Click on "Deploy 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., "@ITIS MCP What's the full taxonomic lineage of the gray wolf?"
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.
ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System) MCP.
Part of Pipeworx — an MCP gateway connecting AI agents to 1683+ live data sources.
Tool | Description |
| Search ITIS (authoritative US-government integrated taxonomy for plants, animals, fungi, and microbes) by scientific name and resolve it to TSNs (Taxonomic Serial Numbers). Returns matching taxa with tsn, scientific name, author, and kingdom. Keyless. Use the tsn with get_hierarchy or get_common_names. |
| Walk the full taxonomic hierarchy (lineage) for a TSN from ITIS — kingdom down to the taxon and its children. Returns each rank with its tsn, name, rank, and parent_tsn. Pass a TSN from search_taxa. Keyless. |
| Get vernacular (common) names in all languages for a TSN from ITIS, e.g. "Bobcat", "lynx roux". Pass a TSN from search_taxa. Keyless. |
Related MCP server: mcp-catalogueoflife
Add to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):
{
"mcpServers": {
"itis": {
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/itis/mcp"
}
}
}tools/list at https://gateway.pipeworx.io/itis/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 1683+ data sources. The
only difference is which pack's tools are listed directly; ask_pipeworx
reaches all of them from either one.
curl -X POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/itis_search_taxa \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"name":"Puma concolor"}'No account needed for the first calls. Inspect any tool: GET https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/itis_search_taxa. Find one: POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/search_packs with {"query":"..."}.
This package also runs as a local stdio MCP server — no Pipeworx account, no gateway round-trip:
{
"mcpServers": {
"itis": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-itis"]
}
}
}Or run it directly to confirm it starts:
npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-itisIt speaks MCP over stdin/stdout and answers initialize/tools/list/tools/call
for only this pack's tools — none of the shared meta-tools the gateway
connection above adds. Same source, same tools, no ask_pipeworx routing.
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 Itis data" })The gateway picks the right tool and fills the arguments automatically.
MIT
This server cannot be deployed
Connect AI clients to biomedical data and tools.
Machine-readable utilities and datasets for AI agents.
Curated knowledge API for AI agents - skill packs, semantic search, validated patterns.
Knowledge graph for AI agents. Query concepts, walk edges, get advisories.
