# NASA Earthdata MCP (remote · cmr.earthdata.nasa.gov)

Discover, verify, and access NASA Earth science datasets via the Common Metadata Repository (CMR)

- Trust score: 66/100 (medium)
- Change this week: +3
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-09-20

## Components

- remote · `cmr.earthdata.nasa.gov`: 66/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/nasa-earthdata-mcp/mcp-v1.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/nasa-earthdata-mcp/mcp-v1)

## Channel facts

- Endpoint: `https://cmr.earthdata.nasa.gov/mcp/v1`
- Transports: `streamable-http`
- Auth: `none`
- Version: `1.0.0`

## 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 2026-09-20.

- **Endpoint Security**: 66/100
  - The endpoint's TLS certificate is valid, in date, and uses a strong key.
  - Authorisation not fully verified: no authorisation is required to call this server, and 3 tool(s) never declared a destructiveHint. The MCP spec treats an absent hint as destructive by default, so we cannot call this surface safe.
  - HTTPS is enforced; there's no plaintext access path.
  - The HSTS (Strict-Transport-Security) header is present.
  - 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**: 48/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (good).
  - Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 8201 tokens (~1171/item across 7 items; 7 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 30/100
  - Stability observed for 9 of 30 days with no destabilising changes; credit accrues until the full window elapses.
- **Tool Coverage**: 88/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 58% 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 8 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.
- **Capabilities**: 100/100
  - Implements a supported MCP spec version (2025-11-25); the latest is 2026-07-28.

