known only by place
or subject, and HTML or PDF finding aids. OCLC forbids automated access,
so give the link to the user; never fetch it. Fielded indexes cover
catalogue records and EAD only; HTML and PDF finding aids match keywords
only. Over 90% of hits are collection-level WorldCat records, and microfilm
held by many libraries (county or church records) is usually missing.

Input parameters:

- `archive` (string): The holding repository's name.
- `event` (string): A named event or meeting.
- `exclude` (array): Words or phrases to exclude.
- `family` (string): A family name heading, e.g. 'Anderson family'.
- `has_links` (boolean): Only records linking to something online.
- `keywords` (string): Free words, as typed into ArchiveGrid.
- `location` (string): Where the REPOSITORY is, e.g. 'North Carolina'.
- `oclc_number` (string): Instead of a search, link one record by its OCLC number.
- `organization` (string): A church, firm, society or office.
- `person` (string): A person's name, e.g. 'Crothers, Robert'.
- `place` (string): A place the papers are ABOUT, e.g. 'Lincoln County (N.C.)'.
- `source_type` (string): Only one kind of record.
- `title` (string): Words in the collection title.
- `topic` (string): A subject heading.

### `cache_status` (~24 tokens)

Report this session's SNAC calls and cache use. Makes no network call.

## Diagnostics

Captured diagnostic sections: Provenance, Install scripts, Dependencies. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/ianderso-snac-archives-mcp/snac-archives-mcp#diagnostics

## Score history

- 2026-10-18: 79
- 2026-10-17: 79
- 2026-10-16: 79
- 2026-10-15: 79
- 2026-10-14: 79
- 2026-10-13: 50
- 2026-10-12: 50
- 2026-10-08: 35

## Common questions

### What is the SNAC Archives MCP server?

SNAC Archives is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as io.github.ianderso/snac-archives-mcp. Find which archive holds the papers: SNAC's index of archival collections, plus ArchiveGrid links. This page covers its PyPI package (snac-archives-mcp).

### Is the SNAC Archives MCP server safe to use?

SNAC Archives scores 79 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. We found no known CVEs affecting it as of 18 October 2026. Its build provenance is signed and verified. 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 SNAC Archives MCP server expose?

SNAC Archives exposes 8 tools: search_collections, get_collection, search_names, get_name, collections_in_common, and 3 more. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 1,642 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Is the SNAC Archives MCP server still maintained?

SNAC Archives is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 18 October 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.

### What licence is the SNAC Archives MCP server under?

SNAC Archives declares the MIT licence, which is OSI-approved. That covers the source only, and says nothing about the cost of any service it calls.

## Links

- PyPI project: https://pypi.org/project/snac-archives-mcp/
- Socket report: https://socket.dev/pypi/package/snac-archives-mcp
- Repository: https://github.com/ianderso/snac-archives-mcp
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/ianderso-snac-archives-mcp/snac-archives-mcp.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/ianderso-snac-archives-mcp/snac-archives-mcp.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/ianderso-snac-archives-mcp/snac-archives-mcp