dbn-go-mcp-meta#

dbn-go-mcp-meta is a metadata-only Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Databento services. It bridges LLMs and Databento’s metadata discovery APIs, allowing AI assistants to explore datasets, schemas, and pricing without downloading data.

No tools in this server incur Databento billing. For data download and caching, use dbn-go-mcp-data.

It requires your Databento API Key. Since this program is typically executed by a host program (like Claude Desktop), the preferred method is to store the API key in a file and use --key-file or the DATABENTO_API_KEY_FILE environment variable.

Overview#

dbn-go-mcp-meta                          # MCP server on stdio (default)
dbn-go-mcp-meta --sse                    # MCP server over HTTP (SSE), localhost only

The MCP server supports two transport modes:

  • stdio (default): For direct integration with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, and other stdio-based clients
  • HTTP/SSE: For web-based or networked clients using Server-Sent Events

Command-Line Flags#

  -h, --help              Show help
  -k, --key string        Databento API key (or set 'DATABENTO_API_KEY' envvar)
  -f, --key-file string   File to read Databento API key from (or set 'DATABENTO_API_KEY_FILE' envvar)
  -l, --log-file string   Log file destination (or MCP_LOG_FILE envvar). Default is stderr
  -j, --log-json          Log in JSON (default is plaintext)
  -p, --port string       host:port to listen to SSE connections (default "127.0.0.1:8889")
      --sse               Use SSE Transport (default is STDIO transport)
  -v, --verbose           Verbose logging

Available Tools#

Discovery Tools (no billing)#

These tools query Databento metadata and do not incur any billing charges.

list_datasets#

Lists all available Databento dataset codes. Optionally filter by date range.

Parameters:

NameTypeRequiredDescription
startstringNoStart of date range filter (ISO 8601)
endstringNoEnd of date range filter (ISO 8601)

list_schemas#

Lists all available data record schemas for a given dataset.

Parameters:

NameTypeRequiredDescription
datasetstringYesDataset code (e.g. XNAS.ITCH, GLBX.MDP3)

list_fields#

Lists all field names and types for a given schema (JSON encoding).

Parameters:

NameTypeRequiredDescription
schemastringYesSchema to inspect (e.g. trades, ohlcv-1d, mbp-1)

list_publishers#

Lists all publishers with their publisher_id, dataset, venue, and description. Optionally filter by dataset.

Parameters:

NameTypeRequiredDescription
datasetstringNoDataset code to filter publishers

get_dataset_range#

Returns the available date range (start and end) for a dataset.

Parameters:

NameTypeRequiredDescription
datasetstringYesDataset code

get_dataset_condition#

Returns data quality/availability condition per day (available, degraded, pending, missing, intraday).

Parameters:

NameTypeRequiredDescription
datasetstringYesDataset code
startstringNoStart of date range filter (ISO 8601)
endstringNoEnd of date range filter (ISO 8601)

list_unit_prices#

Lists unit prices in USD per gigabyte for each schema and feed mode in a dataset.

Parameters:

NameTypeRequiredDescription
datasetstringYesDataset code

resolve_symbols#

Resolves symbols from one symbology type to another for a given dataset and date range. For example, convert a raw symbol like AAPL to its instrument_id, or resolve a continuous futures contract.

Parameters:

NameTypeRequiredDescription
datasetstringYesDataset code
symbolsstringYesComma-separated symbols (e.g. AAPL,TSLA,QQQ)
startstringYesStart of date range (ISO 8601)
stype_instringNoInput symbology type (default: raw_symbol). Use continuous for futures like ES.c.0
stype_outstringNoOutput symbology type (default: instrument_id)
endstringNoEnd of date range (ISO 8601)

get_cost#

Returns the estimated cost in USD, billable data size in bytes, and record count for a query.

Parameters:

NameTypeRequiredDescription
datasetstringYesDataset code
schemastringYesSchema (e.g. trades, ohlcv-1d)
symbolsstringYesComma-separated symbols
stype_instringNoInput symbology type (default: raw_symbol)
startstringYesStart of range (ISO 8601)
endstringYesEnd of range, exclusive (ISO 8601)

The recommended workflow for an LLM is:

  1. list_datasets — discover available datasets
  2. list_schemas — see which schemas a dataset supports
  3. list_fields — understand the record structure of a schema
  4. get_dataset_range / get_dataset_condition — verify data availability
  5. get_cost — estimate the cost of a potential query

Installation#

Claude Desktop#

Add dbn-go-mcp-meta to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

Edit `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`:
Edit `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`:
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dbn": {
      "command": "dbn-go-mcp-meta",
      "args": [
        "--key-file", "/path/to/databento_api_key.txt"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop to load the new MCP server.

Claude Code#

claude mcp add --transport stdio dbn -- dbn-go-mcp-meta --key-file /path/to/databento_api_key.txt
claude mcp list

Gemini CLI#

gemini mcp add --transport stdio dbn -- dbn-go-mcp-meta --key-file /path/to/databento_api_key.txt
gemini mcp list

GitHub Copilot CLI#

Edit `~/.config/github-copilot/mcp.json`:
Edit `%USERPROFILE%\.config\github-copilot\mcp.json`:
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dbn": {
      "command": "dbn-go-mcp-meta",
      "args": [
        "--key-file", "/path/to/databento_api_key.txt"
      ]
    }
  }
}

HTTP/SSE Mode#

For networked deployments, run the MCP server over HTTP with Server-Sent Events:

dbn-go-mcp-meta --sse                              # localhost only (default 127.0.0.1:8889)
dbn-go-mcp-meta --sse --port 0.0.0.0:8889          # listen on all interfaces

See Also#

Backward dbn-go-file split dbn-go-mcp-data Forward