## Install

### How do I install the NASA Earthdata MCP server?

NASA Earthdata MCP is a hosted endpoint at https://cmr.earthdata.nasa.gov/mcp/v1, 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 nasa-earthdata-mcp 'https://cmr.earthdata.nasa.gov/mcp/v1'
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nasa-earthdata-mcp": {
      "url": "https://cmr.earthdata.nasa.gov/mcp/v1"
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "nasa-earthdata-mcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://cmr.earthdata.nasa.gov/mcp/v1"
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```toml
[mcp_servers.nasa-earthdata-mcp]
url = "https://cmr.earthdata.nasa.gov/mcp/v1"
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "nasa-earthdata-mcp": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://cmr.earthdata.nasa.gov/mcp/v1",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add nasa-earthdata-mcp --url 'https://cmr.earthdata.nasa.gov/mcp/v1' --transport streamable-http
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  nasa-earthdata-mcp:
    url: "https://cmr.earthdata.nasa.gov/mcp/v1"
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "nasa-earthdata-mcp": {
      "Transport": "http",
      "Url": "https://cmr.earthdata.nasa.gov/mcp/v1"
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add nasa-earthdata-mcp -t streamable-http -u 'https://cmr.earthdata.nasa.gov/mcp/v1'
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nasa-earthdata-mcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://cmr.earthdata.nasa.gov/mcp/v1"
    }
  }
}
```

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.

### 2026-09-19 (score 66, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 23 to 27. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 7 days of observed history at the previous scan, 8 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-09-17 (score 65, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 17 to 20. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 5 days of observed history at the previous scan, 6 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-09-15 (score 64, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 10 to 13. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 3 days of observed history at the previous scan, 4 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-09-12 (score 63, +1)

- [functional improvement] Stability: unverified → 0.03

### 2026-09-11 (score 62)

First indexed and scored.

## MCP tools (7)

### `get_citations` (~235 tokens)

Discover citation records directly associated with a collection, or look up a citation by identifier (e.g. DOI). Use this tool to evaluate citation relevance for a collection.

Key fields in each returned item:
\- concept_id: CMR citation concept ID
\- name: The title or name of the citation
\- identifier: The primary DOI or identifier
\- abstract: Abstract text
\- citation_metadata: Nested metadata including Year, Publisher, and Author list

Input parameters:

- `collection_concept_id`
- `cursor`: Pagination token for the next page of results. Pass the exact next_cursor string returned by the previous tool call. Cursors are query-scoped: they lock in the original search parameters and cannot b…
- `fields`
- `identifier`
- `limit` (integer): Maximum number of results to return (default 10, max 50). Keep this small to avoid context window bloat. When using limit > 10, always specify the fields parameter.
- `provider`

Output parameters:

- `citations` (array): Normalized citation results mapped from UMM-Citations
- `error_message`: Error details when status is error
- `next_cursor`: Pagination token for the next page; None when no more results
- `status` (string): Status of the tool execution
- `total_hits` (integer): Total number of matching items

### `get_collections` (~1571 tokens)

Search NASA CMR collections and return up to 10 lightweight normalized results.

Key return fields in each item:
\- concept_id: CMR collection concept ID
\- native_id: native ID of the collection record
\- revision_id: revision ID of the collection metadata
\- provider_id: provider ID of the collection
\- short_name: collection short name
\- entry_title: collection title
\- time_start / time_end: temporal coverage bounds
\- processing_level_id: processing level (e.g., L3, L4)
\- doi: digital object identifier
\- collection_data_type: data type (e.g., SCIENCE_QUALITY, NEAR_REAL_TIME)
\- temporal_resolution / spatial_resolution: extracted resolution strings
\- related_urls: links to landing pages, documentation, and tools

Unfiltered searches are supported when you need broad exploration.

IMPORTANT — relevance and coverage: A keyword-only search returns all collections whose metadata mentions those terms, regardless of whether they actually hold data for the user's region or time period. Collection declared extents are often global or multi-decadal, so a collection appearing in results does not mean it has granules for a specific area or date. When the user's question involves a time period or geographic region, include temporal_start_date/temporal_end_date and/or spatial_wkt_geometry to restrict results to collections that overlap that window. Follow up with get_granules (with the same filters) to confirm actual data availability.

