contest-mcp

An MCP server for logging amateur-radio QSOs to N3FJP logging software — Amateur Contact Log and the 100-plus N3FJP contest loggers — from MCP-aware clients such as Claude Desktop.

Every program in the N3FJP suite shares one TCP control API. contest-mcp speaks that protocol directly (Python's standard-library socket, no third-party wrapper) and exposes it as a small set of logically-grouped MCP tools, so an assistant can log contacts, read the log, run dupe checks, and manage band/mode through plain language.

It is the logging half of an "operate → log" workflow; its sibling project fldigi-mcp operates the radio.

Status: experimental (v0.1). Verified live against N3FJP's ARRL Field Day Contest Log, API version 2.2. The protocol is shared across the suite, but field sets vary per contest — confirm with the fields tool.

The project is named contest-mcp (not "n3fjp-mcp") to avoid any conflict with the N3FJP name and callsign. It is an independent project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Affirmatech / N3FJP.

Highlights

• Automatic logging — the headline log tool runs the real N3FJP flow: set the call → CALLTAB (dupe check + previous-contact lookup) → set the exchange → ENTER, surfacing the dupe response and the number of records added.

• Broad coverage — read queries, field read/write, search/list, dupe and entity checks, band/mode/frequency, direct database operations, and opt-in push notifications, grouped into 9 tools (one permission each) plus an n3fjp_call escape hatch for the long tail and future commands.

• Safe by design for a tool that can touch your log database:

  • Reads are marked read-only so clients can default them to Always Allow.

  • Writes (logging, band/mode) default to Needs Approval.

  • Destructive operations (add-direct, delete a record, raw SQL) additionally require confirm=true.

  • Whole-database wipes/overwrites are refused outright unless you flip a dedicated, off-by-default N3FJP_ALLOW_DB_WIPE switch.

• Names match N3FJP — tools and fields mirror N3FJP's own terminology (Action ENTER, CALLTAB, the TXTENTRY… boxes, Class/Section, etc.).

• No fragile dependencies — the only runtime dependency is the MCP SDK.

Related MCP server: qrz-mcp

Requirements

To install the desktop extension (.mcpb):

• An N3FJP program running, with Settings → Application Program Interface → "TCP API Enabled" checked (default API port 1100).

Claude Desktop's uv runtime supplies Python and the dependencies, so end users do not install Python or uv themselves.

For development from source you additionally need Python 3.10+ and uv (and Node.js, only for the MCP Inspector).

Install

Easiest: one-click desktop extension

Download contest-mcp.mcpb from the latest release, then in Claude Desktop go to Settings → Extensions → Advanced settings → Install Extension… and choose the file. A short settings form asks for the host/port (defaults to 127.0.0.1:1100). No terminal, no Python, no uv to install.

👉 New to this? Follow the step-by-step install guide.

From source (development)

git clone https://github.com/sbrunner-atx/contest-mcp.git
cd contest-mcp
uv sync

Then add it to Claude Desktop's config (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "contest": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["--directory", "/absolute/path/to/contest-mcp", "run", "contest-mcp"],
      "env": { "N3FJP_HOST": "127.0.0.1", "N3FJP_PORT": "1100" }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop and ask "What's the N3FJP status?".

Try it with the MCP Inspector

uv run mcp dev src/contest_mcp/server.py

Tools

Each tool is one permission and takes an operation argument.

The headline is log → log_qso:

log_qso  call="W1AW"  contest="field_day"  exchange={"class":"2A","section":"CT"}

This sets the call, fires CALLTAB (dupe check), fills the exchange, sends ENTER, and reports records added plus any dupe detail.

Configuration

In the packaged desktop extension these appear as a settings form.

Safety model

Logging doesn't key a transmitter, so there is no transmit gate. The protection here is about your log database:

• Read operations (status, query, fields, search) are marked read-only — clients can default them to Always Allow.

• Write operations (log, bandmode, notifications) default to Needs Approval; the client asks before each one.

• Destructive operations in database (add-direct, delete a record, raw SQL) and any state-changing n3fjp_call additionally require confirm=true.

• Whole-database operations — raw SQL that could delete or overwrite the entire log (DROP, TRUNCATE, a DELETE/UPDATE with no WHERE) — are refused unless N3FJP_ALLOW_DB_WIPE is on. This switch is separate from, and stricter than, the client's approval prompts, and carries a stern warning in the settings form. Back up your log before ever enabling it.

Wherever possible, contest-mcp leans on N3FJP's own validation (it dupe-checks and reports oddities) and surfaces those responses rather than re-implementing them.

Remote / contest-station setups

N3FJP need not run on the same machine. Point the server at it with N3FJP_HOST/N3FJP_PORT. Keep the link on a trusted LAN — the API is unauthenticated.

Documentation

• N3FJP API reference (human-readable) and PDF — a cleaned-up, more complete rewrite of the official page.

• N3FJP API spec (machine-readable) — the command catalog this server is built from.

• Install guide and Test plan.

Development

uv sync
uv run ruff check .      # lint
uv run pytest            # tests (no running N3FJP required)
python3 smoke_test.py 192.168.1.50 1100   # Phase 0: prove the link to N3FJP

The test suite covers the wire protocol, the operation maps and field catalog, type coercion, and the permission/confirm safety model; none of it requires a running N3FJP.

License

MIT © 2026 Stefan Brunner (AE5VG)