Click on "Install Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@mcp-simbad what is M31?"
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
SIMBAD MCP — CDS Strasbourg astronomical database of objects beyond the Solar System (~14M objects). Keyless TAP+sim-script interface.
Part of Pipeworx — an MCP gateway connecting AI agents to 1476+ live data sources.
object(identifier) — resolve and fetch the basic record for an object name
script(script) — run a SIMBAD sim-script (advanced)
tap(query, format?) — ADQL TAP query against the SIMBAD database
cone_search(ra, dec, radius_deg) — objects in a cone
Related MCP server: aqc-mcp
https://simbad.cds.unistra.fr — sim-script + TAP/ADQL.
Add to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):
{
"mcpServers": {
"simbad": {
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/simbad/mcp"
}
}
}tools/list at https://gateway.pipeworx.io/simbad/mcp returns the tools in the table
above plus the shared Pipeworx meta-tools — ask_pipeworx,
discover_tools, search_within, remember/recall and the rest of the
gateway-wide set. So the tool count you see is larger than this table: a
single-pack endpoint currently lists roughly 30 shared tools alongside the
pack's own. The connection's initialize response states its exact scope, and
is the authoritative answer for a given day.
This is deliberate, not multiplexing by accident. The meta-tools are what let a
scoped connection answer a question this pack does not cover — via
ask_pipeworx, which routes across the whole catalog — without you adding a
second MCP server. There is currently no way to mount a pack endpoint without
them; if the extra schemas cost you more context than the routing is worth,
connect to the full gateway once rather than to several pack endpoints.
Or connect to the full Pipeworx gateway to get every pack's tools listed directly, instead of just this one's:
{
"mcpServers": {
"pipeworx": {
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/mcp"
}
}
}Both URLs reach the same gateway and the same 1476+ data sources. The
only difference is which pack's tools are listed directly; ask_pipeworx
reaches all of them from either one.
Instead of calling tools directly, you can ask questions in plain English — this works on the pack endpoint above as well as on the full gateway:
ask_pipeworx({ question: "your question about Simbad data" })The gateway picks the right tool and fills the arguments automatically.
MIT
This server cannot be installed
Unclaimed servers have limited discoverability.
If you are the server author, to access and configure the admin panel.
Search and fetch Wikidata entities, execute SPARQL queries, and resolve external identifiers.
Integrates Wolfram Language and Wolfram|Alpha accessing curated data and sophisticated algorithms.
Interact with the Stitch API using natural language commands.
List datasets, schemas, run APL queries, and use prompts for exploration, anomalies, and monitoring.