IMPORTANT — keyword AND logic: CMR treats each space-separated keyword as an independent term and requires ALL of them to appear somewhere in a collection's metadata (title, summary, science keywords, instruments, platforms, etc.). Words do not need to appear in the same field or adjacent to each other. Because every term must match, adding more words makes the search STRICTER, not broader — the opposite of typical web search engines. Prefer 2–4 precise scientific terms. If a search returns 0 results, try removing the least essential word before bro…

Input parameters:

- `concept_id`: Exact CMR concept ID (format: C<number>-<PROVIDER>, e.g., C2036882064-POCLOUD). Use for direct lookup of a known collection.
- `cursor`: Pagination token for the next page of results. Pass the exact next_cursor string returned by the previous tool call. Cursors are query-scoped: they lock in the original search parameters and cannot b…
- `fields`
- `has_granules`: When True, filters to collections that have actual granule data. Prevents returning metadata-only shells.
- `instrument`
- `keyword`: Free-text keyword search. Case insensitive. IMPORTANT — CMR uses AND logic: each space-separated word is matched independently and ALL words must appear somewhere in a collection's indexed fields (ti…
- `limit` (integer): Maximum number of results to return (default 10, max 50). Keep this small to avoid context window bloat. When using limit > 10, always specify the fields parameter.
- `platform`
- `processing_level_id`
- `provider`: Data provider short name (e.g., PODAAC, NSIDC_ECS, GES_DISC, ORNL_DAAC, LAADS, GHRC_DAAC, ASDC). Restricts results to collections from that provider. WARNING: NASA DAACs are actively migrating assets…
- `short_name`: Collection short name (e.g., MOD11A1, SPL3SMP, MUR-JPL-L4-GLOB-v4.1). Exact match by default; wildcards * and ? are supported.
- `spatial_wkt_geometry`: Spatial filter as WKT geometry. Supported types: POLYGON((lon lat, ...)), POINT(lon lat), or LINESTRING(lon lat, ...).Restricts results to collections whose declared extent intersects this area. CMR…
- `temporal_end_date`: End of temporal filter in ISO 8601 format (e.g., 2020-12-31T23:59:59Z). Restricts results to collections whose declared temporal range overlaps this window. Set this whenever the user specifies a tim…
- `temporal_start_date`: Start of temporal filter in ISO 8601 format (e.g., 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z). Restricts results to collections whose declared temporal range overlaps this window. Set this whenever the user specifies a t…

Output parameters:

- `collections` (array): Normalized collection results mapped from UMM-C
- `error_message`: Error details when status is error
- `next_cursor`: Pagination token for the next page of results
- `status` (string): Status of the tool execution
- `total_hits` (integer): Total number of matching items

### `get_granules` (~1264 tokens)

Search NASA CMR granules for a specific parent collection and return up to 10 lightweight normalized results.

Key return fields in each item:
\- concept_id: CMR granule concept ID
\- native_id: native ID of the granule record
\- revision_id: revision ID of the granule metadata
\- provider_id: provider ID of the granule
\- granule_ur: primary granule identifier
\- time_start / time_end: temporal coverage bounds
\- access_urls: actionable data access URLs
\- cloud_cover: cloud cover percentage
\- day_night_flag: DAY, NIGHT, BOTH, or UNSPECIFIED
\- size_mb: file size in megabytes
\- data_format: file format (e.g., NetCDF-4, GeoTIFF)
\- bounding_box: [West, South, East, North] Minimum Bounding Rectangle (MBR) footprint. Note: for swath data or irregular polygons, this bounding box fully encloses the data but may contain empty space at the corners.

IMPORTANT — data availability checks: Without temporal and/or spatial filters, results represent ALL granules ever archived in the collection, which may span decades and the entire globe. total_hits without filters tells you the full archive size, NOT whether data exists for a specific area or time period. To verify availability for a specific region and/or period, apply the corresponding spatial or temporal filters. Single-filter queries (e.g., temporal-only) are completely valid and should be used when the user only specifies one constraint, but combining both provides the most precise availability answer.

Key parameters:
\- collection_concept_id: required parent collection concept ID
\- temporal_start_date / temporal_end_date: filter to granules overlapping this time window — always set when the user specifies a time period
\- spatial_wkt_geometry: filter to granules intersecting this area — always set when the user specifies a geographic region
\- cloud_cover_min / cloud_cover_max: filter optical imagery by cloud cover percentage (0–100). Only set for optical/visible imagery collections (Landsat, MODIS, VIIRS, Sentinel-2 via CMR). Do…

Input parameters:

- `cloud_cover_max`: Maximum cloud cover percentage (0–100, inclusive). Use with cloud_cover_min to filter optical/visible imagery granules by cloud cover. For example, set cloud_cover_max=20 to find mostly clear scenes.…
- `cloud_cover_min`: Minimum cloud cover percentage (0–100, inclusive). Use with cloud_cover_max to filter optical/visible imagery granules by cloud cover. Only applicable to collections that report cloud cover (e.g., La…
