# mcp-statbel-be

Statbel — Statistics Belgium (be.STAT / bestat) open data MCP.

Part of [Pipeworx](https://pipeworx.io) — an MCP gateway connecting AI agents to 1866+ live data sources. This is an independent, unofficial integration — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or published by the upstream provider.

## Tools

| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `list_views` | Browse/search Statbel (Statistics Belgium, be.STAT) saved statistical views. Each view is a pre-built table over a dataset and carries a single locale (nl/fr/de/en). Returns id, name, locale, dataSourceId and publish dates. Filter by case-insensitive substring of the view name (matches in any language). |
| `get_view` | Metadata for one Statbel view by its id (a UUID, e.g. from list_views). Returns the view object: name, locale, dataSourceId (the underlying dataset), and publish/change dates. To get the dataset description in all available languages, pass the returned dataSourceId to get_dataset. |
| `list_datasets` | Browse/search Statbel datasets (be.STAT "datasources"). Each dataset has a `name` code (e.g. "IM_EAF_HOUSE_SALES_IDX"), a `descriptions` map with one entry per supported language (nl/fr/de/en), a category id, supportedLocales, and last-update timestamps. Filter by case-insensitive substring matched against the dataset code and all-language descriptions. |
| `get_dataset` | Multilingual metadata for one Statbel dataset by its id (a UUID, e.g. the dataSourceId from a view). Returns the dataset code `name`, the `descriptions` map (nl/fr/de/en text), supportedLocales, defaultLocale, category id and update dates. |

## Quick Start

Add to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "statbel-be": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/statbel-be/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### What this endpoint actually serves

`tools/list` at `https://gateway.pipeworx.io/statbel-be/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:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pipeworx": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

Both URLs reach the same gateway and the same 1866+ data sources. The
only difference is which pack's tools are listed **directly**; `ask_pipeworx`
reaches all of them from either one.

## No MCP client? Call it over HTTP

```bash
curl -X POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/list_views \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"query":"house prices"}'
```

No account needed for the first calls. Inspect any tool: `GET https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/list_views`. Find one: `POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/search_packs` with `{"query":"..."}`.

## Run it from npm

`@pipeworx/mcp-statbel-be` is a local stdio bridge to the Pipeworx gateway: your MCP client
starts it with `npx`, and it forwards every call to the same
`https://gateway.pipeworx.io/statbel-be/mcp` endpoint shown above. It needs network access;
there is no offline mode.

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "statbel-be": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-statbel-be"]
    }
  }
}
```

Without a key it calls anonymously, capped at 50 calls a day. A free account
raises that to 200 a day: get a key at https://pipeworx.io/signup and add
`"env": { "PIPEWORX_API_KEY": "<your key>" }` to the server entry.
The key is sent as a Bearer token, the same way a hosted connection sends it,
so calls are metered and billed exactly as they are there.

It lists **only** this pack's tools by default. Set `PIPEWORX_META_TOOLS=1` to
also list `ask_pipeworx` and the other gateway-wide tools.

Behind an HTTPS proxy: Node's built-in `fetch` does not read `HTTPS_PROXY` by
default. Newer Node releases honour it when `NODE_USE_ENV_PROXY=1` is set; check
your Node version's documentation.

## Using with ask_pipeworx

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 Statbel Be data" })
```

The gateway picks the right tool and fills the arguments automatically.

## More

- [Docs and guides](https://pipeworx.io/docs)
- [pipeworx.io](https://pipeworx.io)

## License

MIT