VEPmcp

VEPmcp is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for the Ensembl Variant Effect Predictor (VEP) API. It enables annotation and effect prediction of genetic variants, with full support for batch and single queries, and is designed for seamless integration with MCP-compatible clients (e.g., Claude Desktop, VS Code MCP extension).

Features

• Annotate variants using Ensembl VEP (HGVS, variant ID, or genomic region)

• Batch and single variant support

• Retrieve available species, consequence types, and assembly info

• Fast, robust, and rate-limited HTTP client

• JSON-RPC 2.0 over stdio for easy integration with AI tools and editors

Related MCP server: Ensembl MCP Server

Installation

pip install -e .
# or via pypi
pip install VEPmcp

Usage

Command Line

VEPmcp --help
VEPmcp --test-connection      # Test Ensembl API connectivity
VEPmcp --test-mode            # Run server in test mode with sample requests

As an MCP Server

Run the server (for use with MCP clients):

VEPmcp

The server communicates via stdio using JSON-RPC 2.0.

Supported Tools

• vep_hgvs_single / vep_hgvs_batch: Annotate by HGVS notation

• vep_id_single / vep_id_batch: Annotate by variant ID (e.g., rsID)

• vep_region_single / vep_region_batch: Annotate by genomic region

• get_vep_species: List available species

• get_consequence_types: List consequence types

• get_assembly_info: Get assembly info for a species

Example MCP Client Configurations

Claude Desktop

{
  "mcp_servers": {
    "vepmcp": {
      "command": "VEPmcp",
      "args": [],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

VS Code MCP Extension

{
  "mcp.servers": {
    "vepmcp": {
      "command": "VEPmcp",
      "args": [],
      "env": {},
      "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}"
    }
  }
}

Example Usage

Prompt your MCP client with:

"Annotate the variant rs56116432 in humans using VEP"

Testing

• VEPmcp --test-connection — check API connectivity

• VEPmcp --test-mode — run server in test mode

• python run_tests.py --mode all --verbose — run all unit/integration tests

• python run_tests.py --mode ci — run CI pipeline (linting + type checking + unit tests)

Continuous Integration

This project uses GitHub Actions for automated testing on every pull request. The CI pipeline includes:

• Linting with Ruff

• Type checking with MyPy

• Unit and integration tests across Python 3.9-3.13

• Security scanning

• Code coverage reporting

Troubleshooting

• Ensure VEPmcp is installed and in your PATH

• Check internet connectivity for Ensembl API access

• Use --verbose for detailed logs

Development

pip install -e .[dev]
python run_tests.py --mode ci  # Run linting, type checking, and unit tests
python run_tests.py --mode all --verbose  # Run all tests including integration

Local Testing Commands

# Linting and formatting
python run_tests.py --mode lint

# Type checking  
python run_tests.py --mode type

# Unit tests only
python run_tests.py --mode unit --verbose

# Integration tests (requires internet)
python run_tests.py --mode integration --verbose

License

MIT License — see LICENSE

Contributing

1. Fork and branch

2. Make changes and add tests

3. Run the test suite

4. Submit a pull request

Support

For issues and questions, use the GitHub issue tracker.