- `collection_concept_id` (string, required): Parent collection concept ID (format: C<number>-<PROVIDER>, e.g., C2723758340-GES_DISC). Required to scope granule search.
- `cursor`: Pagination token for the next page of results. Pass the exact next_cursor string returned by the previous tool call. Cursors are query-scoped: they lock in the original search parameters and cannot b…
- `day_night_flag`: Filter granules by day/night acquisition flag. Values: 'DAY', 'NIGHT', 'UNSPECIFIED'.
- `fields`
- `limit` (integer): Maximum number of results to return (default 10, max 50). Keep this small to avoid context window bloat. When using limit > 10, always specify the fields parameter.
- `sort_key`: Sort key for granule results. e.g., '-start_date' (newest first), 'start_date' (oldest first). CMR default is relevance score. For ongoing or near-real-time (NRT) missions where the user wants the mo…
- `spatial_wkt_geometry`: Spatial filter as WKT geometry. Supported types: POLYGON((lon lat, ...)), POINT(lon lat), or LINESTRING(lon lat, ...).Finds granules with spatial extent intersecting this area. CMR returns any granul…
- `temporal_end_date`: End of temporal filter in ISO 8601 format (e.g., 2024-01-31T23:59:59Z). Finds granules whose temporal extent overlaps this window. Set this whenever the user specifies a time period — omitting it ret…
- `temporal_start_date`: Start of temporal filter in ISO 8601 format (e.g., 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z). Finds granules whose temporal extent overlaps this window. Set this whenever the user specifies a time period — omitting it r…

Output parameters:

- `error_message`: Error details when status is error
- `granules` (array): Normalized granule results mapped from UMM-G
- `next_cursor`: Pagination token for the next page of results
- `status` (string): Status of the tool execution
- `total_hits` (integer): Total number of matching items

### `get_keywords` (~233 tokens)

Discover official Earthdata vocabulary (like 'ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR') directly from NASA's Keyword Management System (KMS). Use this to find the exact preferred labels to construct successful get_collections searches.

Key fields in each returned item:
\- prefLabel: The preferred label to use in searches
\- uuid: The KMS concept UUID
\- definition: Context and expanded acronyms
\- scheme: The vocabulary scheme (e.g. sciencekeywords, platforms)

Input parameters:

- `cursor`: Pagination token for the next page of results. Pass the exact next_cursor string returned by the previous tool call. Cursors are query-scoped: they lock in the original search parameters and cannot b…
- `fields`
- `limit` (integer): Maximum number of results to return (default 10, max 50). Keep this small to avoid context window bloat. When using limit > 10, always specify the fields parameter.
- `query` (string, required)
- `scheme`

Output parameters:

- `error_message`: Error details when status is error
- `keywords` (array): List of matched KMS terms
- `next_cursor`: Pagination token for the next page; None when no more results
- `status` (string): Status of the tool execution
- `total_hits` (integer): Total number of matching items

### `get_services` (~402 tokens)

Search NASA CMR services for a specific parent collection and return all associated normalized UMM-S records.

Key fields in each returned item:
\- concept_id: CMR service concept ID
\- native_id: native ID of the service record
\- revision_id: revision ID of the service metadata
\- provider_id: provider ID of the service
\- name: service name
\- type: service type (e.g., OPeNDAP, WCS, Harmony, WMS, WMTS, ESI, EGI - No Processing)
\- version: service version string
\- description: human-readable service description
\- url: Primary endpoint URL information
\- service_options: supported output formats, projections, subset types, and interpolation methods
\- operation_metadata: operation names (e.g., GetCapabilities, GetMap) and distributed computing platform

Key parameters:
\- collection_concept_id: required parent collection concept ID

Iteration & Refinement:
\- All services associated with the collection are fetched in a single request. Paging is not supported.

Note: A collection may be associated with multiple services of different types. Check type to distinguish between data access services (e.g., OPeNDAP, WCS) and discovery/visualization services (e.g., WMS, WMTS).

Input parameters:

- `collection_concept_id`
- `cursor`: Pagination token for the next page of results. Pass the exact next_cursor string returned by the previous tool call. Cursors are query-scoped: they lock in the original search parameters and cannot b…
- `fields`
- `keyword`
- `limit` (integer): Maximum number of results to return (default 10, max 50). Keep this small to avoid context window bloat. When using limit > 10, always specify the fields parameter.
- `type`

Output parameters:

- `error_message`: Error details when status is error
- `next_cursor`: Pagination token for the next page
- `services` (array): Normalized service results mapped from UMM-S
- `status` (string): Status of the tool execution
- `total_hits` (integer): Total number of matching items

### `get_tools` (~454 tokens)

Search NASA CMR tools for a specific parent collection and return all associated normalized UMM-T records.

