download_kaggle_dataset

Download files from a specific Kaggle dataset by providing the dataset reference and optional download path. Simplifies data retrieval for analysis and projects.

Instructions

Downloads files for a specific Kaggle dataset. Args: dataset_ref: The reference of the dataset (e.g., 'username/dataset-slug'). download_path: Optional. The path to download the files to. Defaults to '<project_root>/datasets/<dataset_slug>'.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`dataset_ref`	Yes
`download_path`	No

Implementation Reference

src/server.py:63-118 (handler)

The handler function decorated with @mcp.tool(), which registers and implements the 'download_kaggle_dataset' tool. It uses the Kaggle API to download the specified dataset to a determined path, handling directory creation, path resolution, and errors.

@mcp.tool()
async def download_kaggle_dataset(dataset_ref: str, download_path: str | None = None) -> str:
    """Downloads files for a specific Kaggle dataset.
    Args:
        dataset_ref: The reference of the dataset (e.g., 'username/dataset-slug').
        download_path: Optional. The path to download the files to. Defaults to '<project_root>/datasets/<dataset_slug>'.
    """
    if not api:
        # Return an informative error if API is not available
        return json.dumps({"error": "Kaggle API not authenticated or available."})

    print(f"Attempting to download dataset: {dataset_ref}")

    # Determine absolute download path based on script location
    # Use Path.cwd() if run via script entry point, or __file__ if run directly
    try:
        project_root = Path(__file__).parent.parent.resolve() # NEW: this is the parent of src/, i.e., the project root
    except NameError: # __file__ might not be defined when run via entry point
        project_root = Path.cwd() # NEW: Assume cwd is project root if __file__ is not defined


    if not download_path:
        try:
            dataset_slug = dataset_ref.split('/')[1]
        except IndexError:
            return f"Error: Invalid dataset_ref format '{dataset_ref}'. Expected 'username/dataset-slug'."
        # Construct absolute path relative to project root
        download_path_obj = project_root / "datasets" / dataset_slug # NEW
    else:
        # If a path is provided, resolve it relative to project root
        download_path_obj = project_root / Path(download_path) # NEW
        # Ensure it's fully resolved
        download_path_obj = download_path_obj.resolve()


    # Ensure download directory exists (using the Path object)
    try:
        download_path_obj.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
        print(f"Ensured download directory exists: {download_path_obj}") # Will print absolute path
    except OSError as e:
        return f"Error creating download directory '{download_path_obj}': {e}"

    try:
        print(f"Calling api.dataset_download_files for {dataset_ref} to path {str(download_path_obj)}")
        # Pass the path as a string to the Kaggle API
        api.dataset_download_files(dataset_ref, path=str(download_path_obj), unzip=True, quiet=False)
        return f"Successfully downloaded and unzipped dataset '{dataset_ref}' to '{str(download_path_obj)}'." # Show absolute path
    except Exception as e:
        # Log the error potentially
        print(f"Error downloading dataset '{dataset_ref}': {e}")
        # Check for 404 Not Found
        if "404" in str(e):
            return f"Error: Dataset '{dataset_ref}' not found or access denied."
        # Check for other specific Kaggle errors if needed
        return f"Error downloading dataset '{dataset_ref}': {str(e)}"

src/server.py:63-63 (registration)
The @mcp.tool() decorator registers the download_kaggle_dataset function as an MCP tool.
```
@mcp.tool()
```

src/server.py:64-69 (schema)

Type hints and docstring define the input schema: dataset_ref (str, required), download_path (str optional), returning str.

async def download_kaggle_dataset(dataset_ref: str, download_path: str | None = None) -> str:
    """Downloads files for a specific Kaggle dataset.
    Args:
        dataset_ref: The reference of the dataset (e.g., 'username/dataset-slug').
        download_path: Optional. The path to download the files to. Defaults to '<project_root>/datasets/<dataset_slug>'.
    """

src/server.py:16-23 (helper)

Initialization and authentication of the KaggleApi instance used by the tool via closure.

api = None # Initialize api as None first
try:
    api = KaggleApi()
    api.authenticate()
    print("Kaggle API Authenticated Successfully.")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Error authenticating Kaggle API: {e}")
    # api remains None if authentication fails

kaggle-mcp