Key fields in each returned item:
\- concept_id: CMR tool concept ID
\- native_id: native ID of the tool record
\- revision_id: revision ID of the tool metadata
\- provider_id: provider ID of the tool
\- name: tool name
\- type: tool type (e.g., Downloadable Tool, Web User Interface, Web Portal, Model)
\- version: tool version string
\- description: human-readable tool description
\- url: Primary URL for directly accessing the tool
\- supported_input_formats: file formats the tool can read (e.g., HDF5, NETCDF-4, GeoTIFF)
\- supported_output_formats: file formats the tool can produce
\- supported_operating_systems: OS compatibility (name and version)
\- supported_browsers: browser compatibility (name and version)
\- supported_software_languages: programming language compatibility
\- tool_keywords: Earth science keyword taxonomy for the tool
\- organizations: providers, developers, or publishers of the tool
\- potential_action: smart handoff definition for parameterized deep links (e.g., 'Open in Giovanni')

Key parameters:
\- collection_concept_id: required parent collection concept ID

Iteration & Refinement:
\- All tools associated with the collection are fetched in a single request. Paging is not supported.

Note: A collection may be associated with multiple tools of different types. Check type to distinguish between downloadable tools, web user interfaces, and web portals.

Input parameters:

- `collection_concept_id`
- `cursor`: Pagination token for the next page of results. Pass the exact next_cursor string returned by the previous tool call. Cursors are query-scoped: they lock in the original search parameters and cannot b…
- `fields`
- `keyword`
- `limit` (integer): Maximum number of results to return (default 10, max 50). Keep this small to avoid context window bloat. When using limit > 10, always specify the fields parameter.

Output parameters:

- `error_message`: Error details when status is error
- `next_cursor`: Pagination token for the next page; None when no more results
- `status` (string): Status of the tool execution
- `tools` (array): Normalized tool results mapped from UMM-T
- `total_hits` (integer): Total number of matching items

### `get_variables` (~278 tokens)

Discover scientific variables and measurements associated with a collection, or look up variables by keyword. Use this tool to understand dataset variables, dimensions, and data processing parameters (such as scale, offset, and fill values) before downloading or analyzing data.

Key fields in each returned item:
\- concept_id: CMR variable concept ID
\- name: Variable short name
\- long_name: Variable long name
\- definition: Variable definition
\- data_type: Data type of the variable
\- units: Units of measurement
\- scale: Scale factor
\- offset: Offset value
\- fill_values: Values indicating missing or invalid data
\- valid_ranges: Valid data ranges
\- dimensions: Variable dimensions

Input parameters:

- `collection_concept_id`
- `cursor`: Pagination token for the next page of results. Pass the exact next_cursor string returned by the previous tool call. Cursors are query-scoped: they lock in the original search parameters and cannot b…
- `fields`
- `keyword`
- `limit` (integer): Maximum number of results to return (default 10, max 50). Keep this small to avoid context window bloat. When using limit > 10, always specify the fields parameter.

Output parameters:

- `error_message`: Error details when status is error
- `next_cursor`: Pagination token for the next page; None when no more results
- `status` (string): Status of the tool execution
- `total_hits` (integer): Total number of matching items
- `variables` (array): Normalized variable results mapped from UMM-V

## Diagnostics

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

## Score history

- 2026-09-20: 66
- 2026-09-19: 66
- 2026-09-18: 65
- 2026-09-17: 65
- 2026-09-16: 64
- 2026-09-15: 64
- 2026-09-14: 63
- 2026-09-13: 63
- 2026-09-12: 63
- 2026-09-11: 62

## Common questions

### What is the NASA Earthdata MCP server?

NASA Earthdata MCP is listed in the public MCP registry as io.github.nasa/earthdata-mcp. Discover, verify, and access NASA Earth science datasets via the Common Metadata Repository (CMR). This page covers its hosted endpoint (https://cmr.earthdata.nasa.gov/mcp/v1).

### Is the NASA Earthdata MCP server safe to use?

NASA Earthdata MCP scores 66 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 NASA Earthdata MCP server expose?

NASA Earthdata MCP exposes 7 tools: get_citations, get_collections, get_granules, get_keywords, get_services, and 2 more. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 4,437 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Does the NASA Earthdata MCP server require authentication?

No. We connected to NASA Earthdata MCP without credentials and it answered, so anything it exposes is reachable by anyone who knows the address.

### Is the NASA Earthdata MCP server still maintained?

NASA Earthdata MCP is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 20 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://cmr.earthdata.nasa.gov/mcp/v1
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/nasa-earthdata-mcp/mcp-v1.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/nasa-earthdata-mcp/mcp-v1.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/nasa-earthdata-mcp/mcp-v1